FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.26.18

नारद उवाच पुरञ्जन: स्वमहिषीं निरीक्ष्यावधुतां भुवि । तत्सङ्गोन्मथितज्ञानो वैक्लव्यं परमं ययौ ॥ १८ ॥
nārada uvāca
[naarada uvaacha]
purañjanaḥ sva-mahiṣīṁ
[puranjanah sva-mahisheem]
nirīkṣyāvadhutāṁ bhuvi
[nireekshyaavadhutaam bhuvi]
tat-saṅgonmathita-jñāno
[tat-sangonmathita-jnaano]
vaiklavyaṁ paramaṁ yayau
[vaiklavyam paramam yayau]
nāradaḥ uvāca — the great sage Nārada spoke purañjanaḥ — King Purañjana sva-mahiṣīm — his own Queen nirīkṣya — after seeing avadhutām — appearing like a mendicant bhuvi — on the ground tat — her saṅga — by association unmathita — encouraged jñānaḥ — whose knowledge vaiklavyam — bewilderment paramam — supreme yayau — obtained.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nārada uvāca
nāradaḥ uvāca
the great sage Nārada spoke
purañjanaḥ sva-mahiṣīṁ
purañjanaḥ
King Purañjana
sva-mahiṣīm
his own Queen
nirīkṣyāvadhutāṁ bhuvi
nirīkṣya
after seeing
avadhutām
appearing like a mendicant
bhuvi
on the ground
tat-saṅgonmathita-jñāno
tat
her
saṅga
by association
unmathita
encouraged
jñānaḥ
whose knowledge
vaiklavyaṁ paramaṁ yayau
vaiklavyam
bewilderment
paramam
supreme
yayau
obtained.
The great sage Nārada continued: My dear King Prācīnabarhi, as soon as King Purañjana saw his Queen lying on the ground, appearing like a mendicant, he immediately became bewildered.

In this verse the word avadhutām is especially significant, for it refers to a mendicant who does not take care of his body. Since the Queen was lying on the ground without bedding and proper dress, King Purañjana became very much aggrieved. In other words, he repented that he had neglected his intelligence and had engaged himself in the forest in killing animals. In other words, when one’s good intelligence is separated or neglected, he fully engages in sinful activities. Due to neglecting one’s good intelligence, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one becomes bewildered and engages in sinful activities. Upon realizing this, a man becomes repentant. Such repentance is described by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura:

hari hari viphale janama goṅāinu manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā viṣa khāinu

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura herein says that he repents for having spoiled his human life and knowingly drunk poison. By not being Kṛṣṇa conscious, one willingly drinks the poison of material life. The purport is that one certainly becomes addicted to sinful activities when he becomes devoid of his good chaste wife, or when he has lost his good sense and does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Nārada said: Seeing the Queen lying on the ground without regard for her body, Purañjana, anxious to be with her again, became miserable. Avadhūtām means “giving up respect for the body.” Seeing that she was injured because of leaving his heart on her own, he thought, “I have committed a great offense.” Being anxious to associate again with her, he deprecated his foolishness. Vaiklayvam means miserable.
Seeing her on the ground like a mendicant, he became bewildered. The visible degradation of what he neglected finally registers; bewilderment is the first form of remorse.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose visible degradation am I steeling myself against rather than letting myself be bewildered?
  • Where does bewilderment need to be allowed before remorse can begin?
📝 My note

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