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Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 9 · Chapter 22: The Descendants of Ajamīḍha
9.22.21-249.22.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.22.25

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.22.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

क्षेत्रेऽप्रजस्य वै भ्रातुर्मात्रोक्तो बादरायण: ।

धृतराष्ट्रं च पाण्डुं च विदुरं चाप्यजीजनत् ॥ २५ ॥

kṣetre ’prajasya vai bhrātur

mātrokto bādarāyaṇaḥ

dhṛtarāṣṭraṁ ca pāṇḍuṁ ca

viduraṁ cāpy ajījanat

Translation

Bādarāyaṇa, Śrī Vyāsadeva, following the order of his mother, Satyavatī, begot three sons, two by the womb of Ambikā and Ambālikā, the two wives of his brother Vicitravīrya, and the third by Vicitravīrya’s maidservant. These sons were Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu and Vidura.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Earlier Customs Are Not Always Permitted Today

  1. 1

    After Vicitravīrya died without children, Satyavatī asked Vyāsadeva to beget children through his wives. Following her order, he fathered Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu and Vidura through the two wives and a maidservant.

  2. 2

    In those days, a husband’s brother could beget children through his sister-in-law if the husband could not. This practice was called devareṇa sutotpatti.

  3. 3

    The purport states that devareṇa sutotpatti is forbidden in the Age of Kali. It also lists horse and cow sacrifices, acceptance of sannyāsa, and offerings of flesh to forefathers among the five forbidden acts.

Key points from the purport
  • Vicitravīrya died of tuberculosis, and his wives, Ambikā and Ambālikā, had no issue.
  • Therefore, after Vicitravīrya’s death, his mother, Satyavatī, who was also the mother of Vyāsadeva, asked Vyāsadeva to beget children through the wives of Vicitravīrya.
  • In those days, the brother of the husband could beget children through the womb of his sister-in-law.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Historical movement → Anticipation. The narrative narrows toward its divine center.

Chapters 20–24 of Canto 9: Lineages leading to the appearance of Kṛṣṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 22: The Descendants of Ajamīḍha

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Through the womb of the two wives and the maidservant of Vicitravīrya, Vyāsadeva begot Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu and Vidura. Dhṛtarāṣṭra had one hundred sons, headed by Duryodhana, and one daughter named Duḥśalā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṣetrein the wives and maidservant
  2. aprajasyaof Vicitravīrya, who had no progeny
  3. vaiindeed
  4. bhrātuḥof the brother
  5. mātrā uktaḥbeing ordered by the mother
  6. bādarāyaṇaḥVedavyāsa
  7. dhṛtarāṣṭrama son named Dhṛtarāṣṭra
  8. caand
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 9.22

    In this verse: “mother”, “fathered”, “children”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Why is it important to notice the text’s restrictions rather than simply imitate an earlier custom?

Practice

Mark the distinction in this purport between what was allowed in earlier times and what is forbidden in the Age of Kali.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 9.22's connections

Live this todayEarlier Customs Are Not Always Permitted TodayThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 9.22.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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