SB 5.2.6
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 6
tām evāvidūre madhukarīm iva sumanasa upajighrantīṁ divija-manuja-mano-nayanāhlāda-dughair gati-vihāra-vrīḍā-vinayāvaloka-susvarākṣarāvayavair manasi nṛṇāṁ kusumāyudhasya vidadhatīṁ vivaraṁ nija-mukha-vigalitāmṛtāsava-sahāsa-bhāṣaṇāmoda-madāndha-madhukara-nikaroparodhena druta-pada-vinyāsena valgu-spandana-stana-kalaśa-kabara-bhāra-raśanāṁ devīṁ tad-avalokanena vivṛtāvasarasya bhagavato makara-dhvajasya vaśam upanīto jaḍavad iti hovāca.
SYNONYMS
tām—to her; eva—indeed; avidūre—nearby; madhukarīm iva—like a honeybee; sumanasaḥ—beautiful flowers; upajighrantīm—smelling; divi-ja—of those born in the heavenly planets; manu-ja—of those born in human society; manaḥ—mind; nayana—for the eyes; āhlāda—pleasure; dughaiḥ—producing; gati—by her movement; vihāra—by pastimes; vrīḍā—by shyness; vinaya—by humility; avaloka—by glancing; su-svara-akṣara—by her sweet voice; avayavaiḥ—and by the limbs of the body; manasi—in the mind; nṛṇām—of men; kusuma-āyudhasya—of Cupid, who has a flower arrow in his hand; vidadhatīm—making; vivaram—aural reception; nija-mukha—from her own mouth; vigalita—pouring out; amṛta-āsava—nectar like honey; sa-hāsa—in her smiling; bhāṣaṇa—and talking; āmoda—by the pleasure; mada-andha—blinded by intoxication; madhukara—of bees; nikara—by groups; uparodhena—because of being surrounded; druta—hasty; pada—of feet; vinyāsena—by stylish stepping; valgu—a little; spandana—moving; stana—breasts; kalaśa—like waterpots; kabara—of her braids of hair; bhāra—weight; raśanām—the belt upon the hips; devīm—the goddess; tat-avalokanena—simply by seeing her; vivṛta-avasarasya—taking the opportunity of; bhagavataḥ—of the greatly powerful; makara-dhvajasya—of Cupid; vaśam—under the control; upanītaḥ—being brought in; jaḍa-vat—as if stunned; iti—thus; ha—certainly; uvāca—he said.
TRANSLATION
Like a honeybee, the Apsarā smelled the beautiful and attractive flowers. She could attract the minds and vision of both humans and demigods by her playful movements, her shyness and humility, her glances, the very pleasing sounds that poured from her mouth as she spoke, and the motion of her limbs. By all these qualities, she opened for Cupid, who bears an arrow of flowers, a path of aural reception into the minds of men. When she spoke, nectar seemed to flow from her mouth. As she breathed, the bees, mad for the taste of her breath, tried to hover about her beautiful lotuslike eyes. Disturbed by the bees, she tried to move hastily, but as she raised her feet to walk quickly, her hair, the belt on her hips, and her breasts, which were like water jugs, also moved in a way that made her extremely beautiful and attractive. Indeed, she seemed to be making a path for the entrance of Cupid, who is most powerful. Therefore the prince, completely subdued by seeing her, spoke to her as follows.
PURPORT
How a beautiful woman's movements and gestures, her hair and the structure of her breasts, hips and other bodily features attract the minds not only of men but of demigods also is very finely described in this statement. The words divija and manuja specifically emphasize that the attraction of feminine gestures is powerful everywhere within this material world, both on this planet and in the higher planetary systems. It is said that the standard of living in the higher planetary systems is thousands and thousands of times higher than the standard of living on this planet. Therefore the beautiful bodily features of the women there are also thousands and thousands of times more attractive than the features of the women on earth. The creator has constructed women in such a way that their beautiful voices and movements and the beautiful features of their hips, their breasts, and the other parts of their bodies attract the members of the opposite sex, both on earth and on other planets, and awaken their lusty desires. When one is controlled by Cupid or the beauty of women, he becomes stunned like matter such as stone. Captivated by the material movements of women, he wants to remain in this material world. Thus one's promotion to the spiritual world is checked simply by seeing the beautiful bodily structure and movements of women. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has therefore warned all devotees to beware of the attraction of beautiful women and materialistic civilization. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu even refused to see Pratāparudra Mahārāja because he was a very opulent person in the material world. Lord Caitanya said in this connection, niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya: those who are engaged in the devotional service of the Lord because they are very serious about going back home, back to Godhead, should be very careful to avoid seeing the beautiful gestures of women and should also avoid seeing persons who are very rich.
- niṣkiñcanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya
- pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya
- sandarśanaṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁ ca
- hā hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato 'py asādhu
"Alas, for a person who is seriously desiring to cross the material ocean and engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord without material motives, seeing a materialist engaged in sense gratification or seeing a woman who is similarly interested is more abominable than drinking poison willingly." (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 11.8) One who is serious about going back home, back to Godhead, should not contemplate the attractive features of women and the opulence of rich men. Such contemplation will check one's advancement in spiritual life. Once a devotee is fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however, these attractions will not agitate his mind.