Verse Text
prathame ca śrī-dharmarāja-mātuḥ stutau (1.8.20)—
tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām amalātmanām |
bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ ||53||
Translation
In the First Canto, Kuntī prays: You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly? SB 1.8.20
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
All the verses since verse 23 have been proofs that those who desire the happiness of serving the Lord do not desire liberation. Now starting with the present verse, the intention is to describe the efforts of such devotees to offer service to the Lord. How can we women understand (paśyema) You (omitted but understood), whose purpose is to teach bhakti-yoga (bhakti-yoga-vidhānārtham) to the paramahaṁsas?
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Eighth Chapter, verse 20, Queen Kuntī is praying to Lord Kṛṣṇa at the time of His departure, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are so great that You are inconceivable even to great stalwart scholars and paramahaṁsas [fully liberated souls]. So if such great sages, who are transcendental to all the reactions of material existence, are unable to know You, then as far as we are concerned, belonging to the less intelligent woman class, how is it possible for us to know Your glories? How can we understand You?” In this verse, the particular thing to be noted is that the Personality of Godhead is not understood by great liberated persons, but only by devotees such as Queen Kuntī in her humbleness. Although she was a woman and was considered less intelligent than a man, still she realized the glories of Kṛṣṇa. That is the purport of this verse.