My translation is as follows:
"I am the strength of the strong devoid of desire and passion. In beings I am desire, not contrary to dharma, O chief of the Bharatas."
Prabhupada's translation reads slightly differently, because he has built his interpretation into the translation.
"I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life that is not contrary to religious principles, O lord of the Bharatas [Arjuna]."
I looked up several translations of the Gita on
http://www.gitasupersite.iitk.ac.in/, and I also checked Eknath Easwaran's translation, and they all translated
kamah as "desire".
www.bhagavad-gita.org's translation, which I suspect is a Vaishnava-biased one, translates it as "energy of procreation".
However, the whole issue hinges on the interpretation of this verse. To an ISKCON devotee, desire or sex life not contrary to religious principles is sex with one's spouse for the sole purpose of procreation after chanting 50 rounds of Hare Krishna (I'm not sure if the usual 16 rounds are part of this or if 50 rounds are required on top of the daily 16). To a normal Hindu it means sex with one's spouse, for either pleasure or procreation. It's the choice of the couple.
ISKCON need to bring forth other verses from the Vedas or Upanishads to support their interpretation of this verse. I don't think even the Bhagavata Purana, when translated properly, says that sex is meant only for procreation.
Note for ISKCON devotees: I do not accept Caitanya Caritamrita as "Vedic literature". It was written by a man in the 16th century, well after the Vedic period.
Bookmarks