Causelessmercy - Ebook - Srimad-Bhagavatam - Canto 4 - 28

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Twenty-eight

Puranjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life

SB4.28.1

TEXT 1

narada uvaca

sainika bhaya-namno ye

barhisman dista-karinah

prajvara-kala-kanyabhyam

vicerur avanim imam

SYNONYMS

naradah uvaca—the great sage Narada continued to speak; sainikah—the soldiers; bhaya-namnah—of Bhaya (Fear); ye—all of them who; barhisman—O King Pracinabarhisat; dista-karinah—the order carriers of death; prajvara—with Prajvara; kala-kanyabhyam—and with Kalakanya; viceruh—traveled; avanim—on earth; imam—this.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Narada continued: My dear King Pracinabarhisat, afterward, the King of the Yavanas, whose name is fear itself, as well as Prajvara, Kalakanya, and his soldiers, began to travel all over the world.

PURPORT

The period of life just prior to death is certainly very dangerous because usually at this time people are attacked by the weakness of old age as well as many kinds of disease. The diseases that attack the body are compared here to soldiers. These soldiers are not ordinary soldiers, for they are guided by the King of the Yavanas, who acts as their commander-in-chief. The word dista-karinah indicates that he is their commander. When a man is young, he does not care for old age, but enjoys sex to the best of his satisfaction, not knowing that at the end of life his sexual indulgence will bring on various diseases, which so much disturb the body that one will pray for immediate death. The more one enjoys sex during youth, the more he suffers in old age.

ta ekada tu rabhasa

puranjana-purim nrpa

rurudhur bhauma-bhogadhyam

jarat-pannaga-palitam

te—they; ekada—once upon a time; tu—then; rabhasa—with great force; puranjana-purim—the city of Puranjana; nrpa—O King; rurudhuh—encircled; bhauma-bhoga-adhyam—full of sense enjoyments; jarat—old; pannaga—by the serpent; palitam—protected.

Once the dangerous soldiers attacked the city of Puranjana with great force. Although the city was full of paraphernalia for sense gratification, it was being protected by the old serpent.

As one’s body engages in sense gratification, it becomes weaker and weaker daily. Finally the vital force becomes so weak that it is herein compared to a weak serpent. The life air has already been compared to the serpent. When the vital force within the body becomes weak, the body itself also becomes weak. At such a time the death symptoms—that is, the dangerous soldiers of death’s superintendent, Yamaraja—begin to attack very severely. According to the Vedic system, before coming to such a stage one should leave home and take sannyasa to preach the message of God for the duration of life. However, if one sits at home and is served by his beloved wife and children, he certainly becomes weaker and weaker due to sense gratification. When death finally comes, one leaves the body devoid of spiritual assets. At the present time, even the oldest man in the family does not leave home, being attracted by wife, children, money, opulence, dwelling, etc. Thus at the end of life one worries about how his wife will be protected and how she will manage the great family responsibilities. In this way a man usually thinks of his wife before death. According to Bhagavad-gita (8.6):

yam yam vapi smaran bhavam
tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti kaunteya
sada tad-bhava-bhavitah

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.”

At the end of life, a person thinks of what he has done throughout his whole life; thus he gets another body (dehantara) according to his thoughts and desires at the end of life. One overly addicted to life at home naturally thinks of his beloved wife at the end of life. Consequently, in the next life he gets the body of a woman, and he also acquires the results of his pious or impious activities. In this chapter the acceptance of a woman’s body by King Puranjana will be thoroughly explained.

kala-kanyapi bubhuje

puranjana-puram balat

yayabhibhutah purusah

sadyo nihsaratam iyat

kala-kanya—the daughter of Kala; api—also; bubhuje—took possession of; puranjana-puram—the city of Puranjana; balat—by force; yaya—by whom; abhibhutah—being overwhelmed; purusah—a person; sadyah—immediately; nihsaratam—uselessness; iyat—gets.

Gradually Kalakanya, with the help of dangerous soldiers, attacked all the inhabitants of Puranjana’s city and thus rendered them useless for all purposes.

