Canto
4
Chapter 28: Purañjana Becomes a Woman in his Next Life
(1) Nârada said: 'O King Prâcînabarhishat, all of them, the soldiers, the order carriers of death of Bhaya [that are like the troubles of old age] and Prajvâra and Kâlakanyâ, together roamed this earth. (2) When they once then laid siege on the city of Purañjana which, o King, was so full of sensual pleasure, they found it protected by the old serpent. (3) The daughter of Kâla then also by force took possession of the city of Purañjana; overwhelmed by her does a person immediately find his uselessness. (4) With her taking hold and the Yavanas from all sides entering the gates, was severe trouble caused all over the city. (5) The city being put in all kinds of difficulties made him Purañjana, as an all to eager, overly attached family man, run into a great variety of pains. (6) Embraced by the daughter of Time was he bereft of all beauty; of his addiction to sensual pleasure being a miser lacking in intelligence was he by force bereft of his opulence by the Gandharvas and Yavanas [the indwellers of heaven and the meat-eaters]. (7) He saw his own town scattered in opposing elements, that he had disrespectful sons and grandsons, servants and ministers, and that his wife had become indifferent. (8) With himself being taken by Kâlakanyâ and with Pañcâla infested with insurmountable enemies, he grew very anxious and so it was not possible for him, to take any counteraction. (9) The things he always lusted after became all stale to the poor man who also because of Kâlakanyâ had lost the real purpose of life in the affectionate defense of his attachment to his sons and wife. (10) The King, who had to give up the city that was smashed by the Daughter of Time and had been overrun by the Gandharvas and Yavanas, was against his will driven out of it. (11) Prajvâra, the elder brother of Bhaya present at the spot, set fire to that city [as fever to the body] for the sole purpose of pleasing his brother [called fear]. (12) When the city along with all the citizens, servants and followers was ablaze had he, Purañjana, the head of the big family along with his wife and descendants, to suffer from its heat.
(13) In his abode attacked by the Yavanas, being seized by Kâlakanyâ and now also thus being approached by Prajvâra, became also the guardian of the city [the snake] very aggrieved. (14) It was not able to do much for its protection and suffered great difficulties in its desire to get out of there; it was as if it had to escape from a hollow tree that is thrown into the flames. (15) Its parts were slackened as its bodily strength was defeated by the Gandharvas and the enemy Yavanas, o King, and frustrated it [by the voice of Purañjana] cried out aloud indeed: (16) 'O my daughters, sons, grandsons and daughters- and sons-in-law, o my associates, what has become of my property and my home with all its wealth and goods?'
(17) At his separation turned the householder his attention to the 'I' and 'mine' of his home and thus happened it to be that he, with a mind full of obnoxious thoughts, had a hard time with his wife. (18) 'When I have left for another life, how then will this woman, bereft of a husband, lamenting with all those children of the family around her, exist?' (19) Never I ate when she didn't eat, never I missed a bath when she would bathe; she always remained loyal fearfully keeping silent when I was angry, however afraid she was with me chastising her. (20) She gave me good counsel when I was a fool, she was saddened and put off when I was away. Will she, despite of being the mother of such great heroes, be able to hold on to the path of her household duties? (21) How indeed will my poor sons and daughters, who have no one else to depend on, live when I have disappeared from this world like a boat broken in the ocean?'
(22) Thus of his miserly intelligence lamenting what should not be lamented, drew the master of the show called Fear near to arrest him without delay.(23) Restrained like an animal was Purañjana by the Yavanas taken to their own abode followed by the stream of his attendants who deeply aggrieved were lamenting. (24) As soon as the serpent that had to give up had left and following him behind was arrested, was the city sure to fall apart. (25) Forcibly dragged by the Yavana that was so powerful, couldn't he, covered by the darkness of his ignorance, remember his friend and well-wisher that had been there from the beginning. (26) All the animals of sacrifice by him most unkind killed with axes and cut to pieces, very angrily remembered that sinful activity of him. (27) Contaminated by attachment to women, without an end living on in the midst of darkness and being bereft of all intelligence, one has to experience for many years, if not for an eternity, the pain. (28) With keeping her constantly in his mind became he, after his death, a well situated woman [a daughter] in the house of the most powerful King Vidarbha. (29) As the prize of valor was that daughter of Vidarbha married to Malayadhvaja ['as firm as the Malaya hill'] who as the best of the learned in the fight, after defeating many other princes, was the conqueror of the supreme city. (30) From her he got a daughter with dark eyes and seven younger mighty sons* who became the kings over the seven provinces of the South of India [Dravida]. (31) Of each of them, o King, there became millions and millions of descendants by whom the world up to the time of a Manu and longer was ruled [see 3.11: 24]. (32) Âgastya [the sage; 'he who was born from a pot'] married the avowed first daughter and from her was born a son called Dridhacyuta ['the infallible fortress'] who on his turn got the great sage Idhmavâha ['he who carries the sacrificial wood'] as a son.
