20 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 8, Ch. 17
TRANSLATION

O King, as the wind promotes friction between two pieces of
wood and thus gives rise to fire, Kasyapa Muni, whose transcen-
dental position was fully absorbed in the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, transferred his potency into the womb of Aditi.

PURPORT

A forest fire begins when two pieces of wood rub against one another,
being agitated by the wind. Actually, however, fire belongs neither to the
wood nor to the wind; it is always different from both. Similarly, here it
is to be understood that the union of Kasyapa Muni and Aditi was not like
the sexual intercourse of ordinary human beings. The Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead has nothing to do with the human secretions of sex-
ual intercourse. He is always completely aloof from such material
combinations.

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (9.29), samo "harh sarva-bhiitesu: “I
am equal toward all living entities.” Nonetheless, to protect the devotees
and kill the demons, who were a disturbing element, the Lord entered
the womb of Aditi. Therefore this is a transcendental pastime of the
Lord. This should not be misunderstood. One should not think that the
Lord became the son of Aditi the way an ordinary child is born because
of sexual intercourse between man and woman.

Here it may also be appropriate to explain, in these days of con-
troversy, the origin of life. The life force of the living entity—the soul—
is different from the ovum and semen of the human being. Although the
conditioned soul has nothing to do with the reproductive cells of man and
woman, he is placed into the proper situation because of his work
(karmana daiva-netrena). Life is not, however, a product of two secre-
tions, but is independent of all material elements. As fully described in
Bhagavad-gita, the living entity is not subject to any material reactions.
He can neither be burnt by fire, cut by sharp weapons, moistened by
water, nor dried by the air. He is completely different from the physical
elements, but by a superior arrangement he is put into these material
elements. He is always aloof from material contact (asarigo hy ayam
purusah) but because he is placed in a material condition, he suffers the
reactions of the material modes of nature.
