FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.21.46

पुत्रेण जयते लोकानिति सत्यवती श्रुति: । ब्रह्मदण्डहत: पापो यद्वेनोऽत्यतरत्तम: ॥ ४६ ॥
putreṇa jayate lokān
[putrena jayate lokaan]
iti satyavatī śrutiḥ
[iti satyavatee shrutih]
brahma-daṇḍa-hataḥ pāpo
[brahma-danda-hatah paapo]
yad veno ’tyatarat tamaḥ
[yad veno ’tyatarat tamah]
putreṇa — by the son jayate — one becomes victorious lokān — all the heavenly planets iti — thus satya-vatī — becomes true śrutiḥ — the Vedas brahma-daṇḍa — by the curse of brāhmaṇas hataḥ — killed pāpaḥ — the most sinful yat — as venaḥ — the father of Mahārāja Pṛthu ati — great atarat — became delivered tamaḥ — from the darkness of hellish life.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
putreṇa jayate lokān
putreṇa
by the son
jayate
one becomes victorious
lokān
all the heavenly planets
iti satyavatī śrutiḥ
iti
thus
satya-vatī
becomes true
śrutiḥ
the Vedas
brahma-daṇḍa-hataḥ pāpo
brahma-daṇḍa
by the curse of brāhmaṇas
hataḥ
killed
pāpaḥ
the most sinful
yad veno ’tyatarat tamaḥ
yat
as
venaḥ
the father of Mahārāja Pṛthu
ati
great
atarat
became delivered
tamaḥ
from the darkness of hellish life.
They all declared that the Vedic conclusion that one can conquer the heavenly planets by the action of a putra, or son, was fulfilled, for the most sinful Vena, who had been killed by the curse of the brāhmaṇas, was now delivered from the darkest region of hellish life by his son, Mahārāja Pṛthu.

According to the Vedic version, there is a hellish planet called Put, and one who delivers a person from there is called putra. The purpose of marriage, therefore, is to have a putra, or son who is able to deliver his father, even if the father falls down to the hellish condition of Put. Mahārāja Pṛthu’s father, Vena, was a most sinful person and was therefore cursed to death by the brāhmaṇas. Now all the great saintly persons, sages and brāhmaṇas present in the meeting, after hearing from Mahārāja Pṛthu about his great mission in life, became convinced that the statement of the Vedas had been fully proved. The purpose of accepting a wife in religious marriage, as sanctioned in the Vedas, is to have a putra, a son qualified to deliver his father from the darkest region of hellish life. Marriage is not intended for sense gratification but for getting a son fully qualified to deliver his father. But if a son is raised to become an unqualified demon, how can he deliver his father from hellish life? It is therefore the duty of a father to become a Vaiṣṇava and raise his children to become Vaiṣṇavas; then even if by chance the father falls into a hellish life in his next birth, such a son can deliver him, as Mahārāja Pṛthu delivered his father.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Vedas speak the truth when they say “The father attains the highest planets through the son” since the sinful Vena, killed by the curse of brāhmaṇas, was delivered from hell by his son.
The Vedic conclusion was fulfilled: a putra delivers the father from Put-hell — Vena was delivered by Pṛthu. The reason for a son: liberation of the line, not bloodline pride.
Reflection Questions
  • Where could my conduct become the deliverance of an ancestor I am still grieving?
  • Whom in my line am I called to lift through my own dharma?
📝 My note

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