Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6: “Prescribed Duties for Mankind”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Nineteen
SB6.19.14
TEXT 14
yatha yuvam tri-lokasya
varadau paramesthinau
tatha ma uttamasloka
santu satya mahasisah
SYNONYMS
yatha—since; yuvam—both of you; tri-lokasya—of the three worlds; vara-dau—givers of benedictions; parame-sthinau—the supreme rulers; tatha—therefore; me—my; uttama-sloka—O Lord, who are praised with excellent verses; santu—may become; satyah—fulfilled; maha-asisah—great ambitions.
TRANSLATION
You are both the supreme rulers and benedictors of the three worlds. Therefore, my Lord, Uttamasloka, may my ambitions be fulfilled by Your grace.
SB6.19.15
TEXT 15
ity abhistuya varadam
srinivasam sriya saha
tan nihsaryopaharanam
dattvacamanam arcayet
SYNONYMS
iti—thus; abhistuya—offering prayers; vara-dam—who bestows benedictions; sri-nivasam—unto Lord Visnu, the abode of the goddess of fortune; sriya saha—with Laksmi; tat—then; nihsarya—removing; upaharanam—the paraphernalia for worship; dattva—after offering; acamanam—water for washing the hands and mouth; arcayet—one should worship.
TRANSLATION
Sri Sukadeva Gosvami continued: Thus one should worship Lord Visnu, who is known as Srinivasa, along with mother Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, by offering prayers according to the process mentioned above. After removing all the paraphernalia of worship, one should offer them water to wash their hands and mouths, and then one should worship them again.
SB6.19.16
TEXT 16
tatah stuvita stotrena
bhakti-prahvena cetasa
yajnocchistam avaghraya
punar abhyarcayed dharim
SYNONYMS
tatah—then; stuvita—one should praise; stotrena—with prayers; bhakti—with devotion; prahvena—humble; cetasa—with a mind; yajna-ucchistam—the remnants of sacrifice; avaghraya—smelling; punah—again; abhyarcayet—one should worship; harim—Lord Visnu.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, with devotion and humility, one should offer prayers to the Lord and mother Laksmi. Then one should smell the remnants of the food offered and then again worship the Lord and Laksmiji.
SB6.19.17
TEXT 17
patim ca paraya bhaktya
mahapurusa-cetasa
priyais tais tair upanamet
prema-silah svayam patih
bibhryat sarva-karmani
patnya uccavacani ca
SYNONYMS
patim—the husband; ca—and; paraya—supreme; bhaktya—with devotion; maha-purusa-cetasa—accepting as the Supreme Person; priyaih—dear; taih taih—by those (offerings); upanamet—should worship; prema-silah—being affectionate; svayam—himself; patih—the husband; bibhryat—should execute; sarva-karmani—all activities; patnyah—of the wife; ucca-avacani—high and low; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
Accepting her husband as the representative of the Supreme Person, a wife should worship him with unalloyed devotion by offering him prasada. The husband, being very pleased with his wife, should engage himself in the affairs of his family.
