Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 8: “Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Seventeen
The Supreme Lord Agrees to Become Aditi’s Son
SB8.17Summary
As explained in this chapter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, being very pleased by the payo-vrata ceremony performed by Aditi, appeared before her in full opulence. At her request, the Lord agreed to become her son.
After Aditi performed the payo-vrata ceremony for twelve continuous days, the Lord, who was certainly very pleased with her, appeared before her with four hands and dressed in yellow garments. As soon as Aditi saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead present before her, she immediately got up, and with great ecstatic love for the Lord she fell to the ground to offer respectful obeisances. Aditi’s throat was choked because of ecstatic feelings, and her entire body trembled with devotion. Although she wanted to offer suitable prayers to the Lord, she could not do anything, and thus she remained silent for some time. Then, feeling solace, observing the beauty of the Lord, she offered her prayers. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul of all living entities, was very pleased with her, and He agreed to become her son by incarnating as a plenary expansion. He was already pleased by Kasyapa Muni’s austerities, and thus He agreed to become their son and maintain the demigods. After giving His word of honor to this effect, the Lord disappeared. Following the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Aditi engaged in the service of Kasyapa Muni, who could see by samadhi that the Lord was within him and who thus placed his semen in the womb of Aditi. Lord Brahma, who is known as Hiranyagarbha, understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead had entered Aditi’s womb. Thus he offered prayers to the Lord. SB8.17.1 TEXT 1 sri-suka uvaca ity ukta saditi rajan sva-bhartra kasyapena vai anv atisthad vratam idam dvadasaham atandrita SYNONYMS sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; iti—thus; ukta—being advised; sa—that lady; aditih—Aditi; rajan—O King; sva-bhartra—by her husband; kasyapena—Kasyapa Muni; vai—indeed; anu—similarly; atisthat—executed; vratam idam—this payo-vrata ritualistic ceremony; dvadasa-aham—for twelve days; atandrita—without any laziness. TRANSLATION Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, after Aditi was thus advised by her husband, Kasyapa Muni, she strictly followed his instructions without laziness and in this way performed the payo-vrata ritualistic ceremony. PURPORT For advancement in anything, especially in spiritual life, one must strictly follow the bona fide instructions of the teacher. Aditi did this. She strictly followed the instructions of her husband and guru. As confirmed in the Vedic injunctions, yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau [SU 6.23]. One should have complete faith in the guru, who helps the disciple make progress in spiritual life. As soon as the disciple thinks independently, not caring for the instructions of the spiritual master, he is a failure (yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ’pi). Aditi very strictly followed the instructions of her husband and spiritual master, and thus she was successful. SB8.17.2-3 TEXTS 2–3 cintayanty ekaya buddhya maha-purusam isvaram pragrhyendriya-dustasvan manasa buddhi-sarathih manas caikagraya buddhya bhagavaty akhilatmani vasudeve samadhaya cacara ha payo-vratam SYNONYMS cintayanti—constantly thinking; ekaya—with one attention; buddhya—and intelligence; maha-purusam—upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead; isvaram—the supreme controller, Lord Visnu; pragrhya—completely controlling; indriya—the senses; dusta—formidable, powerful; asvan—horses; manasa—by the mind; buddhi-sarathih—with the help of intelligence, the chariot driver; manah—the mind; ca—also; eka-agraya—with full attention; buddhya—with the intelligence; bhagavati—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; akhila-atmani—the Supreme Soul, the Supersoul of all living entities; vasudeve—unto Lord Vasudeva; samadhaya—keeping full attention; cacara—executed; ha—thus; payah-vratam—the ritualistic ceremony known as payo-vrata. TRANSLATION With full, undiverted attention, Aditi thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and in this way brought under full control her mind and senses, which resembled forceful horses. She concentrated her mind upon the Supreme Lord, Vasudeva. Thus she performed the ritualistic ceremony known as payo-vrata. PURPORT This is the process of bhakti-yoga. anyabhilasita-sunyam “One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Krsna favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.” One simply has to concentrate upon the lotus feet of Vasudeva, Krsna (sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh). Then the mind and senses will be controlled, and one can engage himself fully in the devotional service of the Lord. The devotee does not need to practice the hatha-yoga system to control the mind and senses; his mind and senses are automatically controlled because of unalloyed devotional service to the Lord. SB8.17.4 TEXT 4 tasyah pradurabhut tata bhagavan adi-purusah pita-vasas catur-bahuh sankha-cakra-gada-dharah SYNONYMS tasyah—before her; pradurabhut—appeared; tata—my dear King; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; adi-purusah—the original person; pita-vasah—dressed in yellow garments; catuh-bahuh—with four arms; sankha-cakra-gada-dharah—bearing the conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower. TRANSLATION My dear King, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, dressed in yellow garments and bearing a conchshell, disc, club and lotus in His four hands, then appeared before Aditi. SB8.17.5 TEXT 5 tam netra-gocaram viksya sahasotthaya sadaram nanama bhuvi kayena dandavat-priti-vihvala SYNONYMS tam—Him (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); netra-gocaram—visible by her eyes; viksya—after seeing; sahasa—all of a sudden; utthaya—getting up; sa-adaram—with great respect; nanama—offered respectful obeisances; bhuvi—on the ground; kayena—by the whole body; danda-vat—falling like a rod; priti-vihvala—almost puzzled because of transcendental bliss. TRANSLATION When the Supreme Personality of Godhead became visible to Aditi’s eyes, Aditi was so overwhelmed by transcendental bliss that she at once stood up and then fell to the ground like a rod to offer the Lord her respectful obeisances. SB8.17.6 TEXT 6 sotthaya baddhanjalir iditum sthita notseha ananda-jalakuleksana babhuva tusnim pulakakulakrtis tad-darsanatyutsava-gatra-vepathuh SYNONYMS sa—she; utthaya—standing up; baddha-anjalih—with folded hands; iditum—to worship the Lord; sthita—situated; na utsehe—could not endeavor; ananda—from transcendental bliss; jala—with water; akula-iksana—her eyes were filled; babhuva—remained; tusnim—silent; pulaka—with standing of the hairs of the body; akula—overwhelmed; akrtih—her form; tat-darsana—by seeing the Lord; ati-utsava—with great pleasure; gatra—her body; vepathuh—began to tremble. TRANSLATION Aditi stood silently with folded hands, unable to offer prayers to the Lord. Because of transcendental bliss, tears filled her eyes, and the hairs on her body stood on end. Because she could see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, she felt ecstasy, and her body trembled. SB8.17.7 TEXT 7 pritya sanair gadgadaya gira harim tustava sa devy aditih kurudvaha udviksati sa pibativa caksusa rama-patim yajna-patim jagat-patim SYNONYMS pritya—because of love; sanaih—again and again; gadgadaya—faltering; gira—with a voice; harim—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tustava—pleased; sa—she; devi—the demigoddess; aditih—Aditi; kuru-udvaha—O Maharaja Pariksit; udviksati—while staring; sa—she; pibati iva—appeared as if she were drinking; caksusa—through the eyes; rama-patim—unto the Lord, the husband of the goddess of fortune; yajna-patim—unto the Lord, the enjoyer of all sacrificial ceremonies; jagat-patim—the master and Lord of the entire universe. TRANSLATION O Maharaja Pariksit, the demigoddess Aditi then began offering her prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in a faltering voice and with great love. She appeared as though drinking through her eyes the Supreme Lord, who is the husband of the goddess of fortune, the enjoyer of all sacrificial ceremonies, and the master and Lord of the entire universe. PURPORT After observing the payo-vrata, Aditi was certain that the Lord had appeared before her as Rama-pati, the husband of all good fortune, just to offer her sons all opulences. She had performed the yajna of payo-vrata under the direction of her husband, Kasyapa, and therefore she thought of the Lord as Yajna-pati. She was completely satisfied to see the master and Lord of the entire universe come before her to fulfill her desire. SB8.17.8 TEXT 8 sri-aditir uvaca yajnesa yajna-purusacyuta tirtha-pada tirtha-sravah sravana-mangala-namadheya apanna-loka-vrjinopasamodayadya sam nah krdhisa bhagavann asi dina-nathah SYNONYMS sri-aditih uvaca—the demigoddess Aditi said; yajna-isa—O controller of all sacrificial ceremonies; yajna-purusa—the person who enjoys the benefits of all sacrifices; acyuta—infallible; tirtha-pada—at whose lotus feet stand all the holy places of pilgrimage; tirtha-sravah—celebrated as the ultimate shelter of all saintly persons; sravana—hearing about whom; mangala—is auspicious; namadheya—to