FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.21.4

తస్యాం స వై మహాయోగీ యుక్తాయాం యోగలక్షణై: । ససర్జ కతిధా వీర్యం తన్మే శుశ్రూషవే వద ॥ ౪ ॥
tasyāṁ sa vai mahā-yogī
[tasyaam sa vai mahaa-yogee]
yuktāyāṁ yoga-lakṣaṇaiḥ
[yuktaayaam yoga-lakshanaih]
sasarja katidhā vīryaṁ
[sasarja katidhaa veeryam]
tan me śuśrūṣave vada
[tan me shushrooshave vada]
tasyām — in her saḥ — Kardama Muni vai — in fact mahā-yogī — great mystic yogī yuktāyām — endowed yoga-lakṣaṇaiḥ — with the eightfold symptoms of yogic perfection sasarja — propagated katidhā — how many times vīryam — offspring tat — that narration me — to me śuśrūṣave — who am eager to hear vada — tell.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tasyāṁ sa vai mahā-yogī
tasyām
in her
saḥ
Kardama Muni
vai
in fact
mahā-yogī
great mystic yogī
yuktāyāṁ yoga-lakṣaṇaiḥ
yuktāyām
endowed
yoga-lakṣaṇaiḥ
with the eightfold symptoms of yogic perfection
sasarja
propagated
sasarja katidhā vīryaṁ
katidhā
how many times
vīryam
offspring
tan me śuśrūṣave vada
tat
that narration
me
to me
śuśrūṣave
who am eager to hear
vada
tell.
How many offspring did that great yogī beget through the princess, who was endowed with eightfold perfection in the yoga principles? Oh, pray tell me this, for I am eager to hear it.

Here Vidura inquired about Kardama Muni and his wife, Devahūti, and about their children. It is described here that Devahūti was very much advanced in the performance of eightfold yoga. The eight divisions of yoga performance are described as (1) control of the senses, (2) strict following of the rules and regulations, (3) practice of the different sitting postures, (4) control of the breath, (5) withdrawing the senses from sense objects, (6) concentration of the mind, (7) meditation and (8) self-realization. After self-realization there are eight further perfectional stages, which are called yoga-siddhis. The husband and wife, Kardama and Devahūti, were advanced in yoga practice; the husband was a mahā-yogī, great mystic, and the wife was a yoga-lakṣaṇa, or one advanced in yoga. They united and produced children. Formerly, after making their lives perfect, great sages and saintly persons used to beget children, otherwise they strictly observed the rules and regulations of celibacy. Brahmacarya (following the rules and regulations of celibacy) is required for perfection of self-realization and mystic power. There is no recommendation in the Vedic scriptures that one can go on enjoying material sense gratification at one’s whims, as one likes, and at the same time become a great meditator by paying a rascal some money.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Since I desire to hear, please tell me how the great yogī Kardama produced some sons in Devahūti, who was disciplined in the stages of yoga. Yoga-lakṣaṇaiḥ means “qualified with the stages of yoga such as yama.” Kardama produced some sons (vīryaṁ sasarja).
📝 My note

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