Shloka 5
Nārada Explains the Allegory of King Purañjana
Deha–Indriya–Manaḥ Mapping and the Remedy of Bhakti
बुद्धिं तु प्रमदां विद्यान्ममाहमिति यत्कृतम् । यामधिष्ठाय देहेऽस्मिन् पुमान् भुङ्क्तेऽक्षभिर्गुणान् ॥ ५ ॥
buddhiṁ tu pramadāṁ vidyān mamāham iti yat-kṛtam yām adhiṣṭhāya dehe ’smin pumān bhuṅkte ’kṣabhir guṇān
Here pramadā means material intelligence—indeed, ignorance—which fashions the notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Taking shelter of it, a person identifies with this body and, through the senses, enjoys and suffers the guṇas; thus the jīva becomes entrapped.
In material existence so-called intelligence is actually ignorance. When intelligence is cleared up, it is called buddhi-yoga. In other words, when intelligence is dovetailed with the desires of Kṛṣṇa, it is called buddhi-yoga or bhakti-yoga. Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā (10.10) Kṛṣṇa says:
FAQs
This verse explains that intelligence colored by “I” and “mine” becomes a seductive force that makes the soul identify with the body and thus experience material life through the senses and the gunas.
Nārada uses allegory to warn the king that materialistic intelligence—driven by possessiveness and ego—bewilders the soul and pulls one toward sense enjoyment, obstructing the path of liberation and bhakti.
Notice decisions driven by ego (“I”) and possessiveness (“mine”), and redirect intelligence toward devotion—hearing, chanting, and serving—so the senses no longer drag the mind into the modes of passion and ignorance.