Text 2] The Activities of Maharaja Agnidhra 81
exhausting the effects of his pious acts. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita
(9.21), ksine punye martya-lokam visanti: persons who perform pious
acts are transferred to higher planets, but when the effects of their pious
acts are over, they are again transferred to earth.

Since Maharaja Priyavrata was a great devotee, how could he have
begotten a son who desired to be transferred to Pitrloka? Lord Krsna
says, pitrn ydnti pitr-vratah: persons who desire to go to Pitrloka are
transferred there. Similarly, yanti mad-ydjino "pi mam: persons who
desire to be transferred to the spiritual planets, Vaikunthalokas, can also
go there. Since Maharaja Agnidhra was the son of a Vaisnava, he should
have desired to be transferred to the spiritual world, Vaikunthaloka.
Why, then, did he desire to be transferred to Pitrloka? In answer to this,
Gosvami Giridhara, one of the Bhagavatam commentators, remarks that
Agnidhra was born when Maharaja Priyavrata was infatuated by lusty
desires. This may be accepted as a fact because sons are begotten with
different mentalities according to the time of their conception. According
to the Vedic system, therefore, before a child is conceived, the
garbhadhana-samskara is performed. This ceremony molds the men-
tality of the father in such a way that when he plants his seed in the
womb of his wife, he will beget a child whose mind will be completely
saturated with a devotional attitude. At the present moment, however,
there are no such garbhddhana-samskaras, and therefore people
generally have a lusty attitude when they beget children. Especially in
this age of Kali, there are no garbhadhana ceremonies: everyone enjoys
sex with his wife like a cat or dog. Therefore according to Sastric injunc-
tions, almost all the people of this age belong to the sidra category. Of
course, although Maharaja Agnidhra had a desire to be transferred to
Pitrloka, this does not mean that his mentality was that of a Sidra; he
was a ksatriya.

Maharaja Agnidhra desired to be transferred to Pitrloka, and
therefore he needed a wife because anyone desiring to be transferred to
Pitrloka must leave behind a good son to offer yearly pinda, or prasada
from Lord Visnu. To have a good son, Maharaja Agnidhra wanted a wife
from a family of demigods. Therefore he went to Mandara Hill. where
the women of the demigods generally come, to worship Lord Brahma. In
Bhagavad-gita (4.12) it is said, kariksantah karmanam siddhim yajanta
tha devatah: materialists who want quick results in the material world
