Talks Between Nārada and King Prācīnabarhi
सुमन:समधर्मणां स्त्रीणां शरण आश्रमे पुष्पमधुगन्धवत्क्षुद्रतमं काम्यकर्मविपाकजं कामसुखलवं जैह्व्यौपस्थ्यादि विचिन्वन्तं मिथुनीभूय तदभिनिवेशितमनसंषडङ्घ्रिगणसामगीत वदतिमनोहरवनितादिजनालापेष्वतितरामतिप्रलोभितकर्णमग्रे वृकयूथवदात्मन आयुर्हरतोऽहोरात्रान्तान् काललवविशेषानविगणय्य गृहेषु विहरन्तं पृष्ठत एव परोक्षमनुप्रवृत्तो लुब्धक: कृतान्तोऽन्त:शरेण यमिह पराविध्यति तमिममात्मानमहो राजन् भिन्नहृदयं द्रष्टुमर्हसीति ॥ ५४ ॥
Transliteration
sumanaḥ-sama-dharmaṇāṁ strīṇāṁ śaraṇa āśrame puṣpa-madhu-gandhavat kṣudratamaṁ kāmya-karma-vipākajaṁ kāma-sukha-lavaṁ jaihvyaupasthyādi vicinvantaṁ mithunī-bhūya tad-abhiniveśita-manasaṁ ṣaḍaṅghri-gaṇa-sāma-gītavad atimanohara-vanitādi-janālāpeṣv atitarām atipralobhita-karṇam agre vṛka-yūthavad ātmana āyur harato ’ho-rātrān tān kāla-lava-viśeṣān avigaṇayya gṛheṣu viharantaṁ pṛṣṭhata eva parokṣam anupravṛtto lubdhakaḥ kṛtānto ’ntaḥ śareṇa yam iha parāvidhyati tam imam ātmānam aho rājan bhinna-hṛdayaṁ draṣṭum arhasīti.
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
sumanaḥ — flowers; sama-dharmaṇām — exactly like; strīṇām — of women; śaraṇe — in the shelter; āśrame — household life; puṣpa — in flowers; madhu — of honey; gandha — the aroma; vat — like; kṣudra-tamam — most insignificant; kāmya — desired; karma — of activities; vipāka-jam — obtained as a result; kāma-sukha — of sense gratification; lavam — a fragment; jaihvya — enjoyment of the tongue; aupasthya — sex enjoyment; ādi — beginning with; vicinvantam — always thinking of; mithunī-bhūya — engaging in sex life; tat — in his wife; abhiniveśita — always absorbed; manasam — whose mind; ṣaṭ-aṅghri — of bumblebees; gaṇa — of crowds; sāma — gentle; gīta — the chanting; vat — like; ati — very; manohara — attractive; vanitā-ādi — beginning with the wife; jana — of people; ālāpeṣu — to the talks; atitarām — excessively; ati — very much; pralobhita — attracted; karṇam — whose ears; agre — in front; vṛka-yūtha — a group of tigers; vat — like; ātmanaḥ — of one’s self; āyuḥ — span of life; harataḥ — taking away; ahaḥ-rātrān — days and nights; tān — all of them; kāla-lava-viśeṣān — the moments of time; avigaṇayya — without considering; gṛheṣu — in household life; viharantam — enjoying; pṛṣṭhataḥ — from the back; eva — certainly; parokṣam — without being seen; anupravṛttaḥ — following behind; lubdhakaḥ — the hunter; kṛta-antaḥ — the superintendent of death; antaḥ — in the heart; śareṇa — by an arrow; yam — whom; iha — in this world; parāvidhyati — pierces; tam — that; imam — this; ātmānam — yourself; aho rājan — O King; bhinna-hṛdayam — whose heart is pierced; draṣṭum — to see; arhasi — you ought; iti — thus.
Translation
“My dear King, woman, who is very attractive in the beginning but in the end very disturbing, is exactly like the flower, which is attractive in the beginning and detestable at the end. With woman, the living entity is entangled with lusty desires, and he enjoys sex, just as one enjoys the aroma of a flower. He thus enjoys a life of sense gratification — from his tongue to his genitals — and in this way the living entity considers himself very happy in family life. United with his wife, he always remains absorbed in such thoughts. He feels great pleasure in hearing the talks of his wife and children, which are like the sweet humming of bumblebees that collect honey from flower to flower. He forgets that before him is time, which is taking away his life span with the passing of day and night. He does not see the gradual diminishing of his life, nor does he care about the superintendent of death, who is trying to kill him from behind. Just try to understand this. You are in a precarious position and are threatened from all sides.”