Devanagari
कथं नु गृह्णन्त्यनवस्थितात्मनो
वच: कृतघ्नस्य बुधा: पुरस्त्रिय: ।
गृह्णन्ति वै चित्रकथस्य सुन्दर-
स्मितावलोकोच्छ्वसितस्मरातुरा: ॥ १३ ॥
Verse text
kathaṁ nu gṛhṇanty anavasthitātmano
vacaḥ kṛta-ghnasya budhāḥ pura-striyaḥ
gṛhṇanti vai citra-kathasya sundara-
smitāvalokocchvasita-smarāturāḥ
Synonyms
katham
—
how
;
nu
—
indeed
;
gṛhṇanti
—
do they accept
;
anavasthita
—
unsteady
;
ātmanaḥ
—
of Him whose heart
;
vacaḥ
—
the words
;
kṛta
—
ghnasya — who is ungrateful
;
budhāḥ
—
intelligent
;
pura
—
of the city
;
striyaḥ
—
women
;
gṛhṇanti
—
they accept
;
vai
—
indeed
;
citra
—
wonderful
;
kathasya
—
whose narrations
;
sundara
—
beautifully
;
smita
—
smiling
;
avaloka
—
by the glances
;
ucchvasita
—
brought to life
;
smara
—
by lust
;
āturāḥ
—
agitated .
Translation
“How can intelligent city women possibly trust the words of one whose heart is so unsteady and who is so ungrateful? They must believe Him because He speaks so wonderfully, and also because His beautiful smiling glances arouse their lust.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"How can intelligent city women possibly trust the words of one whose heart is so unsteady and who is so ungrateful? They must believe Him because He speaks so wonderfully, and also because His beautiful smiling glances arouse their lust.
KB 10.65.13
Protesting Kṛṣṇa’s absence from Vṛndāvana, another gopī said, “My dear Balarāmajī, we are of course village girls, so Kṛṣṇa could cheat us in that way, but what about the women of Dvārakā? Don’t think they are as foolish as we are! We village women might be misled by Kṛṣṇa, but the women in the city of Dvārakā are very clever and intelligent. Therefore I would be surprised if such city women could be misled by Kṛṣṇa and could believe His words.”
Then another gopī began to speak. “My dear friend,” she said, “Kṛṣṇa is very clever in using words. No one can compete with Him in that art. He can manufacture such colorful words and talk so sweetly that the heart of any woman would be misled. Besides that, He has perfected the art of smiling very attractively, and by seeing His smile women become mad after Him and give themselves to Him without hesitation.”
Purport
According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, some
gopīs
speak the first two lines of this verse, and others reply in the second two lines.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"I suppose we uncultured women are unintelligent, but how can the city women being very intelligent believe his words?"
That is expressed in this verse. Other gopis speak to bring out the conclusion.
"Though he speaks lies, it is very exciting and astonishing when those words come from his mouth (citra kathasya). Not being able to give up the taste of those talks, they continue to listen. There is also another reason. They are afflicted by love caused and increasing at every moment by his beautiful smiling glances."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Being unintelligent we believed his words. But city women are intelligent. How could they believe him? Wounded internally by the pain arising from their prema, they speak. Nu indicates amazement. How could city women accept or believe his words? They should not. Why? His heart is not steady and he destroys (ghna) the friendship made with us and others. Because they are city women they are intelligent. Still it has happened. Ah, we can understand after remembering (vai). Even without hearing his words they become bewildered—by his smile and his glance. That we remember. Or when he speaks on various attractive topics and they become afflicted with lust by his beautiful smile and glances, they lose their power of discrimination.