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; arpayām asa—delivered; kṛcchreṇa—with great pain; saḥ—he (Vasudeva); anṛtāt—from the breaking of the promise, or from fear of being a liar; ati-vihvalah—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. ¶