FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.14.23

अहो रूपमहो भावो नरलोकविमोहनम् । को न सेवेत मनुजो देवीं त्वां स्वयमागताम् ॥ २३ ॥
aho rūpam aho bhāvo
[aho roopam aho bhaavo]
nara-loka-vimohanam
[nara-loka-vimohanam]
ko na seveta manujo
[ko na seveta manujo]
devīṁ tvāṁ svayam āgatām
[deveem tvaam svayam aagataam]
aho — wonderful rūpam — beauty aho — wonderful bhāvaḥ — postures nara-loka — in human society or on the planet earth vimohanam — so attractive kaḥ — who na — not seveta — can accept manujaḥ — among human beings devīm — a demigoddess tvām — like you svayam āgatām — who has personally arrived.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
aho rūpam aho bhāvo
aho
wonderful
rūpam
beauty
aho
wonderful
bhāvaḥ
postures
nara-loka-vimohanam
nara-loka
in human society or on the planet earth
vimohanam
so attractive
kaḥ
who
ko na seveta manujo
na
not
seveta
can accept
manujaḥ
among human beings
devīṁ tvāṁ svayam āgatām
devīm
a demigoddess
tvām
like you
svayam āgatām
who has personally arrived.
Purūravā replied: O beautiful one, your beauty is wonderful and your gestures are also wonderful. Indeed, you are attractive to all human society. Therefore, since you have come of your own accord from the heavenly planets, who on earth would not agree to serve a demigoddess such as you.

It appears from the words of Urvaśī that the standard of living, eating, behavior and speech are all different on the heavenly planets from the standards on this planet earth. The inhabitants of the heavenly planets do not eat such abominable things as meat and eggs; everything they eat is prepared in clarified butter. Nor do they like to see either men or women naked, except at the time of sexual intercourse. To live naked or almost naked is uncivilized, but on this planet earth it has now become fashionable to dress half naked, and sometimes those like hippies live completely naked. Indeed, there are many clubs and societies for this purpose. Such conduct is not allowed, however, on the heavenly planets. The inhabitants of the heavenly planets, aside from being very beautiful, both in complexion and bodily features, are well-behaved and long-living, and they eat first-class food in goodness. These are some of the distinctions between the inhabitants of the heavenly planets and the inhabitants of earth.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Purūravā replied: O! What mortal would not serve you? You have come of your own according, attracting all men with your beauty and alluring posture. Bhāvaḥ means allurements.
Purūravā agrees, marveling at her beauty and divine origin. A man dazzled by his partner's apparent superiority often agrees to terms whose weight he has not understood.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have I agreed to terms whose seriousness I only later understood?
  • What current agreement deserves a sober second reading?
📝 My note

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