divi-spṛśau hema-kirīṭa-koṭibhir
divi-spṛśau hema-kirīṭa-koṭibhir
niruddha-kāṣṭhau sphurad-aṅgadā-bhujau
gāṁ kampayantau caraṇaiḥ pade pade
kaṭyā sukāñcyārkam atītya tasthatuḥ
Touching the sky, blocking the directions with the crests of their golden helmets, with blazing bracelets on their arms, they stood, shaking the earth at every step, surpassing the sun with their belted waists.
Kāstā means the directions. Bhujau in the dual is poetic license.
|| 3.17.18||
prajāpatir nāma tayor akārṣīd
yaḥ prāk sva-dehād yamayor ajāyata
taṁ vai hiraṇyakaśipuṁ viduḥ prajā
yaṁ taṁ hiraṇyākṣam asūta sāgrataḥ
Kaśyapa gave names to his sons. He who was first to be impregnated in Diti was known as Hiraṇyakaśipu and he who came out first from Diti was known as Hiraṇyākṣa.
This verse describes how Kaśyapa (prajāpatiḥ) gave the twins names on the tenth day after birth. He named them such the child which came first from his body was known as Hiraṇyakaśipu and the child which first came from Diti’s body was known as Hiraṇyākṣa. Yathā and tathā should be supplied. The Piṇḍa-siddhi says:
yadā viśed dvidhā bhūtaṁ bījaṁ puṣpaṁ parikṣarat
dvau tadā bhavato garbhau sūtir veśa viparyyayād
When a person impregnates semen twice in the womb, the two embryos are born in reverse order to the impregnation.
Hiraṇyakaśipu was the eldest from the perspective of Kaśyapa, since he had been deposited first. From the perspective of the mother, Hiraṇyākṣa was eldest since he was born first from her womb. Though either could be considered elder, because of the stronger position of the father, Hiraṇyakaśipu was considered the elder.
|| 3.17.19||
cakre hiraṇyakaśipur
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