Puranjana
Vijitashva became the emperor of the world, and he appointed his four younger brothers as governors of the different directions. At the time when Indra had invisibly stolen King Prithu’s sacrificial horse, Vijitashva had seen this but had refrained from attacking him out of respect for such a great personality. Indra very much appreciated this, and so he gave him the mystic power of appearing and disappearing at will, and for this reason, the eldest son of King Prithu also became known as Antardhana.
Through his wife, Shikhandini, Maharaja Antardhana begot three sons- Pavaka, Pavamana, and Suchi, who were formerly fire-gods that had to take birth as human beings due to Vasishtha’s curse. After attaining perfection in mystic yoga, these three sons of Vijitashva became reinstated in their original positions. By another wife, named Nabhasvati, Maharaja Antardhana begot a fourth son named Havirdhana.
Because Maharaja Antardhana was unwilling to exact taxes or punish the citizens, he retired from his royal duties at an early age, on the plea of wanting to perform various sacrifices. Although the king engaged in these fruitive activities, since he was a self-realized devotee, he simultaneously executed the process of pure devotional service by hearing and chanting the glories of the Supreme Lord. In this way, he very easily attained the ultimate goal of life by going home, back to Godhead.
Through his wife, Havirdhani, King Havirdhana begot six sons, named Barhishat, Gaya, Shukla, Krishna, Satya and Jitavrata. The powerful Maharaja Barhishat, who was also called Prachinabarhi, was very expert in performing various kinds of fruitive sacrifices, as well as the mystic yoga system, and thus he became posted as one of the prajapatis. By the order of Lord Brahma, Prachinabarhi married the daughter of the Ocean, named Shatadruti, who was very young and exquisitely beautiful.
After being very gorgeously dressed and ornamented, when Shatadruti entered the marriage arena and began circumambulating the sacrificial fire, Agni became very attracted to her, just as he had formerly desired to enjoy the company of Suki. Indeed, all of the demigods, demons and great sages that were present there became captivated simply by hearing the tinkling of Shatadruti’s ankle-bells.
Thereafter, King Prachinabarhi begot ten sons in the womb of his wife, and they became known as the Prachetas. It being Satya-yuga, when their father ordered them to marry and beget children, the Prachetas first of all left home to engage in the performance of austerities for 10,000 years. While traveling, the Prachetas came to a great lake that was very calm and quiet, like the mind of a great soul, and even the aquatics living within the water appeared to be very peaceful and happy. Lotus flowers of various colors grew in the water, and on the shore could be seen numerous swans, chakravakas, karandavas and other water birds. Flowering trees bordered the lake, and the humming sound of maddened bumblebees filled the air.
While appreciating this heavenly atmosphere, the Prachetas were also surprised to hear the sounds of various drums and other musical instruments, as if coming from somewhere nearby. Suddenly, Lord Shiva emerged from the water, along with his associates, including numerous musicians that were engaged in glorifying him. Lord Shiva’s bodily luster was like molten gold, although his throat was bluish, and he had three eyes that mercifully glanced at his devotees. Upon seeing Lord Shiva before them, the astonished Prachetas offered their obeisances by falling down at his lotus feet.
Lord Shiva was very pleased with the princes, and while smiling graciously, he spoke to them as follows:
“O sons of Prachinabarhi, I wish all good fortune for you. I know your purpose in coming here, and thus I have appeared before you just to show you mercy. You should know that anyone who is a surrendered soul unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, is very dear to me.”
“One who properly executes his duties in the varnashram system becomes qualified to occupy the post of Brahma, and after becoming still more qualified, he can approach me. However, anyone who directly engages in the unalloyed devotional service of Lord Vishnu is immediately promoted to the spiritual world. You are all devotees of the Supreme Lord, and so please listen very carefully and attentively as I chant a mantra that is the best prayer for anyone who aspires to attain the ultimate goal of life.”
As the Prachetas stood before him with folded hands, Lord Shiva recited the prayer as follows:
“O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all glories unto You, for You are the supreme living being, the Supreme Soul, and thus You are worshipable by all. You are the origin of the subtle material ingredients, from which this creation has become manifest, and You are the all-pervading Lord Vasudeva, who expands Himself as Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. You are inclination, disinclination, and their resultant activities, and You are the topmost of all those who bestow benedictions.”
