Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter One
Genealogical Table of the Daughters of Manu
SB4.1.1
TEXT 1
maitreya uvāca
manos tu śatarūpāyāṁ
tisraḥ kanyāś ca jajñire
ākūtir devahūtiś ca
prasūtir iti viśrutāḥ
SYNONYMS
maitreyaḥ uvāca—the great sage Maitreya said; manoḥ tu—of Svāyambhuva Manu; śatarūpāyām—in his wife Śatarūpā; tisraḥ—three; kanyāḥ ca—daughters also; jajñire—gave birth; ākūtiḥ—named Ākūti; devahūtiḥ—named Devahūti; ca—also; prasūtiḥ—named Prasūti; iti—thus; viśrutāḥ—well known.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Maitreya said: Svāyambhuva Manu begot three daughters in his wife Śatarūpā, and their names were Ākūti, Devahūti and Prasūti.
PURPORT
First of all let us offer our respectful obeisances unto our spiritual master, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, by whose order I am engaged in this herculean task of writing commentary on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the Bhaktivedanta purports. By his grace we have finished three cantos already, and we are just trying to begin the Fourth Canto. By his divine grace let us offer our respectful obeisances unto Lord Caitanya, who began this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement of Bhāgavata-dharma five hundred years ago, and through His grace let us offer our obeisances to the six Gosvāmīs, and then let us offer our obeisances to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, the spiritual couple who enjoy eternally in Vṛndāvana with Their cowherd boys and damsels in Vrajabhūmi. Let us also offer our respectful obeisances to all the devotees and eternal servitors of the Supreme Lord.
In this Fourth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are thirty-one chapters, and all these chapters describe the secondary creation by Brahmā and the Manus. The Supreme Lord Himself does the real creation by agitating His material energy, and then, by His order, Brahma, the first living creature in the universe, attempts to create the different planetary systems and their inhabitants, expanding the population through his progeny, like Manu and other progenitors of living entities, who work perpetually under the order of the Supreme Lord. ln the First Chapter of this Fourth Canto there are descriptions of the three daughters of Svāyambhuva Manu and their descendants. The next six chapters describe the sacrifice performed by King Dakṣa and how it was spoiled. Thereafter the activities of Mahārāja Dhruva are described in five chapters. Then, in eleven chapters, the activities of King Pṛthu are described, and the next eight chapters are devoted to the activities of the Pracetā kings.
As described in the first verse of this chapter, Svāyambhuva Manu had three daughters, named Ākūti, Devahūti and Prasūti. Of these three daughters, one daughter, Devahūti, has already been described, along with her husband, Kardama Muni, and her son, Kapila Muni. In this chapter the descendants of the first daughter, Ākūti, will specifically be described. Svāyambhuva Manu was the son of Brahmā. Brahmā had many other sons, but Manu’s name is specifically mentioned first because he was a great devotee of the Lord. In this verse there is also the word ca, indicating that besides the three daughters mentioned, Svāyambhuva Manu also had two sons.
SB4.1.2 TEXT 2 ākūtiṁ rucaye prādād api bhrātṛmatīṁ nṛpaḥ putrikā-dharmam āśritya śatarūpānumoditaḥ SYNONYMS ākūtim—Ākūti; rucaye—unto the great sage Ruci; prādāt—handed over; api—although; bhrātṛ-matīm—daughter having a brother; nṛpaḥ—the King; putrikā—get the resultant son; dharmam—religious rites; āśritya—taking shelter; śatarūpā—by the wife of Svāyambhuva Manu; anumoditaḥ—being sanctioned.
