Devanagari
त्वं ह्रीर्भवान्यस्यथ वाग्रमा पतिं
विचिन्वती किं मुनिवद्रहो वने ।
त्वदङ्घ्रिकामाप्तसमस्तकामं
क्व पद्मकोश: पतित: कराग्रात् ॥ २८ ॥
Verse text
tvaṁ hrīr bhavāny asy atha vāg ramā patiṁ
vicinvatī kiṁ munivad raho vane
tvad-aṅghri-kāmāpta-samasta-kāmaṁ
kva padma-kośaḥ patitaḥ karāgrāt
Synonyms
tvam
—
you
;
hrīḥ
—
shyness
;
bhavānī
—
the wife of Lord Śiva
;
asi
—
are
;
atha
—
rather
;
vāk
—
Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning
;
ramā
—
the goddess of fortune
;
patim
—
husband
;
vicinvatī
—
searching after, thinking of
;
kim
—
are you
;
muni
—
vat — like a sage
;
rahaḥ
—
in this lonely place
;
vane
—
in the forest
;
tvat
—
aṅghri — your feet
;
kāma
—
desiring
;
āpta
—
achieved
;
samasta
—
all
;
kāmam
—
desirable things
;
kva
—
where is
;
padma
—
kośaḥ — the lotus flower
;
patitaḥ
—
fallen
;
kara
—
of the hand
;
agrāt
—
from the front portion, or palm .
Translation
My dear beautiful girl, you are exactly like the goddess of fortune or the wife of Lord Śiva or the goddess of learning, the wife of Lord Brahmā. Although you must be one of them, I see that you are loitering in this forest. Indeed, you are as silent as the great sages. Is it that you are searching after your own husband? Whoever your husband may be, simply by understanding that you are so faithful to him, he will come to possess all opulences. I think you must be the goddess of fortune, but I do not see the lotus flower in your hand. Therefore I am asking you where you have thrown that lotus.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
You are shyness personified. Or are you Bhavānī the wife of Śiva? Are you Sarasvaṭi or Lakṣmī? Alone in the forest, like a sage, are you looking for your husband, whose desires are fulfilled by desiring your lotus feet? A lotus bud has fallen from your hand. Where is it?
One considers one’s intelligence to be excellent, and attractive to all people, because of lack of discernment. This is indicated by the King’s statements. Seeing her shyness because she covered her face and eyes, he says she is personified shyness, not just shy. That is attracting me. Are you looking for a husband who follows dharma in the forest alone? This indicates that he is attracted by the sweetness of intelligence. Noticing her beauty, he says “Are you the wife of Śiva? Are you looking for your husband Śiva?” Seeing her great intelligence, he asks, “Are you Sarasvatī (vāk)? Are you looking for your husband Brahmā?” Seeing her great wealth, he asks “Are you Lakṣmī (ramā), looking for Viṣṇu?” You have controlled your senses like a sage. What kind of husband do you have? He has fulfilled all desires by desiring your lotus feet. It is commonly said that for all people, all types of wealth are dependent on the strength of one’s intelligence. The lotus bud is the discerning power of the jīva. It is under her control though no one can see this. She has thrown it away.
Purport
Everyone thinks that his intelligence is perfect. Sometimes one employs his intelligence in the worship of Umā, the wife of Lord Śiva, in order to obtain a beautiful wife. Sometimes, when one wants to become as learned as Lord Brahmā, he employs his intelligence in the worship of the goddess of learning, Sarasvatī. Sometimes, when one wishes to become as opulent as Lord Viṣṇu, he worships the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī. In this verse all these inquiries are made by King Puraṣjana, the living entity who is bewildered and does not know how to employ his intelligence. Intelligence should be employed in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As soon as one uses his intelligence in this way, the goddess of fortune automatically becomes favorable to him. The goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, never remains without her husband, Lord Viṣṇu. Consequently, when one worships Lord Viṣṇu he automatically obtains the favor of the goddess of fortune. One should not, like Rāvaṇa, worship the goddess of fortune alone, for she cannot remain long without her husband. Thus her other name is Caṣcalā, or “restless.” In this verse it is clear that Puraṣjana is representing our intelligence while he is talking with the girl. He not only appreciated the shyness of the girl but actually became more and more attracted by that shyness. He was actually thinking of becoming her husband and consequently was asking her whether she was thinking of her prospective husband or whether she was married. This is an example of
bhoga-icchā,
the desire for enjoyment. One who is attracted by such desires becomes conditioned in this material world, and one who is not so attracted attains liberation. King Puraṣjana was appreciating the beauty of the girl as if she were the goddess of fortune, but at the same time he was careful to understand that the goddess of fortune cannot be enjoyed by anyone except Lord Viṣṇu. Since he doubted whether the girl was the goddess of fortune, he inquired about the lotus flower she was not holding. The material world is also the goddess of fortune because the material energy works under the direction of Lord Viṣṇu, as stated in
Bhagavad-gītā
(
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram
).
The material world cannot be enjoyed by any living entity. If one so desires to enjoy it, he immediately becomes a demon like Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu or Kaṁsa. Because Rāvaṇa wanted to enjoy the goddess of fortune, Sītādevī, he was vanquished with all his family, wealth and opulence. One can, however, enjoy that
māyā
bestowed upon the living entity by Lord Viṣṇu. The satisfaction of one’s senses and desires means enjoying
māyā,
not the goddess of fortune.