“My dear Lord, I wish to see You in Your original form, which is very dear to the devotees, for only by visualizing that form can all the demands of the senses become perfectly satisfied. The Lord’s complexion resembles a dark cloud during the monsoon season, and just as the rainfall glistens, His bodily features appear to sparkle. The Lord’s exquisitely lovely face is adorned with eyes like lotus petals; a beautiful, highly raised nose; and an enchanting smile that captivates the mind of the beholder. The Lord’s black hair is curly and the superexcellent beauty of His face becomes enhanced by His sidelong glances. The Lord’s garments, which wave in the wind, as well as His glittering earrings, shining helmet, bangles, garland, ankle-bells, the sash around His waist, and other bodily ornaments, combine to increase His natural beauty.”
“The Lord’s shoulders are broad like a lion’s, and upon His chest hangs the Kaustubha-mani. The glittering curls of golden hair upon the Lord’s chest, called Shrivatsa, excels the beauty of the golden streaks that are found on the black stone that is used for testing the quality of gold. The Lord’s abdomen is very beautiful due to it’s three ripples of flesh, and because it is so round, it resembles the leaf of a banyan tree. When He inhales and exhales, the movement of those ripples appears fascinatingly beautiful. The folds within the Lord’s navel are so deep, that it seems as if the entire universe had sprouted out of it and also wishes to return there. The Lord’s hips are covered by a sash that is decorated with golden embroidery. His symmetrical lotus feet, calves, thighs, and knees are also extremely beautiful, and thus His entire body appears to be very well built.”
“My dear Lord, Your two lotus feet are like two blossoming lotus petals and the nails of Your lotus feet emanate such a great effulgence that the darkness within the heart of Your devotee immediately becomes dissipated by meditating upon them. For this reason, those who desire to purify their existence must always meditate upon Your lotus feet while engaging in the process of bhakti-yoga. Only by the execution of pure devotional service do You become satisfied. Considering this, who would take to any other process of self-realization if he is actually serious about achieving the perfection of life?”
“Simply by the expansion of his eyebrows, invincible Time can vanquish the entire universe. However, formidable Time does not approach the devotee who has taken complete shelter of Your lotus feet. Even a fraction of a moment’s association with a pure devotee can award blessings that cannot be compared to heavenly elevation or even liberation, and thus I beg Your Lordship to benedict me with such association.”
“My dear Lord, Your absolute authority cannot be directly experienced, but one can guess of it by seeing how everything in this world is being destroyed in due course of time. As the wind invisibly scatters clouds in the sky, so time imperceptibly scatters everything, and thus one can indirectly feel the presence of Your hand. Everyone in this material world is mad after making plans due to uncontrollable greed. However, Your Lordship is always alert, and in due course of time, You strike one down, just as a snake seizes a mouse and very easily swallows him. For this reason, a learned man is one who knows that unless he worships You, his entire life is spoiled.”
Lord Shiva then instructed the Prachetas,
“My dear princes, you should chant this prayer while fixing your minds upon the lotus feet of the Lord. Being situated within your hearts, the Lord will soon become very pleased with you if you faithfully follow this process. This prayer was first spoken by Lord Brahma to us, the Prajapatis, when we were ordered by him to create progeny. By chanting this prayer in praise of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we became completely free from all kinds of ignorance. Any devotee of the Lord who chants this prayer with great attention and reverence, with mind absorbed in Him, will achieve the greatest perfection of life without delay.”
After receiving instructions from Lord Shiva, the Prachetas worshiped him with great respect and devotion. Then, after Lord Shiva’s departure, the princes entered the water, and while standing there for 10,000 years, they regularly recited the prayer that had been given to them.
Meanwhile, as their father, Prachinabarhi, was performing various kinds of fruitive activities, the great sage Narada became compassionate, and then appeared before him to impart instructions about spiritual life.
After being properly received by Prachinabarhishat, Narada inquired,
“My dear King, what do you hope to achieve by performing these fruitive activities? The chief aim of life is to get rid of all miseries and enjoy perfect happiness, but his cannot be attained by such fruitive endeavors.”
The King replied,
“O great soul, Narada, because my intelligence is entangled in fruitive activities, I do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. Therefore, kindly instruct me in pure knowledge so that I can get out of the entanglement of household life, wherein one takes wealth and women to be of prime importance.”
