Shloka 2
Ikṣvāku Dynasty: Vikukṣi’s Offense, Purañjaya’s Victory, Māndhātā’s Birth, and Saubhari’s Fall and Renunciation
रथीतरस्याप्रजस्य भार्यायां तन्तवेऽर्थित: । अङ्गिरा जनयामास ब्रह्मवर्चस्विन: सुतान् ॥ २ ॥
rathītarasyāprajasya bhāryāyāṁ tantave ’rthitaḥ aṅgirā janayām āsa brahma-varcasvinaḥ sutān
Rathītara was without sons, so he entreated the great sage Aṅgirā for progeny. Aṅgirā begot, in the womb of Rathītara’s wife, sons endowed with brahminical potency.
In the Vedic age a man was sometimes called upon to beget sons in the womb of a lesser man’s wife for the sake of better progeny. In such an instance, the woman is compared to an agricultural field. A person possessing an agricultural field may employ another person to produce food grains from it, but because the grains are produced from the land, they are considered the property of the owner of the land. Similarly, a woman was sometimes allowed to be impregnated by someone other than her husband, but the sons born of her would then become her husband’s sons. Such sons were called kṣetra-jāta. Because Rathītara had no sons, he took advantage of this method.
FAQs
This verse describes how Rathītara, being childless, sought help from the sage Aṅgirā, and through the sage’s blessing sons were born—showing that progeny and lineage are ultimately granted by divine and saintly grace.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse to Mahārāja Parīkṣit while narrating the dynasties of kings and the continuity of royal and saintly lineages.
When facing deep limitations (like lack of results despite effort), one should seek guidance and blessings from genuinely spiritual, qualified teachers rather than relying only on personal power.