Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 59
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
Khi hoàng hậu uống rượu, vua Purañjana cũng say sưa uống theo. Khi nàng ăn, nhai, hát, khóc, cười hay nói năng buông thả, nhà vua cũng làm y như vậy. Nàng đi thì vua đi theo sau; nàng dừng thì vua cũng dừng; nàng nằm trên giường thì vua cũng nằm theo. Nàng ngồi, nghe, nhìn, ngửi hay chạm vào điều gì, vua cũng bắt chước. Khi hoàng hậu than khóc, vua đáng thương cũng than khóc; khi nàng vui hưởng, vua cũng cảm nhận khoái lạc và sự mãn nguyện.
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 depicts a man mirroring his wife’s actions—running, standing, lying down, and sitting—showing how deep attachment makes one’s independence vanish and the mind become led by material affection.
Śukadeva narrates the Purañjana allegory to illustrate how the conditioned soul becomes captivated by the material mind and senses; the wife symbolizes the directing material intelligence/attraction that pulls the soul into worldly life.
Observe where you lose inner freedom through imitation and emotional dependence; practice devotion, discipline, and conscious choices so relationships support dharma and bhakti rather than becoming the driver of the mind.