FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.2

नारद उवाच पुरुषं पुरञ्जनं विद्याद्यद् व्यनक्त्यात्मन: पुरम् । एकद्वित्रिचतुष्पादं बहुपादमपादकम् ॥ २ ॥
nārada uvāca
[naarada uvaacha]
puruṣaṁ purañjanaṁ vidyād
[purusham puranjanam vidyaad]
yad vyanakty ātmanaḥ puram
[yad vyanakty aatmanah puram]
eka-dvi-tri-catuṣ-pādaṁ
[eka-dvi-tri-chatush-paadam]
bahu-pādam apādakam
[bahu-paadam apaadakam]
Word-for-word
nāradaḥ uvāca — Nārada said puruṣam — the living entity, the enjoyer purañjanam — King Purañjana vidyāt — one should know yat — inasmuch as vyanakti — he produces ātmanaḥ — of himself puram — dwelling place eka — one dvi — two tri — three catuḥ-pādam — with four legs bahu-pādam — with many legs apādakam — without legs.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nārada uvāca
nāradaḥ uvāca
Nārada said
puruṣaṁ purañjanaṁ vidyād
puruṣam
the living entity, the enjoyer
purañjanam
King Purañjana
vidyāt
one should know
yad vyanakty ātmanaḥ puram
yat
inasmuch as
vyanakti
he produces
ātmanaḥ
of himself
puram
dwelling place
eka-dvi-tri-catuṣ-pādaṁ
eka
one
dvi
two
tri
three
catuḥ-pādam
with four legs
bahu-pādam apādakam
bahu-pādam
with many legs
apādakam
without legs.
The great sage Nārada Muni continued: You must understand that Purañjana, the living entity, transmigrates according to his own work into different types of bodies, which may be one-legged, two-legged, three-legged, four-legged, many-legged or simply legless. Transmigrating into these various types of bodies, the living entity, as the so-called enjoyer, is known as Purañjana.
Purport

How the spirit soul transmigrates from one type of body to another is nicely described here. The word eka-pāda, “one-legged,” refers to ghosts, for it is said that ghosts walk on one leg. The word dvi-pāda, meaning “biped,” refers to human beings. When he is old and invalid, the human being is supposed to be a triped, or three-legged, because he walks with the help of a stick or some kind of cane. Of course, the word catuṣ-pāda refers to quadrupeds, or animals. The word bahu-pāda refers to those creatures who have more than four legs. There are many insects, such as the centipede, and also many aquatic animals that have many legs. The word apādaka, meaning “without legs,” refers to serpents. The name Purañjana indicates one who enjoys possessing different types of bodies. His mentality for enjoyment in the material world is accommodated by different types of bodies.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Nārada said: Know that Purañjana is the jīva who manifests his city or body with one, two, three, or many legs, or without legs at all. Puruṣam means the jīva.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Purañjana, the soul, transmigrates per his work into one-, two-, three-, four-, many-, or no-legged bodies. The variety of forms one can take is enormous; this human shape is one slot among many.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I treat human form as default rather than as a precious slot?
  • What does the spectrum of possible forms do to my sense of urgency?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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