TRANSLATION Ākūti had two brothers, but in spite of her brothers, King Svāyambhuva Manu handed her over to Prajāpati Ruci on the condition that the son born of her be returned to Manu as his son. This he did in consultation with his wife, Śatarūpā. PURPORT Sometimes a sonless person offers his daughter to a husband on the condition that his grandson be returned to him to be adopted as his son and inherit his property. This is called putrikā-dharma, which means that by execution of religious rituals one gets a son, although one is sonless by one’s own wife. But here we see extraordinary behavior in Manu, for in spite of his having two sons, he handed over his first daughter to Prajāpati Ruci on the condition that the son born of his daughter be returned to him as his son. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments in this connection that King Manu knew that the Supreme Personality of Godhead would take birth in the womb of Ākūti; therefore, in spite of having two sons, he wanted the particular son born of Ākūti because he was ambitious to have the Supreme Personality of Godhead appear as his son and grandson. Manu is the lawgiver of mankind, and since he personally executed the putrikā-dharma, we may accept that such a system may be adopted by mankind also. Thus, even though one has a son, if one wants to have a particular son from one’s daughter, one may give one’s daughter in charity on that condition. That is the opinion of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī.
SB4.1.3 TEXT 3 prajāpatiḥ sa bhagavān rucis tasyām ajījanat mithunaṁ brahma-varcasvī parameṇa samādhinā SYNONYMS prajāpatiḥ—one who is entrusted with begetting children; saḥ—he; bhagavān—the most opulent; ruciḥ—the great sage Ruci; tasyām—in her; ajījanat—gave birth; mithunam—couple; brahma-varcasvī—spiritually very much powerful; parameṇa—with great strength; samādhinā—in trance.
TRANSLATION Ruci, who was very powerful in his brahminical qualifications and was appointed one of the progenitors of the living entities, begot one son and one daughter by his wife, Ākūti. PURPORT The word brahma-varcasvī is very significant. Ruci was a brāhmaṇa, and he executed the brahminical duties very rigidly. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the brahminical qualifications are control of the senses, control of the mind, cleanliness within and without, development of spiritual and material knowledge, simplicity, truthfulness, faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, etc. There are many qualities which indicate a brahminical personality, and it is understood that Ruci followed all the brahminical principles rigidly. Therefore he is specifically mentioned as brahma-varcasvī. One who is born of a brāhmaṇa father but does not act as a brāhmaṇa is called, in Vedic language, a brahma-bandhu, and is calculated to be on the level of śūdras and women. Thus in the Bhāgavatam we find that Mahābhārata was specifically compiled by Vyāsadeva for strī-śūdra-brahma-bandhu. Strī means women, śūdra means the lower class of civilized human society, and brahma-bandhu means persons who are born in the families of brāhmaṇas but do not follow the rules and regulations carefully. All of these three classes are called less intelligent; they have no access to the study of the Vedas, which are specifically meant for persons who have acquired the brahminical qualifications. This restriction is based not upon any sectarian distinction but upon qualification. The Vedic literatures cannot be understood unless one has developed the brahminical qualifications. It is regrettable, therefore, that persons who have no brahminical qualifications and have never been trained under a bona fide spiritual master nevertheless comment on Vedic literatures like the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other purāṇas, for such persons cannot deliver their real message. Ruci was considered a first-class brāhmaṇa; therefore he is mentioned here as brahma-varcasvī, one who had full prowess in brahminical strength.
SB4.1.4 TEXT 4 yas tayoḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣād viṣṇur yajña-svarūpa-dhṛk yā strī sā dakṣiṇā bhūter aṁśa-bhūtānapāyinī SYNONYMS yaḥ—one who; tayoḥ—out of them; puruṣaḥ—male; sākṣāt—directly; viṣṇuḥ—the Supreme Lord; yajña—Yajña; svarūpa-dhṛk—accepting the form; yā—the other; strī—female; sā—she; dakṣiṇā—Dakṣiṇā; bhūteḥ—of the goddess of fortune; aṁśa-bhūtā—being a plenary expansion; anapāyinī—never to be separated.
TRANSLATION Of the two children born of Ākūti, the male child was directly an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His name was Yajña, which is another name of Lord Viṣṇu. The female child was a partial incarnation of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, the eternal consort of Lord Viṣṇu. PURPORT Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, is the eternal consort of Lord Viṣṇu. Here it is stated that both the Lord and Lakṣmī, who are eternal consorts, appeared from Ākūti simultaneously. Both the Lord and His consort are beyond this material creation, as confirmed by many authorities (nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’vyaktāt); therefore their eternal relationship cannot be changed, and Yajña, the boy born of Ākūti, later married the goddess of fortune.
