102 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 9, Ch. 20

bharasva putram dusmanta
mavamamsthah sakuntalam

mata —the mother; bhastrd —just like the skin of a bellows containing
air; pituh—of the father; putrah—the son; yena—by whom; jatah—
one is born; sah—the father; eva—indeed; sah—the son; bharasva—
just maintain; putram—your son; dusmanta—O Maharaja Dusmanta;
ma—do not; avamamsthah—insult; Sakuntalam—Sakuntala.

TRANSLATION

The voice said: O Maharaja Dusmanta, a son actually belongs to
his father, whereas the mother is only a container, like the skin of
a bellows. According to Vedic injunctions, the father is born as the
son. Therefore, maintain your own son and do not insult
Sakuntala.

PURPORT

According to the Vedic injunction dtmd vai putra-namasi, the father
becomes the son. The mother is simply like a storekeeper, because the
seed of the child is placed in her womb, but it is the father who is respon-
sible for maintaining the son. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that He is
the seed-giving father of all living entities (aham bija-pradah pita), and
therefore He is responsible for maintaining them. This is also confirmed
in the Vedas. Eko bahiinaém yo vidadhati kaman: although God is one,
He maintains all living entities with their necessities for life. The living
entities in different forms are sons of the Lord, and therefore the father,
the Supreme Lord, supplies them food according to their different
bodies. The small ant is supplied a grain of sugar, and the elephant is
supplied tons of food, but everyone is able to eat. Therefore there is no
question of overpopulation. Because the father, Krsna, is fully opulent,
there is no scarcity of food, and because there is no scarcity, the
propaganda of overpopulation is only a myth. Actually one suffers for
want of food when material nature, under the order of the father,
refuses to supply him food. It is the living entity’s position that deter-
mines whether food will be supplied or not. When a diseased person is
forbidden to eat, this does not mean that there is a scarcity of food;
