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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.14.28

Who is speaking and story frame

क्‍वापि देवमायया स्त्रिया भुजलतोपगूढ: प्रस्कन्नविवेकविज्ञानो यद्विहारगृहारम्भाकुलहृदयस्तदाश्रयावसक्तसुतदुहितृकलत्रभाषितावलोकविचेष्टितापहृतहृदय आत्मानमजितात्मापारेऽन्धे तमसि प्रहिणोति ॥ २८ ॥

kvāpi deva-māyayā striyā bhuja-latopagūḍhaḥ praskanna-viveka-vijñāno yad-vihāra-gṛhārambhākula-hṛdayas tad-āśrayāvasakta-suta-duhitṛ-kalatra-bhāṣitāvaloka-viceṣṭitāpahṛta-hṛdaya ātmānam ajitātmāpāre ’ndhe tamasi prahiṇoti.

Translation

Sometimes the conditioned soul is attracted by illusion personified (his wife or girlfriend) and becomes eager to be embraced by a woman. Thus he loses his intelligence as well as knowledge of life’s goal. At that time, no longer attempting spiritual cultivation, he becomes overly attached to his wife or girlfriend and tries to provide her with a suitable apartment. Again, he becomes very busy under the shelter of that home and is captivated by the talks, glances and activities of his wife and children. In this way he loses his Kṛṣṇa consciousness and throws himself in the dense darkness of material existence.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Do Not Let Attachment Eclipse Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Overwhelming attraction to a wife or girlfriend can make the conditioned soul forget life’s goal and neglect spiritual cultivation. Absorption in home and family can eclipse Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that attraction between man and woman binds both when each seeks to enjoy the other. Both belong to the Lord’s superior energy, parā prakṛti.

  3. 3

    Their attachment extends to home, land, friendship, money and children. In this way, the desire for mutual enjoyment entangles them further in material existence.

Key points from the purport
  • When the conditioned soul is embraced by his beloved wife, he forgets everything about Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
  • Actually neither is puruṣa, but both can be superficially described as puruṣa.
  • In this way they are both entrapped in material existence.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Misjudgment → Humility and insight. Spiritual insight hides behind social appearances.

Chapters 10–14 of Canto 5: Jaḍa Bharata instructs Rahūgaṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 14: The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When a person loses his intelligence due to attachment to wife and sex, his entire consciousness becomes polluted. He thus only thinks of the association of women.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.14
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kvāpisomewhere
  2. deva-māyayāby the influence of the illusory energy
  3. striyāin the form of one’s girlfriend or wife
  4. bhuja-latāby beautiful arms, which are compared to tender creepers in the forest
  5. upagūḍhaḥbeing deeply embraced
  6. praskannalost
  7. vivekaall intelligence
  8. vijñānaḥscientific knowledge
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.14

    In this verse: “attached”, “illusion”, “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.14

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 5.14

    In this verse: “children”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Is attachment to home or romantic enjoyment causing me to neglect Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Practice

Reserve five minutes today for cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness rather than letting household concerns occupy the whole day.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDo Not Let Attachment Eclipse KṛṣṇaThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 5.14.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.