Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 23
Aditi’s Payo-vrata and Viṣṇu’s Promise to Appear as Her Son
Prelude to Vāmana
सोऽदित्यां वीर्यमाधत्त तपसा चिरसम्भृतम् । समाहितमना राजन्दारुण्यग्निं यथानिल: ॥ २३ ॥
so ’dityāṁ vīryam ādhatta tapasā cira-sambhṛtam samāhita-manā rājan dāruṇy agniṁ yathānilaḥ
Ô Roi, comme le vent attise le frottement de deux morceaux de bois et fait naître le feu, Kaśyapa Muni, entièrement absorbé en le Seigneur, transmit à la matrice d’Aditi la puissance amassée par une longue austérité.
A forest fire begins when two pieces of wood rub against one another, being agitated by the wind. Actually, however, fire belongs neither to the wood nor to the wind; it is always different from both. Similarly, here it is to be understood that the union of Kaśyapa Muni and Aditi was not like the sexual intercourse of ordinary human beings. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has nothing to do with the human secretions of sexual intercourse. He is always completely aloof from such material combinations.
FAQs
This verse explains that Kaśyapa’s long-performed austerities produced a concentrated spiritual potency, which he then invested in Aditi—showing tapasya as a force that matures into divine empowerment when guided by purity and focus.
In the narrative, Aditi seeks the Lord’s protection for the devas; Kaśyapa follows the prescribed vow and, with controlled mind and senses, begets the Lord’s descent in her womb—leading to the appearance of Vāmana.
The verse highlights that steady focus and disciplined practice make one’s efforts effective; applied today, sincere sādhanā—regular prayer, mantra-japa, and self-control—converts intention into real spiritual strength.