Shloka 7
Āgnīdhra Meets Pūrvacitti and Begets the Nine Sons of Jambūdvīpa
का त्वं चिकीर्षसि च किं मुनिवर्य शैले मायासि कापि भगवत्परदेवताया: । विज्ये बिभर्षि धनुषी सुहृदात्मनोऽर्थेकिं वा मृगान्मृगयसे विपिने प्रमत्तान् ॥ ७ ॥
kā tvaṁ cikīrṣasi ca kiṁ muni-varya śaile māyāsi kāpi bhagavat-para-devatāyāḥ vijye bibharṣi dhanuṣī suhṛd-ātmano ’rthe kiṁ vā mṛgān mṛgayase vipine pramattān
का त्वं चिकीर्षसि च किं मुनिवर्य शैले मायासि कापि भगवत्परदेवतायाः। विज्ये बिभर्षि धनुषी सुहृदात्मनोऽर्थे किं वा मृगान्मृगयसे विपिने प्रमत्तान्॥
While undergoing severe penances in the forest, Āgnīdhra was captivated by the movements of Pūrvacitti, the girl sent by Lord Brahmā. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, kāmais tais tair hṛta jñānāḥ: when one becomes lusty, he loses his intelligence. Therefore Āgnīdhra, having lost his intelligence, could not distinguish whether Pūrvacitti was male or female. He mistook her for a muni-putra, the son of a saintly person in the forest, and addressed her as muni-varya. Because of her personal beauty, however, he could not believe her to be a boy. He therefore began studying her features. First he saw her two eyebrows, which were so expressive that he wondered whether he or she might be the māyā of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The words used in this connection are bhagavat-para-devatāyāḥ. Devatāḥ, the demigods, all belong to this material world, whereas Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is always beyond this material world and is therefore known as para-devatā. The material world is certainly created by māyā, but it is created under the direction of para-devatā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā ( mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram ), māyā is not the ultimate authority for the creation of this material world. Māyā acts on behalf of Kṛṣṇa.
FAQs
This verse portrays a discerning devotee questioning whether an encountered figure is a manifestation of illusion (māyā) connected to the Supreme Lord’s divine potency, urging vigilance and spiritual discrimination.
He uses the image of hunting “the heedless” to indicate how danger—especially time, death, or delusion—preys upon those who live inattentively, reminding seekers to remain spiritually alert.
Do not live on autopilot: question motives, avoid spiritual carelessness (pramāda), and stay attentive to dharma and bhakti so that illusion and distraction do not “hunt” your mind.