Shloka 52
Nārada Instructs Prācīnabarhiṣat: The Purañjana Narrative Begins
City of Nine Gates
आसुरी नाम पश्चाद् द्वास्तया याति पुरञ्जन: । ग्रामकं नाम विषयं दुर्मदेन समन्वित: ॥ ५२ ॥
āsurī nāma paścād dvās tayā yāti purañjanaḥ grāmakaṁ nāma viṣayaṁ durmadena samanvitaḥ
En el lado occidental había una puerta llamada Āsurī. Por ella el rey Purañjana solía ir a la ciudad de Grāmaka, acompañado de su amigo Durmada.
The gate on the western side of the city was known as Āsurī because it was especially meant for the asuras. The word asura refers to those who are interested in sense gratification, specifically in sex life, to which they are overly attracted. Thus Purañjana, the living entity, enjoys himself to his greatest satisfaction by means of the genitals. Consequently he used to go to the place known as Grāmaka. Material sense gratification is also called grāmya, and the place where sex life is indulged in to a great extent is called Grāmaka. When going to Grāmaka, Purañjana used to be accompanied by his friend Durmada. The word viṣaya refers to the four bodily necessities of life — eating, sleeping, mating and defending. The word durmadena may be analyzed in this way: dur means duṣṭa, or “sinful,” and mada means “madness.” Every living entity who is in contact with material nature is called mada, or mad. It is said:
FAQs
This verse portrays the āsuric direction as movement toward sense-enjoyment under pride, indicating that arrogance and indulgence pull the soul deeper into bondage.
Purañjana is an allegorical figure representing the conditioned living being who identifies with the body and wanders through various “gates” toward sense experience.
Watch for pride-driven choices that push you toward compulsive enjoyment; cultivate humility and devotional remembrance so the senses serve dharma and bhakti rather than ego.