Devanagari
तद्दर्शनोद्गतान् प्राणान् प्रत्यादित्सुरिवोत्थित: ।
ससदस्यानुगो वैन्य इन्द्रियेशो गुणानिव ॥ ३ ॥
Verse text
tad-darśanodgatān prāṇān
pratyāditsur ivotthitaḥ
sa-sadasyānugo vainya
indriyeśo guṇān iva
Synonyms
tat
—
him
;
darśana
—
seeing
;
udgatān
—
being greatly desired
;
prāṇān
—
life
;
pratyāditsuḥ
—
peacefully going
;
iva
—
like
;
utthitaḥ
—
got up
;
sa
—
with
;
sadasya
—
associates or followers
;
anugaḥ
—
officers
;
vainyaḥ
—
King Pṛthu
;
indriya
—
īśaḥ — a living entity
;
guṇān iva
—
as influenced by the modes of material nature .
Translation
Seeing the four Kumāras, Pṛthu Mahārāja was greatly anxious to receive them. Therefore the King, with all his officers, very hastily got up, as anxiously as a conditioned soul whose senses are immediately attracted by the modes of material nature.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Pṛthu, along with the assembly and his followers, rose to his feet, as if eager to regain his life airs which had exited his body on seeing the Kumāras, as eager as the jīva following sense objects.
An analogy is given to illustrate Pṛthu standing up. Pṛthu rose up as if to regain his life airs which had left his body on seeing the effulgence of the Kumāras. Smṛti says:
ūrddhvaṁ prāṇā hy utkrāmanti yunaḥ sthavira agate
praty utthānābhivādābhyāṁ punas tān pratipadyata
When elders approach the life airs of the young move upwards out of the body. By standing up in respect and greeting the elders, the life airs return to the body. Mahābhārata 13.107.32
Thus if one does not rise up when elders approach one’s life span decreases. Pṛthu’s eagerness is shown by an example: the jīva follows after sense objects (guṇān) like smell.
Purport
In
Bhagavad-gītā
(3.27)
it is said:
prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate
Every conditioned soul is influenced by a particular mixture of the modes of material nature. As such, the conditioned soul is attracted to certain types of activity which he is forced to perform because he is completely under the influence of material nature. Here Pṛthu Mahārāja is compared to such a conditioned soul, not because he was a conditioned soul but because he was so anxious to receive the Kumāras that it was as if without them he would have lost his life. The conditioned soul is attracted by the objects of sense gratification. His eyes are attracted to see beautiful things, his ears are attracted to hear nice music, his nose is attracted to enjoy the aroma of a nice flower, and his tongue is attracted to taste nice food. Similarly, all his other senses — his hands, his legs, his belly, his genitals, his mind, etc. — are so susceptible to the attraction of the objects of enjoyment that he cannot restrain himself. Pṛthu Mahārāja, in the same way, could not restrain himself from receiving the four Kumāras, who were bright by dint of their spiritual progress, and thus not only he himself but also his officers and associates all received the four Kumāras. It is said, “Birds of a feather flock together.” In this world, everyone is attracted by a person of the same category. A drunkard is attracted to persons who are also drunkards. Similarly, a saintly person is attracted by other saintly persons. Pṛthu Mahārāja was in the topmost position of spiritual advancement, and as such, he was attracted by the Kumāras, who were of the same category. It is said, therefore, that a man is known by his company.