(33) Having divided the entire world among his sons, went the pious king called Malayadhvaja to Kulâcala desiring to worship Lord Krishna. (34) Giving up his home, children and material happiness followed the daughter of Vidarbha with the enchanting eyes, her lord of wisdom like the moonshine accompanying the moon. (35-36) There at the rivers named the Candravasâ, the Tâmraparnî and the Vathodakâ he cleansed himself daily both inside and outside with the holy waters and feeding on bulbs, seeds, roots and fruits, flowers, leaves, grasses and water, became his body gradually lean undergoing the austerity. (37) Equipoised he thus conquered the dualities of cold and heat, wind and rain, hunger and thirst, the pleasant and the unpleasant and happiness and distress. (38) By austerity and discipline he burnt up all the impurities; through the regulative principles [niyama] and selfcontrol [yama] he, in complete control over the senses, his life and his consciousness, fixed himself in spiritual realization [compare: 4.22: 24, 3.29: 17]. (39) Remaining as immovable as having the same place for a hundred years of the demigods [see 3.11: 12] did he, steady unto Vâsudeva, the Supreme Lord, not know of anything else but to be of that attraction. (40) He, by the all-pervasiveness of the Supersoul could distinguish himself in perfect knowledge like being in a dream: as the deliberate witness that was sure to have become indifferent ['the glad hero']. (41) Under the direct prompting of the Supreme Lord, by the spiritual master Hari [the so called caitya guru or the guru from within], o King, he found the pure light of spiritual knowledge enlightening all perspectives. (42) Thus observing himself in the transcendental Absolute and the Supersoul of the Absolute also within himself, he, from this process, gave up his reservation and withdrew himself determined.
(43) Accepting her husband as her God, the supreme knower of the principles, served Vaidarbhî, the daughter of Vidarbha, her husband Malayadhvaja with love and devotion and gave she up on her sense enjoyment. (44) In old rags, lean and thin and with her hair matted, she shone next to her husband as peaceful as the flame of a fire. (45) She, as she was used to, went on serving him, who sat there fixed in his sitting posture, until she, with him having passed away, couldn't detect any sign of life anymore from her beloved husband. (46) When she no longer felt the warmth of his feet serving him, she became as anxious at heart as a deer on being separated from its partner. (47) Lamenting to herself how wretched it is to be without a friend she, brokenhearted, began to cry out aloud, wetting her breasts with her tears. (48) 'Get up, please, get up!, o saintly King. This world in the middle of the ocean so very much afraid of rogues and rulers full of attachment, you ought to protect!' (49) Thus lamenting fell the innocent woman in that solitary place down at the feet of her husband, shedding tears crying. (50) On top of her husband's body she built a funeral pyre of wood and after igniting it she, with her mind fixed in the lamentation, died [saha-marana] along with him.
