FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.18.43

श्रीपूरुरुवाच को नु लोके मनुष्येन्द्र पितुरात्मकृत: पुमान् । प्रतिकर्तुं क्षमो यस्य प्रसादाद् विन्दते परम् ॥ ४३ ॥
śrī-pūrur uvāca
[shree-poorur uvaacha]
ko nu loke manuṣyendra
[ko nu loke manushyendra]
pitur ātma-kṛtaḥ pumān
[pitur aatma-kritah pumaan]
pratikartuṁ kṣamo yasya
[pratikartum kshamo yasya]
prasādād vindate param
[prasaadaad vindate param]
śrī-pūruḥ uvāca — Pūru said kaḥ — what nu — indeed loke — in this world manuṣya-indra — O Your Majesty, best of human beings pituḥ — the father ātma-kṛtaḥ — who has given this body pumān — a person pratikartum — to repay kṣamaḥ — is able yasya — of whom prasādāt — by the mercy vindate — one enjoys param — superior life.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-pūrur uvāca
śrī-pūruḥ uvāca
Pūru said
ko nu loke manuṣyendra
pitur ātma-kṛtaḥ pumān
pratikartuṁ kṣamo yasya
kaḥ
what
nu
indeed
loke
in this world
manuṣya-indra
O Your Majesty, best of human beings
pituḥ
the father
prasādād vindate param
ātma-kṛtaḥ
who has given this body
pumān
a person
pratikartum
to repay
kṣamaḥ
is able
yasya
of whom
prasādāt
by the mercy
vindate
one enjoys
param
superior life.
Pūru replied: O Your Majesty, who in this world can repay his debt to his father? By the mercy of one’s father, one gets the human form of life, which can enable one to become an associate of the Supreme Lord.

The father gives the seed of the body, and this seed gradually grows and develops until one ultimately attains the developed human body, with consciousness higher than that of the animals. In the human body one can be elevated to the higher planets, and, furthermore, if one cultivates Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can return home, back to Godhead. This important human body is obtained by the grace of the father, and therefore everyone is indebted to his father. Of course, in other lives one also gets a father and mother; even cats and dogs have fathers and mothers. But in the human form of life the father and mother can award their son the greatest benediction by teaching him to become a devotee. When one becomes a devotee, he achieves the greatest benediction because he completely averts the repetition of birth and death. Therefore the father who trains his child in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the most benevolent father in this world. It is said:

janame janame sabe pitā mātā pāya kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhaja hari ei

Everyone gets a father and mother, but if one gets the benediction of Kṛṣṇa and guru, he can conquer material nature and return home, back to Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Pūru said: O King! Who in this world can repay his debt to his father who has produced the son’s body, by whose mercy one enjoys Svarga?” Ātmakṛtoḥ means “of the father who produces one’s body.” Param means Svarga.
Pūru replies that no one can ever fully repay his father — fatherhood is the gateway to a human form fit for the Lord's service. Honoring our father is not optional duty but the structural condition of our spiritual opportunity.
Reflection Questions
  • How am I currently honoring the father (biological or spiritual) who made my human life possible?
  • What single act of honor is overdue today?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 18