Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 3
Purañjana Captivated by Lust; Time (Caṇḍavega) and Old Age (Kālakanyā) Begin the Siege
तयोपगूढ: परिरब्धकन्धरो रहोऽनुमन्त्रैरपकृष्टचेतन: । न कालरंहो बुबुधे दुरत्ययं दिवा निशेति प्रमदापरिग्रह: ॥ ३ ॥
tayopagūḍhaḥ parirabdha-kandharo raho ’numantrair apakṛṣṭa-cetanaḥ na kāla-raṁho bubudhe duratyayaṁ divā niśeti pramadā-parigrahaḥ
La reine Purañjanī étreignit le roi, et le roi répondit en entourant ses épaules. Dans la solitude, ils se délectèrent de propos enjoués. Captivé par sa belle épouse, Purañjana perdit le bon sens et n’aperçut pas que le cours des jours et des nuits diminuait sa vie sans profit.
The word pramadā in this verse is very significant. A beautiful wife is certainly enlivening to her husband, but at the same time is the cause of degradation. The word pramadā means “enlivening” as well as “maddening.” Generally a householder does not take the passing of days and nights very seriously. A person in ignorance takes it as the usual course that days come, and after the days, the nights come. This is the law of material nature. But a man in ignorance does not know that when the sun rises early in the morning it begins to take away the balance of his life. Thus day after day the span of one’s life is reduced, and forgetting the duty of human life, the foolish man simply remains in the company of his wife and enjoys her in a secluded place. Such a condition is called apakṛṣṭa-cetana, or degraded consciousness. Human consciousness should be used for elevation to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But when a person is too much attracted to his wife and family affairs, he does not take Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously. He thus becomes degraded, not knowing that he cannot buy back even a second of his life in return for millions of dollars. The greatest loss in life is passing time without understanding Kṛṣṇa. Every moment of our lives should be utilized properly, and the proper use of life is to increase devotional service to the Lord. Without devotional service to the Lord, the activities of life become simply a waste of time ( śrama eva hi kevalam ). Simply by becoming “dutiful” we do not make any profit in life. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.8) :
FAQs
This verse says that when one becomes absorbed in intimate attachment and private enjoyment, one fails to notice the powerful current of time (kāla) as days and nights slip away.
In the Purañjana allegory, his mind is pulled into domestic intimacy and sense-based counsel, so his spiritual awareness is covered and he overlooks how time steadily carries him toward old age and death.
Practice mindful living: reduce obsessive attachment, remember life’s impermanence, and daily reserve time for bhakti—hearing, chanting, and serving—so relationships support devotion rather than eclipse it.