Narada then said,
“My dear King, by utilizing my mystic power I will show you the animals that you have mercilessly killed in the sacrificial arena. Look up into the sky and see how they are awaiting your death so that they can gain revenge by piercing your body with their iron horns. Those animals that are sacrificed properly can immediately be promoted to the human form of life, but when there are discrepancies, the performer of the sacrifice becomes liable for such punishment. Now, in order to instruct you, I will relate a very old history about King Puranjana, and so please try to hear me with great attention.”
The story that was then narrated by Narada was actually nothing other than the life of King Prachinabarhishat, told in an allegorical way. The word puranjana literally means, “one who enjoys within a body”.
Once, there lived a king of the Panchala country, named Puranjana, who was very famous because of his heroic activities. He had a friend named Avigyata (the unknown one, the Paramatma), whose activities could not be understood by anyone. With the desire to find a suitable place to live, King Puranjana travelled all over the world, and yet, he still could not find a residence to his liking. Although he had tried to find a place for fulfilling his unlimited desires for sense gratification, he finally became morose and disappointed because he experienced insufficiency everywhere.
Then, once, while wandering, Puranjana came to a place called Bharata-varsha, on the southern side of the Himalayas. There, he saw a city having nine gates and containing all auspicious facilities (a human birth in India). Surrounding the city were walls (skin) and parks (hair), and within were towers (raised parts, such as the head and nose), canals (wrinkles and depressions), and houses whose domes were made of gold, silver and iron (the three modes of material nature). Within the houses, the floors were made of sapphire, crystal, diamonds, pearls, emeralds and rubies (desires for material enjoyment within the heart), and thus the city resembled Bhogavati, the capital of the Nagas (the heart is considered to be the capital of the body). Within the city there were also many nice assembly houses (the heart of the body, where the atma and Paramatma reside), restaurants, market places, resting places, streets (airs blowing within the body), and beautiful parks.
On the outskirts of the city was a nice lake, encircled by many beautiful trees and creepers. The humming of bees and singing of birds combined to make the whole atmosphere very pleasing. (Such lakes and gardens refer to those parts of the body that incite sexual impulses.) The branches of the trees received particles of water that were being carried by the spring air from waterfalls coming down from the icy mountain. (The waterfall represents the sexual mellow, the spring air represents Cupid. When they come in contact, one becomes agitated.)
In such a nice atmosphere, even the forest animals were nonviolent and non-envious, like great sages. (The serene atmosphere is compared to a peaceful family life, and the animals represent the children.) Above all other sounds could be heard the cooing of the cuckoos. (In family life, even the turmoil that is created by the wife and children appear to one just like the cooing of cuckoos.) Anyone who came to this nice park would be invited to take rest by the very pleasing atmosphere.
While wandering here and there in that garden (the body), King Puranjana suddenly saw a very beautiful woman who was walking there, without any particular engagement. (In youth, when the sex impulse is awakened, a man searches after the opposite sex by the use of intelligence, either actively or in his imagination.) She was accompanied by ten servants (five knowledge acquiring and five working senses), and each of them was followed by hundreds of wives (desires of the senses).
The beautiful young woman was being protected on all sides by a five-hooded snake. (The vital force, which includes five kinds of air, is likened to a bodyguard, for without it, one could not live for a moment.) She appeared very anxious to find a suitable husband. (The woman represents intelligence, which cannot act without consciousness, the husband. she is described as very young, indicating that intelligence must be very fresh.) Her nose, teeth, and forehead were very lovely, as were her ears, which were adorned with dazzling earrings. (In material life, one utilizes the body of intelligence to enjoy the objects of sense gratification.) The girl’s waist and hips were exquisitely formed, and she wore a yellow sari with a golden sash. Due to shyness, she repeatedly tried to cover her well-rounded breasts with the end of her sari, and as she walked, her ankle-bells tinkled. (These descriptions express the mind’s joyfulness at seeing a beautiful young girl. The two breasts represent attachment and envy, which are but opposite sides of the same coin, and thus non-different.)
The great hero, Puranjana (When one chooses to be a servant of the senses, he can become a great material hero. If one chooses to resist the attraction of beautiful women, thus becoming a controller of the senses, a gosvami, he can become a great spiritual hero.) was very attracted by the woman’s shyly smiling face, and his heart became pierced by the arrows of her lusty glances.
Being captivated, Puranjana could not resist addressing her as follows: “My dear lotus-eyed one, please tell me who you are, from where you have come, who is your father, and what is your purpose in coming here? (In the human form of life, one should utilize his intelligence to inquire about self-realization.) Who are these eleven strong bodyguards that accompany you, (the mind and the senses) and who are the women that are following them? Who is the snake that precedes you?”
