SB 10.60.36 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

त्वत्पादपद्ममकरन्दजुषां मुनीनां वर्त्मास्फुटं नृपशुभिर्ननु दुर्विभाव्यम् । यस्मादलौकिकमिवेहितमीश्वरस्य भूमंस्तवेहितमथो अनु ये भवन्तम् ॥ ३६ ॥

Verse text

tvat-pāda-padma-makaranda-juṣāṁ munīnāṁ vartmāsphuṭaṁ nr-paśubhir nanu durvibhāvyam yasmād alaukikam ivehitam īśvarasya bhūmaṁs tavehitam atho anu ye bhavantam

Synonyms

tvat — Your ; pāda — of the feet ; padma — lotuslike ; makaranda — the honey ; juṣām — who relish ; munīnām — for sages ; vartma — (Your) path ; asphuṭam — not apparent ; nṛ — in human form ; paśubhiḥ — by animals ; nanu — certainly, then ; durvibhāvyam — impossible to comprehend ; yasmāt — because ; alaukikam — supramundane ; iva — as if ; īhitam — the activities ; īśvarasya — of the Supreme Lord ; bhūman — O all-powerful one ; tava — Your ; īhitam — activities ; atha u — therefore ; anu — following ; ye — who ; bhavantam — You .

Translation

Your movements, inscrutable even for sages who relish the honey of Your lotus feet, are certainly incomprehensible for human beings who behave like animals. And just as Your activities are transcendental, O all-powerful Lord, so too are those of Your followers.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Your movements, inscrutable even for sages who relish the honey of Your lotus feet, are certainly incomprehensible for human beings who behave like animals. And just as Your activities are transcendental, O all-powerful Lord, so too are those of Your followers. KB 10.60.36 “My dear Lord, Your statement that You do not act as an ordinary person with a particular aim in life is also perfectly correct. Even Your great devotees and servants, known as great sages and saintly persons, remain in such a state that no one can get any clue as to the aim of their lives. Human society considers them crazy and cynical. Their aim of life remains a mystery to the common human being; the lowest of mankind can know neither You nor Your servants. A contaminated human being cannot even imagine the pastimes of You and Your devotees. O unlimited one, when the activities and endeavors of Your devotees remain a mystery to the common human beings, how can Your motives and endeavors be understood by them? All kinds of energies and opulences are engaged in Your service, but still they rest at Your shelter.

Purport

Here Queen Rukmiṇī replies to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s statement in text 13: aspaṣṭa-vartmanāṁ puṁsām aloka-patham īyuṣām āsthitāḥ padavīṁ su-bhru prāyaḥ sīdanti yoṣitaḥ “O fine-browed lady, women are usually destined to suffer when they stay with men whose behavior is uncertain and who pursue a path not approved by society.” In the present verse Rukmiṇī is taking the term aloka-patham to mean “unworldly path.” Those who are entangled in worldly behavior are trying to enjoy this world more or less like animals. Even if such people are “culturally advanced,” they should simply be considered sophisticated or polished animals. Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī points out that because the Lord’s activities are always transcendental, they are aspaṣṭa, or “unclear,” to ordinary people, and even the sages trying to know the Lord cannot perfectly understand these activities.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In this verse she replies to Krsna ’s statement that his path is unclear. "Yes it is true, your path is unclear even to the munis. Certainly it is incomprehensible to the animalistic men. It is true that you do not follow the customary path. As your activities are uncommon, so also those who follow you have uncommon activities.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Nanu is an exclamation in prema or it means certainly. Your favorite activities cannot be understood by jñānis who relish the sweetness of your feet by the influence of association with your devotees. Since your activities are covered by other actions to conciliate the public, they cannot be understood at all by unintelligent men. However those with proper intelligence can understand. This is the answer to Kṛṣṇa’s remark that his path is unclear. You also do not perform the actions of ordinary people. Your activities are beyond the material realm, though they appear ordinary (iva), because your glories are constant (bhūman).

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Jñānīs (munīnām) also by association with devotees relish the honey or bhakti-rasa from your lotus feet. The devotees of course relish this and more so your close associates. Nanu is an exclamation in prema or means certainly. Your conduct is independent (asphutam) of them, just as persons intoxicated with liquor fail to act according to normal rules, not thinking clearly. Your conduct cannot be understood by persons who are like animals. It can be understood by persons having proper intelligence, since they are not qualified for regular duties. tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate As long as one does not become detached from daily and periodic duties or has not awakened his faith in hearing topics about me, one must perform one’s prescribed duties of varṇāśrama. SB 11.20.9 One may speculate about their intentions. Though it is said that one should know karma and vikarma (BG 4.17), some devotee may even engage in vikarma. This verse answers the statement in verse 13 aloka-patham īyuṣām: women suffer from men whose behavior is uncertain and who pursue a path not approved by society. Alaukikam īhitam mean conduct which is beyond the material world. But this is only apparent (iva) since you generally act properly, so that people can follow such conduct. Or alaukikam can means “not in excess of what is commonly said or done.” This is cause you are have unlimited greatness (bhūman). Bound the rules of the world you would be limited. You are qualified for activities beyond this world. Or your conduct is independent because your actions are certainly (iva) beyond this world. Iva here means eva. Even the devotees’ actions are beyond the world. Thus the answer has been given to aloka-patham īyūṣam in verse 13. Or aspaṣṭha-vartmanām is answered with alaukikam īhitam. This is certain (nanu).