Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 4 Chapter 28 Verse 27

Canto 4: Creation of the Fourth Order | Chapter 28: Purañjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.28.27

ananta-pāre tamasi

magno naṣṭa-smṛtiḥ samāḥ

śāśvatīr anubhūyārtiḿ

pramadā-sańga-dūṣitaḥ

SYNONYMS

ananta-pāre — unlimitedly expanded; tamasi — in the material existence of darkness; magnaḥ — being merged; naṣṭa-smṛtiḥ — bereft of all intelligence; samāḥ — for many years; śāśvatīḥ — practically eternally; anubhūya — experiencing; ārtim — the threefold miseries; pramadā — of women; sańga — by association; dūṣitaḥ — being contaminated.

TRANSLATION

Due to his contaminated association with women, a living entity like King Purañjana eternally suffers all the pangs of material existence and remains in the dark region of material life, bereft of all remembrance for many, many years.

PURPORT

This is a description of material existence. Material existence is experienced when one becomes attached to a woman and forgets his real identity as the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa (naṣṭa-smṛtiḥ). In this way, in one body after another, the living entity perpetually suffers the threefold miseries of material existence. To save human civilization from the darkness of ignorance, this movement was started. The main purpose of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to enlighten the forgetful living entity and remind him of his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this way the living entity can be saved from the catastrophe of ignorance as well as bodily transmigration. As Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung:

anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale,

taribāre nā dekhi upāya

ei viṣaya-halāhale, divā-niśi hiyā jvale,

mana kabhu sukha nāhi pāya

"Because of my past fruitive activities, I have now fallen into an ocean of nescience. I cannot find any means to get out of this great ocean, which is indeed like an ocean of poison. We are trying to be happy through sense enjoyment, but actually that so-called enjoyment is like food that is too hot and causes burning in the heart. I feel a burning sensation constantly, day and night, and thus my mind cannot find satisfaction."

Material existence is always full of anxiety. People are always trying to find many ways to mitigate anxiety, but because they are not guided by a real leader, they try to forget material anxiety through drink and sex indulgence. Foolish people do not know that by attempting to escape anxiety by drink and sex, they simply increase their duration of material life. It is not possible to escape material anxiety in this way.

The word pramadā-sańga-dūṣitaḥ indicates that apart from all other contamination, if one simply remains attached to a woman, that single contamination will be sufficient to prolong one's miserable material existence. Consequently, in Vedic civilization one is trained from the beginning to give up attachment for women. The first stage of life is brahmacārī, the second stage gṛhastha, the third stage vānaprastha, and the fourth stage sannyāsa. All these stages are devised to enable one to detach himself from the association of women.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness