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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
  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 9 · Chapter 14: King Purūravā Enchanted by Urvaśī
9.14.359.14.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.14.36

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Urvaśīsince 9.14.36inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

उर्वश्युवाच

मा मृथा: पुरुषोऽसि त्वं मा स्म त्वाद्युर्वृका इमे ।

क्‍वापि सख्यं न वै स्त्रीणां वृकाणां हृदयं यथा ॥ ३६ ॥

urvaśy uvāca

mā mṛthāḥ puruṣo ’si tvaṁ

mā sma tvādyur vṛkā ime

kvāpi sakhyaṁ na vai strīṇāṁ

vṛkāṇāṁ hṛdayaṁ yathā

Translation

Urvaśī said: My dear King, you are a man, a hero. Don’t be impatient and give up your life. Be sober and don’t allow the senses to overcome you like foxes. Don’t let the foxes eat you. In other words, you should not be controlled by your senses. Rather, you should know that the heart of a woman is like that of a fox. There is no use making friendship with women.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Control the Senses and Seek Hari

  1. 1

    Urvaśī urged the King not to give up his life, but to be sober and avoid being controlled by his senses.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that everyone is conditioned unless elevated to spiritual consciousness. On the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everyone is equal, whether man, woman, śūdra or otherwise.

  3. 3

    Home is welcome when it supports Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The purport's conclusion is to take shelter of the lotus feet of Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Otherwise, Urvaśī, who was a woman herself and who knew the nature of women, said that a woman’s heart is like that of a sly fox.
  • Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has also advised that if one has a wife like a sly fox, he must immediately give up his life at home and go to the forest.
  • Otherwise one should give up one’s home and go to the forest.

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 9.14.36 quotesSB 7.5.5

vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta. One should go to the forest and take shelter of the lotus feet of Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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

Further reading

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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. urvaśī uvācaUrvaśī said
  2. mādo not
  3. mṛthāḥgive up your life
  4. puruṣaḥmale
  5. asiare
  6. tvamyou
  7. mā smado not allow it
  8. tvāunto you
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 9.14

    In this verse: “give up”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 9.14

    In this verse: “friendship”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 9.14

    In this verse: “king”

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

What would help you choose shelter in Kṛṣṇa over being ruled by your senses?

Practice

Pause before one sensory impulse today and offer a brief prayer to Kṛṣṇa for shelter and service.

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 7.5.5

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

Live this todayControl the Senses and Seek HariThis 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 9.14.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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