“My dear beautiful girl, you appear to be exactly like the goddess of fortune, Lakshmi; the goddess of learning, Sarasvati; or Uma, the wife of Lord Shiva. And yet, on the other hand, you seem to be loitering in this forest as if in search of a husband.”
“You appear to be the goddess of fortune, but because I do not see a lotus flower in your hand, I wonder where you may have thrown it. (Puranjana knew very well that the goddess of fortune cannot be enjoyed by anyone except Lord Vishnu.) Then again, it appears that you must be a woman of this planet, and not any of the above-mentioned goddesses, for your feet are seen to touch the ground. Still, just like the goddess of fortune, who increases the beauty of the Vaikuntha planets, you can enhance the beauty of my city by associating with me.”
“You should know that I am a very famous, powerful, and heroic king, and I possess all kinds of opulence. (Because every woman wants such a husband, Puranjana introduced himself in this way.) By your glances you have greatly excited my mind. Your smile, which is full of shyness, but is at the same time very lusty, has agitated the cupid within me.”
“My dear girl, your face is so beautiful and your voice so sweet, but you are so shy that you do not look me directly in the eye. Please be merciful and raise your smiling face so that you can see me.”
Puranjana spoke in this way because he was eager to see the complete feature of maya. Because he was so eager to touch and enjoy the young girl, he wooed her very aggressively, and as a result, she also became attracted to him.
Having thus become captivated, the woman accepted Puranjana’s request by smiling, and then she replied,
“O best of human beings, I do not know who has begotten me, nor do I know the names or origin of my associates (this is the ignorance of the conditioned soul in material existence). I only know that I am existing in this place, and I have no idea about what will become of me hereafter. Indeed, I am so foolish that I do not even care to understand who has created this beautiful place for my residence. All I know is that these men and women are my friends, and the snake that always remains awake protects this city even during my sleep (even during sleep, the breathing process goes on).”
“O great hero, it is my good fortune that you have somehow or other come here. I know that you have a great desire to satisfy your senses, and so I, and all of my friends will try our best to gratify you in all respects. (The woman represents intelligence, which is given by the Supreme Soul; and Puranjana, the conditioned soul, utilizes the direction of intelligence for gratifying his senses to the best of his ability.) I have arranged this city of nine gates so that you may live here for one hundred years and enjoy all kinds of sense gratification to your full satisfaction.”
“How could I desire to unite with anyone other than you- especially those who are not self-centered householders (grihamedhi) and followers of the pravrti-marga (the path of increasing attachment)? Such persons are no better than plants (having no facility for sexual intercourse) or animals (being without knowledge of how to really enjoy sex-life). On the other hand, householders can attain success in terms of dharma, artha, and kama, which culminates in heavenly elevation. Indeed, the poor brahmacharis, vanaprasthas and sannyasis, as well as the lower forms of life, can hardly imagine the happiness that is enjoyed in household life, centered around sex.”
“Household life is so glorious because it is not only pleasing to oneself, but also to the forefathers, the demigods, the great sages, and people in general.” (Householders may, in fact, fulfill all kinds of material obligations, but they usually neglect their real duty, which is to satisfy Mukunda, the Supreme Lord.)
“My dear hero, who would not accept a husband like you, who is so famous, magnanimous, handsome, and easily gotten? Who would not become attracted by your arms that are just like the bodies of serpents? I think that you travel all over the earth just to relieve the distress of husbandless women like ourselves, with your attractive smile and aggressive mercy.”
Thereafter, King Puranjana and the woman, supporting one another with their mutual understanding, entered the city and continued to enjoy life for one hundred years. Numerous professional singers were engaged in describing the king’s glorious activities, and when it was too hot in the summer, he would enter a nice lake and enjoy the company of many women. Through two gates on the eastern side of the city, named Khadyota (“glowworm”, the weaker left eye) and Avirmukhi (“torchlight”, the stronger right eye) the king used to go to the city of Vibhrajita (clear vision, or form), accompanied by a friend named Dyuman (the sun).
Through another two gates on the eastern side named Nalini and Nalini (nostrils), the king used to go to the city of Saurabha (aroma), accompanied by a friend named Avadhuta (air, or the sense of smell). Through the fifth gate on the eastern side named Mukhya (the mouth, which was the chief gate), the king used to visit two places named Bahudana (varieties of food) and Apana (speech), accompanied by two friends named Rasagya (the tongue, or sense of taste) and Vipana (the faculty of speech).