(51) Before that happened there, pacified some friend, a brahmin, a very learned scholar, her very nicely with mitigating words, speaking to her about her master while she was crying. (52) The brahmin said: 'Who are you? To whom do you belong and who is this man lying here over whom you are lamenting? Don't you recognize Me as the friend that you in the past have consulted? (53) Do you remember how, o friend, unfamiliar with the Supersoul, you gave up on Me as being your friend, in attachment to a position of desiring material enjoyment? (54) You and I, o great soul, are two swans, two friends who, for thousands of years in succession living together in the Mânasa lake [a holy reservoir in the Himalayas representing the pure mind], became separated from their original home. (55) You as that swan having left me, o friend, moved as someone of a material consciousness toward the earth, going there to find yourself in positions created by some woman. (56) With five gardens, nine gates, one protector, three apartments, six families, five stores and five material elements does it [that material position of having a body] have one woman as its master. (57) The gardens are the five objects of the senses, the gates o protector are the nine apertures of the senses, the vital power [fire], water and food [earth] are the three apartments and the families are the five senses themselves and the mind. (58) The five stores make for the power of action [the five working senses] by which man is the [feminine] controller of the energy of the eternal of the five elements of gross matter to which having entered its domain one is devoid of knowledge. (59) You in that situation being in contact with the splendor are then, enjoying it in her association, without the remembrance of the inexhaustible [of your spiritual existence], and this way you have attained a state that is full of sin, my dear. (60) In fact you are not Vidarbha's daughter, nor is this hero of yours [Malayadhvaja] your well-wishing husband, nor were you Purañjana the husband; you've all that time in the body with its nine gates simply been captivated by the material energy. (61) Just see our factual position; from this illusory energy of Mine you no doubt found an existence thinking yourself to be a male, a female or a non-sexual one, but you forgot about the both of us as joined in the pure of the spiritual swanlike. (62) You and I are not different [in quality] because you, the way you are, are for sure as I am. My friend, the imaginary distinction between the two of us is by the advanced scholars not even in the smallest degree acknowledged whenever. (63) The way someone sees his one body in a mirror, or through the eyes of others, existing as two bodies, is similarly the difference between the two of us described [compare 3.28: 40]. (64) The individual soul thus like a swan living together in the heart is, being instructed by the other swan, situated in self-realization for then is the real memory regained that was lost in the being separated from the original self.'
(65) 'O Prâcînabarhi, I gave you this analogy of selfrealization, to raise your interest in the Supreme Lord our God, the cause of all causes, in an indirect manner.'
Source texts:
Purañjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life
Nârada said: 'O King Prâcînabarhishat, all of them, the soldiers, the order carriers of death of Bhaya [that are like the troubles of old age] and Prajvâra and Kâlakanyâ, together roamed this earth.The great sage Nârada continued: My dear King Prâcînabarhishat, afterward, the King of the Yavanas, whose name is fear itself, as well as Prajvâra, Kâlakanyâ, and his soldiers, began to travel all over the world. (Vedabase)
When they once then laid siege on the city of Purañjana which, o King, was so full of sensual pleasure, they found it protected by the old serpent.
Once the dangerous soldiers attacked the city of Purañjana with great force. Although the city was full of paraphernalia for sense gratification, it was being protected by the old serpent. (Vedabase)
The daughter of Kâla then also by force took possession of the city of Purañjana; overwhelmed by her does a person immediately find his uselessness.
Gradually Kâlakanyâ, with the help of dangerous soldiers, attacked all the inhabitants of Purañjana's city and thus rendered them useless for all purposes. (Vedabase)
With her taking hold and the Yavanas from all sides entering the gates, was severe trouble caused all over the city.
When Kâlakanyâ, daughter of Time, attacked the body, the dangerous soldiers of the King of the Yavanas entered the city through different gates. They then began to give severe trouble to all the citizens. (Vedabase)
The city being put in all kinds of difficulties made him Purañjana, as an all to eager, overly attached family man, run into a great variety of pains.
When the city was thus endangered by the soldiers and Kâlakanyâ, King Purañjana, being overly absorbed in affection for his family, was placed in difficulty by the attack of Yavana-râja and Kâlakanyâ. (Vedabase)
Embraced by the daughter of Time was he bereft of all beauty; of his addiction to sensual pleasure being a miser lacking in intelligence was he by force bereft of his opulence by the Gandharvas and Yavanas [the indwellers of heaven and the meat-eaters].
When King Purañjana was embraced by Kâlakanyâ, he gradually lost all his beauty. Having been too much addicted to sex, he became very poor in intelligence and lost all his opulence. Being bereft of all possessions, he was conquered forcibly by the Gandharvas and the Yavanas. (Vedabase)
He saw his own town scattered in opposing elements, that he had disrespectful sons and grandsons, servants and ministers, and that his wife had become indifferent.
