Text 12
tasyāṁ sandahyamānāyāṁ
sapauraḥ saparicchadaḥ
kauṭumbikaḥ kuṭumbinyā
upātapyata sānvayaḥ
tasyām — when that city; sandahyamānāyām — was ablaze; sa-pauraḥ — along with all the citizens; sa-paricchadaḥ — along with all servants and followers; kauṭumbikaḥ — the King, having so many relatives; kuṭumbinyā — along with his wife; upātapyata — began to suffer the heat of the fire; sa-anvayaḥ — along with descendants.
When the city was set ablaze, all the citizens and servants of the King, as well as all family members, sons, grandsons, wives and other relatives, were within the fire. King Purañjana thus became very unhappy.
There are many parts of the body — the senses, the limbs, the skin, the muscles, blood, marrow, etc. — and all these are considered here figuratively as sons, grandsons, citizens and dependents. When the body is attacked by the viṣṇu-jvāra, the fiery condition becomes so acute that sometimes one remains in a coma. This means that the body is in such severe pain that one becomes unconscious and cannot feel the miseries taking place within the body. Indeed, the living entity becomes so helpless at the time of death that, although unwilling, he is forced to give up the body and enter another. In Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that man may, by scientific advancement, improve the temporary living conditions, but that he cannot avoid the pangs of birth, old age, disease and death. These are under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the agency of material nature. A foolish person cannot understand this simple fact. Now people are very busy trying to find petroleum in the midst of the ocean. They are very anxious to make provisions for the future petroleum supply, but they do not make any attempts to ameliorate the conditions of birth, old age, disease and death. Thus a person in ignorance, not knowing anything about his own future life, is certainly defeated in all his activities.