Canto & Chapters
The Creative Impetus (26 Chapters)
Chapter 141v
The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata
Chapter 223v
The Activities of Mahārāja Āgnīdhra
Chapter 319v
Ṛṣabhadeva’s Appearance in the Womb of Merudevī, the Wife of King Nābhi
Chapter 418v
The Characteristics of Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Chapter 531v
Lord Ṛṣabhadeva’s Teachings to His Sons
Chapter 619v
The Activities of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva
Chapter 714v
The Activities of King Bharata
Chapter 831v
A Description of the Character of Bharata Mahārāja
Chapter 918v
The Supreme Character of Jaḍa Bharata
Chapter 1025v
The Discussion Between Jaḍa Bharata and Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa
Chapter 1116v
Jaḍa Bharata Instructs King Rahūgaṇa
Chapter 1215v
Conversation Between Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata
Chapter 1326v
Further Talks Between King Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata
Chapter 1446v
The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment
Chapter 1515v
The Glories of the Descendants of King Priyavrata
Chapter 1627v
A Description of Jambūdvīpa
Chapter 1723v
The Descent of the River Ganges
Chapter 1839v
The Prayers Offered to the Lord by the Residents of Jambūdvīpa
Chapter 1929v
A Description of the Island of Jambūdvīpa
Chapter 2045v
Studying the Structure of the Universe
Chapter 2118v
The Movements of the Sun
Chapter 2217v
The Orbits of the Planets
Chapter 239v
The Śiśumāra Planetary Systems
Chapter 2431v
The Subterranean Heavenly Planets
Chapter 2515v
The Glories of Lord Ananta
Chapter 2640v
A Description of the Hellish Planets
Canto 5, Chapter 1

The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata

Verse 24 (SB 5.1.24)
SB 5.1.24 • मूल श्लोक

अथ च दुहितरं प्रजापतेर्विश्वकर्मण उपयेमे बर्हिष्मतीं नाम तस्यामु ह वाव आत्मजानात्मसमानशीलगुणकर्मरूपवीर्योदारान्दश भावयाम्बभूव कन्यां च यवीयसीमूर्जस्वतीं नाम ॥ २४ ॥

Transliteration

atha ca duhitaraṁ prajāpater viśvakarmaṇa upayeme barhiṣmatīṁ nāma tasyām u ha vāva ātmajān ātma-samāna-śīla-guṇa-karma-rūpa-vīryodārān daśa bhāvayām babhūva kanyāṁ ca yavīyasīm ūrjasvatīṁ nāma.

Synonyms (Word-for-Word)

atha — thereafter; ca — also; duhitaram — the daughter; prajāpateḥ — of one of the prajāpatis entrusted with increasing population; viśvakarmaṇaḥ — named Viśvakarmā; upayeme — married; barhiṣmatīm — Barhiṣmatī; nāma — named; tasyām — in her; u ha — as it is celebrated; vāva — wonderful; ātma-jān — sons; ātma-samāna — exactly equal to him; śīla — character; guṇa — quality; karma — activities; rūpa — beauty; vīrya — prowess; udārān — whose magnanimity; daśa — ten; bhāvayām babhūva — he begot; kanyām — daughter; ca — also; yavīyasīm — the youngest of all; ūrjasvatīm — Ūrjasvatī; nāma — named.

Translation

“Thereafter, Mahārāja Priyavrata married Barhiṣmatī, the daughter of the prajāpati named Viśvakarmā. In her he begot ten sons equal to him in beauty, character, magnanimity and other qualities. He also begot a daughter, the youngest of all, named Ūrjasvatī.”

Bhaktivedanta Purport

By Śrīla Prabhupāda
Mahārāja Priyavrata not only carried out the order of Lord Brahmā by accepting the duties of government, but also married Barhiṣmatī, the daughter of Viśvakarmā, one of the prajāpatis. Since Mahārāja Priyavrata was fully trained in transcendental knowledge, he could have returned home and conducted the business of government as a brahmacārī. Instead, however, when he returned to household life, he accepted a wife also. The principle is that when one becomes a gṛhastha he must live perfectly in that order, which means he must live peacefully with a wife and children. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s first wife died, His mother requested Him to marry for a second time. He was twenty years old and was going to take sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four, yet by the request of His mother, He married. “As long as I am in household life,” He told His mother, “I must have a wife, for household life does not mean staying in a house. Real household life means living in a house with a wife.” Three words in this verse are very significant — u ha vāva. These words are used to express wonder. Priyavrata Mahārāja had taken a vow of renunciation, but accepting a wife and begetting children have nothing to do with the path of renunciation; these are activities on the path of enjoyment. It was a source of great wonder, therefore, that Priyavrata Mahārāja, who had followed the path of renunciation, had now accepted the path of enjoyment. Sometimes we are criticized because although I am a sannyāsī I have taken part in the marriage ceremonies of my disciples. It must be explained, however, that since we have started a Kṛṣṇa conscious society and since a human society must also have ideal marriages, to correctly establish an ideal society we must take part in marrying some of its members, although we have taken to the path of renunciation. This may be astonishing to persons who are not very interested in establishing daiva-varṇāśrama, the transcendental system of four social orders and four spiritual orders. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, however, wanted to reestablish daiva-varṇāśrama. In daiva-varṇāśrama there cannot be acknowledgement of social status according to birthright because in Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the determining considerations are guṇa and karma, one’s qualities and work. It is this daiva-varṇāśrama that should be established all over the world to continue a perfect society for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This may be astonishing to foolish critics, but it is one of the functions of a Kṛṣṇa conscious society.