King Purañjana then saw that everything in his town was scattered and that his sons, grandsons, servants and ministers were all gradually opposing him. He also noted that his wife was becoming cold and indifferent. (Vedabase)
With himself being taken by Kâlakanyâ and with Pañcâla infested with insurmountable enemies, he grew very anxious and so it was not possible for him, to take any counteraction.
When King Purañjana saw that all his family members, relatives, followers, servants, secretaries and everyone else had turned against him, he certainly became very anxious. But he could not counteract the situation because he was thoroughly overwhelmed by Kâlakanyâ. (Vedabase)
The things he always lusted after became all stale to the poor man who also because of Kâlakanyâ had lost the real purpose of life in the affectionate defense of his attachment to his sons and wife.
The objects of enjoyment became stale by the influence of Kâlakanyâ. Due to the continuance of his lusty desires, King Purañjana became very poor in everything. Thus he did not understand the aim of life. He was still very affectionate toward his wife and children, and he worried about maintaining them. (Vedabase)
The King, who had to give up the city that was smashed by the Daughter of Time and had been overrun by the Gandharvas and Yavanas, was against his will driven out of it.
The city of King Purañjana was overcome by the Gandharva and Yavana soldiers, and although the King had no desire to leave the city, he was circumstantially forced to do so, for it was smashed by Kâlakanyâ. (Vedabase)
Prajvâra, the elder brother of Bhaya present at the spot, set fire to that city [as fever to the body] for the sole purpose of pleasing his brother [called fear].
Under the circumstances, the elder brother of Yavana-râja, known as Prajvâra, set fire to the city to please his younger brother, whose other name is fear itself. (Vedabase)
When the city along with all the citizens, servants and followers was ablaze had he, Purañjana, the head of the big family along with his wife and descendants, to suffer from its heat.
When the city was set ablaze, all the citizens and servants of the King, as well as all family members, sons, grandsons, wives and other relatives, were within the fire. King Purañjana thus became very unhappy. (Vedabase)
In his abode attacked by the Yavanas, being seized by Kâlakanyâ and now also thus being approached by Prajvâra, became also the guardian of the city [the snake] very aggrieved.
The city's superintendent of police, the serpent, saw that the citizens were being attacked by Kâlakanyâ, and he became very aggrieved to see his own residence set ablaze after being attacked by the Yavanas. (Vedabase)
It was not able to do much for its protection and suffered great difficulties in its desire to get out of there; it was as if it had to escape from a hollow tree that is thrown into the flames.
As a serpent living within the cavity of a tree wishes to leave when there is a forest fire, so the city's police superintendent, the snake, wished to leave the city due to the fire's severe heat. (Vedabase)
Its parts were slackened as its bodily strength was defeated by the Gandharvas and the enemy Yavanas, o King, and frustrated it [by the voice of Purañjana] cried out aloud indeed:
The limbs of the serpent's body were slackened by the Gandharvas and Yavana soldiers, who had thoroughly defeated his bodily strength. When he attempted to leave the body, he was checked by his enemies. Being thus baffled in his attempt, he began to cry loudly. (Vedabase)
'O my daughters, sons, grandsons and daughters- and sons-in-law, o my associates, what has become of my property and my home with all its wealth and goods?'
King Purañjana then began to think of his daughters, sons, grandsons, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, servants and other associates as well as his house, his household paraphernalia and his little accumulation of wealth. (Vedabase)
At his separation turned the householder his attention to the 'I' and 'mine' of his home and thus happened it to be that he, with a mind full of obnoxious thoughts, had a hard time with his wife.
King Purañjana was overly attached to his family and conceptions of "I" and "mine." Because he was overly attracted to his wife, he was already quite poverty-stricken. At the time of separation, he became very sorry. (Vedabase)Text 18:
'When I have left for another life, how then will this woman, bereft of a husband, lamenting with all those children of the family around her, exist?'
King Purañjana was anxiously thinking, "Alas, my wife is encumbered by so many children. When I pass from this body, how will she be able to maintain all these family members? Alas, she will be greatly harassed by thoughts of family maintenance.". (Vedabase)
Never I ate when she didn't eat, never I missed a bath when she would bathe; she always remained loyal fearfully keeping silent when I was angry, however afraid she was with me chastising her.
King Purañjana then began to think of his past dealings with his wife. He recalled that his wife would not take her dinner until he had finished his, that she would not take her bath until he had finished his, and that she was always very much attached to him, so much so that if he would sometimes become angry and chastise her, she would simply remain silent and tolerate his misbehavior. (Vedabase)
She gave me good counsel when I was a fool, she was saddened and put off when I was away. Will she, despite of being the mother of such great heroes, be able to hold on to the path of her household duties?
King Purañjana continued thinking how, when he was in a state of bewilderment, his wife would give him good counsel and how she would become aggrieved when he was away from home. Although she was the mother of so many sons and heroes, the King still feared that she would not be able to maintain the responsibility of household affairs. (Vedabase)
How indeed will my poor sons and daughters, who have no one else to depend on, live when I have disappeared from this world like a boat broken in the ocean?'
King Purañjana continued worrying: "After I pass from this world, how will my sons and daughters, who are now fully dependent on me, live and continue their lives? Their position will be similar to that of passengers aboard a ship wrecked in the midst of the ocean. (Vedabase)"
Thus of his miserly intelligence lamenting what should not be lamented, drew the master of the show called Fear near to arrest him without delay.
Although King Purañjana should not have lamented over the fate of his wife and children, he nonetheless did so due to his miserly intelligence. In the meantime, Yavana-râja, whose name was fear itself, immediately drew near to arrest him. (Vedabase)
Restrained like an animal was Purañjana by the Yavanas taken to their own abode followed by the stream of his attendants who deeply aggrieved were lamenting.
When the Yavanas were taking King Purañjana away to their place, binding him like an animal, the King's followers became greatly aggrieved. While they lamented, they were forced to go along with him. (Vedabase)
As soon as the serpent that had to give up had left and following him behind was arrested, was the city sure to fall apart.
The serpent, who had already been arrested by the soldiers of Yavana-râja and was out of the city, began to follow his master along with the others. As soon as they all left the city, it was immediately dismantled and smashed to dust. (Vedabase)
Forcibly dragged by the Yavana that was so powerful, was he, covered by the darkness of his ignorance, not able to remember his friend and well-wisher that had been there from the beginning.
When King Purañjana was being dragged with great force by the powerful Yavana, out of his gross ignorance he still could not remember his friend and well-wisher, the Supersoul. (Vedabase)
All the animals of sacrifice by him most unkind killed with axes and cut to pieces, very angrily remembered that sinful activity of him.
That most unkind king, Purañjana, had killed many animals in various sacrifices. Now, taking advantage of this opportunity, all these animals began to pierce him with their horns. It was as though he were being cut to pieces by axes. (Vedabase)
Contaminated by attachment to women, without an end living on in the midst of darkness and being bereft of all intelligence, one has to experience for many years, if not for an eternity, the pain.
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. (Vedabase)
With keeping her constantly in his mind became he, after his death, a well situated woman [a daughter] in the house of the most powerful King Vidarbha.
King Purañjana gave up his body while remembering his wife, and consequently in his next life he became a very beautiful and well-situated woman. He took his next birth as the daughter of King Vidarbha in the very house of the King. (Vedabase)
As the prize of valor was that daughter of Vidarbha married to Malayadhvaja ['as firm as the Malaya hill'] who as the best of the learned in the fight, after defeating many other princes, was the conqueror of the supreme city.
It was fixed that Vaidarbhî, daughter of King Vidarbha, was to be married to a very powerful man, Malayadhvaja, an inhabitant of the Pându country. After conquering other princes, he married the daughter of King Vidarbha. (Vedabase)
From her he got a daughter with dark eyes and seven younger mighty sons* who became the kings over the seven provinces of the South of India [Dravida].
King Malayadhvaja fathered one daughter, who had very black eyes. He also had seven sons, who later became rulers of that tract of land known as Dravida. Thus there were seven kings in that land. (Vedabase)
Of each of them, o King, there became millions and millions of descendants by whom the world up to the time of a Manu and longer was ruled [see 3.11: 24].
My dear King Prâcînabarhishat, the sons of Malayadhvaja gave birth to many thousands and thousands of sons, and all of these have been protecting the entire world up to the end of one Manu's life-span and even afterward. (Vedabase)
Âgastya [the sage; 'he who was born from a pot'] married the avowed first daughter and from her was born a son called Dridhacyuta ['the infallible fortress'] who on his turn got the great sage Idhmavâha ['he who carries the wood'] as a son.
