King Purañjana Goes to the Forest to Hunt, and His Queen Becomes Angry

haimopaskaram āruhya

svarṇa-varmākṣayeṣudhiḥ

ekādaśa-camū-nāthaḥ

pañca-prastham agād vanam

Nārada said: Once upon a time, the King took up his great bow, and equipped with golden armor and an inexhaustible quiver, accompanied by a commander among eleven, he sat on his chariot driven by five swift horses and went to the forest. The gold chariot had two shafts, two wheels, one axle, three flags, five supports, one rein, one chariot driver, one sitting place, two poles to which the yoke was fixed, five weapons and seven protective coverings. The chariot of widespread exploits moved to five destinations.

In the Twenty-sixth Chapter, the jīva gives up proper intelligence by the influence of tamas and then regains it. Though the jīva has discrimination and a sense of dharma, by fate, at some time of other, by the arousal of tamas, he loses his discrimination and becomes attached to forbidden objects. This is shown by describing the body, greedy for enjoyment, as a chariot. The King, at one time, got on the chariot and went to the forest towards five destinations. Three verses are one sentence. He had a bow. This indicates his absorption in being the doer and enjoyer. The five horses are the five knowledge senses, which travel quickly. There are two shafts on the chariot (dvīṣam), ego and possessiveness, and there are two wheels, sinful and pious acts. It has one axel, pradhāna, and three flags or guṇas. It has five supports (bandhuram), the five life airs. It has one rein, the mind and one driver, the intelligence. There is one seat, the heart. There are two shafts for binding the yoke, namely lamentation and illusion. There are five weapons, the activities of the five (knowledge) senses such as hearing. There are seven protective coverings on the chariot, the seven dhātus. Pañca-vikrama means widespread exploits. Pañca can mean widespread as well as five from the root pac. This refers to the actions of the five action senses. It is covered in gold (haima). The other meaning is the jīva has many material coverings as one puts on clothing to keep warm in winter (another meaning of haima). The golden armor is the protection of rajoguṇa. The inexhaustible quiver means infinite desires. He has eleven commanders. The eleventh commander is mind. The mind is called the reins because of its desires or impressions, but is called the commander because of its power to make decisions. He went to a place called Pañcaprastha, which means articles containing the five sense objects. Prasthā means a plateau or plain.

Hunting means the sin of going out to find another woman. His arrows are attachment and repulsion etc. His bow is absorption in enjoyment. His wife is intelligence possessing qualities of dharma.

He began sinful activities including violence using his arrows of attachment and repulsion.

“But the king was allowed to hunt according to scripture. And, from the spiritual point of view, because the jīva is an enjoyer, he should enjoy sense objects. Why criticize him?” Three verses answer. The meaning is this. Hunting is not allowed simply because one is passionate. It is restricted. The tendency is limited. Six rules are shown. If he is very attached to eating meat (alam lubdhaḥ), he can hunt. But it should be for śrāddha rites (tīrtheṣu), on special occasions (śruti-dṛsṭeṣu),1 not daily śrāddha rites. Only the king can do this. Only animals suitable for sacrifice should be killed. This should be done only in the forest, and only when required. Similarly the jīva is allowed enjoyment of the sense objects as much as necessary, but not to the fullest extent.

He is not contaminated by that action arising from knowledge.

If he breaks the rules (anyathā), because of lack of purity in the antaḥkaraṇa, he begins to think of himself as the doer. He then becomes bound by the actions. Then he falls under the influence of the guṇas and goes downwards. Spiritually speaking, this verse describes the jīva’s enjoyment of objects of forbidden by scriptures.

After discussing a side issue, the story continues. The killing (viplavaḥ) by arrows (vicitra-vājaiḥ) was unbearable. The hint of Nārada is “Committing sin such as violence by senses filled with various faults is intolerable for persons like us with compassion. Therefore you are being informed.”

He became tired. The jīva with some tendencies of dharma by good fortune may repent after committing sins for some time.

“Exhausted from hunger and thirst” means that he was troubled on remembering his sinful acts. He then gave up his sinful acts. He then returned home, giving up sinful acts and establishing himself in the rules of dharma. He took his bath: he called brāhmaṇas and had them perform atonements for him. He took suitable food: he gave up meat and liquor. He took rest: he was somewhat steady.

Honoring devotees, sages and wise men, he purified himself internally, by hearing various instructions on dharma and knowledge. When internally he was completely attached to the rules of scripture, returning to his previous condition, he remembered his intelligence fixed in dharma.

This verse indicates that his impressions of sinful life had left him. “Enamored by Cupid” means that he became eager to find his young intelligence fixed in dharma in his previous state. But he did not see her. According to the story, however, having gone to the forest on the pretext of hunting, he enjoyed with some women. He then thought of her as his wife. Spiritually speaking, because of the disappearance of the last traces of contamination due to committing some sin, though one desires one’s previous intelligence in order to act according to dharma, it does not appear immediately.

