TEXT 54
sumanah-sama-dharmanam strinam sarana asrame puspa-madhu-gandhavat ksudratamam kamya-karma-vipakajam kama-sukha-lavam jaihvyaupasthyadi vicinvantam mithuni-bhuya tad-abhinivesita-manasam sadanghri-gana-sama-gitavad atimanohara-vanitadi-janalapesv atitaram atipralobhita-karnam agre vrka-yuthavad atmana ayur harato ho-ratran tan kala-lava-visesan aviganayya grhesu viharantam prsthata eva paroksam anupravrtto lubdhakah krtanto ntah sarena yam iha paravidhyati tam imam atmanam aho rajan bhinna-hrdayam drastum arhasiti.
SYNONYMS
sumanahflowers; sama-dharmanamexactly like; strinamof women; saranein the shelter; asramehousehold life; puspain flowers; madhuof honey; gandhathe aroma; vatlike; ksudra-tamammost insignificant; kamyadesired; karmaof activities; vipaka-jamobtained as a result; kama-sukhaof sense gratification; lavama fragment; jaihvyaenjoyment of the tongue; aupasthyasex enjoyment; adibeginning with; vicinvantamalways thinking of; mithuni-bhuyaengaging in sex life; tatin his wife; abhinivesitaalways absorbed; manasamwhose mind; sat-anghriof bumblebees; ganaof crowds; samagentle; gitathe chanting; vatlike; ativery; manoharaattractive; vanita-adibeginning with the wife; janaof people; alapesuto the talks; atitaramexcessively; ativery much; pralobhitaattracted; karnamwhose ears; agrein front; vrka-yuthaa group of tigers; vatlike; atmanahof ones self; ayuhspan of life; haratahtaking away; ahah-ratrandays and nights; tanall of them; kala-lava-visesanthe moments of time; aviganayyawithout considering; grhesuin household life; viharantamenjoying; prsthatahfrom the back; evacertainly; paroksamwithout being seen; anupravrttahfollowing behind; lubdhakahthe hunter; krta-antahthe superintendent of death; antahin the heart; sarenaby an arrow; yamwhom; ihain this world; paravidhyatipierces; tamthat; imamthis; atmanamyourself; aho rajanO King; bhinna-hrdayamwhose heart is pierced; drastumto see; arhasiyou ought; itithus.
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 gratificationfrom his tongue to his genitalsand 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.
PURPORT
Materialistic life means forgetting ones constitutional position as the eternal servant of Krsna, and this forgetfulness is especially enhanced in the grhastha-asrama. In the grhastha-asrama a young man accepts a young wife who is very beautiful in the beginning, but in due course of time, after giving birth to many children and becoming older and older, she demands many things from the husband to maintain the entire family. At such a time the wife becomes detestable to the very man who accepted her in her younger days. One becomes attached to the grhastha-asrama for two reasons onlythe wife cooks palatable dishes for the satisfaction of her husbands tongue, and she gives him sexual pleasure at night. A person attached to the grhastha-asrama is always thinking of these two thingspalatable food and sex enjoyment. The talks of the wife, which are enjoyed as a family recreation, and the talks of the children both attract the living entity. He thus forgets that he has to die someday and has to prepare for the next life if he wants to be put into a congenial body.
The deer in the flower garden is an allegory used by the great sage Narada to point out to the King that the King himself is similarly entrapped by such surroundings. Actually everyone is surrounded by such a family life, which misleads one. The living entity thus forgets that he has to return home, back to Godhead. He simply becomes entangled in family life. Prahlada Maharaja has therefore hinted: hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. Family life is considered a blind well (andha-kupam) into which a person falls and dies without help. Prahlada Maharaja recommends that while ones senses are there and one is strong enough, he should abandon the grhastha-asrama and take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, going to the forest of Vrndavana. According to Vedic civilization, one has to give up family life at a certain age (the age of fifty), take vanaprastha and eventually remain alone as a sannyasi. That is the prescribed method of Vedic civilization known as varnasrama-dharma. When one takes sannyasa after enjoying family life, he pleases the Supreme Lord Visnu.
One has to understand ones position in family or worldly life. That is called intelligence. One should not remain always trapped in family life to satisfy his tongue and genitals in association with a wife. In such a way, one simply spoils his life. According to Vedic civilization, it is imperative to give up the family at a certain stage, by force if necessary. Unfortunately, so-called followers of Vedic life do not give up their family even at the end of life, unless they are forced by death. There should be a thorough overhauling of the social system, and society should revert to the Vedic principles, that is, the four varnas and the four asramas.

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