The great sage named Âgastya married the first-born daughter of Malayadhvaja, the avowed devotee of Lord Krishna. From her one son was born, whose name was Dridhacyuta, and from him another son was born, whose name was Idhmavâha. (Vedabase)
Having divided the entire world among his sons, went the pious king called Malayadhvaja to Kulâcala desiring to worship Lord Krishna.
After this, the great saintly King Malayadhvaja divided his entire kingdom among his sons. Then, in order to worship Lord Krishna with full attention, he went to a solitary place known as Kulâcala. (Vedabase)
Giving up his home, children and material happiness followed the daughter of Vidarbha with the enchanting eyes, her lord of wisdom like the moonshine accompanying the moon.
Just as the moonshine follows the moon at night, immediately after King Malayadhvaja departed for Kulâcala, his devoted wife, whose eyes were very enchanting, followed him, giving up all homely happiness, despite family and children. (Vedabase)
There at the rivers named the Candravasâ, the Tâmraparnî and the Vathodakâ he cleansed himself daily both inside and outside with the holy waters and feeding on bulbs, seeds, roots and fruits, flowers, leaves, grasses and water, became his body gradually lean undergoing the austerity.
In the province of Kulâcala, there were rivers named Candravasâ, Tâmraparnî and Vathodakâ. King Malayadhvaja used to go to those pious rivers regularly and take his bath there. Thus he purified himself externally and internally. He took his bath and ate bulbs, seeds, leaves, flowers, roots, fruits and grasses and drank water. In this way he underwent severe austerities. Eventually he became very skinny. (Vedabase)
Equipoised he thus conquered the dualities of cold and heat, wind and rain, hunger and thirst, the pleasant and the unpleasant and happiness and distress.
Through austerity, King Malayadhvaja in body and mind gradually became equal to the dualities of cold and heat, happiness and distress, wind and rain, hunger and thirst, the pleasant and the unpleasant. In this way he conquered all relativities. (Vedabase)
By austerity and discipline he burnt up all the impurities; through the regulative principles [niyama] and selfcontrol [yama] he, in complete control over the senses, his life and his consciousness, fixed himself in spiritual realization [compare: 4.22: 24, 3.29: 17].
By worshiping, executing austerities and following the regulative principles, King Malayadhvaja conquered his senses, his life and his consciousness. Thus he fixed everything on the central point of the Supreme Brahman [Krishna]. (Vedabase)
Remaining as immovable as having the same place for a hundred years of the demigods [see 3.11: 12] did he, steady unto Vâsudeva, the Supreme Lord, not know of anything else but to be of that attraction.
In this way he stayed immovable in one place for one hundred years by the calculations of the demigods. After this time, he developed pure devotional attraction for Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and remained fixed in that position. (Vedabase)
He, by the all-pervasiveness of the Supersoul could distinguish himself in perfect knowledge like being in a dream: as the deliberate witness that was sure to have become indifferent ['the glad hero'].
King Malayadhvaja attained perfect knowledge by being able to distinguish the Supersoul from the individual soul. The individual soul is localized, whereas the Supersoul is all-pervasive. He became perfect in knowledge that the material body is not the soul but that the soul is the witness of the material body. (Vedabase)
Under the direct prompting of the Supreme Lord, by the spiritual master Harî [the so called caitya guru or the guru from within], o King, he found the pure light of spiritual knowledge enlightening all perspectives.
In this way King Malayadhvaja attained perfect knowledge because in his pure state he was directly instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By means of such enlightening transcendental knowledge, he could understand everything from all angles of vision. (Vedabase)
Thus observing himself in the transcendental Absolute and the Supersoul of the Absolute also within himself, he, from this process, gave up his reservation and withdrew himself determined.
King Malayadhvaja could thus observe that the Supersoul was sitting by his side, and that he, as the individual soul, was sitting by the side of the Supersoul. Since both were together, there was no need for separate interests; thus he ceased from such activities. (Vedabase)
Accepting her husband as her God, the supreme knower of the principles, served Vaidarbhî, the daughter of Vidarbha, her husband Malayadhvaja with love and devotion and gave she up on her sense enjoyment.
