Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.29.11
Ūti· What drives us to actThe Nostrils, Mouth, and Their Functions
“The two doors named Nalinī and Nālinī should be known as the two nostrils, and the city named Saurabha represents aroma. The companion spoken of as Avadhūta is the sense of smell. The door called Mukhyā is the mouth, and Vipaṇa is the faculty of speech. Rasajña is the sense of taste.”
What the purport teaches
- Nalinī and Nālinī represent the two nostrils, and Saurabha represents aroma. Avadhūta is the sense of smell.
- The word avadhūta means “most free.” The purport compares this freedom to air, which does not care for obstruction.
- Mukhyā represents the mouth, Vipaṇa the faculty of speech, and Rasajña the sense of taste. With the tongue present, the mouth continually tastes relishable foodstuffs.
Try this today
At one meal today, notice separately the aroma of the food and the tongue’s experience of taste.
Ask yourself
How often does the attraction of smell or taste draw my attention?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.