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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 6: The Downfall of Saubhari Muni

9.6.1 9.6.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.6.2

Visarga· Brahmā's creation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.6.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

रथीतरस्याप्रजस्य भार्यायां तन्तवेऽर्थित: ।

अङ्गिरा जनयामास ब्रह्मवर्चस्विन: सुतान् ॥ २ ॥

rathītarasyāprajasya

bhāryāyāṁ tantave ’rthitaḥ

aṅgirā janayām āsa

brahma-varcasvinaḥ sutān

Translation

Rathītara had no sons, and therefore he requested the great sage Aṅgirā to beget sons for him. Because of this request, Aṅgirā begot sons in the womb of Rathītara’s wife. All these sons were born with brahminical prowess.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Rathītara Receives Sons Through Aṅgirā

1
Rathītara had no sons, so he requested the great sage Aṅgirā to beget sons in his wife. These sons were born with brahminical prowess.
2
The purport explains that in the Vedic age this arrangement was sometimes used for the sake of better progeny. The sons became the husband’s sons and were called kṣetra-jāta.
3
The purport compares this arrangement to a field cultivated by another person. The grain still belongs to the owner of the field.

Key points from the purport

In the Vedic age a man was sometimes called upon to beget sons in the womb of a lesser man’s wife for the sake of better progeny.
Similarly, a woman was sometimes allowed to be impregnated by someone other than her husband, but the sons born of her would then become her husband’s sons.
Because Rathītara had no sons, he took advantage of this method.

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

Attachment and struggle → Renunciation and responsibility. Multiple royal lives reveal the cost of choices.

Chapters 6–9 of Canto 9: Saubhari, Sagara and Bhagīratha's lineage. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 6: The Downfall of Saubhari Muni

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Rathītara had no sons, but when he requested the favor of the great sage Aṅgirā, the sage begot several sons in the womb of Rathītara’s wife. When the sons were born, they became the dynasty of Aṅgirā Ṛṣi and of Rathītara.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 9.6