Shloka 53
Pṛthu Mahārāja Meets the Four Kumāras: Bhakti as the Boat Across Saṁsāra
एवमध्यात्मयोगेन कर्माण्यनुसमाचरन् । पुत्रानुत्पादयामास पञ्चार्चिष्यात्मसम्मतान् ॥ ५३ ॥
evam adhyātma-yogena karmāṇy anusamācaran putrān utpādayām āsa pañcārciṣy ātma-sammatān
Thus situated in adhyātma-yoga—devotional service—Mahārāja Pṛthu properly carried out his duties and, with his wife Arci, begot five sons. Indeed, those sons were born according to his own desire.
As a householder, Pṛthu Mahārāja had five sons by his wife, Arci, and all these sons were begotten as he desired them. They were not born whimsically or by accident. How one can beget children according to one’s own desire is practically unknown in the present age, Kali-yuga. In this regard the secret of success depends on the parents’ acceptance of the various purificatory methods known as saṁskāras. The first saṁskāra, the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, or child-begetting saṁskāra, is compulsory, especially for the higher castes, the brāhmaṇas and the kṣatriyas. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, sex life which is not against religious principles is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and according to religious principles, when one wants to beget a child he must perform the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra before having sex. The mental state of the father and mother before sex will certainly affect the mentality of the child to be begotten. A child who is begotten out of lust may not turn out as the parents desire. As stated in the śāstras, yathā yonir yathā bījam. Yathā yoniḥ indicates the mother, and yathā bījam indicates the father. If the mental state of the parents is prepared before they have sex, the child which they will beget will certainly reflect their mental condition. It is therefore understood by the words ātma-sammatān that both Pṛthu Mahārāja and Arci underwent the garbhādhāna purificatory process before begetting children, and thus they begot all their sons according to their desires and purified mental states. Pṛthu Mahārāja did not beget his children out of lust, nor was he attracted to his wife for sense gratificatory purposes. He begot the children as a gṛhastha for the future administration of his government all over the world.
FAQs
This verse shows that even while performing worldly duties like begetting children, one can remain rooted in adhyātma-yoga—acting properly while keeping the aim of self-realization.
To illustrate that Pṛthu’s household life was not ordinary sense enjoyment; it was regulated dharma performed in spiritual awareness, producing worthy offspring aligned with his righteous purpose.
Do your responsibilities—work, marriage, parenting—with integrity and discipline, while keeping inner alignment with spiritual goals, offering results to the Lord rather than acting only for ego or pleasure.