At the fag end of life, when the invalidity of old age attacks a man, his body becomes useless for all purposes. Therefore Vedic training dictates that when a man is in his boyhood he should be trained in the process of brahmacarya; that is, he should be completely engaged in the service of the Lord and should not in any way associate with women. When the boy becomes a young man, he marries between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. When he is married at the right age, he can immediately beget strong, healthy sons. Now female descendants are increasing because young men are very weak sexually. A male child will be born if the husband is sexually stronger than the wife, but if the female is stronger, a female child will be born. Thus it is essential to practice the system of brahmacarya if one wishes to beget a male child when one is married. When one reaches the age of fifty, he should give up family life. At that time one’s child should be grown up so that the father can leave the family responsibilities to him. The husband and wife may then go abroad to live a retired life and travel to different places of pilgrimage. When both the husband and wife lose their attachment for family and home, the wife returns home to live under the care of her grown-up children and to remain aloof from family affairs. The husband then takes sannyasa to render some service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

This is the perfect system of civilization. The human form of life is especially meant for God realization. If one is unable to take to the process of Krsna consciousness from the very beginning of life, he must be trained to accept these principles at the fag end of life. Unfortunately, there is no training even in childhood, nor can one give up his family life even at the end. This is the situation with the city of Puranjana, figuratively described in these verses.

tayopabhujyamanam vai

yavanah sarvato-disam

dvarbhih pravisya subhrsam

prardayan sakalam purim

taya—by Kalakanya; upabhujyamanam—being taken possession of; vai—certainly; yavanah—the Yavanas; sarvatah-disam—from all sides; dvarbhih—through the gates; pravisya—having entered; su-bhrsam—greatly; prardayan—giving trouble; sakalam—all over; purim—the city.

When Kalakanya, 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.

The body has nine gates—the two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, mouth, rectum and genitals. When one is harassed by the invalidity of old age, various diseases manifest at the gates of the body. For example, the eyes become so dim that one requires spectacles, and the ears become too weak to hear directly, and therefore one requires hearing aids. The nostrils are blocked by mucus, and one has to always sniff a medicinal bottle containing ammonia. Similarly, the mouth, too weak to chew, requires false teeth. The rectum also gives one trouble, and the evacuation process becomes difficult. Sometimes one has to take enemas and sometimes use a surgical nozzle to accelerate the passing of urine. In this way the city of Puranjana was attacked at various gates by the soldiers. Thus in old age all the gates of the body are blocked by so many diseases, and one has to take help from so many medicines and surgical appliances.

tasyam prapidyamanayam

abhimani puranjanah

avaporu-vidhams tapan

kutumbi mamatakulah

tasyam—when the city; prapidyamanayam—was put into different difficulties; abhimani—too much absorbed; puranjanah—King Puranjana; avapa—achieved; uru—many; vidhan—varieties; tapan—pains; kutumbi—family man; mamata-akulah—too much affected by attachment to family.

When the city was thus endangered by the soldiers and Kalakanya, King Puranjana, being overly absorbed in affection for his family, was placed in difficulty by the attack of Yavana-raja and Kalakanya.

When we refer to the body, we include the external gross body with its various limbs, as well as the mind, intelligence and ego. In old age these all become weak when they are attacked by different diseases. The proprietor of the body, the living soul, becomes very sad at not being able to use the field of activities properly. In Bhagavad-gita it is clearly explained that the living entity is the proprietor of this body (ksetra jna) and that the body is the field of activities (ksetra). When a field is overgrown with thorns and weeds, it becomes very difficult for the owner to work it. That is the position of the spirit soul when the body itself becomes a burden due to disease. Extra burdens are placed on the body in the form of anxiety and general deterioration of the bodily functions.

kanyopagudho nasta-srih

krpano visayatmakah

nasta-prajno hrtaisvaryo

gandharva-yavanair balat

kanya—by the daughter of Time; upagudhah—being embraced; nasta-srih—bereft of all beauty; krpanah—miser; visaya-atmakah—addicted to sense gratification; nasta-prajnah—bereft of intelligence; hrta-aisvaryah—bereft of opulence; gandharva—by the Gandharvas; yavanaih—and by the Yavanas; balat—by force.

When King Puranjana was embraced by Kalakanya, 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.

