SB 4.30.51 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

यो जायमान: सर्वेषां तेजस्तेजस्विनां रुचा । स्वयोपादत्त दाक्ष्याच्च कर्मणां दक्षमब्रुवन् ॥ ५० ॥ तं प्रजासर्गरक्षायामनादिरभिषिच्य च । युयोज युयुजेऽन्यांश्च स वै सर्वप्रजापतीन् ॥ ५१ ॥

Verse text

yo jāyamānaḥ sarveṣāṁ tejas tejasvināṁ rucā svayopādatta dākṣyāc ca karmaṇāṁ dakṣam abruvan taṁ prajā-sarga-rakṣāyām anādir abhiṣicya ca yuyoja yuyuje ’nyāṁś ca sa vai sarva-prajāpatīn

Synonyms

yaḥ — one who ; jāyamānaḥ — just after his birth ; sarveṣām — of all ; tejaḥ — the brilliance ; tejasvinām — brilliant ; rucā — by effulgence ; svayā — his ; upādatta — covered ; dākṣyāt — from being expert ; ca — and ; karmaṇām — in fruitive activities ; dakṣam — Dakṣa ; abruvan — was called ; tam — him ; prajā — living beings ; sarga — generating ; rakṣāyām — in the matter of maintaining ; anādiḥ — the firstborn, Lord Brahmā ; abhiṣicya — having appointed ; ca — also ; yuyoja — engaged ; yuyuje — engaged ; anyān — others ; ca — and ; saḥ — he ; vai — certainly ; sarva — all ; prajā — patīn — progenitors of living entities .

Translation

After being born, Dakṣa, by the superexcellence of his bodily luster, covered all others’ bodily opulence. Because he was very expert in performing fruitive activity, he was called by the name Dakṣa, meaning “the very expert.” Lord Brahmā therefore engaged Dakṣa in the work of generating living entities and maintaining them. In due course of time, Dakṣa also engaged other Prajāpatis [progenitors] in the process of generation and maintenance.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Equal to Brahmā, he spread his power by his effulgence over all powerful persons. Because he was expert at performing rituals he was called Dakṣa. Brahmā, appointing him, engaged him in creating and maintaining the progeny. He engaged other Prajāpatis as well. His power is described. Equal to Brahmā (ajāyamānaḥ), he spread (upādatta) power by his effulgence. Brahmā (anādiḥ) engaged Dakṣa (tam) in creating and protecting the progeny. Dakṣa engaged others such as Marīci. Thus ends the commentary on the Thirtieth Chapter of the Fourth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Thirty-one Nārada Instructs the Pracetās

Purport

Dakṣa became almost as powerful as Lord Brahmā. Consequently, Lord Brahmā engaged him in generating population. Dakṣa was very influential and opulent. In his own turn, Dakṣa engaged other Prajāpatis, headed by Marīci. In this way the population of the universe increased. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fourth Canto, Thirtieth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Activities of the Pracetās.”