The daughter of King Vidarbha accepted her husband all in all as the Supreme. She gave up all sensual enjoyment and in complete renunciation followed the principles of her husband, who was so advanced. Thus she remained engaged in his service. (Vedabase)
In old rags, lean and thin and with her hair matted, she shone next to her husband as peaceful as the flame of a fire.
The daughter of King Vidarbha wore old garments, and she was lean and thin because of her vows of austerity. Since she did not arrange her hair, it became entangled and twisted in locks. Although she remained always near her husband, she was as silent and unagitated as the flame of an undisturbed fire. (Vedabase)
She, as she was used to, went on serving him, who sat there fixed in his sitting posture, until she, with him having passed away, couldn't detect any sign of life anymore from her beloved husband.
The daughter of King Vidarbha continued as usual to serve her husband, who was seated in a steady posture, until she could ascertain that he had passed away from the body. (Vedabase)
When she no longer felt the warmth of his feet serving him, she became as anxious at heart as a deer on being separated from its partner.
While she was serving her husband by massaging his legs, she could feel that his feet were no longer warm and could thus understand that he had already passed from the body. She felt great anxiety upon being left alone. Bereft of her husband's company, she felt exactly as the deer feels upon being separated from its mate. (Vedabase)
Lamenting to herself how wretched it is to be without a friend she, brokenhearted, began to cry out aloud, wetting her breasts with her tears.
Being now alone and a widow in that forest, the daughter of Vidarbha began to lament, incessantly shedding tears, which soaked her breasts, and crying very loudly. (Vedabase)
'Get up, please, get up!, o saintly King. This world in the middle of the ocean so very much afraid of rogues and rulers full of attachment, you ought to protect!'
O best of kings, please get up! Get up! Just see this world surrounded by water and infested with rogues and so-called kings. This world is very much afraid, and it is your duty to protect her. (Vedabase)
Thus lamenting fell the innocent woman in that solitary place down at the feet of her husband, shedding tears crying.
That most obedient wife thus fell down at the feet of her dead husband and began to cry pitifully in that solitary forest. Thus the tears rolled down from her eyes. (Vedabase)
On top of her husband's body she built a funeral pyre of wood and after igniting it she, with her mind fixed in the lamentation, died [saha-marana] along with him.
She then prepared a blazing fire with firewood and placed the dead body of her husband upon it. When this was finished, she lamented severely and prepared herself to perish in the fire with her husband. (Vedabase)
Before that happened there, pacified some friend, a brahmin, a very learned scholar, her very nicely with mitigating words, speaking to her about her master while she was crying.
My dear King, one brâhmana, who was an old friend of King Purañjana, came to that place and began to pacify the Queen with sweet words. (Vedabase)
The brahmin said: 'Who are you? To whom do you belong and who is this man lying here over whom you are lamenting? Don't you recognize Me as the friend that you in the past have consulted?
The brâhmana inquired as follows: Who are you? Whose wife or daughter are you? Who is the man lying here? It appears you are lamenting for this dead body. Don't you recognize Me? I am your eternal friend. You may remember that many times in the past you have consulted Me. (Vedabase)
Do you remember how, o friend, unfamiliar with the Supersoul, you gave up on Me as being your friend, in attachment to a position of desiring material enjoyment?
The brâhmana continued: My dear friend, even though you cannot immediately recognize Me, can't you remember that in the past you had a very intimate friend? Unfortunately, you gave up My company and accepted a position as enjoyer of this material world. (Vedabase)
You and I, o great soul, are two swans, two friends who, for thousands of years in succession living together in the Mânasa lake [a holy reservoir in the Himalayas representing the pure mind], became separated from their original home.
My dear gentle friend, both you and I are exactly like two swans. We live together in the same heart, which is just like the Mânasa Lake. Although we have been living together for many thousands of years, we are still far away from our original home. (Vedabase)
You as that swan having left me, o friend, moved as someone of a material consciousness toward the earth, going there to find yourself in positions created by some woman.
My dear friend, you are now My very same friend. Since you left Me, you have become more and more materialistic, and not seeing Me, you have been traveling in different forms throughout this material world, which was created by some woman. (Vedabase)
With five gardens, nine gates, one protector, three apartments, six families, five stores and five material elements does it [that material position of having a body] have one woman as its master.
