SB 10.60.44 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तस्या: स्युरच्युत नृपा भवतोपदिष्टा: स्‍त्रीणां गृहेषु खरगोश्वविडालभृत्या: । यत्कर्णमूलमरिकर्षण नोपयायाद् युष्मत्कथा मृडविरिञ्चसभासु गीता ॥ ४४ ॥

Verse text

tasyāḥ syur acyuta nṛpā bhavatopadiṣṭāḥ strīṇāṁ gṛheṣu khara-go-śva-viḍāla-bhṛtyāḥ yat-karṇa-mūlam ari-karṣaṇa nopayāyād yuṣmat-kathā mṛḍa-viriṣca-sabhāsu gītā

Synonyms

tasyāḥ — of her ; syuḥ — let them become (the husbands) ; acyuta — O infallible Kṛṣṇa ; nṛpāḥ — kings ; bhavatā — by You ; upadiṣṭāḥ — mentioned ; strīṇām — of women ; gṛheṣu — in the homes ; khara — as asses ; go — oxen ; śva — dogs ; viḍāla — cats ; bhṛtyāḥ — and slaves ; yat — whose ; karṇa — of the ear ; mūlam — the core ; ari — Your enemies ; karṣaṇa — O You who vex ; na — never ; upayāyāt — come near ; yuṣmat — concerning You ; kathā — discussions ; mṛḍa — of Lord Śiva ; viriṣca — and Lord Brahmā ; sabhāsu — in the scholarly assemblies ; gītā — sung .

Translation

O infallible Kṛṣṇa, let each of the kings You named become the husband of a woman whose ears have never heard Your glories, which are sung in the assemblies of Śiva and Brahmā. After all, in the households of such women these kings live like asses, oxen, dogs, cats and slaves.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O infallible Kṛṣṇa, let each of the kings You named become the husband of a woman whose ears have never heard Your glories, which are sung in the assemblies of Śiva and Brahmā. After all, in the households of such women these kings live like asses, oxen, dogs, cats and slaves. KB 10.60.44 “My dear Lord, You have advised me to select one of the princes such as Śiśupāla, Jarāsandha or Dantavakra, but what is their position in this world? They are always engaged in hard labor to maintain their household life, just like the bulls working hard day and night with an oil-pressing machine. They are compared to asses, beasts of burden. They are always dishonored like dogs, and they are miserly like cats. They have sold themselves like slaves to their wives. Any unfortunate woman who has never heard of Your glories may accept such a man as her husband, but a woman who has learned about You—that You are praised not only in this world but in the halls of the great demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva—will not accept anyone besides You as her husband.

Purport

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, these fiery words of Queen Rukmiṇī’s are a response to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s opening statement, found in text 10 of the chapter. The Supreme Lord had said, “My dear princess, You were sought after by many kings as powerful as the rulers of planets. They were all abundantly endowed with political influence, wealth, beauty, generosity and physical strength.” According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, Queen Rukmiṇī here speaks with anger, pointing her index finger at the Lord. She compares the so-called great princes to asses because they carry many material burdens, to oxen because they are always distressed while performing their occupational duties, to dogs because their wives disrespect them, to cats because they are selfish and cruel, and to slaves because they are servile in family affairs. Such kings may appear desirable to a foolish woman who has not heard or understood the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī adds that such kings are like asses because their wives sometimes kick them, like dogs because they behave inimically toward outsiders in order to protect their homes, and like cats because they eat the remnants left by their wives.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In two verses she condemns with anger, showing her finger, the kings whom Krsna had praised. "They are like donkeys, to be kicked with the foot, or oxen who suffer with heavy loads on their backs. They are like dogs, who are kept to protect the house, and think of intruders as enemies. They are like cats, who eat the leftovers. Like servants, they must humbly serve. Let such men become the husband of low women who never hear topics of you. O destroyer of enemies ( ari karsana), you pull my enemies like Sisupala to the kingdom of death."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

O Lord, you alone are steady in all times and places (acyuta)! Though others may have reflection of your qualities, no one can compare to you because they are not steady. They have great fault. Kiṅkara means a person who waits for an order saying, “I will serve you.” That is the derivation of the word according to Kṣīrasvāmī. The kings are like asses because though beaten, they are still obedient to their wives. They are like oxen because they carry loads. They are like horses because they sometimes carry their wives. They are like dogs because they carry out orders with a desire for mouthful of food. They are like cats because they take the leftovers of their wives. They are like servants because they wait for orders. In such a woman’s ears your (yuṣmad—plural for respect) topics have never gone at all as a subject of attention (kārna-mūlam). These topics are not at all attractive to these women because they have very little intelligence but they are sung n the assemblies of Śiva and Brahmā. O killer of enemies! Just by your hatred they are almost dead.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

O Acyuta, you are filled with the sweetness of extraordinary glories! Others are devoid of any good qualities and are wicked. That is shown. They are like animals in houses dependent on women whose ears have not come near topics of you. Plural (yuṣmat) is used to show respect or to include the devotees.