Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 1
Purañjana Goes Hunting — The Chariot of the Body, Violence of Passion, and Return to Conjugal Bondage
नारद उवाच स एकदा महेष्वासो रथं पञ्चाश्वमाशुगम् । द्वीषं द्विचक्रमेकाक्षं त्रिवेणुं पञ्चबन्धुरम् ॥ १ ॥ एकरश्म्येकदमनमेकनीडं द्विकूबरम् । पञ्चप्रहरणं सप्तवरूथं पञ्चविक्रमम् ॥ २ ॥ हैमोपस्करमारुह्य स्वर्णवर्माक्षयेषुधि: । एकादशचमूनाथ: पञ्चप्रस्थमगाद्वनम् ॥ ३ ॥
nārada uvāca sa ekadā maheṣvāso rathaṁ pañcāśvam āśu-gam dvīṣaṁ dvi-cakram ekākṣaṁ tri-veṇuṁ pañca-bandhuram
ナーラダは語った。大王よ、かつて大弓の使い手プランジャナ王は、黄金の鎧をまとい、尽きぬ矢を収めた矢筒を携え、黄金で飾られた戦車に乗った。五頭の俊足の馬に引かれ、十一人の将を伴って、「パンチャ・プラスタ」と名づける森へ向かった。その戦車は二輪一軸で、旗は三つ、手綱は一つ、御者は一人、座は一つ、轅は二本、武器は五つ、覆いは七つ。走り方は五通りで、前には五つの障碍があった。
These three verses explain how the material body of the living entity is under the control of the three qualities of the external energy. The body itself is the chariot, and the living entity is the owner of the body, as explained in Bhagavad-gītā (2.13) : dehino ’smin yathā dehe. The owner of the body is called the dehī, and he is situated within this body, specifically within the heart. The living entity is driven by one chariot driver. The chariot itself is made of three guṇas, three qualities of material nature, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61) : yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. The word yantra means “carriage.” The body is given by material nature, and the driver of that body is Paramātmā, the Supersoul. The living entity is seated within the chariot. This is the actual position.
FAQs
In Nārada’s allegory, the five horses commonly indicate the five senses that pull the embodied being swiftly toward sense-objects, shaping one’s journey through material life.
Nārada teaches spiritual truth through allegory so the listener can recognize the subtle workings of the body, senses, and bondage without becoming distracted by mere historical detail.
By observing how the senses “pull” the mind, one can practice restraint, choose uplifting inputs, and redirect life’s momentum toward devotion rather than compulsive enjoyment.