When a person is attacked by the invalidity of old age and is still addicted to sense gratification, he gradually loses all his personal beauty, intelligence and good possessions. He thus cannot resist the forceful attack of the daughter of Time.

visirnam sva-purim viksya

pratikulan anadrtan

putran pautranugamatyan

jayam ca gata-sauhrdam

visirnam—scattered; sva-purim—his own town; viksya—seeing; pratikulan—opposing elements; anadrtan—being disrespectful; putran—sons; pautra—grandsons; anuga—servants; amatyan—ministers; jayam—wife; ca—and; gata-sauhrdam—indifferent.

King Puranjana 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.

When one becomes an invalid, his senses and organs are weakened. In other words, they are no longer under one’s control. The senses and sense objects then begin to oppose him. When a person is in a distressed condition, even his family members—his sons, grandsons and wife—become disrespectful. They no longer are under the command of the master of the house. Just as we wish to use our senses for sense gratification, the senses also require strength from the body in reciprocation. A man keeps a family for enjoyment, and similarly family members demand enjoyment from the head of the family. When they do not receive sufficient money from him, they grow disinterested and ignore his commands or desires. This is all due to one’s being a krpana (miser). This word krpana, used in the sixth verse, is in opposition to the word brahmana. In the human form of life one should become a brahmana, which means that one should understand the constitutional position of the Absolute Truth, Brahman, and then engage in His service as a Vaisnava. We get this facility in the human form of life, but if we do not properly utilize this opportunity, we become a krpana, miser. A miser is one who gets money but does not spend it properly. This human form of life is especially meant for understanding Brahman, for becoming a brahmana, and if we do not utilize it properly, we remain a krpana. We can actually see that when one has money but does not spend it, he remains a miser and is never happy. Similarly, when one’s intelligence is spoiled due to sense gratification, he remains a miser throughout his life.

atmanam kanyaya grastam

pancalan ari-dusitan

duranta-cintam apanno

na lebhe tat-pratikriyam

atmanam—himself; kanyaya—by Kalakanya; grastam—being embraced; pancalan—Pancala; ari-dusitan—infected by the enemies; duranta—insurmountable; cintam—anxiety; apannah—having obtained; na—not; lebhe—achieved; tat—of that; pratikriyam—counteraction.

When King Puranjana 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 Kalakanya.

When a person becomes weak from the attack of old age, the family members, servants and secretaries do not care for him. He is then unable to counteract this. Thus he becomes more and more anxious and laments his frightful condition.

kaman abhilasan dino

yata-yamams ca kanyaya

vigatatma-gati-snehah

putra-darams ca lalayan

kaman—objects of enjoyment; abhilasan—always lusting after; dinah—the poor man; yata-yaman—stale; ca—also; kanyaya—by the influence of Kalakanya; vigata—lost; atma-gati—real purpose of life; snehah—attachment to; putra—sons; daran—wife; ca—and; lalayan—affectionately maintaining.

The objects of enjoyment became stale by the influence of Kalakanya. Due to the continuance of his lusty desires, King Puranjana 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.

This is exactly the position of present civilization. Everyone is engaged in maintaining the body, home and family. Consequently everyone becomes confused at the end of life, not knowing what spiritual life and the goal of human life are. In a civilization of sense gratification there cannot be spiritual life, because a person thinks only of this life. Although the next life is a fact, no information is given about it.

gandharva-yavanakrantam

kala-kanyopamarditam

hatum pracakrame raja

tam purim anikamatah

gandharva—by the Gandharva soldiers; yavana—and by the Yavana soldiers; akrantam—overcome; kala-kanya—by Kalakanya (the daughter of Time); upamarditam—being smashed; hatum—to give up; pracakrame—proceeded; raja—King Puranjana; tam—that; purim—the city; anikamatah—unwilling.

The city of King Puranjana 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 Kalakanya.

