SB 4.1.2
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 2
- ākūtiṁ rucaye prādād
- api bhrātṛmatīṁ nṛpaḥ
- putrikā-dharmam āśritya
- śatarūpānumoditaḥ
SYNONYMS
ākūtim—Ākūti; rucaye—unto the great sage Ruci; prādāt—handed over; api—although; bhrātṛ-matīm—daughter having a brother; nṛpaḥ—the King; putrikā—get the resultant son; dharmam—religious rites; āśritya—taking shelter; śatarūpā—by the wife of Svāyambhuva Manu; anumoditaḥ—being sanctioned.
TRANSLATION
Ākūti had two brothers, but in spite of her brothers, King Svāyambhuva Manu handed her over to Prajāpati Ruci on the condition that the son born of her be returned to Manu as his son. This he did in consultation with his wife, Śatarūpā.
PURPORT
Sometimes a sonless person offers his daughter to a husband on the condition that his grandson be returned to him to be adopted as his son and inherit his property. This is called putrikā-dharma, which means that by execution of religious rituals one gets a son, although one is sonless by one's own wife. But here we see extraordinary behavior in Manu, for in spite of his having two sons, he handed over his first daughter to Prajāpati Ruci on the condition that the son born of his daughter be returned to him as his son. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments in this connection that King Manu knew that the Supreme Personality of Godhead would take birth in the womb of Ākūti; therefore, in spite of having two sons, he wanted the particular son born of Ākūti because he was ambitious to have the Supreme Personality of Godhead appear as his son and grandson. Manu is the lawgiver of mankind, and since he personally executed the putrikā-dharma, we may accept that such a system may be adopted by mankind also. Thus, even though one has a son, if one wants to have a particular son from one's daughter, one may give one's daughter in charity on that condition. That is the opinion of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī.