FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.15.70

रूपपेशलमाधुर्यसौगन्ध्यप्रियदर्शन: । स्त्रीणां प्रियतमो नित्यं मत्त: स्वपुरलम्पट: ॥ ७० ॥
rūpa-peśala-mādhurya-
[roopa-peshala-maadhurya-]
saugandhya-priya-darśanaḥ
[saugandhya-priya-darshanah]
strīṇāṁ priyatamo nityaṁ
[streenaam priyatamo nityam]
mattaḥ sva-pura-lampaṭaḥ
[mattah sva-pura-lampatah]
rūpa — beauty peśala — formation of the body mādhurya — attractiveness saugandhya — very fragrant, being decorated with various flower garlands and sandalwood pulp priya-darśanaḥ — very beautiful to see strīṇām — of the women priya-tamaḥ — naturally attracted nityam — daily mattaḥ — proud like a madman sva-pura — in his own city lampaṭaḥ — very much attached to women because of lusty desires.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
rūpa-peśala-mādhurya-
rūpa
beauty
peśala
formation of the body
mādhurya
attractiveness
saugandhya-priya-darśanaḥ
saugandhya
very fragrant, being decorated with various flower garlands and sandalwood pulp
priya-darśanaḥ
very beautiful to see
strīṇāṁ priyatamo nityaṁ
strīṇām
of the women
priya-tamaḥ
naturally attracted
nityam
daily
mattaḥ sva-pura-lampaṭaḥ
mattaḥ
proud like a madman
sva-pura
in his own city
lampaṭaḥ
very much attached to women because of lusty desires.
I had a beautiful face and a pleasing, attractive bodily structure. Decorated with flower garlands and sandalwood pulp, I was most pleasing to the women of my city. Thus I was bewildered, always feeling lusty desires.

From the description of the beauty of Nārada Muni when he was one of the denizens of Gandharvaloka, it appears that everyone on that planet is extremely beautiful and pleasing and always decorated with flowers and sandalwood. Upabarhaṇa was Nārada Muni’s name previously. Upabarhaṇa was specifically expert in decorating himself to attract the attention of women, and thus he became a playboy, as described in the next verse. To be a playboy in this life is unfortunate because too much attraction to women will lead one to fall into the association of śūdras, who can easily take advantage of mingling with women without restriction. In this present Age of Kali, when people are mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ — very bad because of a śūdra mentality — such free mingling is prominent. Among the higher classes — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya — there is no chance for men to mingle with women freely, but in the śūdra community such mingling is open. Because there is no cultural education in this Age of Kali, everyone is spiritually untrained, and everyone is therefore to be considered śūdra ( aśuddhāḥ śūdra-kalpā hi brāhmaṇāḥ kali-sambhavāḥ ). When all the people become śūdras, certainly they are very bad ( mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ ). Thus they manufacture their own way of life, with the result that they gradually become unfortunate ( manda-bhāgyāḥ ), and furthermore they are always disturbed by various circumstances.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
I was friendly, and had an attractive body which was fragrant and well formed, attractive to women. I was proud, and enjoyed women in the Gandharva city. Peśalam means friendly.
Upabarhaṇa was beautiful, decorated with flowers and sandalwood, popular with women — and bewildered by lust. Outer attractiveness magnifies inner weakness if devotion is not present. Charm without restraint becomes its own trap.
Reflection Questions
  • Where has a personal attractiveness — looks, charisma, position — become a trap rather than a tool?
  • What devotional discipline keeps your gifts from becoming weaknesses?
📝 My note

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