Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 29
Nārada Instructs Prācīnabarhiṣat: The Purañjana Narrative Begins
City of Nine Gates
नासां वरोर्वन्यतमा भुविस्पृक् पुरीमिमां वीरवरेण साकम् । अर्हस्यलङ्कर्तुमदभ्रकर्मणा लोकं परं श्रीरिव यज्ञपुंसा ॥ २९ ॥
nāsāṁ varorv anyatamā bhuvi-spṛk purīm imāṁ vīra-vareṇa sākam arhasy alaṅkartum adabhra-karmaṇā lokaṁ paraṁ śrīr iva yajña-puṁsā
O greatly fortunate one, it appears that you are none of the women I have mentioned because I see that your feet are touching the ground. But if you are some woman of this planet, you can, like the goddess of fortune — who, accompanied by Lord Viṣṇu, increases the beauty of the Vaikuṇṭha planets — also increase the beauty of this city by associating with me. You should understand that I am a great hero and a very powerful king on this planet.
There is a difference between demoniac mentality and devotional mentality. Devotees know perfectly well that the goddess of fortune, who is the constant companion of Viṣṇu, or Nārāyaṇa, cannot be enjoyed by a living entity. This higher sense of understanding is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nonetheless, everyone wants to become happy by imitating the prosperity of Nārāyaṇa. In this verse Purañjana states that the girl appears to be an ordinary woman. However, since he is attracted by her, he requests that she become as happy as the goddess of fortune by associating with him. Thus he introduces himself as a great king with great influence so that she might accept him as her husband and be as happy as the goddess of fortune. To desire to enjoy this material world as a subordinate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is godly. The demons, however, want to enjoy this material world without considering the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the difference between a demon and a demigod.
FAQs
In this allegory, the “city” points to the embodied condition—the field of bodily life (often explained as the body with its gates/senses) that the living being enters and tries to enjoy.
He flatters her as supremely auspicious and worthy, likening her to Lakṣmī who naturally adorns Viṣṇu, implying she can similarly “adorn” and elevate his royal life within the city.
It highlights how attraction and praise can bind one deeper to worldly identity; the Bhagavatam’s lesson is to redirect admiration and desire toward the divine (Viṣṇu) rather than mere bodily or social fascination.