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.”
This is a section of the book “A Sidelong Glance”.
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