Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 58
Nārada Instructs Prācīnabarhiṣat: The Purañjana Narrative Begins
City of Nine Gates
क्वचित्पिबन्त्यां पिबति मदिरां मदविह्वल: । अश्नन्त्यां क्वचिदश्नाति जक्षत्यां सह जक्षिति ॥ ५७ ॥ क्वचिद्गायति गायन्त्यां रुदत्यां रुदति क्वचित् । क्वचिद्धसन्त्यां हसति जल्पन्त्यामनु जल्पति ॥ ५८ ॥ क्वचिद्धावति धावन्त्यां तिष्ठन्त्यामनु तिष्ठति । अनु शेते शयानायामन्वास्ते क्वचिदासतीम् ॥ ५९ ॥ क्वचिच्छृणोति शृण्वन्त्यां पश्यन्त्यामनु पश्यति । क्वचिज्जिघ्रति जिघ्रन्त्यां स्पृशन्त्यां स्पृशति क्वचित् ॥ ६० ॥ क्वचिच्च शोचतीं जायामनुशोचति दीनवत् । अनु हृष्यति हृष्यन्त्यां मुदितामनु मोदते ॥ ६१ ॥
kvacit pibantyāṁ pibati madirāṁ mada-vihvalaḥ aśnantyāṁ kvacid aśnāti jakṣatyāṁ saha jakṣiti
王妃が酒を飲めば、プランジャナも酔いにくらみつつ飲んだ。王妃が食べれば彼も食べ、噛めば共に噛んだ。王妃が歌えば彼も歌い、泣けば泣き、笑えば笑い、軽薄に語れば彼もまた語った。王妃が走れば彼も走り、立ち止まれば彼も立ち、横になれば彼も添い寝し、座れば彼も座った。王妃が聞けば彼も聞き、見れば彼も見、匂いを嗅げば彼も嗅ぎ、触れれば彼も触れた。愛する王妃が嘆けば、彼も哀れに嘆き、王妃が歓喜すれば彼も歓喜し、満ち足りれば彼も満ち足りた。
The mind is the place where the self is situated, and the mind is conducted by the intelligence. The living entity, situated within the heart, follows the intelligence. The intelligence is herein depicted as the Queen, and the soul, under mental control, follows the material intelligence just as the King follows his wife. The conclusion is that material intelligence is the cause of bondage for the living entity. The point is that one has to take to spiritual intelligence to come out of this entanglement.
FAQs
This verse shows how deep attachment makes one mirror another’s moods and actions—singing, crying, eating—symbolizing the jīva’s absorption in material identity and sense-life.
Śukadeva describes it to illustrate the allegory: the conditioned soul follows the body and mind (represented by the woman), losing independent spiritual awareness.
Notice where your choices merely imitate others’ desires; practice conscious living—sādhana, restraint, and bhakti—so emotions and habits are guided by dharma rather than attachment.