Devanagari
रेमे तया चात्मरत आत्मारामोऽप्यखण्डित: ।
कामिनां दर्शयन् दैन्यं स्त्रीणां चैव दुरात्मताम् ॥ ३४ ॥
Verse text
reme tayā cātma-rata
ātmārāmo ’py akhaṇḍitaḥ
kāmināṁ darśayan dainyaṁ
strīṇāṁ caiva durātmatām
Synonyms
reme
—
He enjoyed
;
tayā
—
with Her
;
ca
—
and
;
ātma
—
rataḥ — He who takes pleasure only within Himself
;
ātma
—
ārāmaḥ — completely self-satisfied
;
api
—
although
;
akhaṇḍitaḥ
—
never incomplete
;
kāminām
—
of ordinary lusty men
;
darśayan
—
showing
;
dainyam
—
the degraded condition
;
strīṇām
—
of ordinary women
;
ca eva
—
also
;
durātmatām
—
the hardheartedness .
Translation
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with that gopī, although He enjoys only within, being self-satisfied and complete in Himself. Thus by contrast He showed the wretchedness of ordinary lusty men and hardhearted women.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with that gopī, although He enjoys only within, being self-satisfied and complete in Himself. Thus by contrast He showed the wretchedness of ordinary lusty men and hardhearted women.
KB 10.30.34
Kṛṣṇa is self-sufficient: He has nothing to enjoy from any other source. Yet just to satisfy His devotee, He treated Rādhārāṇī exactly as a lusty boy treats his girlfriend. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He always tolerates the disturbances created by His girlfriends.
Purport
This verse directly refutes the superficial criticism materialistic people sometimes direct against Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. The philosopher Aristotle claimed that ordinary activities are unworthy of God, and with this idea in mind some people declare that since the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa resemble those of ordinary human beings, He cannot be the Absolute Truth.
But in this verse Śukadeva Gosvāmī emphatically points out that Lord Kṛṣṇa acts on the liberated platform of spiritual self-satisfaction. This fact is indicated here by the terms
ātma-rata,
ātmārāma
and
akhaṇḍita.
It is inconceivable to ordinary people that a handsome young boy and a beautiful young girl enjoying romantic conjugal affairs in the forest moonlight can be engaging in pure activity, free from egoistic desire and lust. Yet while Lord Kṛṣṇa is inconceivable to ordinary persons, those who love Him can easily realize the absolute, pure nature of His activities.
One may argue that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and that therefore the devotees of Kṛṣṇa are only imagining the Lord’s activities to be pure. This argument ignores many significant facts. For one, the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, of developing love for Kṛṣṇa, demands that a devotee strictly follow four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication and no eating of meat, fish or eggs. When one is freed from material lust and rises to the liberated platform, beyond material desire, one realizes the absolute beauty of Lord Kṛṣṇa. This process is not theoretical: it has been practiced and completed by many thousands of great sages, who have left us their shining example and their brilliant teachings concerning the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Certainly beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, real beauty is perceived by the soul’s eye and not by the lusty eye of the material body. Therefore the Vedic literature repeatedly stresses that only those freed from material desire can see the beauty of Lord Kṛṣṇa with the eye of the pure soul, anointed with love of Godhead. It may finally be noted that upon realizing the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa one becomes free of all tinges of sex desire, a state of mind that can hardly result from meditating upon material sexual affairs.
One final note: The conjugal pastimes of Kṛṣṇa perfectly round out His qualification as the Supreme Absolute Truth. The
Vedānta
states that the Absolute Truth is the source of everything, so certainly the Absolute cannot lack any of the beautiful things of this world. It is only because romantic affairs exist in a pure, spiritual form in the Absolute that they can manifest in a perverted, material form in this world. Thus the apparent beauty of this world is not to be absolutely rejected; rather, beauty should be accepted in its pure, spiritual form.
