FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.19.4

तस्या उद्धरणोपायं बस्त: कामी विचिन्तयन् । व्यधत्त तीर्थमुद्‍धृत्य विषाणाग्रेण रोधसी ॥ ४ ॥
tasyā uddharaṇopāyaṁ
[tasyaa uddharanopaayam]
bastaḥ kāmī vicintayan
[bastah kaamee vichintayan]
vyadhatta tīrtham uddhṛtya
[vyadhatta teertham uddhritya]
viṣāṇāgreṇa rodhasī
[vishaanaagrena rodhasee]
tasyāḥ — of the she-goat uddharaṇa-upāyam — the means of deliverance (from the well) bastaḥ — the he-goat kāmī — having lusty desires vicintayan — planning vyadhatta — executed tīrtham — a way to come out uddhṛtya — digging the earth viṣāṇa-agreṇa — by the point of the horns rodhasī — at the edge of the well.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tasyā uddharaṇopāyaṁ
tasyāḥ
of the she-goat
uddharaṇa-upāyam
the means of deliverance (from the well)
bastaḥ kāmī vicintayan
bastaḥ
the he-goat
kāmī
having lusty desires
vicintayan
planning
vyadhatta tīrtham uddhṛtya
vyadhatta
executed
tīrtham
a way to come out
uddhṛtya
digging the earth
viṣāṇāgreṇa rodhasī
viṣāṇa-agreṇa
by the point of the horns
rodhasī
at the edge of the well.
After planning how to get the she-goat out of the well, the lusty he-goat dug up the earth on the well’s edge with the point of his horns in such a way that she was able to come out very easily.

Attraction for woman is the impetus for economic development, housing and many other things meant for living comfortably in this material world. Digging up the earth to make a way out for the she-goat was a laborious task, but before accepting the she-goat, the he-goat underwent this labor. Aho gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho ’yam ahaṁ mameti. The union between male and female provides the impetus for gaining a nice apartment, a good income, children and friends. Thus one becomes entangled in this material world.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
After planning how to get the she-goat out of the well, the lusty he-goat dug up the earth on the well's edge with the point of his horns and made a path for her. Digging up earth with the tips of his horns at the edge of the well, he produced a path by which she could get out.
The he-goat laboriously digs at the well's edge with his horns to release her. Extraordinary effort is voluntarily spent on access to sense gratification — the same labor, redirected, would have lifted us out of much greater wells.
Reflection Questions
  • What extraordinary effort am I currently spending to access an enjoyment whose welcome will be short?
  • If I diverted half that energy to bhakti, what would change?
📝 My note

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