TEXT 24
atha ca duhitaram prajapater visvakarmana upayeme barhismatim nama tasyam u ha vava atmajan atma-samana-sila-guna-karma-rupa-viryodaran dasa bhavayam babhuva kanyam ca yaviyasim urjasvatim nama.
SYNONYMS
athathereafter; caalso; duhitaramthe daughter; prajapatehof one of the prajapatis entrusted with increasing population; visvakarmanahnamed Visvakarma; upayememarried; barhismatimBarhismati; namanamed; tasyamin her; u haas it is celebrated; vavawonderful; atma-jansons; atma-samanaexactly equal to him; silacharacter; gunaquality; karmaactivities; rupabeauty; viryaprowess; udaranwhose magnanimity; dasaten; bhavayam babhuvahe begot; kanyamdaughter; caalso; yaviyasimthe youngest of all; urjasvatimUrjasvati; namanamed.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, Maharaja Priyavrata married Barhismati, the daughter of the prajapati named Visvakarma. In her he begot ten sons equal to him in beauty, character, magnanimity and other qualities. He also begot a daughter, the youngest of all, named Urjasvati.
PURPORT
Maharaja Priyavrata not only carried out the order of Lord Brahma by accepting the duties of government, but also married Barhismati, the daughter of Visvakarma, one of the prajapatis. Since Maharaja Priyavrata was fully trained in transcendental knowledge, he could have returned home and conducted the business of government as a brahmacari. Instead, however, when he returned to household life, he accepted a wife also. The principle is that when one becomes a grhastha, he must live perfectly in that order, which means he must live peacefully with a wife and children. When Caitanya Mahaprabhus first wife died, His mother requested Him to marry for a second time. He was twenty years old and was going to take sannyasa at the age of twenty-four, yet by the request of His mother, He married. As long as I am in household life, He told His mother, I must have a wife, for household life does not mean staying in a house. Real household life means living in a house with a wife.
Three words in this verse are very significantu ha vava. These words are used to express wonder. Priyavrata Maharaja had taken a vow of renunciation, but accepting a wife and begetting children have nothing to do with the path of renunciation; these are activities on the path of enjoyment. It was a source of great wonder, therefore, that Priyavrata Maharaja, who had followed the path of renunciation, had now accepted the path of enjoyment.
Sometimes we are criticized because although I am a sannyasi, I have taken part in the marriage ceremonies of my disciples. It must be explained, however, that since we have started a Krsna conscious society and since a human society must also have ideal marriages, to correctly establish an ideal society we must take part in marrying some of its members, although we have taken to the path of renunciation. This may be astonishing to persons who are not very interested in establishing daiva-varnasrama, the transcendental system of four social orders and four spiritual orders. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, however, wanted to reestablish daiva-varnasrama. In daiva-varnasrama there cannot be acknowledgement of social status according to birthright because in Bhagavad-gita it is said that the determining considerations are guna and karma, ones qualities and work. It is this daiva-varnasrama that should be established all over the world to continue a perfect society for Krsna consciousness. This may be astonishing to foolish critics, but it is one of the functions of a Krsna conscious society.
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