SB4.1.5 TEXT 5 āninye sva-gṛhaṁ putryāḥ putraṁ vitata-rociṣam svāyambhuvo mudā yukto rucir jagrāha dakṣiṇām SYNONYMS āninye—brought to; sva-gṛham—home; putryāḥ—born of the daughter; putram—the son; vitata-rociṣam—very powerful; svāyambhuvaḥ—the Manu named Svāyambhuva; mudā—being very pleased; yuktaḥ—with; ruciḥ—the great sage Ruci; jagrāha—kept; dakṣiṇām—the daughter named Dakṣiṇā.
TRANSLATION Svāyambhuva Manu very gladly brought home the beautiful boy named Yajña, and Ruci, his son-in-law, kept with him the daughter, Dakṣiṇā. PURPORT Svāyambhuva Manu was very glad to see that his daughter Ākūti had given birth to both a boy and girl. He was afraid that he would take one son and that because of this his son-in-law Ruci might be sorry. Thus when he heard that a daughter was born along with the boy, he was very glad. Ruci, according to his promise, returned his male child to Svāyambhuva Manu and decided to keep the daughter, whose name was Dakṣiṇā. One of Lord Viṣṇu’s names is Yajña because He is the master of the Vedas. The name Yajña comes from yajuṣāṁ patiḥ, which means “Lord of all sacrifices.” In the Yajur Veda there are different ritualistic prescriptions for performing yajñas, and the beneficiary of all such yajñas is the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu. Therefore it is stated in Bhagavad-gītā (3.9), yajñārthāt karmaṇaḥ: one should act, but one should perform one’s prescribed duties only for the sake of Yajña, or Viṣṇu. lf one does not act for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or if one does not perform devotional service, then there will be reactions to all one’s activities. It does not matter if the reaction is good or bad; if our activities are not dovetailed with the desire of the Supreme Lord, or if we do not act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we shall be responsible for the results of all our activities. There is always a reaction to every kind of action, but if actions are performed for Yajña, there is no reaction. Thus if one acts for Yajña, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is not entangled in the material condition, for it is mentioned in the Vedas and also in Bhagavad-gītā that the Vedas and the Vedic rituals are all meant for understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. From the very beginning one should try to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; that will free one from the reactions of material activities.
SB4.1.6 TEXT 6 tāṁ kāmayānāṁ bhagavān uvāha yajuṣāṁ patiḥ tuṣṭāyāṁ toṣam āpanno ’janayad dvādaśātmajān SYNONYMS tām—her; kāmayānām—desiring; bhagavān—the Lord; uvāha—married; yajuṣām—of all sacrifices; patiḥ—master; tuṣṭāyām—in His wife, who was very much pleased; toṣam—great pleasure; āpannaḥ—having obtained; ajanayat—gave birth; dvādaśa—twelve; ātmajān—sons.
TRANSLATION The Lord of the ritualistic performance of yajña later married Dakṣiṇā, who was anxious to have the Personality of Godhead as her husband, and in this wife the Lord was also very much pleased to beget twelve children. PURPORT An ideal husband and wife are generally called Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa to compare them to the Lord and the goddess of fortune, for it is significant that Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa are forever happy as husband and wife. A wife should always remain satisfied with her husband, and a husband should always remain satisfied with his wife. In the Cāṇakya-śloka, the moral instructions of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, it is said that if a husband and wife are always satisfied with one another, then the goddess of fortune automatically comes. In other words, where there is no disagreement between husband and wife, all material opulence is present, and good children are born. Generally, according to Vedic civilization, the wife is trained to be satisfied in all conditions, and the husband, according to Vedic instruction, is required to please the wife with sufficient food, ornaments and clothing. Then, if they are satisfied with their mutual dealings, good children are born. In this way the entire world can become peaceful, but unfortunately in this age of Kali there are no ideal husbands and wives; therefore unwanted children are produced, and there is no peace and prosperity in the present-day world.
