SB 4.25.31 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

त्वदाननं सुभ्रु सुतारलोचनं व्यालम्बिनीलालकवृन्दसंवृतम् । उन्नीय मे दर्शय वल्गुवाचकं यद्‌व्रीडया नाभिमुखं शुचिस्मिते ॥ ३१ ॥

Verse text

tvad-ānanaṁ subhru sutāra-locanaṁ vyālambi-nīlālaka-vṛnda-saṁvṛtam unnīya me darśaya valgu-vācakaṁ yad vrīḍayā nābhimukhaṁ śuci-smite

Synonyms

tvat — your ; ānanam — face ; su — bhru — having nice eyebrows ; su — tāra — with nice pupils ; locanam — eyes ; vyālambi — scattered ; nīla — bluish ; alaka — vṛnda — by locks of hair ; saṁvṛtam — surrounded ; unnīya — having raised ; me — unto me ; darśaya — show ; valgu — vācakam — having words very sweet to hear ; yat — which face ; vrīḍayā — by shyness ; na — not ; abhimukham — face to face ; śuci — smite — O woman with lovely smiles .

Translation

My dear girl, your face is so beautiful with your nice eyebrows and eyes and with your bluish hair scattered about. In addition, very sweet sounds are coming from your mouth. Nonetheless, you are so covered with shyness that you do not see me face to face. I therefore request you, my dear girl, to smile and kindly raise your head to see me.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O woman with a bright smile! Raise up your face. Show me your face with fine eyebrows and eyes with beautiful pupils, surrounded by long locks of black hair, and endowed attractive words, which you do not show out of shyness. The lusty jīva with no memory shows his bewilderment. Valgu-vācakaṁ means “who speak attractive words.” Show that face which you do not point towards me. O Avidyā, ignorance! You have cheated me of spiritual bliss but now provide a wealth of sense objects so that I can enjoy. Give up your stubbornness. The face with beautiful features indicates form, taste, smell, touch and sound. He prays to enjoy them.

Purport

Such a speech is typical of a living entity attracted by the opposite sex. This is called bewilderment occasioned by becoming conditioned by material nature. When thus attracted by the beauty of the material energy, one becomes very eager to enjoy. This is elaborately described in this instance of Puraṣjana’s becoming attracted by the beautiful woman. In conditional life the living entity is attracted by a face, eyebrows or eyes, a voice or anything. In short, everything becomes attractive. When a man or a woman is attracted by the opposite sex, it does not matter whether the opposite sex is beautiful or not. The lover sees everything beautiful in the face of the beloved and thus becomes attracted. This attraction causes the living entity to fall down in this material world. This is described in Bhagavad-gītā (7.27) : icchā-dveṣa-samutthena dvandva-mohena bhārata sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ sarge yānti parantapa “O scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of desire and hate.” This condition of life is called avidyā. Opposed to this avidyā is real knowledge. Śrī Īśopaniṣad distinguishes between vidyā and avidyā, knowledge and ignorance. By avidyā (ignorance) one becomes conditioned, and by vidyā (knowledge) one becomes liberated. Puraṣjana admits herein that he is attracted by avidyā. Now he wishes to see the complete feature of avidyā and so requests the girl to raise her head so that he can see her face to face. He thus wishes to see the various features that make avidyā attractive.