SB 11.26.18

SB 11.26.18

Devanagari

क्व‍ायं मलीमस: कायो दौर्गन्ध्याद्यात्मकोऽशुचि: । क्व‍ गुणा: सौमनस्याद्या ह्यध्यासोऽविद्यया कृत: ॥ १८ ॥

Verse text

kvāyaṁ malīmasaḥ kāyo daurgandhyādy-ātmako ’śuciḥ kva guṇāḥ saumanasyādyā hy adhyāso ’vidyayā kṛtaḥ

Synonyms

kva where ; ayam this ; malīmasaḥ very filthy ; kāyaḥ material body ; daurgandhya bad odor ; ādi and so on ; ātmakaḥ consisting of ; aśuciḥ unclean ; kva where ; guṇāḥ the so-called good qualities ; saumanasya the fragrance and tenderness of flowers ; ādyāḥ and so on ; hi certainly ; adhyāsaḥ the superficial imposition ; avidyayā by ignorance ; kṛtaḥ created .

Translation

What is this polluted body anyway — so filthy and full of bad odors? I was attracted by the fragrance and beauty of a woman’s body, but what are those so-called attractive features? They are simply a false covering created by illusion.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

What is her polluted body, unclean and full of bad odors? What are her attractive features, like those of a flower? They are simply a false covering created by illusion. “But the cause of your bewilderment was the woman with excellent qualities, fragrance and sweetness.” Her qualities were produced by my lack of discrimination. When one considers factually, what is the use of a body so contaminated? What are those excellent qualities, like those of a flower, such as youth and fragrance? I have projected these qualities on her by my illusion.

Purport

Purūravā now understands that although he was madly attracted to the fragrant, shapely body of Urvaśī, in fact that body was a sack of stool, gas, bile, mucus, hairs and other repugnant elements. In other words, Purūravā is now becoming sane.