SB4.1.7 TEXT 7 toṣaḥ pratoṣaḥ santoṣo bhadraḥ śāntir iḍaspatiḥ idhmaḥ kavir vibhuḥ svahnaḥ sudevo rocano dvi-ṣaṭ SYNONYMS toṣaḥ—Toṣa; pratoṣaḥ—Pratoṣa; santoṣaḥ—Santoṣa; bhadraḥ—Bhadra; śāntiḥ—Sānti; iḍaspatiḥ—Iḍaspati; idhmaḥ—Idhma; kaviḥ—Kavi; vibhuḥ—Vibhu; svahnaḥ—Svahna; sudevaḥ—Sudeva; rocanaḥ—Rocana; dvi-ṣaṭ—twelve.
TRANSLATION The twelve boys born of Yajña and Dakṣiṇā were named Toṣa, Pratoṣa, Santoṣa, Bhadra, Sānti, Iḍaspati, Idhma, Kavi, Vibhu, Svahna, Sudeva and Rocana. SB4.1.8 TEXT 8 tuṣitā nāma te devā āsan svāyambhuvāntare marīci-miśrā ṛṣayo yajñaḥ sura-gaṇeśvaraḥ SYNONYMS tuṣitāḥ—the category of the Tuṣitas; nāma—of the name; te—all of them; devāḥ—demigods; āsan—became; svāyambhuva—the name of the Manu; antare—at that period; marīci-miśrāḥ—headed by Marīci; ṛṣayaḥ—great sages; yajñaḥ—the incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu; sura-gaṇa-īśvaraḥ—the king of the demigods.
TRANSLATION During the time of Svāyambhuva Manu, these sons all became the demigods collectively named the Tuṣitas. Marīci became the head of the seven ṛṣis, and Yajña became the king of the demigods, Indra. PURPORT During the life of Svāyambhuva Manu, six kinds of living entities were generated from the demigods known as the Tuṣitas, from the sages headed by Marīci, and from descendants of Yajña, king of the demigods, and all of them expanded their progeny to observe the order of the Lord to fill the universe with living entities. These six kinds of living entities are known as manus, devas, manu-putras, aṁśāvatāras, sureśvaras and ṛṣis. Yajña, being the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, became the leader of the demigods, Indra.
SB4.1.9 TEXT 9 priyavratottānapādau manu-putrau mahaujasau tat-putra-pautra-naptṝṇām anuvṛttaṁ tad-antaram SYNONYMS priyavrata—Priyavrata; uttānapādau—Uttānapāda; manu-putrau—sons of Manu; mahā-ojasau—very great, powerful; tat—their; putra—sons; pautra—grandsons; naptṝṇām—grandsons from the daughter; anuvṛttam—following; tat-antaram—in that Manu’s period.
TRANSLATION Svāyambhuva Manu’s two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, became very powerful kings, and their sons and grandsons spread all over the three worlds during that period. SB4.1.10 TEXT 10 devahūtim adāt tāta kardamāyātmajāṁ manuḥ tat-sambandhi śruta-prāyaṁ bhavatā gadato mama SYNONYMS devahūtim—Devahūti; adāt—handed over; tāta—my dear son; kardamāya—unto the great sage Kardama; ātmajām—daughter; manuḥ—Lord Svāyambhuva Manu; tat-sambandhi—in that connection; śruta-prāyam—heard almost in full; bhavatā—by you; gadataḥ—spoken; mama—by me.
TRANSLATION My dear son, Svāyambhuva Manu handed over his very dear daughter Devahūti to Kardama Muni. I have already spoken to you about them, and you have heard about them almost in full. SB4.1.11 TEXT 11 dakṣāya brahma-putrāya prasūtiṁ bhagavān manuḥ prāyacchad yat-kṛtaḥ sargas tri-lokyāṁ vitato mahān SYNONYMS dakṣāya—unto Prajāpati Dakṣa; brahma-putrāya—the son of Lord Brahmā; prasūtim—Prasūti; bhagavān—the great personality; manuḥ—Svāyambhuva Manu; prāyacchat—handed over; yat-kṛtaḥ—done by whom; sargaḥ—creation; tri-lokyām—in the three worlds; vitataḥ—expanded; mahān—greatly.
