FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.5.6-8

उवाच चाथ हर्यश्वा: कथं स्रक्ष्यथ वै प्रजा: । अद‍ृष्ट्वान्तं भुवो यूयं बालिशा बत पालका: ॥ ६ ॥ तथैकपुरुषं राष्ट्रं बिलं चाद‍ृष्टनिर्गमम् । बहुरूपां स्त्रियं चापि पुमांसं पुंश्चलीपतिम् ॥ ७ ॥ नदीमुभयतो वाहां पञ्चपञ्चाद्भ‍ुतं गृहम् । क्‍वचिद्धंसं चित्रकथं क्षौरपव्यं स्वयं भ्रमि ॥ ८ ॥
uvāca cātha haryaśvāḥ
[uvaacha chaatha haryashvaah]
kathaṁ srakṣyatha vai prajāḥ
[katham srakshyatha vai prajaah]
adṛṣṭvāntaṁ bhuvo yūyaṁ
[adrishtvaantam bhuvo yooyam]
bāliśā bata pālakāḥ
[baalishaa bata paalakaah]
tathaika-puruṣaṁ rāṣṭraṁ
[tathaika-purusham raashtram]
bilaṁ cādṛṣṭa-nirgamam
[bilam chaadrishta-nirgamam]
bahu-rūpāṁ striyaṁ cāpi
[bahu-roopaam striyam chaapi]
pumāṁsaṁ puṁścalī-patim
[pumaamsam pumshchalee-patim]
nadīm ubhayato vāhāṁ
[nadeem ubhayato vaahaam]
pañca-pañcādbhutaṁ gṛham
[pancha-panchaadbhutam griham]
kvacid dhaṁsaṁ citra-kathaṁ
[kvachid dhamsam chitra-katham]
kṣaura-pavyaṁ svayaṁ bhrami
[kshaura-pavyam svayam bhrami]
uvāca — he said ca — also atha — thus haryaśvāḥ — O Haryaśvas, sons of Prajāpati Dakṣa katham — why srakṣyatha — you will beget vai — indeed prajāḥ — progeny adṛṣṭvā — having not seen antam — the end bhuvaḥ — of this earth yūyam — all of you bāliśāḥ — inexperienced bata — alas pālakāḥ — although ruling princes tathā — so also eka — one puruṣam — man rāṣṭram — kingdom bilam — the hole ca — also adṛṣṭa-nirgamam — from which there is no coming out bahu-rūpām — taking many forms striyam — the woman ca — and api — even pumāṁsam — the man puṁścalī-patim — the husband of a prostitute nadīm — a river ubhayataḥ — in both ways vāhām — which flows pañca-pañca — of five multiplied by five (twenty-five) adbhutam — a wonder gṛham — the house kvacit — somewhere haṁsam — a swan citra-katham — whose story is wonderful kṣaura-pavyam — made of sharp razors and thunderbolts svayam — itself bhrami — revolving.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
uvāca cātha haryaśvāḥ
uvāca
he said
ca
also
atha
thus
haryaśvāḥ
O Haryaśvas, sons of Prajāpati Dakṣa
kathaṁ srakṣyatha vai prajāḥ
katham
why
srakṣyatha
you will beget
vai
indeed
prajāḥ
progeny
adṛṣṭvāntaṁ bhuvo yūyaṁ
adṛṣṭvā
having not seen
antam
the end
bhuvaḥ
of this earth
yūyam
all of you
bāliśā bata pālakāḥ
bāliśāḥ
inexperienced
bata
alas
pālakāḥ
although ruling princes
tathaika-puruṣaṁ rāṣṭraṁ
tathā
so also
eka
one
puruṣam
man
rāṣṭram
kingdom
bilaṁ cādṛṣṭa-nirgamam
bilam
the hole
ca
also
adṛṣṭa-nirgamam
from which there is no coming out
bahu-rūpāṁ striyaṁ cāpi
bahu-rūpām
taking many forms
striyam
the woman
ca
and
api
even
pumāṁsaṁ puṁścalī-patim
pumāṁsam
the man
puṁścalī-patim
the husband of a prostitute
nadīm ubhayato vāhāṁ
nadīm
a river
ubhayataḥ
in both ways
vāhām
which flows
pañca-pañcādbhutaṁ gṛham
pañca-pañca
of five multiplied by five (twenty-five)
adbhutam
a wonder
gṛham
the house
kvacid dhaṁsaṁ citra-kathaṁ
kvacit
somewhere
haṁsam
a swan
citra-katham
whose story is wonderful
kṣaura-pavyaṁ svayaṁ bhrami
kṣaura-pavyam
made of sharp razors and thunderbolts
svayam
itself
bhrami
revolving.
The great sage Nārada said: My dear Haryaśvas, you have not seen the extremities of the earth. There is a kingdom where only one man lives and where there is a hole from which, having entered, no one emerges. A woman there who is extremely unchaste adorns herself with various attractive dresses, and the man who lives there is her husband. In that kingdom, there is a river flowing in both directions, a wonderful home made of twenty-five materials, a swan that vibrates various sounds, and an automatically revolving object made of sharp razors and thunderbolts. You have not seen all this, and therefore you are inexperienced boys without advanced knowledge. How, then, will you create progeny?

