FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.2

నారద ఉవాచ పురుషం పురఞ్జనం విద్యాద్యద్ వ్యనక్త్యాత్మన: పురమ్ । ఏకద్విత్రిచతుష్పాదం బహుపాదమపాదకమ్ ॥ ౨ ॥
nārada uvāca
[naarada uvaacha]
puruṣaṁ puraṣjanaṁ vidyād
[purusham purashjanam vidyaad]
yad vyanakty ātmanaḥ puram
[yad vyanakty aatmanah puram]
eka-dvi-tri-catuṣ-pādaṁ
[eka-dvi-tri-chatush-paadam]
bahu-pādam apādakam
[bahu-paadam apaadakam]
Word-for-word
nāradaḥ uvāca — Nārada said puruṣam — the living entity, the enjoyer puraṣjanam — King Puraṣjana vidyāt — one should know yat — inasmuch as vyanakti — he produces ātmanaḥ — of himself puram — dwelling place eka — one dvi — two tri — three catuḥ-pādam — with four legs bahu-pādam — with many legs apādakam — without legs.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nārada uvāca
nāradaḥ uvāca
Nārada said
puruṣaṁ puraṣjanaṁ vidyād
puruṣam
the living entity, the enjoyer
puraṣjanam
King Puraṣjana
vidyāt
one should know
yad vyanakty ātmanaḥ puram
yat
inasmuch as
vyanakti
he produces
ātmanaḥ
of himself
puram
dwelling place
eka-dvi-tri-catuṣ-pādaṁ
eka
one
dvi
two
tri
three
catuḥ-pādam
with four legs
bahu-pādam apādakam
bahu-pādam
with many legs
apādakam
without legs.
The great sage Nārada Muni continued: You must understand that Puraṣjana, the living entity, transmigrates according to his own work into different types of bodies, which may be one-legged, two-legged, three-legged, four-legged, many-legged or simply legless. Transmigrating into these various types of bodies, the living entity, as the so-called enjoyer, is known as Puraṣjana.
Purport

How the spirit soul transmigrates from one type of body to another is nicely described here. The word eka-pāda, “one-legged,” refers to ghosts, for it is said that ghosts walk on one leg. The word dvi-pāda, meaning “biped,” refers to human beings. When he is old and invalid, the human being is supposed to be a triped, or three-legged, because he walks with the help of a stick or some kind of cane. Of course, the word catuṣ-pāda refers to quadrupeds, or animals. The word bahu-pāda refers to those creatures who have more than four legs. There are many insects, such as the centipede, and also many aquatic animals that have many legs. The word apādaka, meaning “without legs,” refers to serpents. The name Puraṣjana indicates one who enjoys possessing different types of bodies. His mentality for enjoyment in the material world is accommodated by different types of bodies.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Nārada said: Know that Puraṣjana is the jīva who manifests his city or body with one, two, three, or many legs, or without legs at all. Puruṣam means the jīva.
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Source: vedabase.io

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