FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.25.32

नारद उवाच इत्थं पुरञ्जनं नारी याचमानमधीरवत् । अभ्यनन्दत तं वीरं हसन्ती वीर मोहिता ॥ ३२ ॥
nārada uvāca
[naarada uvaacha]
itthaṁ purañjanaṁ nārī
[ittham puranjanam naaree]
yācamānam adhīravat
[yaachamaanam adheeravat]
abhyanandata taṁ vīraṁ
[abhyanandata tam veeram]
hasantī vīra mohitā
[hasantee veera mohitaa]
nāradaḥ uvāca — the great sage Nārada continued to speak ittham — upon this purañjanam — unto Purañjana nārī — the woman yācamānam — begging adhīra-vat — being too impatient abhyanandata — she addressed tam — him vīram — the hero hasantī — smiling vīra — O hero mohitā — being attracted by him.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nārada uvāca
nāradaḥ uvāca
the great sage Nārada continued to speak
itthaṁ purañjanaṁ nārī
ittham
upon this
purañjanam
unto Purañjana
nārī
the woman
yācamānam adhīravat
yācamānam
begging
adhīra-vat
being too impatient
abhyanandata taṁ vīraṁ
abhyanandata
she addressed
tam
him
vīram
the hero
hasantī vīra mohitā
hasantī
smiling
vīra
O hero
mohitā
being attracted by him.
Nārada continued: My dear King, when Purañjana became so attracted and impatient to touch the girl and enjoy her, the girl also became attracted by his words and accepted his request by smiling. By this time she was certainly attracted by the King.

By this incident we can understand that when a man is aggressive and begins to woo a woman, the woman becomes attracted to the man. This process is described in the Bhāgavatam (5.5.8) as puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam. This attraction is enacted on the platform of sexual life. Thus the sex impulse is the platform of material engagement. This conditional life, the platform of material sense enjoyment, is the cause of forgetfulness of spiritual life. In this way a living entity’s original Kṛṣṇa consciousness becomes covered or converted into material consciousness. Thus one engages in the business of sense gratification.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Nārada said: O King! The smiling woman, attracted to foolish Purañjana who was imploring her in this way him, spoke to him. Purañjana was foolish or seemingly foolish (adhīravat). Actually he was intelligent, having knowledge by his very nature. O valiant King! I have told you a story about yourself. Just as the jīva is attracted to sweetness of sense objects by the intelligence, the intelligence can be attracted (mohitā) to spiritual sweetness by the jīva.
She accepted Purañjana's request with a smile. The aggressive courting works; the woman becomes attracted to the man. Initiating attention is sometimes what unlocks the response.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I waiting for response when sincere initiation would unlock it?
  • Whose attention have I never deliberately requested but always wanted?
📝 My note

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