TRANSLATION Svāyambhuva Manu handed over his daughter Prasūti to the son of Brahmā named Dakṣa, who was also one of the progenitors of the living entities. The descendants of Dakṣa are spread throughout the three worlds. SB4.1.12 TEXT 12 yāḥ kardama-sutāḥ proktā nava brahmarṣi-patnayaḥ tāsāṁ prasūti-prasavaṁ procyamānaṁ nibodha me SYNONYMS yāḥ—those who; kardama-sutāḥ—the daughters of Kardama; proktāḥ—were mentioned; nava—nine; brahma-ṛṣi—great sages of spiritual knowledge; patnayaḥ—wives; tāsām—their; prasūti-prasavam—generations of sons and grandsons; procyamānam—describing; nibodha—try to understand; me—from me.
TRANSLATION You have already been informed about the nine daughters of Kardama Muni, who were handed over to nine different sages. I shall now describe the descendants of those nine daughters. Please hear from me. PURPORT The Third Canto has already described how Kardama Muni begot nine daughters in Devahūti and how all the daughters were later handed over to great sages like Marīci, Atri and Vasiṣṭha.
SB4.1.13 TEXT 13 patnī marīces tu kalā suṣuve kardamātmajā kaśyapaṁ pūrṇimānaṁ ca yayor āpūritaṁ jagat SYNONYMS patnī—wife; marīceḥ—of the sage named Marīci; tu—also; kalā—named Kalā; suṣuve—gave birth; kardama-ātmajā—daughter of Kardama Muni; kaśyapam—of the name Kaśyapa; pūrṇimānam ca—and of the name Pūrṇimā; yayoḥ—by whom; āpūritam—spread all over; jagat—the world.
TRANSLATION Kardama Muni’s daughter Kalā, who was married to Marīci, gave birth to two children, whose names were Kaśyapa and Pūrṇimā. Their descendants are spread all over the world. SB4.1.14 TEXT 14 pūrṇimāsūta virajaṁ viśvagaṁ ca parantapa devakulyāṁ hareḥ pāda- śaucād yābhūt sarid divaḥ SYNONYMS pūrṇimā—Pūrṇimā; asūta—begot; virajam—a son named Viraja; viśvagam ca—and named Viśvaga; param-tapa—O annihilator of enemies; devakulyām—a daughter named Devakulyā; hareḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pāda-śaucāt—by the water which washed His lotus feet; yā—she; abhūt—became; sarit divaḥ—the transcendental water within the banks of the Ganges.
TRANSLATION My dear Vidura, of the two sons, Kaśyapa and Pūrṇimā, Pūrṇimā begot three children, namely Viraja, Viśvaga and Devakulyā. Of these three, Devakulyā was the water which washed the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead and which later on transformed into the Ganges of the heavenly planets. PURPORT Of the two sons Kaśyapa and Pūrṇimā, herein Pūrṇimā’s descendants are described. An elaborate description of these descendants will be given in the Sixth Canto. lt is also understood herein that Devakulyā is the presiding deity of the River Ganges, which comes down from the heavenly planets to this planet and is accepted to be sanctified because it touched the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari.
SB4.1.15 TEXT 15 atreḥ patny anasūyā trīñ jajñe suyaśasaḥ sutān dattaṁ durvāsasaṁ somam ātmeśa-brahma-sambhavān SYNONYMS atreḥ—of Atri Muni; patnī—wife; anasūyā—named Anasūyā; trīn—three; jajñe—bore; su-yaśasaḥ—very famous; sutān—sons; dattam—Dattātreya; durvāsasam—Durvāsā; somam—Soma (the moon-god); ātma—the Supersoul; īśa—Lord Śiva; brahma—Lord Brahmā; sambhavān—incarnations of.