O King Prācīnabarhi (vediṣat)! Are you who accompany the Queen well?

Now (etarhi), without her, the house is not pleasing. The women of the house are the actions of the antaḥkaraṇa in their previous condition, inclined to dharma. They suddenly appeared. Seeing them, he considered “If the actions of my intelligence remain steady, destroying my present impressions of sin, they can deliver me.” Thus he asks how they are. “But you should become happy by enjoying material objects. What is the use of dharma?” The first line of the verse answers: now, the forbidden objects do not give pleasure. The mother is bhakti to Viṣṇu. The wife is intelligence endowed with dharma. Vyaḍge means without wheels.

Where is she? The actions of the intelligence (the Queen’s assistants) are not so helpful. He laments that they are not the intelligence itself.

Niravastāre means “without bedding.” His heart is her flower bed. She has given that up. The intelligence endowed with dharma is lying on the ground.

Avadhūtām means “giving up respect for the body.” Seeing that she was injured because of leaving his heart on her own, he thought, “I have committed a great offense.” Being anxious to associate again with her, he deprecated his foolishness. Vaiklayvam means miserable.

By good fortune my previous intelligence has again appeared, without whom I will become unfortunate. He repeated this in his mind. He could not see in her anger caused by affection. For a moment he thought “Why did I commit those sinful activities?”

He appeased her saying, “From today I will no longer use my intelligence for enjoying sinfully.” Her two feet represent giving up ahaḍkāra and respecting the devotees. “He put her on his lap” means he put her back in his heart.

Dear wife! You have punished me by your anger. That is your mercy to teach this foolish servant who has committed offense. I will never give up in this life. He says this in two verses by introducing general principles. Considering the servant to be dependent on him (ātmasāt kṛtvā), the master does not punish the servant in order to teach him. That servant is unfortunate. Those who get punished are fortunate. I have been punished, and consider myself fortunate. On the spiritual level, the devotee thinks “Though I am reformed now, it is difficult to bear the public criticism and dissatisfaction in my heart caused by those temporary sinful acts. The Supreme Lord himself has punished me to teach me. I will not give up proper intelligence again in this life.” He addresses the intelligence by his mind in two verses.

The victim of punishment who laments is a fool. Amarṣaṇaḥ means one who becomes angry. The devotee speaks internally to good intelligence. I have given up good intelligence and now repent. That is my punishment given by you. It is the highest mercy to me, for I will not become attached to sin again.

Having given punishment, now give mercy. You are my mistress (sā). You have languid, bright, smiling glances showing attraction, and shyness and sweet words. The devotee prays, “That is certainly my previous intelligence. May she become favorable and steady!”

O wife of a hero! You are the wife of a king! I will punish whoever has offended you, because I belong to you (aham tava), I am dependent on you. But I do not have power over the brāhmaṇas and the servants of Viṣṇu. Purañjana is actually Prācīnabarhiṣat, who would not break the rules established by his father and grandfather (Pṛthu). The rule was:

sarvatrāskhalitādeśaḥ sapta-dvīpaika-daṇòa-dhṛk

anyatra brāhmaṇa-kulād anyatrācyuta-gotrataḥ

His order was unchallenged anywhere. He had authority over all except the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. SB 4.21.12

Pṛthu would not punish or take taxes from the brāhmaṇas or Vaiṣṇavas. Other than these two, I do not see anyone in the three worlds or beyond the three worlds who can remain without fear and have great joy. That offender will die out of fear of me. Spiritually speaking, the following is implied. “If I have faults because of old impressions or committing sin, I will perform charity, vows and pious acts to atone (damam) for the faults. But if an obstacle has arisen from the anger of a brāhmaṇa or offense to a Vaiṣṇava, that is difficult to remove. Except for offenses to brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas I can make atonement. The only relief from offending these two is their mercy, and nothing else.” He speaks with pride at being able to uproot irreligion in the last two lines of the verse.

I never see your face without tilaka. Now I see it without tilaka. That is my misfortune. I never see you without red lips stained with betel (kuṁkuma-paḍka-rāgam). In another version, the phrase modified “breasts.” The present condition indicates that the intelligence is not pleased as she was formerly.

He prays for the mercy of his wife. Devaram (beloved husband) means “he who bestows (ra) amusement (deva).” His independence as a man (pauṁsnam) has been shattered by the agitation of Cupid’s arrow. Who would not accept such a husband for affectionate activities of love (uśatī-kṛtye)? This verse describes directly meeting with the dharmic intelligence. Be pleased and reside in my heart. I am uncontrollable (svairam), having committed sin by going hunting and killing. Hunting and committing sin are equivalent in meaning according to the dictionary. Good intelligence should be situated with him. He expresses this principle by a particular question. Just as a woman does not give up her lover who has done wrong, so intelligence should not give me up. O good intelligence! Do not give me up.

Thus ends the commentary on the Twenty-sixth Chapter of the Fourth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.