PURPORT
The family relationship of husband and wife should be established spiritually according to the process mentioned above. SB6.19.18 TEXT 18 krtam ekatarenapi dam-patyor ubhayor api patnyam kuryad anarhayam patir etat samahitah SYNONYMS krtam—executed; ekatarena—by one; api—even; dam-patyoh—of the wife and husband; ubhayoh—of both; api—still; patnyam—when the wife; kuryat—he should execute; anarhayam—is unable; patih—the husband; etat—this; samahitah—with attention. TRANSLATION Between the husband and wife, one person is sufficient to execute this devotional service. Because of their good relationship, both of them will enjoy the result. Therefore if the wife is unable to execute this process, the husband should carefully do so, and the faithful wife will share the result. PURPORT The relationship between husband and wife is firmly established when the wife is faithful and the husband sincere. Then even if the wife, being weaker, is unable to execute devotional service with her husband, if she is chaste and sincere she shares half of her husband’s activities. SB6.19.19-20 TEXTS 19–20 visnor vratam idam bibhran na vihanyat kathancana vipran striyo viravatih srag-gandha-bali-mandanaih arced ahar-ahar bhaktya devam niyamam asthita udvasya devam sve dhamni tan-niveditam agratah adyad atma-visuddhy-artham sarva-kama-samrddhaye SYNONYMS visnoh—of Lord Visnu; vratam—vow; idam—this; bibhrat—executing; na—not; vihanyat—should break; kathancana—for any reason; vipran—the brahmanas; striyah—women; vira-vatih—who have their husband and sons; srak—with garlands; gandha—sandalwood; bali—offerings of food; mandanaih—and with ornaments; arcet—one should worship; ahah-ahah—daily; bhaktya—with devotion; devam—Lord Visnu; niyamam—the regulative principles; asthita—following; udvasya—placing; devam—the Lord; sve—in His own; dhamni—resting place; tat—to Him; niveditam—what was offered; agratah—after dividing first among the others; adyat—one should eat; atma-visuddhi-artham—for self-purification; sarva-kama—all desires; samrddhaye—for fulfilling. TRANSLATION One should accept this visnu-vrata, which is a vow in devotional service, and should not deviate from its execution to engage in anything else. By offering the remnants of prasada, flower garlands, sandalwood pulp and ornaments, one should daily worship the brahmanas and worship women who peacefully live with their husbands and children. Every day the wife must continue following the regulative principles to worship Lord Visnu with great devotion. Thereafter, Lord Visnu should be laid in His bed, and then one should take prasada. In this way, husband and wife will be purified and will have all their desires fulfilled. SB6.19.21 TEXT 21 etena puja-vidhina masan dvadasa hayanam nitvathoparamet sadhvi kartike carame ’hani SYNONYMS etena—with this; puja-vidhina—regulated worship; masan dvadasa—twelve months; hayanam—a year; nitva—after passing; atha—then; uparamet—should fast; sadhvi—the chaste wife; kartike—in Karttika; carame ahani—on the final day. TRANSLATION The chaste wife must perform such devotional service continuously for one year. After one year passes, she should fast on the full-moon day in the month of Karttika [October–November]. SB6.19.22 TEXT 22 svo-bhute ’pa upasprsya krsnam abhyarcya purvavat payah-srtena juhuyac caruna saha sarpisa paka-yajna-vidhanena dvadasaivahutih patih SYNONYMS svah-bhute—on the following morning; apah—water; upasprsya—contacting; krsnam—Lord Krsna; abhyarcya—worshiping; purva-vat—as previously; payah-srtena—with boiled milk; juhuyat—one should offer; caruna—with an offering of sweet rice; saha—with; sarpisa—ghee; paka-yajna-vidhanena—according to the injunctions of the Grhya-sutras; dvadasa—twelve; eva—indeed; ahutih—oblations; patih—the husband. TRANSLATION On the morning of the next day, one should wash oneself, and after worshiping Lord Krsna as before, one should cook as one cooks for festivals as stated in the Grhya-sutras. Sweet rice should be cooked with ghee, and with this preparation the husband should offer oblations to the fire twelve times. SB6.19.23 TEXT 23 asisah sirasadaya dvijaih pritaih samiritah pranamya sirasa bhaktya bhunjita tad-anujnaya SYNONYMS asisah—blessings; sirasa—with the head; adaya—accepting; dvijaih—by the brahmanas; pritaih—who are pleased; samiritah—spoken; pranamya—after offering obeisances; sirasa—with the head; bhaktya—with devotion; bhunjita—he should eat; tat-anujnaya—with their permission. TRANSLATION Thereafter, he should satisfy the brahmanas. When the satisfied brahmanas bestow their blessings, he should devotedly offer them respectful obeisances with his head, and with their permission he should take prasada. SB6.19.24 TEXT 24 acaryam agratah krtva vag-yatah saha bandhubhih dadyat patnyai caroh sesam suprajastvam susaubhagam SYNONYMS acaryam—the acarya; agratah—first of all; krtva—receiving properly; vak-yatah—controlling speech; saha—with; bandhubhih—friends and relatives; dadyat—he should give; patnyai—to the wife; caroh—of the oblation of sweet rice; sesam—the remnant; su-prajastvam—which insures good progeny; su-saubhagam—which insures good fortune. TRANSLATION Before taking his meal, the husband must first seat the acarya comfortably, and, along with his relatives and friends, should control his speech and offer prasada to the guru. Then the wife should eat the remnants of the oblation of sweet rice cooked with ghee. Eating the remnants insures a learned, devoted son and all good fortune. SB6.19.25 TEXT 25 etac caritva vidhivad vratam vibhor abhipsitartham labhate puman iha stri caitad asthaya labheta saubhagam sriyam prajam jiva-patim yaso grham SYNONYMS etat—this; caritva—performing; vidhi-vat—according to the injunctions of sastra; vratam—vow; vibhoh—from the Lord; abhipsita—desired; artham—object; labhate—gets; puman—a man; iha—in this life; stri—a woman; ca—and; etat—this; asthaya—performing; labheta—can get; saubhagam—good fortune; sriyam—opulence; prajam—progeny; jiva-patim—a husband with a long duration of life; yasah—good reputation; grham—home. TRANSLATION If this vow or ritualistic ceremony is observed according to the description of sastra, even in this life a man will be able to achieve all the benedictions he desires from the Lord. A wife who performs this ritualistic ceremony will surely receive good fortune, opulence, sons, a long-living husband, a good reputation and a good home. PURPORT In Bengal even today if a woman lives for a long time with her husband, she is considered very fortunate. A woman generally desires a good husband, good children, a good home, prosperity, opulence and so on. As recommended in this verse, a woman will receive all these desirable benedictions, and a man will also be able to receive all benedictions, from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus by performing this particular type of vrata, a man and a woman in Krsna consciousness will be happy in this material world, and because of being Krsna conscious they will be promoted to the spiritual world. SB6.19.26-28 TEXTS 26–28 kanya ca vindeta samagra-laksanam patim tv avira hata-kilbisam gatim mrta-praja jiva-suta dhanesvari sudurbhaga subhaga rupam agryam vinded virupa viruja vimucyate ya amayavindriya-kalya-deham etat pathann abhyudaye ca karmany ananta-trptih pitr-devatanam tustah prayacchanti samasta-kaman homavasane huta-bhuk sri-haris ca rajan mahan marutam janma punyam diter vratam cabhihitam mahat te SYNONYMS kanya—an unmarried girl; ca—and; vindeta—can get; samagralaksanam—possessing all good qualities; patim—a husband; tu—and; avira—a woman without a husband or son; hata-kilbisam—free from fault; gatim—the destination; mrta-praja—a woman whose children are dead; jiva-suta—a woman whose child has a long duration of life; dhana-isvari—possessing wealth; su-durbhaga—unfortunate; su-bhaga—fortunate; rupam—beauty; agryam—excellent; vindet—can get; virupa—an ugly woman; viruja—from the disease; vimucyate—is freed; yah—he who; amaya-vi—a diseased man; indriya-kalya-deham—an able body; etat—this; pathan—reciting; abhyudaye ca karmani—and in a sacrificial ceremony in which oblations are offered to the forefathers and demigods; ananta—unlimited; trptih—satisfaction; pitr-devatanam—of the forefathers and demigods; tustah—being pleased; prayacchanti—they bestow; samasta—all; kaman—desires; homa-avasane—on the completion of the ceremony; huta-bhuk—the enjoyer of the sacrifice; sri-harih—Lord Visnu; ca—also; rajan—O King; mahat—great; marutam—of the Maruts; janma—birth; punyam—pious; diteh—of Diti; vratam—the vow; ca—also; abhihitam—explained; mahat—great; te—to you. TRANSLATION If an unmarried girl observes this vrata, she will be able to get a very good husband. If a woman who is avira—who has no husband or son—executes this ritualistic ceremony, she can be promoted to the spiritual world. A woman whose children have died after birth can get a child with a long duration of life and also become very fortunate in possessing wealth. If a woman is unfortunate she will become fortunate, and if ugly she will become beautiful. By observing this vrata, a diseased man can gain relief from his disease and have an able body with which to work. If one recites this narration while offering oblations to the pitas and demigods, especially during the sraddha ceremony, the demigods and inhabitants of Pitrloka will be extremely pleased with him and bestow upon him the fulfillment of all desires. After one performs this ritualistic ceremony, Lord Visnu and His wife, mother Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, are very pleased with him. O King Pariksit, now I have completely described how Diti performed this ceremony and had good children—the Maruts—and a happy life. I have tried to explain this to you as elaborately as possible. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Sixth Canto, Nineteenth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “performing the Pumsavana Ritualistic Ceremony.” END OF THE SIXTH CANTO