Text 36]
The Characteristics of King Purañjana
1177
PURPORT
Purañjana inquired from the woman about those eleven men and their wives as well as the snake. The woman gave a brief description of them. She was obviously without full knowledge of her surrounding men and women and the snake. As stated before, the snake is the vital force of the living being. This vital force always remains awake even when the body and the senses become fatigued and do no work. Even in the state of unconsciousness, when we sleep, the snake or the life force remains intact and awake. Consequently we dream when we sleep. When the living entity gives up this material body, the vital force still remains intact and is carried to another material body. That is called transmigration, or change of the body, and we have come to know this process as death. Actually, there is no death. The vital force always exists with the soul, and when the soul is awakened from so-called sleep, he can see his eleven friends, or the active senses and the mind with their various desires (wives). The vital life force remains. Even during our sleeping hours we can understand by virtue of our breathing process that the snake lives by eating the air that passes within this body. Air is exhibited in the form of breathing, and as long as breath is there, one can understand that a sleeping man is alive. Thus even when the gross body is asleep the vital force remains active and alive to protect the body. Thus the snake is described as living and eating air to keep the body fit for life.
TEXT 36
दिष्ट्याऽऽगतोऽसि भद्रं ते ग्राम्यान् कामानमीप्ससे उद्वहिष्यामि तांस्तेऽहं स्वबन्धुभिररिन्दम ॥३६॥
diṣṭyāgato 'si bhadram te grāmyān kāmān abhīpsase udvahiṣyāmi tāms te 'ham sva-bandhubhir arindama
diṣṭyā —fortunately for me;  āgataḥ asi —you have come here;  bhadram —all auspiciousness;  te —unto you;  grāmyān —sensual;  kāmān —desired enjoyable objects;  abhīpsase —you want to enjoy;  udvahiṣyāmi —I shall supply;  tān —all of them;  te —unto you;  aham —I;  sva-bandhubhiḥ —with all my friends;  arindama —● killer of the enemy.
TRANSLATION
O killer of the enemy, you have somehow or other come here. This is certainly great fortune for me. I wish all auspicious things for you. You