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

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

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

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 9 · Chapter 14: King Purūravā Enchanted by Urvaśī

9.14.19 9.14.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.14.20

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Urvaśīsince 9.14.20inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

उर्वश्युवाच

कस्यास्त्वयि न सज्जेत मनो द‍ृष्टिश्च सुन्दर ।

यदङ्गान्तरमासाद्य च्यवते ह रिरंसया ॥ २० ॥

urvaśy uvāca

kasyās tvayi na sajjeta

mano dṛṣṭiś ca sundara

yad-aṅgāntaram āsādya

cyavate ha riraṁsayā

Translation

Urvaśī replied: O most handsome man, who is the woman whose mind and sight would not be attracted by you? If a woman takes shelter of your chest, she cannot refuse to enjoy with you in a sexual relationship.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sexual Attraction Is Difficult to Check

1
Urvaśī praised Purūravā's beauty, saying that a woman's mind and sight would be attracted to him.
2
The purport emphasizes how difficult it is to check sexual desire when a beautiful man and woman embrace.
3
The cited statement from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes happiness centered on sexual enjoyment as insignificant.

Key points from the purport

When a beautiful man and a beautiful woman unite together and embrace one another, how within these three worlds can they check their sexual relationship?

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 9.14.20 quotesSB 7.9.45

When a beautiful man and a beautiful woman unite together and embrace one another, how within these three worlds can they check their sexual relationship?

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

Longing and conflict → Detachment and justice. Dynastic episodes explore personal desire and force.

Chapters 13–17 of Canto 9: Nimi, Purūravā and Paraśurāma. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 14: King Purūravā Enchanted by Urvaśī

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Being satisfied with Purūravā, the Gandharvas gave him a woman known as Agnisthālī. Purūravā mistook Agnisthālī for Urvaśī, but while he was wandering in the forest his misunderstanding was cleared, and he immediately gave up her company.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 9.14

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

urvaśī uvācaUrvaśī replied
kasyāḥof which woman
tvayiunto you
nanot
sajjetawould become attracted
manaḥthe mind
dṛṣṭiḥ caand sight
sundaraO most beautiful man

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
Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender
Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 9.14
In this verse: “shelter”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I mistake the strength of an attraction for the depth of happiness it can offer?

Practice

When attraction arises today, pause and consider the limited happiness of sexual enjoyment.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 7.9.45

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 9.14's connections

Live this todaySexual Attraction Is Difficult to CheckThis 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 9.14.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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