Text 11
nalinī nālinī nāse
gandhaḥ saurabha ucyate
ghrāṇo ’vadhūto mukhyāsyaṁ
vipaṇo vāg rasavid rasaḥ
nalinī — named Nalinī; nālinī — named Nālinī; nāse — the two nostrils; gandhaḥ — aroma; saurabhaḥ — Saurabha (fragrance); ucyate — is called; ghrāṇaḥ — the sense of smell; avadhūtaḥ — called Avadhūta; mukhyā — called Mukhyā (principal); āsyam — the mouth; vipaṇaḥ — named Vipaṇa; vāk — the faculty of speech; rasa-vit — named Rasajña (expert in tasting); rasaḥ — the sense of taste.
The two doors named Nalinī and Nālinī should be known as the two nostrils, and the city named Saurabha represents aroma. The companion spoken of as Avadhūta is the sense of smell. The door called Mukhyā is the mouth, and Vipaṇa is the faculty of speech. Rasajña is the sense of taste.
The word avadhūta means “most free.” A person is not under the rules and regulations of any injunction when he has attained the stage of avadhūta. In other words, he can act as he likes. This avadhūta stage is exactly like air, which does not care for any obstruction. In Bhagavad-gītā (6.34) it is said:
cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa
pramāthi balavad dṛḍham
tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye
vāyor iva suduṣkaram
“The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Kṛṣṇa, and to subdue it is, it seems to me, more difficult than controlling the wind.”
Just as the air or wind cannot be checked by anyone, the two nostrils, situated in one place, enjoy the sense of smell without impediment. When the tongue is present, the mouth continually tastes all kinds of relishable foodstuffs.