Devanagari
आत्मारामस्य तस्येमा वयं वै गृहदासिका: ।
सर्वसङ्गनिवृत्त्याद्धा तपसा च बभूविम ॥ ३९ ॥
Verse text
ātmārāmasya tasyemā
vayaṁ vai gṛha-dāsikāḥ
sarva-saṅga-nivṛttyāddhā
tapasā ca babhūvima
Synonyms
ātma
—
ārāmasya — of the self-satisfied
;
tasya
—
Him
;
imāḥ
—
these
;
vayam
—
we
;
vai
—
indeed
;
gṛha
—
in the home
;
dāsikāḥ
—
maidservants
;
sarva
—
all
;
saṅga
—
of material association
;
nivṛttyā
—
by the cessation
;
addhā
—
directly
;
tapasā
—
by austerity
;
ca
—
and
;
babhūvima
—
have become .
Translation
Thus, by renouncing all material association and practicing austere penances, we queens have all become personal maidservants of the self-satisfied Supreme Lord.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Thus, by renouncing all material association and practicing austere penances, we queens have all become personal maidservants of the self-satisfied Supreme Lord.
KB 10.83.39
“My dear Queen, at that time I could guess that in my previous life I must have performed some wonderfully pious activity, and as a result I can in this life be one of the maidservants in the house of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Purport
In the opinion of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Śrīmatī Lakṣmaṇā became embarrassed when she realized that she had been talking about herself, and so she spoke this verse praising her co-wives. In her humility Lakṣmaṇā claimed that Kṛṣṇa’s queens, unlike ordinary wives, could not bring their husband under control, and thus they could relate to Him only as servile housekeepers. In fact, however, since the Lord’s queens are direct expansions of His internal pleasure potency (
hlādinī-śakti
), they fully controlled Him with their love.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Being absorbed, she described profusely about herself. Now, to satisfy all her elders such as Rukmini, she summarizes about all eight queens. "We eight queens cannot control him like other wives can control their husbands." She says this out of great humility. In fact, they are expansions of the Lord in the form of hladini sakti, and actually control him with prema.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Having described herself profusely out of enthusiasm, she now in embarrassment satisfies all the elder queens and concludes. Because of being complete in himself, he is qualified to perform pastimes only with himself. Still, we have become his household servants. The cause is only his mercy. She hides the boldness she showed in telling her story by indicating her humility as a servant, which indicates her bhakti.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
She now in embarrassment satisfies all the elder queens and concludes. We have become maidservants of the Lord, though he is detached from his (ātmārāmasya). This is stated out of humility, with special bhakti. We are household servants, cleaning the house. The suffix kāḥ indicates their inferior status. We are low servants, not wives. Being indifferent to all attachments (saṅga) to wealth and sons, and doing the austerity of servant’s work as a svadharma, we have become his maid servants. This includes the elder queens, and indicates their mutual affection. Or she uses the plural to show reverence for her own position as a household servant.