FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.31.36

प्रजापति: स्वां दुहितरं दृष्ट्वा तद्रूपधर्षित: । रोहिद्भूतां सोऽन्वधावद‍ृक्षरूपी हतत्रप: ॥ ३६ ॥
prajāpatiḥ svāṁ duhitaraṁ
[prajaapatih svaam duhitaram]
dṛṣṭvā tad-rūpa-dharṣitaḥ
[drishtvaa tad-roopa-dharshitah]
rohid-bhūtāṁ so ’nvadhāvad
[rohid-bhootaam so ’nvadhaavad]
ṛkṣa-rūpī hata-trapaḥ
[riksha-roopee hata-trapah]
Word-for-word
prajā-patiḥ — Lord Brahmā svām — his own duhitaram — daughter dṛṣṭvā — having seen tat-rūpa — by her charms dharṣitaḥ — bewildered rohit-bhūtām — to her in the form of a deer saḥ — he anvadhāvat — ran ṛkṣa-rūpī — in the form of a stag hata — bereft of trapaḥ — shame.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
prajāpatiḥ svāṁ duhitaraṁ
prajā-patiḥ
Lord Brahmā
svām
his own
duhitaram
daughter
dṛṣṭvā tad-rūpa-dharṣitaḥ
dṛṣṭvā
having seen
tat-rūpa
by her charms
dharṣitaḥ
bewildered
rohid-bhūtāṁ so ’nvadhāvad
rohit-bhūtām
to her in the form of a deer
ṛkṣa-rūpī hata-trapaḥ
saḥ
he
anvadhāvat
ran
ṛkṣa-rūpī
in the form of a stag
hata
bereft of
trapaḥ
shame.
At the sight of his own daughter, Brahmā was bewildered by her charms and shamelessly ran up to her in the form of a stag when she took the form of a hind.
Purport

Lord Brahmā’s being captivated by the charms of his daughter and Lord Śiva’s being captivated by the Mohinī form of the Lord are specific instances which instruct us that even great demigods like Brahmā and Lord Śiva, what to speak of the ordinary conditioned soul, are captivated by the beauty of woman. Therefore, everyone is advised that one should not freely mix even with one’s daughter, mother or sister because the senses are so strong that when one becomes infatuated the senses do not consider the relationship of daughter, mother or sister. It is best, therefore, to practice controlling the senses by performing bhakti-yoga, engaging in the service of Madana-mohana. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s name is Madana-mohana, for He can subdue the god Cupid, or lust. Only by engaging in the service of Madana-mohana can one curb the dictates of Madana, Cupid. Otherwise, attempts to control the senses will fail.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Brahmā, seeing his own daughter, became bewildered, and taking the form of a stag, devoid of shame, pursued her when she took the form of a doe. One should not say that a woman cannot bewilder the intelligence of great souls endowed with discriminating knowledge. Brahmā, taking the form of a buck (rohid-bhūtam), pursued his daughter in the form of a doe.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The verse describes layered cosmic machinery — modes, elements, governing demigods — to remind us that even our 'private' lives are arranged by larger hands.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have you been demanding outcomes from a system you did not design?
  • Which 'cosmic' problem are you trying to solve when your actual task is just to play your small part well?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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