FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.17.18

प्रजापतिर्नाम तयोरकार्षीद् य: प्राक् स्वदेहाद्यमयोरजायत । तं वै हिरण्यकशिपुं विदु: प्रजा यं तं हिरण्याक्षमसूत साग्रत: ॥ १८ ॥
prajāpatir nāma tayor akārṣīd
[prajaapatir naama tayor akaarsheed]
yaḥ prāk sva-dehād yamayor ajāyata
[yah praak sva-dehaad yamayor ajaayata]
taṁ vai hiraṇyakaśipuṁ viduḥ prajā
[tam vai hiranyakashipum viduh prajaa]
yaṁ taṁ hiraṇyākṣam asūta sāgrataḥ
[yam tam hiranyaaksham asoota saagratah]
Word-for-word
prajāpatiḥ — Kaśyapa nāma — names tayoḥ — of the two akārṣīt — gave yaḥ — who prāk — first sva-dehāt — from his body yamayoḥ — of the twins ajāyata — was delivered tam — him vai — indeed hiraṇyakaśipum — Hiraṇyakaśipu viduḥ — know prajāḥ — people yam — whom tam — him hiraṇyākṣam — Hiraṇyākṣa asūta — gave birth to sā — she (Diti) agrataḥ — first.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
prajāpatir nāma tayor akārṣīd
prajāpatiḥ
Kaśyapa
nāma
names
tayoḥ
of the two
akārṣīt
gave
yaḥ prāk sva-dehād yamayor ajāyata
yaḥ
who
prāk
first
sva-dehāt
from his body
yamayoḥ
of the twins
ajāyata
was delivered
taṁ vai hiraṇyakaśipuṁ viduḥ prajā
tam
him
vai
indeed
hiraṇyakaśipum
Hiraṇyakaśipu
viduḥ
know
prajāḥ
people
yaṁ taṁ hiraṇyākṣam asūta sāgrataḥ
yam
whom
tam
him
hiraṇyākṣam
Hiraṇyākṣa
asūta
gave birth to
sā
she (Diti)
agrataḥ
first.
Prajāpati Kaśyapa, the creator of the living entities, gave his twin sons their names; the one who was born first he named Hiraṇyākṣa, and the one who was first conceived by Diti he named Hiraṇyakaśipu.
Purport

There is an authoritative Vedic literature called Piṇḍa-siddhi in which the scientific understanding of pregnancy is very nicely described. It is stated that when the male secretion enters the menstrual flux in the uterus in two successive drops, the mother develops two embryos in her womb, and she brings forth twins in a reverse order to that in which they were first conceived; the child conceived first is born later, and the one conceived later is brought forth first. The first child conceived in the womb lives behind the second child, so when birth takes place the second child appears first, and the first child appears second. In this case it is understood that Hiraṇyākṣa, the second child conceived, was delivered first, whereas Hiraṇyakaśipu, the child who was behind him, having been conceived first, was born second.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Kaśyapa gave names to his sons. He who was first to be impregnated in Diti was known as Hiraṇyakaśipu and he who came out first from Diti was known as Hiraṇyākṣa. This verse describes how Kaśyapa (prajāpatiḥ) gave the twins names on the tenth day after birth. He named them such the child which came first from his body was known as Hiraṇyakaśipu and the child which first came from Diti’s body was known as Hiraṇyākṣa. Yathā and tathā should be supplied. The Piṇḍa-siddhi says: yadā viśed dvidhā bhūtaṁ bījaṁ puṣpaṁ parikṣarat dvau tadā bhavato garbhau sūtir veśa viparyyayād When a person impregnates semen twice in the womb, the two embryos are born in reverse order to the impregnation. Hiraṇyakaśipu was the eldest from the perspective of Kaśyapa, since he had been deposited first. From the perspective of the mother, Hiraṇyākṣa was eldest since he was born first from her womb. Though either could be considered elder, because of the stronger position of the father, Hiraṇyakaśipu was considered the elder.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The verse points beyond impersonal abstraction to a Lord who hears, acts, and relates. Spiritual life gets real once we stop talking about Him and start talking to Him.
Reflection Questions
  • Where does your idea of God blur into a generic 'higher power' that asks nothing of you?
  • What single attribute of the Lord, taken seriously today, would reorganize a corner of your life?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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