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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 ›
Canto 5 · Chapter 14: The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment
5.14.315.14.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.14.32

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.14.20inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

क्‍वचिद् द्रुमवदैहिकार्थेषु गृहेषु रंस्यन् यथा वानर: सुतदारवत्सलो व्यवायक्षण: ॥ ३२ ॥

kvacid drumavad aihikārtheṣu gṛheṣu raṁsyan yathā vānaraḥ suta-dāra-vatsalo vyavāya-kṣaṇaḥ.

Translation

Just as a monkey jumps from one tree to another, the conditioned soul jumps from one body to another. As the monkey is ultimately captured by the hunter and is unable to get out of captivity, the conditioned soul, being captivated by momentary sex pleasure, becomes attached to different types of bodies and is encaged in family life. Family life affords the conditioned soul a festival of momentary sex pleasure, and thus he is completely unable to get out of the material clutches.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Momentary Pleasure Can Deepen Material Bondage

  1. 1

    Eating, sleeping, mating and defending are available in every form of life. These bodily necessities do not distinguish the human opportunity.

  2. 2

    Like a monkey jumping from tree to tree, the conditioned soul moves from one body to another. Attachment to sexual pleasure continues through these changes.

  3. 3

    Momentary pleasure can keep the conditioned soul bound to bodily and family attachments. Absorbed in this enjoyment, one forgets how to become free from material captivity.

Key points from the purport
  • Each monkey keeps at least two dozen wives, and he jumps from one tree to another to capture the female monkeys.
  • The conditioned soul is doing the same thing, transmigrating from one body to another and engaging in sex.
  • Sometimes the monkey is captured by a hunter, who sells its body to doctors so that its glands can be removed for the benefit of another monkey.

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

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 5.14.32 quotesSB 11.9.29

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.9.29): viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 asleep, the conditioned soul completely forgets his real existence, and in sleep he does not feel the tribulations of material life. Sometimes, being in need of money, the conditioned soul steals and cheats, although he may apparently be associated with devotees for spiritual advancement.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kvacitsometimes
  2. druma-vatlike trees (as monkeys jump from one tree to another, the conditioned soul transmigrates from one body to another)
  3. aihika-artheṣusimply to bring about better worldly comforts
  4. gṛheṣuin houses (or bodies)
  5. raṁsyandelighting (in one body after another, either in animal life, human life or demigod life)
  6. yathāexactly as
  7. vānaraḥthe monkey
  8. suta-dāra-vatsalaḥvery affectionate to the children and wife
  9. vyavāya-kṣaṇaḥwhose leisure time is spent in sex pleasure
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”, “material”, “attachment”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 5.14

    In this verse: “free from”

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

Does my pursuit of momentary pleasure make me forget freedom from material bondage?

Practice

Pause before one pleasure-seeking activity today and consider whether it strengthens your bodily attachment.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 11.9.29

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.14's connections

Live this todayMomentary Pleasure Can Deepen Material BondageThis 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 5.14.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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