Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.13.31
सदसस्पतय ऊचु:
नरदेवेह भवतो नाघं तावन् मनाक्स्थितम् ।
अस्त्येकं प्राक्तनमघं यदिहेदृक् त्वमप्रज: ॥ ३१ ॥
sadasas-pataya ūcuḥ
[sadasas-pataya oochuh]
nara-deveha bhavato
[nara-deveha bhavato]
nāghaṁ tāvan manāk sthitam
[naagham taavan manaak sthitam]
asty ekaṁ prāktanam aghaṁ
[asty ekam praaktanam agham]
yad ihedṛk tvam aprajaḥ
[yad ihedrik tvam aprajah]
Word-for-word
sadasaḥ-patayaḥ ūcuḥ
—
the head priests said
nara-deva
—
O King
iha
—
in this life
bhavataḥ
—
of you
na
—
not
agham
—
sinful activity
tāvat manāk
—
even very slight
sthitam
—
situated
asti
—
there is
ekam
—
one
prāktanam
—
in the previous birth
agham
—
sinful activity
yat
—
by which
iha
—
in this life
īdṛk
—
like this
tvam
—
you
aprajaḥ
—
without any son.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sadasas-pataya ūcuḥ
sadasaḥ-patayaḥ ūcuḥ
the head priests said
nara-deveha bhavato
nara-deva
O King
nāghaṁ tāvan manāk sthitam
asty ekaṁ prāktanam aghaṁ
yad ihedṛk tvam aprajaḥ
iha
in this life
bhavataḥ
of you
na
not
agham
sinful activity
tāvat manāk
even very slight
sthitam
situated
asti
there is
ekam
one
prāktanam
in the previous birth
agham
sinful activity
yat
by which
iha
in this life
īdṛk
like this
tvam
you
aprajaḥ
without any son.
The head priests said: O King, in this life we do not find any sinful activity, even within your mind, so you are not in the least offensive. But we can see that in your previous life you performed sinful activities due to which, in spite of your having all qualifications, you have no son.
Purport
The purpose of marrying is to beget a son, because a son is necessary to deliver his father and forefathers from any hellish conditional life in which they may be. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita therefore says, putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam: without a son, married life is simply abominable. King Aṅga was a very pious king in this life, but because of his previous sinful activity he could not get a son. It is concluded, therefore, that if a person does not get a son it is due to his past sinful life.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The leaders of the assembly said: O King! In this life you do not have the slightest sin. There is one sin from previous lives by which you, though sinless now, are without a son in this life.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The priests answer: no current offense, but in a past life you did something that explains your sonlessness. Some present blocks have roots invisible to current introspection; they reach back further than this life.
Reflection Questions
- Where am I demanding a current explanation for a block that may have karmic roots?
- How would I treat the block differently if I assumed it had a multi-life origin?
My note
Source: vedabase.io