chant His name is also auspicious; apanna—surrendered; loka—of people; vrjina—dangerous material position; upasama—diminishing; udaya—who has appeared; adya—the original Personality of Godhead; sam—auspiciousness; nah—our; krdhi—kindly bestow upon us; isa—O supreme controller; bhagavan—O Lord; asi—You are; dina-nathah—the only shelter of the down-trodden. TRANSLATION The goddess Aditi said: O master and enjoyer of all sacrificial ceremonies, O infallible and most famous person, whose name, when chanted, spreads all good fortune! O original Supreme Personality of Godhead, supreme controller, shelter of all holy places, You are the shelter of all poor, suffering living entities, and You have appeared to diminish their suffering. Please be kind to us and spread our good fortune. PURPORT The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of those who observe vows and austerities, and it is He who bestows benedictions upon them. He is worshipable for the devotee throughout the devotee’s life, for He never breaks His promises. As He says in Bhagavad-gita (9.31), kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati: “O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” The Lord is addressed here as acyuta, the infallible, because He takes care of His devotees. Anyone inimical to the devotees is certainly vanquished by the mercy of the Lord. The Lord is the source of the Ganges water, and therefore He is addressed here as tirtha-pada, indicating that all the holy places are at His lotus feet, or that whatever He touches with His foot becomes a holy place. Bhagavad-gita, for example, begins with the words dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre [Bg. 1.1]. Because the Lord was present on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, it became a dharma-ksetra, a place of pilgrimage. Therefore the Pandavas, who were extremely religious, were assured of victory. Any place where the Supreme Personality of Godhead displays His pastimes, such as Vrndavana or Dvaraka, becomes a holy place. The chanting of the holy name of the Lord—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—is pleasing to the ear, and it expands good fortune to the audience who hears it chanted. Owing to the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Aditi was fully assured that the troublesome condition created for her by the demons would now be ended. SB8.17.9 TEXT 9 visvaya visva-bhavana-sthiti-samyamaya svairam grhita-puru-sakti-gunaya bhumne sva-sthaya sasvad-upabrmhita-purna-bodha- vyapaditatma-tamase haraye namas te SYNONYMS visvaya—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is actually the entire universe; visva—of the universe; bhavana—creation; sthiti—maintenance; samyamaya—and annihilation; svairam—fully independent; grhita—taking in hand; puru—completely; sakti-gunaya—controlling the three modes of material nature; bhumne—the supreme great; sva-sthaya—who is always situated in His original form; sasvat—eternally; upabrmhita—achieved; purna—complete; bodha—knowledge; vyapadita—completely vanquished; atma-tamase—the illusory energy of Your Lordship; haraye—unto the Supreme Lord; namah te—I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. TRANSLATION My Lord, You are the all-pervading universal form, the fully independent creator, maintainer and destroyer of this universe. Although You engage Your energy in matter, You are always situated in Your original form and never fall from that position, for Your knowledge is infallible and always suitable to any situation. You are never bewildered by illusion. O my Lord, let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You. PURPORT In the Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 2.117) it is said: siddhanta baliya citte na kara alasa Anyone trying to become fully Krsna conscious must know the Lord’s glories as far as they are possible to understand. Here Aditi hints at these glories. The universe is nothing but the external potency of the Lord. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (9.4): maya tatam idam sarvam. Whatever we see in this universe is but an expansion of the potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as the sunshine and heat all over the universe are expansions of the sun. When one surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he surpasses the influence of the illusory energy, for the Supreme Lord, being fully wise and being situated in the heart of everyone, especially in the heart of the devotee, gives one intelligence by which one is sure never to fall into illusion. SB8.17.10 TEXT 10 ayuh param vapur abhistam atulya-laksmir dyo-bhu-rasah sakala-yoga-gunas tri-vargah jnanam ca kevalam ananta bhavanti tustat tvatto nrnam kim u sapatna-jayadir asih SYNONYMS ayuh—duration of