Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 15
Purañjana Goes Hunting — The Chariot of the Body, Violence of Passion, and Return to Conjugal Bondage
न तथैतर्हि रोचन्ते गृहेषु गृहसम्पद: । यदि न स्याद्गृहे माता पत्नी वा पतिदेवता । व्यङ्गे रथ इव प्राज्ञ: को नामासीत दीनवत् ॥ १५ ॥
na tathaitarhi rocante gṛheṣu gṛha-sampadaḥ yadi na syād gṛhe mātā patnī vā pati-devatā vyaṅge ratha iva prājñaḥ ko nāmāsīta dīnavat
King Purañjana said: I do not understand why my household paraphernalia does not attract me as before. I think that if there is neither a mother nor devoted wife at home, the home is like a chariot without wheels. Where is the fool who will sit down on such an unworkable chariot?
The great politician Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said:
FAQs
This verse says that household opulence feels meaningful when the home includes a nurturing mother and a devoted, chaste wife; otherwise even a wise person can feel empty and miserable, like a chariot with a broken wheel.
In the allegory of Purañjana, Śukadeva highlights how the conditioned soul’s sense of “home” and comfort is strongly tied to family roles and relationships, showing both their power to stabilize life and their ability to bind one to material identity.
Value and support the sacred responsibilities within family life—gratitude to one’s mother, fidelity and mutual respect in marriage, and dharmic conduct—while remembering that true fulfillment ultimately comes from devotion to Bhagavān beyond material opulence.