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TEXTS 3839
tustas tasmai sa bhagavan
rsaye priyam avahan
svam ca vacam rtam kurvann
idam aha visampate
masam puman sa bhavita
masam stri tava gotrajah
ittham vyavasthaya kamam
sudyumno vatu medinim
SYNONYMS
tustahbeing pleased; tasmaiunto Vasistha; sahhe (Lord Siva); bhagavanthe most powerful; rsayeunto the great sage; priyam avahanjust to please him; svam cahis own; vacamword; rtamtrue; kurvanand keeping; idamthis; ahasaid; visampateO King Pariksit; masamone month; pumanmale; sahSudyumna; bhavitawill become; masaman other month; strifemale; tavayour; gotra-jahdisciple born in your disciplic succession; itthamin this way; vyavasthayaby settlement; kamamaccording to desire; sudyumnahKing Sudyumna; avatumay rule; medinimthe world.
TRANSLATION
O King Pariksit, Lord Siva was pleased with Vasistha. Therefore, to satisfy him and to keep his own word to Parvati, Lord Siva said to that saintly person, Your disciple Sudyumna may remain a male for one month and a female for the next. In this way he may rule the world as he likes.
PURPORT
The word gotrajah is significant in this connection. Brahmanas generally act as spiritual masters of two dynasties. One is their disciplic succession, and the other is the dynasty born of their semen. Both descendants belong to the same gotra, or dynasty. In the Vedic system we sometimes find that both brahmanas and ksatriyas and even vaisyas come in the disciplic succession of the same rsis. Because the gotra and dynasty are one, there is no difference between the disciples and the family born of the semen. The same system still prevails in Indian society, especially in regard to marriage, for which the gotra is calculated. Here the word gotrajah refers to those born in the same dynasty, whether they be disciples or members of the family.
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/9/1/38-39 
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