FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.25.29

नासां वरोर्वन्यतमा भुविस्पृक् पुरीमिमां वीरवरेण साकम् । अर्हस्यलङ्कर्तुमदभ्रकर्मणा लोकं परं श्रीरिव यज्ञपुंसा ॥ २९ ॥
nāsāṁ varorv anyatamā bhuvi-spṛk
[naasaam varorv anyatamaa bhuvi-sprik]
purīm imāṁ vīra-vareṇa sākam
[pureem imaam veera-varena saakam]
arhasy alaṅkartum adabhra-karmaṇā
[arhasy alankartum adabhra-karmanaa]
lokaṁ paraṁ śrīr iva yajña-puṁsā
[lokam param shreer iva yajna-pumsaa]
na — not āsām — of these varoru — O most fortunate one anya-tamā — anyone bhuvi-spṛk — touching the ground purīm — city imām — this vīra-vareṇa — the great hero sākam — along with arhasi — you deserve alaṅkartum — to decorate adabhra — glorious karmaṇā — whose activities lokam — world param — transcendental śrīḥ — the goddess of fortune iva — like yajña-puṁsā — with the enjoyer of all yajñas..
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nāsāṁ varorv anyatamā bhuvi-spṛk
na
not
āsām
of these
varoru
O most fortunate one
anya-tamā
anyone
bhuvi-spṛk
touching the ground
purīm imāṁ vīra-vareṇa sākam
purīm
city
imām
this
vīra-vareṇa
the great hero
sākam
along with
arhasy alaṅkartum adabhra-karmaṇā
arhasi
you deserve
alaṅkartum
to decorate
adabhra
glorious
karmaṇā
whose activities
lokaṁ paraṁ śrīr iva yajña-puṁsā
lokam
world
param
transcendental
śrīḥ
the goddess of fortune
iva
like
yajña-puṁsā
with the enjoyer of all yajñas..
O greatly fortunate one, it appears that you are none of the women I have mentioned because I see that your feet are touching the ground. But if you are some woman of this planet, you can, like the goddess of fortune — who, accompanied by Lord Viṣṇu, increases the beauty of the Vaikuṇṭha planets — also increase the beauty of this city by associating with me. You should understand that I am a great hero and a very powerful king on this planet.

There is a difference between demoniac mentality and devotional mentality. Devotees know perfectly well that the goddess of fortune, who is the constant companion of Viṣṇu, or Nārāyaṇa, cannot be enjoyed by a living entity. This higher sense of understanding is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nonetheless, everyone wants to become happy by imitating the prosperity of Nārāyaṇa. In this verse Purañjana states that the girl appears to be an ordinary woman. However, since he is attracted by her, he requests that she become as happy as the goddess of fortune by associating with him. Thus he introduces himself as a great king with great influence so that she might accept him as her husband and be as happy as the goddess of fortune. To desire to enjoy this material world as a subordinate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is godly. The demons, however, want to enjoy this material world without considering the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the difference between a demon and a demigod.

The word bhuvi-spṛk mentioned in this verse is very significant. When the demigods sometimes come to this planet, they do not touch the ground. Purañjana could understand that this girl did not belong to the transcendental world or the higher planetary system because her feet were touching the ground. Since every woman in this world wants her husband to be very influential, rich and powerful, Purañjana, to seduce the girl, introduced himself as such a personality. In the material world, whether one be a man or a woman, one wants to enjoy. A man wants to enjoy a beautiful woman, and a woman wants to enjoy a powerful, opulent man. Every living entity who possesses such material desires is called puruṣa, an enjoyer. Superficially it appears that the woman is the enjoyed and the man is the enjoyer, but internally everyone is an enjoyer. Consequently everything in this material world is called māyā.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O beautiful woman! You are not any of these women since your feet touch the ground. You should decorate this city along with me, a great hero of many exploits, just as Lakṣmī resides in Vaikuṇṭha with Viṣṇu. He negates his previous questions to show that she is suitable for him. O beautiful woman! Because your feet touch the earth you are none of these. Devatās do not touch the earth. Vīra-vareṇa refers to the king. Param is Vaikuṇṭha. By a little consideration, one can understand that one’s intelligence is not the best, but people think that they have the best intelligence.
Your feet touch the ground — so you must be earthly; like Lakṣmī, accompanied by Viṣṇu, you could increase the beauty of any place. Even ordinary intelligence is potentially divine if rightly accompanied.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I treating intelligence as merely ordinary when it could be divine in right company?
  • What 'Viṣṇu' could be invited to accompany my intelligence today?
📝 My note

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