The living entity, separated from the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tries to enjoy this material world. He is given a chance to enjoy it in a particular type of body, beginning with the body of a Brahma down to that of the microbe. From the Vedic history of creation we can understand that the first living creature was Lord Brahma, who created the seven great sages and other Prajapatis to increase the universal population. Thus every living entity, according to karma, his past desires and activities, gets a particular type of body, from that of Brahma to that of a microbe or germ in stool. Due to long association with a particular type of material body and also due to the grace of Kalakanya and her maya, one becomes overly attached to a material body, although it is the abode of pain. Even if one tries to separate a worm from stool, the worm will be unwilling to leave. It will return to the stool. Similarly, a hog generally lives in a very filthy state, eating stool, but if one tries to separate it from its condition and give it a nice place, the hog will be unwilling. In this way if we study each and every living entity, we will find that he will defy offers of a more comfortable position. Although King Puranjana was attacked from all sides, he was unwilling to leave the city. In other words, the living entity—whatever his condition—does not want to give up the body. But he will be forced to give it up because, after all, this material body cannot exist forever.

The living entity wishes to enjoy the material world in different ways, and therefore by nature’s law he is allowed to transmigrate from one body to another, exactly as a person transmigrates from the body of an infant to a child to a boy to a youth to a man. This process is constantly going on. At the last stage, when the gross body becomes old and invalid, the living entity is reluctant to give it up, despite the fact that it is no longer usable. Although material existence and the material body are not comfortable, why does the living entity not want to leave? As soon as one gets a material body, he has to work very hard to maintain it. He may engage in different fields of activity, but whatever the case, everyone has to work very hard to maintain the material body. Unfortunately, society has no information of the soul’s transmigration. Because the living entity does not hope to enter the spiritual kingdom of eternal life, bliss and knowledge, he wants to stick to his present body, even though it may be useless. Consequently, the greatest welfare activity in this material world is the furthering of the Krsna consciousness movement.

This movement is giving human society information about the kingdom of God. There is God, there is Krsna, and everyone can return to God and live eternally in bliss and knowledge. A Krsna conscious person is not afraid of giving up the body because his position is always eternal. A Krsna conscious person engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord eternally; therefore as long as he lives within the body, he is happy to engage in the loving service of the Lord, and when he gives up the body, he is also permanently situated in the service of the Lord. The saintly devotees are always free and liberated, whereas the karmis, who have no knowledge of spiritual life or the transcendental loving service of the Lord, are very much afraid of giving up the rotten material body.

bhaya-namno ’grajo bhrata

prajvarah pratyupasthitah

dadaha tam purim krtsnam

bhratuh priya-cikirsaya

bhaya-namnah—of Bhaya (Fear); agra-jah—elder; bhrata—brother; prajvarah—named Prajvara; pratyupasthitah—being present there; dadaha—set fire; tam—to that; purim—city; krtsnam—wholesale; bhratuh—his brother; priya-cikirsaya—in order to please.

Under the circumstances, the elder brother of Yavana-raja, known as Prajvara, set fire to the city to please his younger brother, whose other name is fear itself.

According to the Vedic system, a dead body is set on fire, but before death there is another fire, or fever, which is called prajvara, or visnu-jvara. Medical science verifies that when one’s temperature is raised to 107 degrees, a man immediately dies. This prajvara, or higher fever, at the last stage of life places the living entity in the midst of a blazing fire.

tasyam sandahyamanayam

sapaurah saparicchadah

kautumbikah kutumbinya

upatapyata sanvayah

tasyam—when that city; sandahyamanayam—was ablaze; sa-paurah—along with all the citizens; sa-paricchadah—along with all servants and followers; kautumbikah—the King, having so many relatives; kutumbinya—along with his wife; upatapyata—began to suffer the heat of the fire; sa-anvayah—along with descendants.

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 Puranjana thus became very unhappy.

There are many parts of the body—the senses, the limbs, the skin, the muscles, blood, marrow, etc.—and all these are considered here figuratively as sons, grandsons, citizens and dependents. When the body is attacked by the visnu-jvara, the fiery condition becomes so acute that sometimes one remains in a coma. This means that the body is in such severe pain that one becomes unconscious and cannot feel the miseries taking place within the body. Indeed, the living entity becomes so helpless at the time of death that, although unwilling, he is forced to give up the body and enter another. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated that man may, by scientific advancement, improve the temporary living conditions, but that he cannot avoid the pangs of birth, old age, disease and death. These are under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the agency of material nature. A foolish person cannot understand this simple fact. Now people are very busy trying to find petroleum in the midst of the ocean. They are very anxious to make provisions for the future petroleum supply, but they do not make any attempts to ameliorate the conditions of birth, old age, disease and death. Thus a person in ignorance, not knowing anything about his own future life, is certainly defeated in all his activities.

