280 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 8

semina up to the brain. They are called ardhva-retah, those who lift up.
Semina is so important that if, by the yogic process, one can lift the
semina up to the brain, he can perform wonderful work—one’s memory
is enabled to act very swiftly, and the duration of life is increased. Yogis
can thus perform all kinds of austerity with steadiness and can be elevated
to the highest perfectional stage, even to the spiritual world. Vivid examples
of brahmacaris who accepted this principle of life are the four sages
Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanat-kumara, as well as Narada and
others.

Another significant phrase here is naite grhan hy avasan, “they did not
live at home.” Grha means home as well as wife. In fact, home means
wife; home does not mean a room or a house. One who lives with a wife
lives at home, otherwise a sannyasi or brahmacari, even though he may
live in a room or in a house, does not live at home. That they did not live
at home means that they did not accept a wife, and so there was no
question of their discharging semina. Semina is meant to be discharged
when one has a home, a wife and the intention to beget children, otherwise
there is no injunction for discharging semina. These principles were
followed from the beginning of creation, and such brahmacaris never
created progeny. This narration deals with the descendants of Lord
Brahma from Manu’s daughter Prasiti. Prasiiti’s daughter was Daksayani
or Sati, in relation to whom the story of the Daksa yajiia was narrated.
Maitreya is now explaining about the progeny of the sons of Brahma. Out
of the many sons of Brahmi, the brahmacdari sons headed by Sanaka and
Narada did not marry at all, and therefore there is no question of
narrating the history of their descendants.

TEXT 2

TANS AMAssaead AT ATIEL|
waa figd aa Prfactatssa: 1121

mrsadharmasya bharyasid
dambham mayam ca satru-han
asiita mithunam tat tu
nurrtir Jagrhe ‘prajah

mrsa—Mrsa; adharmasya—of Irreligion; bharya—wife; asit— was; dambham
—Bluffing; mayam—Cheating; ca—and; satru-han—O slayer of enemies;