Since the beginning of time men and women have been inspired to poetic rapture by the art of romance. Unfortunately, romance in this world usually leads to crushing disappointment, brought about by a change of heart or by death. Thus although we may at first find romantic affairs beautiful and enjoyable, they are eventually spoiled by the onslaught of material nature. Still, it is unreasonable to totally reject the concept of romance. Rather, we should accept conjugal attraction in its absolute, perfect, pure form, as it exists within God, without a tinge of material lust or selfishness. That pure conjugal attraction — the supreme beauty and pleasure of the Supreme Truth — is what we are reading about here in the pages of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Seeing the prints of the women between Krsna’s knees, the vipaksa gopis again spoke. "Here Krsna sat down and dressed that woman’s hair, using a comb supplied by the vana devatas. This woman is filled with lust not love, because she has cheated her own friends, and gone off alone with her lover. Krsna is filled with lust, because he has not selected us gopis filled with pure love and pained with separation. Certainly he sat here alone to make a topknot using her hair or flowers, in jest making her appear like a man."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
After praising Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with Rādhā through the mouth of the gopīs, Śukadeva himself praises those pastimes. Kṛṣṇa is complete in his own desires (ātma-rataḥ) as the aṁśī or final source of everything, without dependence on others, since he possesses as his amśa Lakṣmī of Vaikuṇṭha, representing power, and the dear gopīs of Vraja. But though being of this nature, he is completely absorbed in the bliss of his svarūpa (sva ātmārāmaḥ). But though that is so, he still enjoys because of her (tayā), ignoring Lakṣmī and the other gopīs and the bliss of his own svarūpa. This is because of her. The word tayā (by her) indicates her extraordinary nature in the mind of Śukadeva, since she is the highest viṣaya for the abode of prema, Kṛṣṇa. Another version has reme tayā cātma-rataḥ. This would have the same meaning as ātmārāmaḥ. Thus the meaning is this: since he is full in himself, ātmārāma, he is absorbed in himself alone. The word ca (and) indicates that just as the gopīs speculated about his enjoyment with her, so he actually enjoyed with her. “But one can see Kṛṣṇa enjoying with Lakṣmī or the other gopīs.” His relationship with her is continuous (akhanditaḥ). Just as he is with her, he could leave her. When a woman is rejected by her husband or lover, she becomes depressed. But he does not break his relationship with her because of a relationship with others such as Lakṣmī or the other gopīs at any time. Conquered by her prema, he offers everything to her. It has already been stated in many places that his great quality is that he is controlled by the prema of his devotees. This is also described in Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta. Material lovers male or female who are not controlled by the prema of the beloved are shown to be repudiated by Kṛṣṇa’s greatness. Material lovers desire satisfaction for bodies which are satisfied with food and water, which transform into stool and urine. They are not satisfied because of bodies of sac-cid-ānanda. And they do have natural prema which brings joyful merely by satisfying their lover. They are miserable. The women are also made of stool and urine and do not have sac-cid-ānanda bodies which are necessary for enjoyment with Kṛṣṇa. Those suitable to be with him are described later:
tābhir vidhūta-śokābhir bhagavān acyuto vṛtaḥ
vyarocatādhikaṁ tāta puruṣaḥ śaktibhir yathā
Encircled by the gopīs, who were now relieved of all distress, Acyuta shone forth splendidly. My dear King, Kṛṣṇa thus appeared like the Supersoul encircled by his spiritual potencies. SB 10.32.10
Other women of miserable qualities, showing joy or proud, control men of similar natures. Rukmiṇī says:
tvak-śmaśru-roma-nakha-keśa-pinaddham antar
māṁsāsthi-rakta-kṛmi-viṭ-kapha-pitta-vātam
jīvac-chavaṁ bhajati kānta-matir vimūḍhā
yā te padābja-makarandam ajighratī strī
A woman who fails to relish the fragrance of the honey of your lotus feet becomes totally befooled, and thus she accepts as her husband or lover a living corpse covered with skin, whiskers, nails, head-hair and body-hair and filled with flesh, bones, blood, parasites, feces, mucus, bile and air. SB 10.60.45