yavanoparuddhayatano

grastayam kala-kanyaya

puryam prajvara-samsrstah

pura-palo ’nvatapyata

yavana—by the Yavanas; uparuddha—attacked; ayatanah—his abode; grastayam—when seized; kala-kanyaya—by the daughter of Time; puryam—the city; prajvara-samsrstah—being approached by Prajvara; pura-palah—the city superintendent; anvatapyata—became also very much aggrieved.

The city’s superintendent of police, the serpent, saw that the citizens were being attacked by Kalakanya, and he became very aggrieved to see his own residence set ablaze after being attacked by the Yavanas.

The living entity is covered by two different types of bodies—the gross body and the subtle body. At death we can see that the gross body is finished, but actually the living entity is carried by the subtle body to another gross body. The so-called scientists of the modern age cannot see how the subtle body is working in carrying the soul from one body to another. This subtle body has been figuratively described as a serpent, or the city’s police superintendent. When there is fire everywhere, the police superintendent cannot escape either. When there is security and an absence of fire in the city, the police superintendent can impose his authority upon the citizens, but when there is an all-out attack on the city, he is rendered useless. As the life air was ready to leave the gross body, the subtle body also began to experience pain.

na seke so ’vitum tatra

puru-krcchroru-vepathuh

gantum aicchat tato vrksa-

kotarad iva sanalat

na—not; seke—was able; sah—he; avitum—to protect; tatra—there; puru—very much; krcchra—difficulty; uru—great; vepathuh—suffering; gantum—to go out; aicchat—desired; tatah—from there; vrksa—of a tree; kotarat—from the hollow; iva—like; sa-analat—on fire.

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.

It becomes very difficult for snakes to leave a forest when there is a fire. Other animals may flee due to their long legs, but serpents, only being able to crawl, are generally burnt in the fire. At the last stage, the limbs of the body are not as much affected as the life air.

sithilavayavo yarhi

gandharvair hrta-paurusah

yavanair aribhi rajann

uparuddho ruroda ha

sithila—slackened; avayavah—his limbs; yarhi—when; gandharvaih—by the Gandharvas; hrta—defeated; paurusah—his bodily strength; yavanaih—by the Yavanas; aribhih—by the enemies; rajan—O King Pracinabarhisat; uparuddhah—being checked; ruroda—cried loudly; ha—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.

At the last stage of life, the different gates of the body are choked by the effects of disease, which are caused by an imbalance of bile, mucus and air. Thus the living entity cannot clearly express his difficulties, and surrounding relatives hear the sound “ghura ghura” from a dying man. In his Mukunda-mala-stotra, King Kulasekhara states:

krsna tvadiya-padapankaja-panjarantam
adyaiva me visatu manasa-raja-hamsah
prana-prayana-samaye kapha-vata-pittaih
kanthavarodhana-vidhau smaranam kutas te

“My dear Krsna, please help me die immediately so that the swan of my mind may be encircled by the stem of Your lotus feet. Otherwise at the time of my final breath, when my throat is choked up, how will it be possible for me to think of You?” The swan takes great pleasure in diving within water and being encircled by the stem of the lotus flower. This entanglement is sporting joy. If, in our healthy condition, we think of the lotus feet of the Lord and die, it is most fortunate. In old age, at the time of death, the throat sometimes becomes choked with mucus or blocked by air. At such a time the sound vibration of Hare Krsna, the maha-mantra, may not come out. Thus one may forget Krsna. Of course, those who are strong in Krsna consciousness cannot possibly forget Krsna at any stage because they are accustomed to chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, especially when there is a signal from death.

duhitrh putra-pautrams ca

jami-jamatr-parsadan

svatvavasistam yat kincid

grha-kosa-paricchadam

duhitrh—daughters; putra—sons; pautran—grandsons; ca—and; jami—daughters-in-law; jamatr—sons-in-law; parsadan—associates; svatva—property; avasistam—remaining; yat kincit—whatever; grha—home; kosa—accumulation of wealth; paricchadam—household paraphernalia.

