Fourteen Worlds
FOURTEEN WORLDSVedic Cosmology

SB 10.1.57

Devanāgarī

कीर्तिमन्तं प्रथमजं कंसायानकदुन्दुभि: । अर्पयामास कृच्छ्रेण सोऽनृतादतिविह्वल: ॥ ५७ ॥

Text

kīrtimantaṁ prathamajaṁ kaṁsāyānakadundubhiḥ arpayām āsa kṛcchreṇa so ’nṛtād ativihvalaḥ

Synonyms

kīrtimantam—by the name Kīrtimān;prathama-jam—the first-born baby;kaṁsāya—unto Kaṁsa;ānakadundubhiḥ—Vasudeva;arpayāmāsa—delivered;kṛcchreṇa—with great pain;saḥ—he (Vasudeva);anṛtāt—from the breaking of the promise, or from fear of being a liar;ati-vihvalaḥ—was very much disturbed, being afraid.

Translation

Vasudeva was very much disturbed by fear of becoming a liar by breaking his promise. Thus with great pain he delivered his first-born son, named Kīrtimān, into the hands of Kaṁsa.

Purport

In the Vedic system, as soon as a child is born, especially a male child, the father calls for learned brāhmaṇas, and according to the description of the child’s horoscope the child is immediately given a name. This ceremony is called nāma-karaṇa. There are ten different saṁskāras, or reformatory methods, adopted in the system of varṇāśrama-dharma, and the name-giving ceremony is one of them. Although Vasudeva’s first son was to be delivered into the hands of Kaṁsa, the nāma-karaṇa ceremony was performed, and thus the child was named Kīrtimān. Such names are given immediately after birth.
← SB 10.1.56Chapter 1SB 10.1.58