life; param—as long as that of Lord Brahma; vapuh—a particular type of body; abhistam—the goal of life; atulya-laksmih—unparalleled opulence in material existence; dyo—the upper planetary system; bhu—Bhuloka; rasah—the lower planetary system; sakala—all kinds of; yoga-gunah—the eight mystic perfections; tri-vargah—the principles of religiosity, economic development and sense gratification; jnanam—transcendental knowledge; ca—and; kevalam—complete; ananta—O unlimited one; bhavanti—all become possible; tustat—by Your satisfaction; tvattah—from You; nrnam—of all living entities; kim u—what to speak of; sapatna—enemies; jaya—conquering; adih—and others; asih—such benedictions. TRANSLATION O unlimited one, if Your Lordship is satisfied, one can very easily obtain a lifetime as long as that of Lord Brahma, a body either in the upper, lower or middle planetary systems, unlimited material opulence, religion, economic development and satisfaction of the senses, full transcendental knowledge, and the eight yogic perfections, what to speak of such petty achievements as conquering one’s rivals. SB8.17.11 TEXT 11 sri-suka uvaca adityaivam stuto rajan bhagavan puskareksanah ksetra-jnah sarva-bhutanam iti hovaca bharata SYNONYMS sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; aditya—by Aditi; evam—thus; stutah—being worshiped; rajan—O King (Maharaja Pariksit); bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; puskara-iksanah—whose eyes are like lotus flowers; ksetra-jnah—the Supersoul; sarva-bhutanam—of all living entities; iti—thus; ha—indeed; uvaca—replied; bharata—O best of the Bharata dynasty. TRANSLATION Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King Pariksit, best of the Bharata dynasty, when the lotus-eyed Lord, the Supersoul of all living entities, was thus worshiped by Aditi, He replied as follows. SB8.17.12 TEXT 12 sri-bhagavan uvaca deva-matar bhavatya me vijnatam cira-kanksitam yat sapatnair hrta-srinam cyavitanam sva-dhamatah SYNONYMS sri-bhagavan uvaca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; deva-matah—O mother of the demigods; bhavatyah—of you; me—by Me; vijnatam—understood; cira-kanksitam—what You have desired for a long time; yat—because; sapatnaih—by the rivals; hrta-srinam—of your sons, who are bereft of all opulences; cyavitanam—vanquished; sva-dhamatah—from their own residential quarters. TRANSLATION The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O mother of the demigods, I have already understood your long-cherished desires for the welfare of your sons, who have been deprived of all opulences and driven from their residence by their enemies. PURPORT The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being situated in everyone’s heart, and especially in the hearts of His devotees, is always ready to help devotees in adversity. Since He knows everything, He knows how things are to be adjusted, and He does the needful to relieve the suffering of His devotee. SB8.17.13 TEXT 13 tan vinirjitya samare durmadan asurarsabhan pratilabdha-jaya-sribhih putrair icchasy upasitum SYNONYMS tan—them; vinirjitya—defeating; samare—in the fight; durmadan—puffed up by strength; asura-rsabhan—the leaders of the demons; pratilabdha—getting back; jaya—victory; sribhih—as well as the opulence; putraih—with your sons; icchasi—you are desiring; upasitum—to come together and worship Me. TRANSLATION O Devi, O goddess, I can understand that you want to regain your sons and be together with them to worship Me, after defeating the enemies in battle and retrieving your abode and opulences. SB8.17.14 TEXT 14 indra-jyesthaih sva-tanayair hatanam yudhi vidvisam striyo rudantir asadya drastum icchasi duhkhitah SYNONYMS indra-jyesthaih—persons of whom King Indra is the eldest; sva-tanayaih—by your own sons; hatanam—who are killed; yudhi—in the fight; vidvisam—of the enemies; striyah—the wives; rudantih—lamenting; asadya—coming near the dead bodies of their husbands; drastum icchasi—you want to see; duhkhitah—very much aggrieved. TRANSLATION You want to see the wives of the demons lamenting for the death of their husbands when those demons, the enemies of your sons, are killed in battle by the demigods, of whom Indra is the chief. SB8.17.15 TEXT 15 atmajan susamrddhams tvam pratyahrta-yasah-sriyah naka-prstham adhisthaya kridato drastum icchasi SYNONYMS atma-jan—your own sons; su-samrddhan—completely opulent; tvam—you; pratyahrta—having received back; yasah—reputation; sriyah—opulence; naka-prstham—in the heavenly kingdom; adhisthaya—situated; kridatah—enjoying their life; drastum—to see; icchasi—you are desiring. TRANSLATION You want your sons to regain their lost reputation and opulence and live again on their heavenly planet as usual. SB8.17.16 TEXT 16 prayo ’dhuna te ’sura-yutha-natha aparaniya iti devi me matih yat te ’nukulesvara-vipra-gupta na vikramas tatra sukham dadati SYNONYMS prayah—almost; adhuna—at the present moment; te—all of them; asura-yutha-nathah—the chiefs of the demons; aparaniyah—unconquerable; iti—thus; devi—O mother Aditi; me—My; matih—opinion; yat—because; te—all the demons; anukula-isvara-vipra-guptah—protected by brahmanas, by whose favor the supreme controller is always present; na—not; vikramah—the use of power; tatra—there; sukham—happiness; dadati—can give. TRANSLATION O mother of the demigods, in My opinion almost all the chiefs of the demons are now unconquerable, for they are being protected by brahmanas, whom the Supreme Lord always favors. Thus the use of power against them now will not at all be a source of happiness. PURPORT When a person is favored by brahmanas and Vaisnavas, no one can defeat him. Even the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not interfere when one is protected by a brahmana. It is said, go-brahmana-hitaya ca. The Lord’s first inclination is to give all benedictions to the cows and brahmanas. Therefore if brahmanas favor someone, the Lord does not interfere, nor can anyone interfere with the happiness of such a person. SB8.17.17 TEXT 17 athapy upayo mama devi cintyah santositasya vrata-caryaya te mamarcanam narhati gantum anyatha sraddhanurupam phala-hetukatvat SYNONYMS atha—therefore; api—in spite of this situation; upayah—some means; mama—by Me; devi—O goddess; cintyah—must be considered; santositasya—very pleased; vrata-caryaya—observing the vow; te—by you; mama arcanam—worshiping Me; na—never; arhati—deserves; gantum anyatha—to become otherwise; sraddha-anurupam—according to one’s faith and devotion; phala—of the result; hetukatvat—from being the cause. TRANSLATION Yet because I have been satisfied by the activities of your vow, O goddess Aditi, I must find some means to favor you, for worship of Me never goes in vain but certainly gives the desired result according to what one deserves. SB8.17.18 TEXT 18 tvayarcitas caham apatya-guptaye payo-vratenanugunam samiditah svamsena putratvam upetya te sutan goptasmi marica-tapasy adhisthitah SYNONYMS tvaya—by you; arcitah—being worshiped; ca—also; aham—I; apatya-guptaye—giving protection to your sons; payah-vratena—by the payo-vrata vow; anugunam—as far as possible; samiditah—properly worshiped; sva-amsena—by My plenary portion; putratvam—becoming your son; upetya—taking this opportunity; te sutan—to your other sons; gopta asmi—I shall give protection; marica—of Kasyapa Muni; tapasi—in the austerity; adhisthitah—situated. TRANSLATION You have prayed to Me and properly worshiped Me by performing the great payo-vrata ceremony for the sake of protecting your sons. Because of Kasyapa Muni’s austerities, I shall agree to become your son and thus protect your other sons. SB8.17.19 TEXT 19 upadhava patim bhadre prajapatim akalmasam mam ca bhavayati patyav evam rupam avasthitam SYNONYMS upadhava—just go worship; patim—your husband; bhadre—O gentle woman; prajapatim—who is a Prajapati; akalmasam—very much purified because of his austerity; mam—Me; ca—as well as; bhavayati—thinking of; patyau—within your husband; evam—thus; rupam—form; avasthitam—situated there. TRANSLATION Always thinking of Me as being situated within the body of your husband, Kasyapa, go worship your husband, who has been purified by his austerity. SB8.17.20 TEXT 20 naitat parasma akhyeyam prstayapi kathancana sarvam sampadyate devi deva-guhyam susamvrtam SYNONYMS na—not; etat—this; parasmai—to outsiders; akhyeyam—is to be disclosed; prstaya api—even though questioned; kathancana—by anyone; sarvam—everything; sampadyate—becomes successful; devi—O lady; deva-guhyam—very confidential even to the demigods; su-samvrtam—very carefully kept confidential. TRANSLATION O lady, even if someone inquires, you should not disclose this fact to anyone. That which is very confidential is successful if kept secret. SB8.17.21 TEXT 21 sri-suka uvaca etavad uktva bhagavams tatraivantaradhiyata aditir durlabham labdhva harer janmatmani prabhoh upadhavat patim bhaktya paraya krta-krtyavat SYNONYMS sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; etavat—in this way; uktva—saying (to her); bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tatra eva—in that very spot; antah-adhiyata—disappeared; aditih—Aditi; durlabham—a very rare achievement; labdhva—getting; hareh—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; janma—birth; atmani—in herself; prabhoh—of the Lord; upadhavat—immediately went; patim—unto her husband; bhaktya—with devotion; paraya—great; krta-krtya-vat—thinking herself very successful. TRANSLATION Sukadeva Gosvami said: After speaking in this way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead disappeared from