Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 1
Purañjana Goes Hunting — The Chariot of the Body, Violence of Passion, and Return to Conjugal Bondage
नारद उवाच स एकदा महेष्वासो रथं पञ्चाश्वमाशुगम् । द्वीषं द्विचक्रमेकाक्षं त्रिवेणुं पञ्चबन्धुरम् ॥ १ ॥ एकरश्म्येकदमनमेकनीडं द्विकूबरम् । पञ्चप्रहरणं सप्तवरूथं पञ्चविक्रमम् ॥ २ ॥ हैमोपस्करमारुह्य स्वर्णवर्माक्षयेषुधि: । एकादशचमूनाथ: पञ्चप्रस्थमगाद्वनम् ॥ ३ ॥
nārada uvāca sa ekadā maheṣvāso rathaṁ pañcāśvam āśu-gam dvīṣaṁ dvi-cakram ekākṣaṁ tri-veṇuṁ pañca-bandhuram
Nārada sprach: O König, einst bestieg König Purañjana, ein großer Bogenschütze, in goldener Rüstung und mit einem Köcher unerschöpflicher Pfeile, einen mit Gold geschmückten Wagen. Von fünf schnellen Pferden gezogen und von elf Heerführern begleitet, fuhr er in den Wald namens Pañca-prastha. Der Wagen hatte zwei Räder und eine drehende Achse; drei Fahnen, einen Zügel, einen Wagenlenker, einen Sitz, zwei Deichselstangen für das Geschirr, fünf Waffen und sieben Bedeckungen; er bewegte sich auf fünf Arten, und vor ihm lagen fünf Hindernisse.
These three verses explain how the material body of the living entity is under the control of the three qualities of the external energy. The body itself is the chariot, and the living entity is the owner of the body, as explained in Bhagavad-gītā (2.13) : dehino ’smin yathā dehe. The owner of the body is called the dehī, and he is situated within this body, specifically within the heart. The living entity is driven by one chariot driver. The chariot itself is made of three guṇas, three qualities of material nature, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61) : yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. The word yantra means “carriage.” The body is given by material nature, and the driver of that body is Paramātmā, the Supersoul. The living entity is seated within the chariot. This is the actual position.
FAQs
In Nārada’s allegory, the five horses commonly indicate the five senses that pull the embodied being swiftly toward sense-objects, shaping one’s journey through material life.
Nārada teaches spiritual truth through allegory so the listener can recognize the subtle workings of the body, senses, and bondage without becoming distracted by mere historical detail.
By observing how the senses “pull” the mind, one can practice restraint, choose uplifting inputs, and redirect life’s momentum toward devotion rather than compulsive enjoyment.