Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 42
Nārada Instructs Prācīnabarhiṣat: The Purañjana Narrative Begins
City of Nine Gates
कस्या मनस्ते भुवि भोगिभोगयो: स्त्रिया न सज्जेद्भुजयोर्महाभुज । योऽनाथवर्गाधिमलं घृणोद्धत स्मितावलोकेन चरत्यपोहितुम् ॥ ४२ ॥
kasyā manas te bhuvi bhogi-bhogayoḥ striyā na sajjed bhujayor mahā-bhuja yo ’nātha-vargādhim alaṁ ghṛṇoddhata- smitāvalokena caraty apohitum
Wahai yang berlengan perkasa, perempuan mana di dunia ini yang tidak terpikat oleh lenganmu, bagaikan tubuh ular yang memikat? Dengan senyum dan pandanganmu yang menawan, serta belas kasihmu yang tegas, engkau melenyapkan duka perempuan tanpa pelindung seperti kami. Kami merasa engkau mengembara di bumi semata-mata demi kebaikan kami.
When a husbandless woman is attacked by an aggressive man, she takes his action to be mercy. A woman is generally very much attracted by a man’s long arms. A serpent’s body is round, and it becomes narrower and thinner at the end. The beautiful arms of a man appear to a woman just like serpents, and she very much desires to be embraced by such arms.
FAQs
It highlights how naturally the mind becomes attached to sensual embrace and enjoyment, illustrating the powerful pull of material attraction within worldly life.
Nārada is teaching through allegory: the king represents the conditioned soul, and the queen symbolizes the mind/intelligence bound to enjoyment—showing how attachment captures one’s consciousness.
It encourages self-awareness about how easily the mind clings to pleasure and relationships for gratification, and it points toward cultivating higher shelter—devotion, discipline, and compassion—rather than being driven by impulse.