TRANSLATION Anasūyā, the wife of Atri Muni, gave birth to three very famous sons—Soma, Dattātreya and Durvāsā—who were partial representations of Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā. Soma was a partial representation of Lord Brahmā, Dattātreya was a partial representation of Lord Viṣṇu, and Durvāsā was a partial representation of Lord Śiva. PURPORT In this verse we find the words ātma-īśa-brahma-sambhavān. Ātma means the Supersoul, or Viṣṇu, īśa means Lord Śiva, and brahma means the four-headed Lord Brahmā. The three sons born of Anasūyā—Dattātreya, Durvāsā and Soma—were born as partial representations of these three demigods. Ātma is not in the category of the demigods or living entities because He is Viṣṇu; therefore He is described as vibhinnāṁśa-bhūtānām. The Supersoul, Viṣṇu, is the seed-giving father of all living entities, including Brahmā and Lord Śiva. Another meaning of the word ātma may be accepted in this way: the principle who is the Supersoul in every ātma, or, one may say, the soul of everyone, became manifested as Dattātreya, because the word aṁśa, part and parcel, is used here.
In Bhagavad-gītā the individual souls are also described as parts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or Supersoul, so why not accept that Dattātreya was one of those parts? Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā are also described here as parts, so why not accept all of them as ordinary individual souls? The answer is that the manifestations of Viṣṇu and those of the ordinary living entities are certainly all parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, and no one is equal to Him, but among the parts and parcels there are different categories. In the Varāha Purāṇa it is nicely explained that some of the parts are svāṁśa and some are vibhinnāṁśa. Vibhinnāṁśa parts are called jīvas, and svāṁśa parts are in the Viṣṇu category. In the jīva category, the vibhinnāṁśa parts and parcels, there are also gradations. That is explained in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, where it is clearly stated that the individual parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord are subject to being covered by the external energy, called illusion, or māyā. Such individual parts and parcels, who can travel to any part of the Lord’s creation, are called sarva-gata and are suffering the pangs of material existence. They are proportionately freed from the coverings of ignorance under material existence according to different levels of work and under different influences of the modes of material nature. For example, the sufferings of jīvas situated in the mode of goodness are less than those of jīvas situated in the mode of ignorance. Pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however, is the birthright of all living entities because every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. The consciousness of the Lord is also in the part and parcel, and according to the proportion to which that consciousness is cleared of material dirt, the living entities are differently situated. ln the Vedānta-sūtra, the living entities of different gradations are compared to candles or lamps with different candle power. For example, some electric bulbs have the power of one thousand candles, some have the power of five hundred candles, some the power of one hundred candles, some fifty candles, etc., but all electric bulbs have light. Light is present in every bulb, but the gradations of light are different. Similarly, there are gradations of Brahman. The Viṣṇu svāṁśa expansions of the Supreme Lord in different Viṣṇu forms are like lamps, Lord Śiva is also like a lamp, and the supreme candle power, or the one-hundred-percent light, is Kṛṣṇa. The viṣṇu-tattva has ninety-four percent, the śiva-tattva has eighty-four percent, Lord Brahmā has seventy-eight percent, and the living entities are also like Brahmā, but in the conditioned state their power is still more dim. There are gradations of Brahman, and no one can deny this fact. Therefore the words ātmeśa-brahma-sambhavān indicate that Dattātreya was directly part and parcel of Viṣṇu, whereas Durvāsā and Soma were parts and parcels of Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā.
SB4.1.16 TEXT 16 vidura uvāca atrer gṛhe sura-śreṣṭhāḥ sthity-utpatty-anta-hetavaḥ kiñcic cikīrṣavo jātā etad ākhyāhi me guro SYNONYMS viduraḥ uvāca—Śrī Vidura said; atreḥ gṛhe—in the house of Atri; sura-śreṣṭhāḥ—chief demigods; sthiti—maintenance; utpatti—creation; anta—destruction; hetavaḥ—causes; kiñcit—something; cikīrṣavaḥ—desiring to do; jātāḥ—appeared; etat—this; ākhyāhi—tell; me—to me; guro—my dear spiritual master.
TRANSLATION After hearing this, Vidura inquired from Maitreya: My dear master, how is it that the three deities Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, who are the creator, maintainer and destroyer of the whole creation, became the offspring of the wife of Atri Muni? PURPORT The inquisitiveness of Vidura was quite fitting, for he understood that when the Supersoul, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva all appeared through the person of Anasūyā, the wife of Atri Muni, there must have been some great purpose. Otherwise why should they have appeared in such a way?
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