SB 10.53.41 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

पद्‍भ्यां विनिर्ययौ द्रष्टुं भवान्या: पादपल्ल‍वम् । सा चानुध्यायती सम्यङ्‍मुकुन्दचरणाम्बुजम् ॥ ४० ॥ यतवाङ्‍मातृभि: सार्धं सखीभि: परिवारिता । गुप्ता राजभटै: शूरै: सन्नद्धैरुद्यतायुधै: । मृदङ्गशङ्खपणवास्तूर्यभेर्यश्च जघ्निरे ॥ ४१ ॥

Verse text

padbhyāṁ viniryayau draṣṭuṁ bhavānyāḥ pāda-pallavam sā cānudhyāyatī samyaṅ mukunda-caraṇāmbujam yata-vāṅ mātṛbhiḥ sārdhaṁ sakhībhiḥ parivāritā guptā rāja-bhaṭaiḥ śūraiḥ sannaddhair udyatāyudhaiḥ mṛḍaṅga-śaṅkha-paṇavās tūrya-bheryaś ca jaghnire

Synonyms

padbhyām — on foot ; viniryayau — went out ; draṣṭum — in order to see ; bhavānyāḥ — of mother Bhavānī ; pāda — pallavam — the lotus-petal feet ; sā — she ; ca — and ; anudhyāyatī — meditating ; samyak — totally ; mukunda — of Kṛṣṇa ; caraṇa — ambujam — on the lotus feet ; yata — vāk — maintaining silence ; mātṛbhiḥ — by her mothers ; sārdham — accompanied ; sakhībhiḥ — by her female companions ; parivāritā — surrounded ; guptā — guarded ; rāja — of the King ; bhaṭaiḥ — by soldiers ; śūraiḥ — valiant ; sannaddhaiḥ — armed and ready ; udyata — upraised ; āyudhaiḥ — with weapons ; mṛdaṅga — śaṅkha — paṇavāḥ — clay drums, conchshells and side drums ; tūrya — wind instruments ; bheryaḥ — horns ; ca — and ; jaghnire — played .

Translation

Rukmiṇī silently went out on foot to see the lotus feet of the deity Bhavānī. Accompanied by her mothers and girlfriends and protected by the King’s valiant soldiers, who held their upraised weapons at the ready, she simply absorbed her mind in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. And all the while mṛdaṅgas, conchshells, paṇavas, horns and other instruments resounded.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Rukmiṇī silently went out on foot to see the lotus feet of the deity Bhavānī. Accompanied by her mothers and girlfriends and protected by the King's valiant soldiers, who held their upraised weapons at the ready, she simply absorbed her mind in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. And all the while mṛdaṅgas, conchshells, paṇavas, horns and other instruments resounded. KB 10.53.40-41 As Rukmiṇī proceeded toward the temple, she was silent and grave. Her mother and her girlfriends were by her side, and the wife of a brāhmaṇa was in the center; surrounding her were royal bodyguards. (This custom of a would-be bride’s going to the temple of a demigod is still practiced in India.) As the procession continued, various musical sounds were heard. Conchshells, drums such as paṇavas, and bugles of different sizes, such as tūryas and bherīs, combined to make a sound which was not only auspicious but very sweet to hear.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

The details are described in four verses. She (sāḥ), who was endowed with such greatness, went on foot, out of respect, because she was going to see Durgā’ lotus feet. Durgā’s feet are described as lotuses because of the Rukmiṇī’s devotion. “If Rukmiṇī is directly Lakṣmī, why does she have devotion to Durgā?” She was constantly meditating on the lotus feet of Mukunda, endowed completely (samyak) with sweetness, which revealed their softness and other qualities (like jasmine flowers). This indicates that neither she or Kṛṣṇa revealed their greatness at this time. Because she was absorbed in devotion, she was silent. She also walked with devotion (vi—niryayau). Being surrounded by many people indicates that she would be hard to steal and was thus in great anxiety. This shows the seed of experiencing joy on suddenly attaining Kṛṣṇa, which is described later. She was surrounded by persons who had motherly affection (mātṛbhiḥ). She was surrounded by troops because Rukmī was afraid of Kṛṣṇa. They were brave, dressed in armor, and had their weapons raised. These were progressively better means of protecting her. Mṛdaṅgas, paṇavas, and tūryas are drums. Bherīs are wind instruments. Another type of bherī is a drum.