Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 19
Nārada Instructs Prācīnabarhiṣat: The Purañjana Narrative Begins
City of Nine Gates
नानारण्यमृगव्रातैरनाबाधे मुनिव्रतै: । आहूतं मन्यते पान्थो यत्र कोकिलकूजितै: ॥ १९ ॥
nānāraṇya-mṛga-vrātair anābādhe muni-vrataiḥ āhūtaṁ manyate pāntho yatra kokila-kūjitaiḥ
Sa kahanga-hangang hardin na iyon, maging ang mga hayop sa gubat ay naging di-marahas at walang inggit, tulad ng mga dakilang muni; kaya hindi sila nananakit ng sinuman. Higit pa rito, ang malamyos na huni ng mga kukuko ay wari’y nag-aanyaya sa nagdaraang manlalakbay na magpahinga sa magandang hardin.
A peaceful family with wife and children is compared to the peaceful atmosphere of the forest. Children are compared to nonviolent animals. Sometimes, however, wives and children are called svajanākhya-dasyu, burglars in the name of kinsmen. A man earns his livelihood with hard labor, but the result is that he is plundered by his wife and children exactly as a person in a forest is attacked by some thieves and burglars who take his money. Nonetheless, in family life the turmoil of wife and children appears to be like the cooing of the cuckoos in the garden of family life. Being invited by such an atmosphere, the person who is passing through such a blissful family life desires to have his family with him at all costs.
FAQs
Here the forest is portrayed as alluring and seemingly safe—inviting the traveler onward—symbolizing how the world can attract the conditioned soul through pleasant sounds and experiences, even while one continues deeper into material wandering.
In the allegory of Purañjana, such pleasing details emphasize how sense-pleasures and agreeable surroundings can make one feel “called” forward, encouraging continued engagement with worldly life rather than awakening immediate renunciation.
It advises mindfulness: attractive environments and soothing “calls” (comfort, entertainment, praise) can subtly pull us along; a devotee learns to enjoy nature without becoming spiritually distracted, keeping the goal of bhakti and self-realization central.