Shloka 4
The Fall of Purañjana and the Supersoul as the Eternal Friend
Purañjana-Upākhyāna Culmination
तयोपभुज्यमानां वै यवना: सर्वतोदिशम् । द्वार्भि: प्रविश्य सुभृशं प्रार्दयन् सकलां पुरीम् ॥ ४ ॥
tayopabhujyamānāṁ vai yavanāḥ sarvato-diśam dvārbhiḥ praviśya subhṛśaṁ prārdayan sakalāṁ purīm
When Kālakanyā, the daughter of Time, attacked the body, the perilous soldiers of the Yavana king entered the city through various gates and began to grievously torment all its citizens.
The body has nine gates: the two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, mouth, rectum and genitals. When one is harassed by the invalidity of old age, various diseases manifest at the gates of the body. For example, the eyes become so dim that one requires spectacles, and the ears become too weak to hear directly, and therefore one requires hearing aids. The nostrils are blocked by mucus, and one has to always sniff a medicinal bottle containing ammonia. Similarly, the mouth, too weak to chew, requires false teeth. The rectum also gives one trouble, and the evacuation process becomes difficult. Sometimes one has to take enemas and sometimes use a surgical nozzle to accelerate the passing of urine. In this way the city of Purañjana was attacked at various gates by the soldiers. Thus in old age all the gates of the body are blocked by so many diseases, and one has to take help from so many medicines and surgical appliances.
FAQs
In the Purañjana allegory, the Yavanas represent destructive forces led by time that invade the “city” of the body when one is absorbed in sense enjoyment and neglects spiritual duty.
The “gates” symbolize the senses; when the mind is engrossed in enjoyment, vulnerability increases and time’s agents attack through every sense-channel, overwhelming the embodied life.
Unchecked indulgence makes one spiritually careless; practicing regulated living and bhakti (hearing, chanting, remembrance) protects the consciousness from being overrun by time, anxiety, and decline.