Shloka 32
The Fall of Purañjana and the Supersoul as the Eternal Friend
Purañjana-Upākhyāna Culmination
अगस्त्य: प्राग्दुहितरमुपयेमे धृतव्रताम् । यस्यां दृढच्युतो जात इध्मवाहात्मजो मुनि: ॥ ३२ ॥
agastyaḥ prāg duhitaram upayeme dhṛta-vratām yasyāṁ dṛḍhacyuto jāta idhmavāhātmajo muniḥ
The great sage Agastya married Dhṛtavratā, Malayadhvaja’s firstborn daughter, steadfast in devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. From her was born a son named Dṛḍhacyuta, and from him another son was born, named Idhmavāha.
The name Agastya Muni is very significant. Agastya Muni represents the mind. The word agastya indicates that the senses do not act independently, and the word muni means “mind.” The mind is the center of all the senses, and thus the senses cannot work independent of the mind. When the mind takes to the cult of bhakti, it engages in devotional service. The cult of bhakti ( bhakti-latā ) is the first daughter of Malayadhvaja, and as previously described, her eyes are always upon Kṛṣṇa ( asitekṣaṇām ). One cannot render bhakti to any demigod. Bhakti can be rendered only to Viṣṇu ( śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ ). Thinking the Absolute Truth to be without form, the Māyāvādīs say that the word bhakti can apply to any form of worship. If this were the case, a devotee could imagine any demigod or any godly form and worship it. This, however, is not the real fact. The real fact is that bhakti can be applied only to Lord Viṣṇu and His expansions. Therefore bhakti-latā is dṛḍha-vrata, the great vow, for when the mind is completely engaged in devotional service, the mind does not fall down. If one tries to advance by other means — by karma-yoga or jñāna-yoga — one will fall down, but if one is fixed in bhakti, he never falls down.
FAQs
Dṛḍhacyuta is identified here as a sage born from the wife married by Agastya Ṛṣi, and he is described as the son of Idhmavāha.
Dhṛta-vratā means “steadfast in vows”—a woman firmly devoted to religious principles and disciplined observances.
By maintaining consistent sādhana—regular japa, study, and ethical conduct—without being shaken by changing circumstances, reflecting the quality of dhṛta-vrata praised in the verse.