that very spot. Aditi, having received the extremely valuable benediction that the Lord would appear as her son, considered herself very successful, and with great devotion she approached her husband. SB8.17.22 TEXT 22 sa vai samadhi-yogena kasyapas tad abudhyata pravistam atmani harer amsam hy avitatheksanah SYNONYMS sah—Kasyapa Muni; vai—indeed; samadhi-yogena—by mystic meditation; kasyapah—Kasyapa Muni; tat—then; abudhyata—could understand; pravistam—entered; atmani—within himself; hareh—of the Supreme Lord; amsam—a plenary portion; hi—indeed; avitatha-iksanah—whose vision is never mistaken. TRANSLATION Being situated in a meditational trance, Kasyapa Muni, whose vision is never mistaken, could see that a plenary portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead had entered within him. SB8.17.23 TEXT 23 so ’dityam viryam adhatta tapasa cira-sambhrtam samahita-mana rajan daruny agnim yathanilah SYNONYMS sah—Kasyapa; adityam—unto Aditi; viryam—semen; adhatta—placed; tapasa—by austerity; cira-sambhrtam—restrained for long, long years; samahita-manah—being fully in trance upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rajan—O King; daruni—as in firewood; agnim—fire; yatha—as; anilah—wind. TRANSLATION O King, as the wind promotes friction between two pieces of wood and thus gives rise to fire, Kasyapa Muni, whose transcendental position was fully absorbed in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, transferred his potency into the womb of Aditi. PURPORT A forest fire begins when two pieces of wood rub against one another, being agitated by the wind. Actually, however, fire belongs neither to the wood nor to the wind; it is always different from both. Similarly, here it is to be understood that the union of Kasyapa Muni and Aditi was not like the sexual intercourse of ordinary human beings. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has nothing to do with the human secretions of sexual intercourse. He is always completely aloof from such material combinations. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (9.29), samo ’ham sarva-bhutesu: “I am equal toward all living entities.” Nonetheless, to protect the devotees and kill the demons, who were a disturbing element, the Lord entered the womb of Aditi. Therefore this is a transcendental pastime of the Lord. This should not be misunderstood. One should not think that the Lord became the son of Aditi the way an ordinary child is born because of sexual intercourse between man and woman. Here it may also be appropriate to explain, in these days of controversy, the origin of life. The life force of the living entity—the soul—is different from the ovum and semen of the human being. Although the conditioned soul has nothing to do with the reproductive cells of man and woman, he is placed into the proper situation because of his work (karmana daiva-netrena). Life is not, however, a product of two secretions, but is independent of all material elements. As fully described in Bhagavad-gita, the living entity is not subject to any material reactions. He can neither be burnt by fire, cut by sharp weapons, moistened by water, nor dried by the air. He is completely different from the physical elements, but by a superior arrangement he is put into these material elements. He is always aloof from material contact (asango hy ayam purusah) but because he is placed in a material condition, he suffers the reactions of the material modes of nature. purusah prakrti-stho hi “The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil amongst various species.” (Bg. 13.22) Although the living entity is aloof from the material elements, he is put into material conditions, and thus he must suffer the reactions of material activities. SB8.17.24 TEXT 24 aditer dhisthitam garbham bhagavantam sanatanam hiranyagarbho vijnaya samide guhya-namabhih SYNONYMS aditeh—into the womb of Aditi; dhisthitam—being established; garbham—pregnancy; bhagavantam—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sanatanam—who is eternal; hiranyagarbhah—Lord Brahma; vijnaya—knowing this; samide—offered prayers; guhya-namabhih—with transcendental names. TRANSLATION When Lord Brahma understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead was now within the womb of Aditi, he began to offer prayers to the Lord by reciting transcendental names. PURPORT The Supreme Personality of Godhead exists everywhere (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). Therefore when one chants His transcendental names—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—the Supreme Personality of Godhead is automatically pleased by such sankirtana. It is not that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is absent; He is present there. And when a devotee utters the