SB 5.13.4 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

निवासतोयद्रविणात्मबुद्धि- स्ततस्ततो धावति भो अटव्याम् । क्‍वचिच्च वात्योत्थितपांसुधूम्रा दिशो न जानाति रजस्वलाक्ष: ॥ ४ ॥

Verse text

nivāsa-toya-draviṇātma-buddhis tatas tato dhāvati bho aṭavyām kvacic ca vātyotthita-pāṁsu-dhūmrā diśo na jānāti rajas-valākṣaḥ

Synonyms

nivāsa — residential place ; toya — water ; draviṇa — wealth ; ātma — buddhiḥ — who considers these material things the ātma, or self ; tataḥ tataḥ — here and there ; dhāvati — he runs ; bhoḥ — O King ; aṭavyām — on that forest path of material existence ; kvacit ca — and sometimes ; vātyā — by the whirlwind ; utthita — raised ; pāṁsu — by dust ; dhūmrāḥ — appear smoke-colored ; diśaḥ — the directions ; na — not ; jānāti — knows ; rajaḥ — vala — akṣaḥ — whose eyes are covered by the dust of the wind or who is captivated by his wife during her menstrual period .

Translation

My dear King, the merchant on the forest path of the material world, his intelligence victimized by home, wealth, relatives and so forth, runs from one place to another in search of success. Sometimes his eyes are covered by the dust of a whirlwind — that is to say, in his lust he is captivated by the beauty of his wife, especially during her menstrual period. Thus his eyes are blinded, and he cannot see where to go or what he is doing.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O King! Thinking that house, water, and wealth are his, he runs here and there in the forest. Covered with dirt raised by a whirlwind, his eyes blinded by dust, he does not know the directions. Thinking that house and wealth are his, he runs here and there (tataḥ tataḥ). He becomes covered by the impulses of lust because of a woman. This is comparable to being covered by dirt raised by a whirlwind. His eyes blinded by lust, he does not know that the devatās of the directions are witness to his actions.

Purport

It is said that household attraction resides in the wife because sex is the center of household life: yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. A materialistic person, making his wife the center of attraction, works very hard day and night. His only enjoyment in material life is sexual intercourse. Therefore karmīs are attracted to women as friends or wives. Indeed, they cannot work without sex. Under the circumstances the wife is compared to a whirlwind, especially during her menstrual period. Those who strictly follow the rules and regulations of householder life engage in sex only once a month, at the end of the menstrual period. As one looks forward to this opportunity, his eyes are overwhelmed by the beauty of his wife. Thus it is said that the whirlwind covers the eyes with dust. Such a lusty person does not know that all his material activities are being observed by different demigods, especially the sun-god, and are being recorded for the karma of one’s next body. Astrological calculations are called jyoti-śāstra. Because the jyoti, or effulgence, in the material world comes from the different stars and planets, the science is called jyoti-śāstra, the science of the luminaries. By the calculations of jyoti, our future is indicated. In other words, all the luminaries — the stars, sun and moon — witness the activities of the conditioned soul. Thus he is awarded a particular type of body. A lusty person whose eyes are covered by the dust of the whirlwind of material existence does not at all consider that his activities are being observed by different stars and planets and are being recorded. Not knowing this, the conditioned soul commits all kinds of sinful activities for the satisfaction of his lusty desires.