आकूतिं रुचये प्रादादपि भ्रातृमतीं नृपः ।
पुत्रिकाधर्ममाश्रित्य शतरूपानुमोदितः ॥२॥

ÄkÅ«tiá¹ rucaye prÄdÄd
api bhrÄtá¹›matīṠná¹›paḥ
putrikÄ-dharmam ÄÅ›ritya
Å›atarÅ«pÄnumoditaḥ

 ÄkÅ«tim - Ä€kÅ«ti; rucaye - unto the great sage Ruci; prÄdÄt - handed over; api - although; bhrÄtá¹›-matÄ«m - daughter having a brother; ná¹›paḥ - the King; putrikÄ - get the resultant son; dharmam - religious rites; ÄÅ›ritya - taking shelter; Å›atarÅ«pÄ - by the wife of SvÄyambhuva Manu; anumoditaḥ - being sanctioned.


Text

Ä€kÅ«ti had two brothers, but in spite of her brothers, King SvÄyambhuva Manu handed her over to PrajÄpati 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, ÅšatarÅ«pÄ.

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 putrikÄ-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 PrajÄpati Ruci on the condition that the son born of his daughter be returned to him as his son. ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« ṬhÄkura comments in this connection that King Manu knew that the Supreme Personality of Godhead would take birth in the womb of Ä€kÅ«ti; therefore, in spite of having two sons, he wanted the particular son born of Ä€kÅ«ti 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 putrikÄ-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 ÅšrÄ«la JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ«.