FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.1

ప్రాచీనబర్హిరువాచ భగవంస్తే వచోఽస్మాభిర్న సమ్యగవగమ్యతే । కవయస్తద్విజానన్తి న వయం కర్మమోహితా: ॥ ౧ ॥
prācīnabarhir uvāca
[praacheenabarhir uvaacha]
bhagavaṁs te vaco ’smābhir
[bhagavams te vacho ’smaabhir]
na samyag avagamyate
[na samyag avagamyate]
kavayas tad vijānanti
[kavayas tad vijaananti]
na vayaṁ karma-mohitāḥ
[na vayam karma-mohitaah]
prācīnabarhiḥ uvāca — King Prācīnabarhi said bhagavan — O my lord te — your vacaḥ — words asmābhiḥ — by us na — never samyak — perfectly avagamyate — are understood kavayaḥ — those who are expert tat — that vijānanti — can understand na — never vayam — we karma — by fruitive activities mohitāḥ — enchanted.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
prācīnabarhir uvāca
prācīnabarhiḥ uvāca
King Prācīnabarhi said
bhagavaṁs te vaco ’smābhir
bhagavan
O my lord
te
your
vacaḥ
words
na samyag avagamyate
asmābhiḥ
by us
kavayas tad vijānanti
na
never
samyak
perfectly
na vayaṁ karma-mohitāḥ
avagamyate
are understood
kavayaḥ
those who are expert
tat
that
vijānanti
can understand
na
never
vayam
we
karma
by fruitive activities
mohitāḥ
enchanted.
King Prācīnabarhi replied: My dear lord, we could not appreciate completely the purport of your allegorical story of King Puraṣjana. Actually, those who are perfect in spiritual knowledge can understand, but for us, who are overly attached to fruitive activities, to realize the purpose of your story is very difficult.

In Bhagavad-gītā (7.13) Lord Kṛṣṇa says:

tribhir guṇa-mayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam

“Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible.” Generally people are enchanted by the three modes of material nature and therefore practically unable to understand that behind all materialistic activities in the cosmic manifestation is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Generally when people are engaged in sinful or pious activities, they are not perfect in knowledge of devotional service. The allegorical story narrated by Nārada Muni to King Barhiṣmān is especially meant to engage conditioned souls in devotional service. The entire story, narrated allegorically, is easily understood by a person in devotional service, but those who are engaged not in devotional service but in sense gratification cannot perfectly understand it. That is admitted by King Barhiṣmān.

This Twenty-ninth Chapter describes that by too much attachment for women one becomes a woman in the next life, but a person who associates with the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His representative becomes free from all material attachments and is thus liberated.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Prācīnabarhi said: O great devotee! I cannot completely understand your words. The wise understand, but I cannot, since I am bewildered by karma. In the Twenty-ninth Chapter, the spiritual explanation of the story of Puraṣjana is given, along with questions of the King concerning karma and a story to illustrate renunciation. I have understood a little of the meaning of this story.
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 29