The above verse also shows Kṛṣṇa’s outstanding qualities with the words “the fragrance of the honey of your lotus feet.”This also reveals a woman, to associate with Kṛṣṇa, must have outstanding qualities, since she must be qualified with similar qualities as Kṛṣṇa. In the same way the fallen nature of a man will show the fallen nature of his consort. Thus it is said darśayad vidhu-parājayaṁ ramā-vaktraṁ ullasati dhūta-lāñchanam: the spotless moon of Lakṣmī’s face, a moon that defeats all other moons, shines with bliss. Similarly it is said:
śarad-udāśaye sādhu-jāta-sat- sarasijodara-śrī-muṣā dṛśā
O Lord of love, in beauty your glance excels the whorl of the finest, most perfectly formed lotus within the autumn pond. SB 10.31.2
By the use on words, Kṛṣṇa’s excellence is shown. Kṛṣṇa does not with intention show the foolishness of material love. Since Kṛṣṇa is satisfied in himself, he does not need to imitate the laughable common man in order to show the misery of material love. The verse should not be explained otherwise. Kṛṣṇa is controlled by prema alone:
nāham ātmānam āśāse mad-bhaktaiḥ sādhubhir vinā
śriyaṁ cātyantikīṁ Brahman yeṣāṁ gatir ahaṁ parā
O brāhmaṇa! Without the devotees, who take shelter of only me, I do not desire to enjoy my own bliss by my six great qualities. SB 9.4.64
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
He enjoyed in himself or by himself (ātma-rataḥ). Or he was satisfied naturally. He enjoyed everything (ca). Though he was satisfied with himself, he enjoyed. He no longer was satisfied with himself. This was stated previously. It is repeated for emphasis. This means he was satisfied with her. He enjoyed with her. He was controlled by her actions of vibhrama. Being conquered by her prema, he offered everything to her. It is not a fault for the Lord who is affectionate to his devotees and is controlled by the prema of the devotee. Rather it is a great quality, manifested as the essence of his nature as bhagavān. This has previously been mentioned in many places and is explained in Bhāgavatāmṛta.
Or he is attracted to friends who are like his self (ātma-rataḥ). Or he was attracted to the gopīs who were dear as himself. Even so, he enjoyed completely (akhaṇḍitaḥ) with attachment of his mind words and body, with this gopī.
Not only did he make his eternal beloved full of bliss, but he gave benefit to others. He taught that one should not be controlled by lust and women. Just as the Lord teaches men by his conduct, his beloved teaches women. They showed that such conduct is foolish.
Though such behavior and anger is not foolish, but increases prema between the two great lovers, and though it is proper as an independent lover, pride and the statements uttered by the Lord are not proper. This is the explanation according to scriptures following rules. There is no fault and they are simplhy teaching the common people.
Or this shows the misery of Indra and other lusty people (kāminām) because of the presence of envy since there is no happiness in the actions of a material lover. Women are foolish (durātmatām) for worshipping a low husband who is not Kṛṣṇa.
Or they teach about misery to lusty men and about foolishness to women. Though there is pleasure in love play, enjoying men being controlled by women will make them miserable and women giving up shyness in acts of love and controlling men will make them independent and inclined to sinful acts.
This can be concluded because of their future words and behavior or it is the intention of their previous behaviour. Or the behavior in loving affairs has been shown. The wickedness of various techniques mentioned in kāma-śāstra, with the woman on the man’ṣ shoulders is shown. The words dainyam and durātmatā are employed while thinking of sages engaged in jñāna. Actually it is a playful use of words because of special rasa.
Or ātma-rata means ātma-rate. He showed the misery (dainyam) in ātma-rati (being ātmārāma) to lusty men since enjoyment is not attained. He showed the foolishness of ātma-rati to women, since service to the husband is not accomplished. Thus ignoring being ātmārāma, Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with her. These words are suitable for the women of Vraja since it is full of special rasa, not deviating from the Lord’s bhāva, with knowledge of the Lord’s nature.