Canto 3, Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Verse 22 (SB 3.20.22)
SB 3.20.22 • मूल श्लोक

देवता: प्रभया या या दीव्यन् प्रमुखतोऽसृजत् । ते अहार्षुर्देवयन्तो विसृष्टां तां प्रभामह: ॥ २२ ॥

Transliteration

devatāḥ prabhayā yā yā dīvyan pramukhato ’sṛjat te ahārṣur devayanto visṛṣṭāṁ tāṁ prabhām ahaḥ

Synonyms (Word-for-Word)

devatāḥ — the demigods; prabhayā — with the glory of light; yāḥ yāḥ — those who; dīvyan — shining; pramukhataḥ — chiefly; asṛjat — created; te — they; ahārṣuḥ — took possession of; devayantaḥ — being active; visṛṣṭām — separated; tām — that; prabhām — effulgent form; ahaḥ — daytime.

Translation

“He then created the chief demigods, who were shining with the glory of goodness. He dropped before them the effulgent form of daytime, and the demigods sportingly took possession of it.”

Bhaktivedanta Purport

By Śrīla Prabhupāda
Demons were born from the creation of night, and the demigods were born from the creation of day. In other words, demons like the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas are born of the quality of ignorance, and demigods are born of the quality of goodness.