Shloka 22
Nārada Instructs Prācīnabarhiṣat: The Purañjana Narrative Begins
City of Nine Gates
सुनासां सुदतीं बालां सुकपोलां वराननाम् । समविन्यस्तकर्णाभ्यां बिभ्रतीं कुण्डलश्रियम् ॥ २२ ॥
sunāsāṁ sudatīṁ bālāṁ sukapolāṁ varānanām sama-vinyasta-karṇābhyāṁ bibhratīṁ kuṇḍala-śriyam
Her nose, teeth, and forehead were all exquisitely beautiful. Her cheeks were charming and her face most lovely. Her ears were well set and adorned with the radiant splendor of dazzling earrings.
The body of intelligence enjoys the objects of sense gratification that cover it, such as smell, vision and hearing. The word sunāsām, “beautiful nose,” indicates the organ for acquiring knowledge by smell. Similarly, the mouth is the instrument for acquiring knowledge by taste, for by chewing an object and touching it with the tongue we can understand its taste. The word sukapolām, “nice forehead,” indicates a clear brain capable of understanding things as they are. By intelligence one can set things in order. The earrings set upon the two ears are placed there by the work of the intelligence. Thus the ways of acquiring knowledge are described metaphorically.
FAQs
It describes the striking beauty of a young maiden seen by King Purañjana, highlighting how external charm captivates the mind and draws one toward worldly attachment.
Because this section is an allegory: the vivid description illustrates how māyā presents attractiveness to engage the conditioned soul through the senses and thus bind one to material life.
Be mindful of how sense-impressions shape desire; cultivate inner discipline and devotion so that beauty and attraction are seen with clarity rather than becoming causes of bondage.