Srimadbhagavatham skandha4-chapters24 and 25-Puranjanopaakhyana

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Chapters 24 and 25- The allegory of

Puranjana

 

Barhishad, a descendent of Prthu was performing

sacrifices all through the year and hence came to be called as praacheenabarhis, because the earth was covered

by dharbhagrass (barhis) pointing eastward, as it is done during sacrifices.

Narada took pity on him and advised him

thus. The sage said that by karma marga

he could never get peace and the king asked Narada to instruct him on

jnanamarga. Then Narada started to relate to him the allegory of Puranjana.

 

There was a king named Puranjana who had a friend

named Avijnaatha , whose actions could not be easily understood. Puranjana is

the human being who creates his own sareera by his karma, that is, the jeeva

and the friend who is avijnatha , meaning not known by any one, is isvara, the

true friend of all.

 

Puranjana moved away from his friend, was roaming around

looking for a suitable place to set up his kingdom and finally saw a place near

Himalayas, a town with nine gates and was desirable. The

town with nine gates is the sareera (vide:BG.navadhvaarepure dhehee) the

nine gates being the sense organs. The town with desirable qualities means the

limbs being perfect, and the body itself

blemishless. The jeeva chooses

the body according to its karma to be born in. The town itself is described as

being decorated with blue stones and a beautiful mansion etc., denoting the

nerves and the heart. It was like Bhogavathee, the capital of nagas. The

sareera is the means to enjoy the sensual pleasures ,bhogas and hence likened to bhogavathee the

capital of nagaloka.

 

He found four halls of entertainment which are the

four senses, the eye, tongue, nose and ears through which one enjoys sensual

pleasures. There were gardens outside the city with trees and creepers , birds

and bees. These are the close relatives , trees signifying those who depend on

him, creepers are women and the birds are the children. The bees are the sweet-sounding

talks of them which pleases the man. There were wild beasts and tame beasts

also which are the relatives like the in -laws and they are classified as wild

and tame because some take away your wealth forcibly and some in a pacifying

manner, by appealing to the better nature of man. On the whole all take away

his wealth like the beast who take away

one's life. The one traveling along the path of these forests are called

sweetly by the cuckoos. This means the temptations that waylay a man and turn

him away from nivrtthi marga even if he is desirous of finding release from the

samsara.

 

Then the story goes on about the downfall of man.

Puranjana came across a damsel with ten attendants each of them having 100

wives. The woman is the maya , delusion of the world and the ten attendants are

the ten indhriyas which have numerous objects of desire denoted by their 100

wives.

 

Then the lady is described . She was ypung and was

protected by a five-headed serpent. The serpents are the panchapranas.

Puranjana fell in love with her and asked her about her identity. She replied

that she did not know it herself. No one knew , she said, who she was and who

had built the city. The serpent guards the city while everyone sleeps. The maya of ignorance is anaadhi, timeless

and only the Lord knows about it because it is His maya. The pranas protect the sareera ,

the town with nine gates, when the indhriyas and the mind are asleep. She also

was in love with him and the two lived in the city happily. Thus the jeeva

ensnared by maya, enjoys the sensual

pleasures and lives in the body happily, deluded into believing that it is real

and everlasting.

(to be continued)