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)