SB 5.13.26 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

राजोवाच यो ह वा इह बहुविदा महाभागवत त्वयाभिहित: परोक्षेण वचसा जीवलोकभवाध्वा स ह्यार्यमनीषया कल्पितविषयो नाञ्जसाव्युत्पन्नलोकसमधिगम: । अथ तदेवैतद्दुरवगमं समवेतानुकल्पेन निर्दिश्यतामिति ॥ २६ ॥

Verse text

rājovāca yo ha vā iha bahu-vidā mahā-bhāgavata tvayābhihitaḥ parokṣeṇa vacasā jīva-loka-bhavādhvā sa hy ārya-manīṣayā kalpita-viṣayo nāṣjasāvyutpanna-loka-samadhigamaḥ; atha tad evaitad duravagamaṁ samavetānukalpena nirdiśyatām iti.

Synonyms

rājā uvāca — King Parīkṣit said ; yaḥ — which ; ha — certainly ; vā — or ; iha — in this narration ; bahu — vidā — who are aware of many incidents of transcendental knowledge ; mahā — bhāgavata — O great devotee sage ; tvayā — by you ; abhihitaḥ — described ; parokṣeṇa — figuratively ; vacasā — by words ; jīva — loka — bhava — adhvā — the path of material existence of the conditioned soul ; saḥ — that ; hi — indeed ; ārya — manīṣayā — by the intelligence of advanced devotees ; kalpita — viṣayaḥ — the subject matter is imagined ; na — not ; aṣjasā — directly ; avyutpanna — loka — of persons who are not very experienced or intelligent ; samadhigamaḥ — the complete understanding ; atha — therefore ; tat eva — because of that ; etat — this matter ; duravagamam — which is difficult to understand ; samaveta — anukalpena — by substituting the direct meaning of such incidents ; nirdiśyatām — let it be described ; iti — thus .

Translation

King Parīkṣit then told Śukadeva Gosvāmī: My dear lord, O great devotee sage, you are omniscient. You have very nicely described the position of the conditioned soul, who is compared to a merchant in the forest. From these instructions intelligent men can understand that the senses of a person in the bodily conception are like rogues and thieves in that forest, and one’s wife and children are like jackals and other ferocious animals. However, it is not very easy for the unintelligent to understand the purport of this story because it is difficult to extricate the exact meaning from the allegory. I therefore request Your Holiness to give the direct meaning.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

King Parīkṣit said: O great devotee! Possessing great knowledge, you have described with symbolic words the material existence of the jīva. This allegorical presentation for a person with refined intellect cannot be understood by inexperienced persons. Therefore you should explain this presentation using suitable examples. The subject in which the six plunderers are the senses and the jackals are the children was produced by the greatest intelligence. It is hard to understand because examples are not given. Suitable examples (anukalpena) should be given. Thus ends the commentary on the Thirteenth Chapter of the Fifth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Fourteen Explanation of the Forest of Enjoyment

Purport

There are many stories and incidents in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that are described figuratively. Such allegorical descriptions may not be understood by unintelligent men; therefore it is the duty of the student to approach a bona fide spiritual master for the direct explanation. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Thirteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Further Talks Between King Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata.”