Through the southern gate named Pitrihu (the right ear, which is used for karma-kandiya activities), the king used to visit the city named Dakshina-panchala (higher planets such as the Pitriloka, or the scriptures that prescribe the pravritti-marga), accompanied by his friend Shrutadhara. Through the northern gate named Devahu (the left ear, which is used for taking spiritual initiation), the king used to go to Uttara-panchala (still higher planets and ultimately, Vaikuntha, or the scriptures that describe the nivritti-marga), along with his friend, Srutadhara.
Through the gate on the western side named Asuri (the genitals, which are especially meant for the asuras), the king used to go to the city of Gramaka (the place where sex is indulged in to a great extent), accompanied by his friend Durmada (the faculty for procreation. dur means “sinful” and mada means “madness”. one who engages in sense gratification must accept this friend, Durmada). Through another gate on the western side, named Nirriti (the anus, or painful gate. A gluttonous person passes stool painfully, and an ordinary person leaves his body painfully through the rectum), the king used to go to the place known as Vaishas (hell), along with his friend Lubdhaka (greed).
The king also used to associate with two blind men named Nirvak and Peshaskrit (the arms and legs, which cannot speak or see), and in their company he would go here and there to perform his various activities. Sometimes he would go to a private house, along with one of his chief servants, named Visuchina (meaning “going everywhere”, the mind), and in the association of his wife and children he would sometimes feel illusioned, sometimes materially satisfied, and sometimes actually happy (the results of ignorance, passion and goodness, respectively).
Becoming entangled in fruitive activities, which arise from mental concoction, Puranjana came completely under the control of material intelligence, and thus he was cheated. Indeed, his entire life was spent in fulfilling the desires of his wife, the queen (material intelligence).
When the queen drank, Puranjana drank- and when she dined, he also ate along with her. When the queen sang, Puranjana also sang- and when she cried, he cried too. When the queen laughed, Puranjana would laugh- and when she walked, he walked behind her. When she stood still, he stood still- and when she would lay down in bed, he would lay down beside her. When the queen would hear something, he would hear the same thing- and when she saw something, he would also look at it. When the queen felt enjoyment, Puranjana also enjoyed- and when she lamented, the poor king had to follow her in her sorrow (the soul is situated in the mind, and the mind is conducted by intelligence. thus, the living entity follows his intelligence, just as the king followed his queen. only by taking help of spiritual intelligence can one come out of this entanglement).
One day, King Puranjana took his great bow and quiver of unlimited arrows (attachment and hatred), and after encasing himself in golden armor (his great pride), he mounted upon his chariot (the body). Accompanied by his eleven military commanders, (the ten senses and the mind) King Puranjana departed for the forest called Pancha-prastha. (five destinations, or the five sense objects. Going to the forest represents how one engages in sinful life, being impelled by ignorance.)
Puranjana’s chariot was driven by five swift horses (the five knowledge-acquiring senses, which go on running, year after year, without making any progress), and had two wheels (religious and sinful life, which are two facilities for progressing to one’s destination) mounted upon one axle. The chariot had three flags (the three modes of nature), one rein (the mind), a driver (the Paramatma, or intelligence), one sitting place (the heart), two poles onto which the harness was fixed (the dualities, or lamentation and illusion, which are two causes of bondage), and seven coverings (skin, muscle, fat, blood, marrow, bone and semen). The king placed two explosive arrows upon the chariot (the two attitudes of false ego, “I” and “mine”), which moved in five different styles (the activities of the five working senses), had five obstacles placed before it (the five airs within the body), and had golden decorations (indicating that Puranjana was highly influenced by the mode of passion).
This describes how the living entity is caged within the material body and is thus conducted by the three modes of material nature. Narada wanted to prove to King Prachinabarhishat that, although he was supposed to be a very religious man, he was actually under the influence of ignorance, especially in the matter of performing animal sacrifices.
Normally, it was almost impossible for King Puranjana to give up the association of his queen for even a moment, but when he became inspired to go hunting, he left for the forest without even caring for her (in other words, Puranjana went woman-hunting). Coming under the influence of demoniac propensities, due to excessive pride and passion, Puranjana’s heart became very hard and merciless, and thus, with his sharp arrows, he began killing many innocent animals without consideration.
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