FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.14.8

दितिर्दाक्षायणी क्षत्तर्मारीचं कश्यपं पतिम् । अपत्यकामा चकमे सन्ध्यायां हृच्छयार्दिता ॥ ८ ॥
ditir dākṣāyaṇī kṣattar
[ditir daakshaayanee kshattar]
mārīcaṁ kaśyapaṁ patim
[maareecham kashyapam patim]
apatya-kāmā cakame
[apatya-kaamaa chakame]
sandhyāyāṁ hṛc-chayārditā
[sandhyaayaam hrich-chayaarditaa]
ditiḥ — Diti dākṣāyaṇī — the daughter of Dakṣa kṣattaḥ — O Vidura mārīcam — the son of Marīci kaśyapam — Kaśyapa patim — her husband apatya-kāmā — desirous of having a child cakame — longed for sandhyāyām — in the evening hṛt-śaya — by sex desires arditā — distressed.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ditir dākṣāyaṇī kṣattar
ditiḥ
Diti
dākṣāyaṇī
the daughter of Dakṣa
kṣattaḥ
O Vidura
mārīcaṁ kaśyapaṁ patim
mārīcam
the son of Marīci
kaśyapam
Kaśyapa
patim
her husband
apatya-kāmā cakame
apatya-kāmā
desirous of having a child
cakame
longed for
sandhyāyāṁ hṛc-chayārditā
sandhyāyām
in the evening
hṛt-śaya
by sex desires
arditā
distressed.
Diti, daughter of Dakṣa, being afflicted with sex desire, begged her husband, Kaśyapa, the son of Marīci, to have intercourse with her in the evening in order to beget a child.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O Vidura! Diti, the daughter of Dakṣa, with a desire for a child and afflicted with lust, approached her husband Kaśyapa, son of Marīci, while he was seated in the sacrificial arena, , as the sun was setting in the evening, while he was in trance, after having worshipped the supreme lord of sacrifice whose tongue is the fire by offering rice cooked in milk. To introduce the question of the devatās, first a related topic, the birth of Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu are described. This story continues until the end of the chapter. Kaśyapa was the son of Marīci. Hṛc-chayārdhitā means “afflicted with lust.” She approached not only in the twilight, but in the sacrificial arena, and while he was in samādhi, as the sun was setting. He had worshipped the master of sacrifices (yajuṣām), Viṣṇu, who has fire as his tongue.
Diti, afflicted with desire, asks Kaśyapa for intercourse in the inauspicious evening hour. Even great souls feel ungoverned desire. The verse marks how the timing and quality of our desires shape outcomes more than their objects.
Reflection Questions
  • When was I last 'afflicted' enough to override timing or appropriateness?
  • How could attention to when I act change the karmic flavor of what I do?
📝 My note

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