Text 19] The Victory of Hiranyakga 689

prajapaltih—Kasyapa;  nadma—names; layoh—of the two; akarsit—
gave; yah—who; prak—first; sva-dehal—from his body; yamayoh—of
the twins; aja@yala—was delivered; tam—him; vai—indeed; hiranyakasipum—
Hiranyakasipu; viduh—know; prajah—people; yam—whom,; tam—him,
hiranyaksam—Hiranyaksa; asila—gave birth to; sa—she (Diti); agratah—
first.
TRANSLATION

Kasyapa, Prajapati, the creater of the living entities, gave his twin sons
their names; the one who was born first he named Hiranyaksa, and the one
who was first conceived by Diti he named Hiranyakasipu.

PURPORT

There is an authoritative Vedic literature called Pinda-siddhi in which the
scientific understanding of pregnancy is very nicely described. It is stated
that when the male secretion enters the menstrual flux in the uterus in two
successive drops, the mother develops two embryos in her womb, and she
brings forth twins in a reverse order to that in which they were first
conceived; the child conceived first is born later, and the one conceived
later is brought forth first. The first child conceived in the womb lives
behind the second child, so when birth takes place the second child appears
first, and the first child appears second. In this case it is understood that
Hiranyaksa, the second child conceived, was delivered first, whereas
Hiranyakasipu, the child who was behind him, having been conceived
first, was born second.

TEXT 19

ae feral aaa 7 |
TI  wWisigriatagarrgera: 2a!

cakre hiranyakastpur
dorbhyam brahma-varena ca
vase sa-palal lokams trin
akuto mrtyur uddhatah

cakre—made; hiranyakasipuh—Hiranyakasipu; dorbhyam—by his two
arms; brahma-varena—by the benediction of Brahma; ca—and; vase—under
his control; sa-palan—along with their protectors; lokdn—the worlds; trin—
three; akulah mrlyuh—fearing death from no one; uddhatah—puffed up.
