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
Ó tu de braços poderosos, que mulher na terra não se sentiria atraída por teus braços, semelhantes ao corpo de uma serpente? Com teu sorriso cativante e tua misericórdia ousada, alivias a aflição de mulheres desamparadas como nós. Pensamos que percorres a superfície da terra apenas para nosso benefício.
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.