Nārada Muni saw that the boys known as the Haryaśvas were already purified because of living in that holy place and were practically ready for liberation. Why then should they be encouraged to become entangled in family life, which is so dark that once having entered it one cannot leave it? Through this analogy, Nārada Muni asked them to consider why they should follow their father’s order to be entangled in family life. Indirectly, he asked them to find within the cores of their hearts the situation of the Supersoul, Lord Viṣṇu, for then they would truly be experienced. In other words, one who is too involved in his material environment and does not look within the core of his heart is increasingly entangled in the illusory energy. Nārada Muni’s purpose was to get the sons of Prajāpati Dakṣa to divert their attention toward spiritual realization instead of involving themselves in the ordinary but complicated affairs of propagation. The same advice was given by Prahlāda Mahārāja to his father ( Bhāg. 7.5.5 ):

tat sādhu manye ’sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta

In the dark well of family life, one is always full of anxiety because of having accepted a temporary body. If one wants to free himself from this anxiety, one should immediately leave family life and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Vṛndāvana. Nārada Muni advised the Haryaśvas not to enter household life. Since they were already advanced in spiritual knowledge, why should they be entangled in that way?

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
He said, “O Haryaśvas! Why should you create progeny? Though you are princes you are inexperienced and have not seen the end of this earth. There is one kingdom where only one man lives. There is a hole from which, having entered, no one emerges. There is a woman there with many forms. There is one man, husband of the unchaste woman. There is a river flowing in both directions, a wonderful home made of twenty-five materials, a swan that vibrates various sounds, and an automatically revolving object made of sharp razors and thunderbolts. Why should these sons, pure hearted and qualified for liberation, take to the path of karma on the order of their father? After giving them confidential teachings I will liberate them. Thus the merciful Nārada spoke enigmatic, metaphorical words to them. O Haryaśvas! How will you create progeny when you have not seen the end of the earth? One should not say that this statement will be fulfilled on its own later (when you are ruling the planet). You are foolish, because you are young (bālakāḥ). Another version has pālakāḥ. Though you are protectors of the people you are foolish. How disappointing (bata)! The sentence continues till verse 9. How will you create, not knowing about that place with one man, a country and a hole. There is a river flowing in both directions. There is an astonishing house made of twenty-five elements. This is Viṣṇu. He is called an astonishing house, because the devotees can remain in the twenty-five elements, since they take on spiritual qualities by the mercy of the Lord. There is a sharp object made of razors and thunderbolts.
Related verses
Nārada appears with enigmatic riddles — a kingdom with one man, an unreturning hole, a prostitute, a two-way river, a 25-element house, a swan, a razor-and-thunderbolt object. Spiritual instruction often comes wrapped to provoke thought rather than declared flat.
Reflection Questions
  • What enigmatic instruction have I received that I am refusing to sit with?
  • Where am I demanding plain answers when the riddle is the teaching?
📝 My note

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