SB 1.14.11

SB 1.14.11

Devanagari

ऊर्वक्षिबाहवो मह्यं स्फुरन्त्यङ्ग पुन: पुन: । वेपथुश्चापि हृदये आराद्दास्यन्ति विप्रियम् ॥ ११ ॥

Verse text

ūrv-akṣi-bāhavo mahyaṁ sphuranty aṅga punaḥ punaḥ vepathuś cāpi hṛdaye ārād dāsyanti vipriyam

Synonyms

ūru thighs ; akṣi eyes ; bāhavaḥ the arms ; mahyam in my ; sphuranti quivering ; aṅga left side of the body ; punaḥ punaḥ again and again ; vepathuḥ palpitations ; ca also ; api certainly ; hṛdaye in the heart ; ārāt due to fear ; dāsyanti indicating ; vipriyam undesirables .

Translation

The left side of my body — my thighs, arms and eyes — are all quivering again and again. I am having heart palpitations due to fear. All this indicates undesirable happenings.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O Bhīma! My left thigh, eye and arm are repeatedly twitching. There is trembling in my heart. Soon these omens will bring misfortune.

Purport

Material existence is full of undesirables. Things we do not want are forced upon us by some superior energy, and we do not see that these undesirables are under the grip of the three modes of material nature. When a man’s left eye, arm and thigh all quiver constantly, one must know that something is going to happen which is undesirable. These undesirables are compared to fire in a forest. No one goes into the forest to set fires, but fires automatically take place in the forest, creating inconceivable calamities for the living beings of the forest. Such a fire cannot be extinguished by any human efforts. The fire can be extinguished only by the mercy of the Lord, who sends clouds to pour water on the forest. Similarly, undesirable happenings in life cannot be checked by any number of plans. Such miseries can be removed only by the mercy of the Lord, who sends His bona fide representatives to enlighten human beings and thus save them from all calamities.

Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Here the bodily omens are described. Actually the trembling of the left side is inauspicious. The plural case is poetic license.