transcendental name, it is not a material sound. Therefore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is naturally pleased. A devotee knows that the Lord is present everywhere and that one can please Him simply by chanting His holy name. SB8.17.25 TEXT 25 sri-brahmovaca jayorugaya bhagavann urukrama namo ’stu te namo brahmanya-devaya tri-gunaya namo namah SYNONYMS sri-brahma uvaca—Lord Brahma offered prayers; jaya—all glories; urugaya—unto the Lord, who is constantly glorified; bhagavan—O my Lord; urukrama—whose activities are very glorious; namah astu te—I offer my respectful obeisances unto You; namah—my respectful obeisances; brahmanya-devaya—unto the Lord of the transcendentalists; tri-gunaya—the controller of the three modes of nature; namah namah—I offer my respectful obeisances unto You again and again. TRANSLATION Lord Brahma said: O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all glories unto You, who are glorified by all and whose activities are all uncommon. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, O Lord of the transcendentalists, controller of the three modes of nature. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You again and again. SB8.17.26 TEXT 26 namas te prsni-garbhaya veda-garbhaya vedhase tri-nabhaya tri-prsthaya sipi-vistaya visnave SYNONYMS namah te—I offer my respectful obeisances unto You; prsni-garbhaya—who formerly lived within the womb of Prsni (Aditi in her previous birth); veda-garbhaya—who always remain within Vedic knowledge; vedhase—who are full of knowledge; tri-nabhaya—within the stem growing from whose navel live all the three worlds; tri-prsthaya—who are transcendental to the three worlds; sipi-vistaya—who are within the cores of the hearts of all living entities; visnave—unto the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead. TRANSLATION I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, the all-pervading Lord Visnu, who have entered the cores of the hearts of all living entities. All the three worlds reside within Your navel, yet You are above the three worlds. Formerly You appeared as the son of Prsni. To You, the supreme creator, who are understood only through Vedic knowledge, I offer my respectful obeisances. SB8.17.27 TEXT 27 tvam adir anto bhuvanasya madhyam ananta-saktim purusam yam ahuh kalo bhavan aksipatisa visvam sroto yathantah patitam gabhiram SYNONYMS tvam—Your Lordship; adih—the original cause; antah—the cause of dissolution; bhuvanasya—of the universe; madhyam—maintenance of the present manifestation; ananta-saktim—the reservoir of unlimited potencies; purusam—the Supreme Person; yam—whom; ahuh—they say; kalah—the principle of eternal time; bhavan—Your Lordship; aksipati—attracting; isa—the Supreme Lord; visvam—the whole universe; srotah—waves; yatha—as; antah patitam—fallen within the water; gabhiram—very deep. TRANSLATION O my Lord, You are the beginning, the manifestation and the ultimate dissolution of the three worlds, and You are celebrated in the Vedas as the reservoir of unlimited potencies, the Supreme Person. O my Lord, as waves attract branches and leaves that have fallen into deep water, You, the supreme eternal time factor, attract everything in this universe. PURPORT The time factor is sometimes described as kala-strota, waves of time. Everything in this material world is within the time factor and is being carried away by waves of attraction, which represent the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SB8.17.28 TEXT 28 tvam vai prajanam sthira-jangamanam prajapatinam asi sambhavisnuh divaukasam deva divas cyutanam parayanam naur iva majjato ’psu SYNONYMS tvam—Your Lordship; vai—indeed; prajanam—of all living entities; sthira-jangamanam—either stationary or moving; prajapatinam—of all the Prajapatis; asi—You are; sambhavisnuh—the generator of everyone; diva-okasam—of the inhabitants of the upper planetary system; deva—O Supreme Lord; divah cyutanam—of the demigods, who have now fallen from their residential quarters; parayanam—the supreme shelter; nauh—boat; iva—like; majjatah—of one drowning; apsu—in the water. TRANSLATION My Lord, You are the original generator of all living entities, stationary or moving, and You are also the generator of the Prajapatis. O my Lord, as a boat is the only hope for a person drowning in the water, You are the only shelter for the demigods, who are now bereft of their heavenly position. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Eighth Canto, Seventeenth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The Supreme Lord Agrees to Become Aditi’s Son.”
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama
iha ha-ite krsne lage sudrdha manasa
bhunkte prakrtijan gunan
karanam guna-sango ’sya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu