SB 10.3.34-35

TEXT 34-35

TEXT

vaSaRvaAtaAtapaih"ma-
GamaRk(AlagAuNAAnanau
s$ah"maAnaAE ṅAs$ar"AeDa-
ivainaDaURtamanaAemalaAE

zAINARpaNAARinalaAh"Ar"Ava,
opazAAntaena caetas$aA
maÔa: k(AmaAnaBaIps$antaAE
mad"Ar"ADanamaIh"tau:

varsa-vatatapa-hima-

gharma-kala-gunan anu

sahamanau svasa-rodha-

vinirdhuta-mano-malau

sirna-parnanilaharav

upasantena cetasa

mattah kaman abhipsantau

mad-aradhanam ihatuh

varsa-the rain; vata-strong wind; atapa-strong sunshine; hima-severe cold; gharma-heat; kala-gunan anu-according to seasonal changes; sahamanau-by enduring; svasa-rodha-by practicing yoga, controlling the breath; vinirdhuta-the dirty things accumulated in the mind were completely washed away; manah-malau-the mind became clean, free from material contamination; sirna-rejected, dry; parna-leaves from the trees; anila-and air; aharau-eating; upasantena-peaceful; cetasa-with a fully controlled mind; mattah-from Me; kaman abhipsantau-desiring to beg some benediction; mat-My; aradhanam-worship; ihatuh-you both executed.

TRANSLATION

My dear father and mother, you endured rain, wind, strong sun, scorching heat and severe cold, suffering all sorts of inconvenience according to different seasons. By practicing pranayama to control the air within the body through yoga, and by eating only air and dry leaves fallen from the trees, you cleansed from your minds all dirty things. In this way, desiring a benediction from Me, you worshiped Me with peaceful minds.

PURPORT

Vasudeva and Devaki did not obtain the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son very easily, nor does the Supreme Godhead accept merely anyone as His father and mother. Here we can see how Vasudeva and Devaki obtained Krsna as their eternal son. In our own lives, we are meant to follow the principles indicated herewith for getting good children. Of course, it is not possible for everyone to get Krsna as his son, but at least one can get very good sons and daughters for the benefit of human society. In Bhagavad-gita it is said that if human beings do not follow the spiritual way of life, there will be an increase of varna-saṅkara population, population begotten like cats and dogs, and the entire world will become like hell. Not practicing Krsna consciousness but simply encouraging artificial means to check the population will be futile; the population will increase, and it will consist of varna-saṅkara, unwanted progeny. It is better to teach people how to beget children not like hogs and dogs, but in controlled life.

Human life is meant not for becoming a hog or dog, but for tapo divyam, transcendental austerity. Everyone should be taught to undergo austerity, tapasya. Although it may not be possible to undergo tapasya like that of Prsni and Sutapa, the sastra has given an opportunity for a method of tapasya very easy to perform-the saṅkirtana movement. One cannot expect to undergo tapasya to get Krsna as one's child, yet simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra (kirtanad eva krsnasya), one can become so pure that one becomes free from all the contamination of this material world (mukta-saṅgah) and goes back home, back to Godhead (param vrajet). The Krsna consciousness movement, therefore, is teaching people not to adopt artificial means of happiness, but to take the real path of happiness as prescribed in the sastra-the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra-and become perfect in every aspect of material existence.