King Puranjana 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.

It is not infrequent for a person overly attached to the material body to request a physician to prolong his life at least for some time. If the so-called scientific physician is able to prolong one’s life for a few minutes through the use of oxygen or other medicines, he thinks that he is very successful in his attempts, although ultimately the patient will die. This is called the struggle for existence. At the time of death both patient and physician still think of prolonging life, although all the constituents of the body are practically dead and gone.

aham mameti svikrtya

grhesu kumatir grhi

dadhyau pramadaya dino

viprayoga upasthite

aham—I; mama—mine; iti—thus; svi-krtya—accepting; grhesu—in the home; ku-matih—whose mind is full of obnoxious thoughts; grhi—the householder; dadhyau—turns his attention to; pramadaya—with his wife; dinah—very poor; viprayoge—when separation; upasthite—occurred.

King Puranjana 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.

It is clear in this verse that at the time of death thoughts of material enjoyment do not go away. This indicates that the living entity, the soul, is carried by the subtle body—mind, intelligence and ego. Due to false ego, the living entity still wants to enjoy the material world, and for want of material enjoyment he becomes sorry or sad. He still makes intellectual plans to further his existence, and therefore, although he gives up the gross body, he is carried by the subtle body to another gross body. The transmigration of the subtle body is never visible to material eyes; therefore when one gives up the gross body, we think that he is finished. Plans for material enjoyment are made by the subtle body, and the gross body is the instrument for enjoying these plans. Thus the gross body can be compared to the wife, for the wife is the agent for all kinds of sense gratification. Because of long association with the gross body, the living entity becomes very sad to be separated from it. The mental activity of the living entity obliges him to accept another gross body and continue his material existence.

The Sanskrit word stri means “expansion.” Through the wife one expands his various objects of attraction—sons, daughters, grandsons and so on. Attachment to family members becomes very prominent at the time of death. One often sees that just before leaving his body a man may call for his beloved son to give him charge of his wife and other paraphernalia. He may say, “My dear boy, I am being forced to leave. Please take charge of the family affairs.” He speaks in this way, not even knowing his destination.

lokantaram gatavati

mayy anatha kutumbini

vartisyate katham tv esa

balakan anusocati

loka-antaram—into a different life; gatavati mayi—when I am gone; anatha—bereft of husband; kutumbini—surrounded by all family members; vartisyate—will exist; katham—how; tu—then; esa—this woman; balakan—children; anusocati—lamenting about.

King Puranjana 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.”

All these thoughts of one’s wife indicate that the King was overly engrossed with the thoughts of woman. Generally a chaste woman becomes a very obedient wife. This causes a husband to become attached to his wife, and consequently he thinks of his wife very much at the time of death. This is a very dangerous situation, as is evident from the life of King Puranjana. If one thinks of his wife instead of Krsna at the time of death, he will certainly not return home, back to Godhead, but will be forced to accept the body of a woman and thus begin another chapter of material existence.

na mayy anasite bhunkte

nasnate snati mat-para

mayi ruste susantrasta

bhartsite yata-vag bhayat

na—never; mayi—when I; anasite—had not eaten; bhunkte—she would eat; na—never; asnate—had not taken bath; snati—she would take her bath; mat-para—always devoted to me; mayi—when I; ruste—was angry; su-santrasta—very much frightened; bhartsite—when I chastised; yata-vak—fully controlled of words; bhayat—out of fear.

King Puranjana 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.

A wife is always supposed to be submissive to her husband. Submission, mild behavior and subservience are qualities in a wife which make a husband very thoughtful of her. For family life it is very good for a husband to be attached to his wife, but it is not very good for spiritual advancement. Thus Krsna consciousness must be established in every home. If a husband and wife are very much attached to one another in Krsna consciousness, they will both benefit because Krsna is the center of their existence. Otherwise, if the husband is too much attached to his wife, he becomes a woman in his next life. The woman, being overly attached to her husband, becomes a man in her next life. Of course, it is an advantage for a woman to become a man, but it is not at all advantageous for the man to become a woman.

Next verse (SB4.28.20)