In that city [the material body] there are five gardens, nine gates, one protector, three apartments, six families, five stores, five material elements, and one woman who is lord of the house. (Vedabase)
The gardens are the five objects of the senses, the gates o protector are the nine apertures of the senses, the vital power [fire], water and food [earth] are the three apartments and the families are the five senses themselves and the mind.
My dear friend, the five gardens are the five objects of sense enjoyment, and the protector is the life air, which passes through the nine gates. The three apartments are the chief ingredients--fire, water and earth. The six families are the aggregate total of the mind and five senses. (Vedabase)
The five stores make for the power of action [the five working senses] by which man is the [feminine] controller of the energy of the eternal of the five elements of gross matter to which having entered its domain one is devoid of knowledge.
The five stores are the five working sensory organs. They transact their business through the combined forces of the five elements, which are eternal. Behind all this activity is the soul. The soul is a person and an enjoyer in reality. However, because he is now hidden within the city of the body, he is devoid of knowledge. (Vedabase)
You in that situation being in contact with the splendor are then, enjoying it in her association, without the remembrance of the inexhaustible [of your spiritual existence], and this way you have attained a state that is full of sin, my dear.
My dear friend, when you enter such a body along with the woman of material desires, you become overly absorbed in sense enjoyment. Because of this, you have forgotten your spiritual life. Due to your material conceptions, you are placed in various miserable conditions. (Vedabase)
In fact you are not Vidarbha's daughter, nor is this hero of yours [Malayadhvaja] your well-wishing husband, nor were you Purañjana the husband; you've all that time in the body with its nine gates simply been captivated by the material energy.
Actually, you are not the daughter of Vidarbha, nor is this man, Malayadhvaja, your well-wishing husband. Nor were you the actual husband of Purañjanî. You were simply captivated in this body of nine gates. (Vedabase)
Just see our factual position; from this illusory energy of Mine you no doubt found an existence thinking yourself to be a male, a female or a non-sexual one, but you forgot about the both of us as joined in the pure of the spiritual swanlike.
Sometimes you think yourself a man, sometimes a chaste woman and sometimes a neutral eunuch. This is all because of the body, which is created by the illusory energy. This illusory energy is My potency, and actually both of us--you and I--are pure spiritual identities. Now just try to understand this. I am trying to explain our factual position. (Vedabase)
You and I are not different [in quality] because you, the way you are, are for sure as I am. My friend, the imaginary distinction between the two of us is by the advanced scholars not even in the smallest degree acknowledged whenever.
My dear friend, I, the Supersoul, and you, the individual soul, are not different in quality, for we are both spiritual. In fact, My dear friend, you are qualitatively not different from Me in your constitutional position. Just try to consider this subject. Those who are actually advanced scholars, who are in knowledge, do not find any qualitative difference between you and Me. (Vedabase)
The way someone sees his one body in a mirror, or through the eyes of others, existing as two bodies, is similarly the difference between the two of us described [compare 3.28: 40].
As a person sees the reflection of his body in a mirror to be one with himself and not different, whereas others actually see two bodies, so in our material condition, in which the living being is affected and yet not affected, there is a difference between God and the living entity. (Vedabase)
The individual soul thus like a swan living together in the heart is, being instructed by the other swan, situated in self-realization for then is the real memory regained that was lost in the being separated from the original self.'
In this way both swans live together in the heart. When the one swan is instructed by the other, he is situated in his constitutional position. This means he regains his original Krishna consciousness, which was lost because of his material attraction. (Vedabase)
O Prâcînabarhi, I gave you this analogy of selfrealization, to raise your interest in the Supreme Lord our God, the cause of all causes, in an indirect manner.
My dear King Prâcînabarhi, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, is celebrated to be known indirectly. Thus I have described the story of Purañjana to you. Actually it is an instruction for self-realization. (Vedabase)
*: These seven sons would stand for the initial seven processes of vidhi marga devotional service of hearing, chanting, remembering, offering worship, offering prayers, rendering transcendental loving service and serving the lotus feet of the Lord. Later on were added the raga marga processes of the balance--friendship and surrendering of everything.
For
this original translation a one-volume printed copy
has been used with an extensive commentary.
ISBN: o-91277-27-7
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