Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 18
Purūravā’s Song of Renunciation and the Glory of Sādhu-saṅga
क्वायं मलीमस: कायो दौर्गन्ध्याद्यात्मकोऽशुचि: । क्व गुणा: सौमनस्याद्या ह्यध्यासोऽविद्यया कृत: ॥ १८ ॥
kvāyaṁ malīmasaḥ kāyo daurgandhyādy-ātmako ’śuciḥ kva guṇāḥ saumanasyādyā hy adhyāso ’vidyayā kṛtaḥ
Was ist schon dieser befleckte, übelriechende, unreine Körper? Der Duft und die Schönheit des Frauenleibes, die mich anzogen, sind keine wahren Vorzüge, sondern nur ein falscher Schleier, den Māyā aus Unwissenheit (Avidyā) webt.
Purūravā now understands that although he was madly attracted to the fragrant, shapely body of Urvaśī, in fact that body was a sack of stool, gas, bile, mucus, hairs and other repugnant elements. In other words, Purūravā is now becoming sane.
FAQs
This verse explains that noble qualities like cheerfulness are mistakenly attributed to the material body; such attribution is an adhyāsa (superimposition) produced by avidyā (ignorance).
Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava in renunciation and self-knowledge, exposing the body’s impurity so Uddhava can detach from bodily identity and fix his consciousness on the ātman and devotion to Bhagavān.
Practice observing moods and self-image as temporary mental-body conditions, not the self; cultivate steadiness through sādhana (chanting, hearing, remembrance) and make decisions based on dharma and devotion rather than bodily pride or shame.