Text 35] The Birth of Lord Krsna 253
changes; sahamanau—by enduring; svdsa-rodha—by practicing yoga,
controlling the breath; vinirdhita—the dirty things accumulated in the
mind were completely washed away; manah-malau—the mind became
clean, free from material contamination; sirna—rejected, dry; parna—
leaves from the trees; anila—and air; Ghdrau—eating; upasdntena—
peaceful; cetasé—with a fully controlled mind; mattah—from Me;
kaman abhipsantau—desiring to beg some benediction; mat—My;
Grddhanam—worship; thatuh—you both executed.
TRANSLATION

My dear father and mother, you endured rain, wind, strong sun,
scorching heat and severe cold, suffering all sorts of inconve-
nience according to different seasons. By practicing pranayama to
control the air within the body through yoga, and by eating only
air and dry leaves fallen from the trees, you cleansed from your
minds all dirty things. In this way, desiring a benediction from Me,
you worshiped Me with peaceful minds.

PURPORT

Vasudeva and Devaki did not obtain the Supreme Personality of God-
head as their son very easily, nor does the Supreme Godhead accept
merely anyone as His father and mother. Here we can see how Vasudeva
and Devaki obtained Krsna as their eternal son. In our own lives, we are
meant to follow the principles indicated herewith for getting good
children. Of course, it is not possible for everyone to get Krsna as his son,
but at least one can get very good sons and daughters for the benefit of
human society. In Bhagavad-gitd it is said that if human beings do not
follow the spiritual way of life, there will be an increase of varna-
sankara population, population begotten like cats and dogs, and the en-
tire world will become like hell. Not practicing Krsna consciousness but
simply encouraging artificial means to check the population will be
futile; the population will increase, and it will consist of varna-sarkara,
unwanted progeny. It is better to teach people how to beget children not
like hogs and dogs, but in controlled life.

Human life is meant not for becoming a hog or dog, but for tapo
divyam, transcendental austerity. Everyone should be taught to undergo
