Shloka 73
Nārada Explains the Allegory of King Purañjana
Deha–Indriya–Manaḥ Mapping and the Remedy of Bhakti
अर्थे ह्यविद्यमानेऽपि संसृतिर्न निवर्तते । ध्यायतो विषयानस्य स्वप्नेऽनर्थागमो यथा ॥ ७३ ॥
arthe hy avidyamāne ’pi saṁsṛtir na nivartate dhyāyato viṣayān asya svapne ’narthāgamo yathā
In a dream the sense objects are not truly present, yet by dwelling on them they appear and bring misfortune; likewise, through attachment to objects, saṁsāra does not cease even without direct contact.
It is sometimes said that because a child is innocent he is completely pure. Actually this is not the fact. The effects of fruitive activities reserved in the subtle body appear in three concurrent stages. One is called bīja (the root), another is called kūṭa-stha (the desire), and another is called phalonmukha (about to fructify). The manifest stage is called prārabdha (already in action). In a conscious or unconscious state, the actions of the subtle or gross bodies may not be manifest, but such states cannot be called the liberated state. A child may be innocent, but this does not mean that he is a liberated soul. Everything is held in reservation, and everything will become manifest in due course of time. Even in the absence of certain manifestations in the subtle body, the objects of sense enjoyment may act. The example has been given of a nocturnal emission, in which the physical senses act even when the physical objects are not manifest. The three modes of material nature may not be manifest in the subtle body, but the contamination of the three modes remains conserved, and in due course of time, it becomes manifest. Even if the reactions of the subtle and gross bodies are not manifest, one does not become free from the material conditions. Therefore it is wrong to say that a child is as good as a liberated soul.
FAQs
It says samsara does not stop merely because objects are absent; if the mind keeps contemplating sense enjoyment, suffering and bondage continue—like dream troubles arising without real external objects.
Nārada was redirecting the king from ritualistic, enjoyment-oriented life toward liberation, teaching that mental absorption in viṣayas sustains bondage even without physical indulgence.
Reduce obsessive rumination on pleasures (feeds, fantasies, addictions) and replace it with higher remembrance—especially bhakti practices like nāma-japa and śravaṇa—so the mind stops recreating bondage internally.