Devanagari
तमभ्यषिञ्चन् विधिवदक्तमभ्यक्तमृत्विज: ।
पत्नीभिरष्टादशभि: सोमराजमिवोडुभि: ॥ ४७ ॥
Verse text
tam abhyaṣiṣcan vidhi-vad
aktam abhyaktam ṛtvijaḥ
patnībhir aṣṭā-daśabhiḥ
soma-rājam ivoḍubhiḥ
Synonyms
tam
—
him
;
abhyaṣiṣcan
—
they sprinkled with sacred water
;
vidhivat
—
according to scriptural rules
;
aktam
—
his eyes decorated with mascara
;
abhyaktam
—
his body smeared with newly churned butter
;
ṛtvijaḥ
—
the priests
;
patnībhiḥ
—
along with his wives
;
aṣṭā
—
daśabhiḥ — eighteen
;
soma
—
rājam — the kingly
;
iva
—
as if
;
uḍubhiḥ
—
with stars .
Translation
After Vasudeva’s eyes had been decorated with black cosmetic and his body smeared with fresh butter, the priests initiated him according to scriptural rules by sprinkling him and his eighteen wives with sacred water. Encircled by his wives, he resembled the regal moon encircled by stars.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
After Vasudeva's eyes had been decorated with black cosmetic and his body smeared with fresh butter, the priests initiated him according to scriptural rules by sprinkling him and his eighteen wives with sacred water. Encircled by his wives, he resembled the regal moon encircled by stars.
KB 10.84.47
Vasudeva anointed his eyes with black cosmetic, smeared butter over his body and then, along with his eighteen wives, headed by Devakī, sat before the priests to be purified by the abhiṣeka ceremony. While the ceremony was being observed strictly according to the principles of the scriptures, Vasudeva resembled the moon encircled by stars.
Purport
Devakī was Vasudeva’s principal wife, but she had several co-wives, including her six sisters. This fact is recorded in the Ninth Canto of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
devakaś cograsenaś ca
catvāro devakātmajāḥ
devavān upadevaś ca
sudevo devavardhanaḥ
teṣāṁ svasāraḥ saptāsan
dhṛtadevādayo nṛpa
śāntidevopadevā ca
śrīdevā devarakṣitā
sahadevā devakī ca
vasudeva uvāha tāḥ
“Āhuka had two sons, named Devaka and Ugrasena. Devaka had four sons, named Devavān, Upadeva, Sudeva and Devavardhana, and he also had seven daughters, named Śāntidevā, Upadevā, Śrīdevā, Devarakṣitā, Sahadevā, Devakī and Dhṛtadevā. Dhṛtadevā was the eldest. Vasudeva, the father of Kṛṣṇa, married all these sisters.” (
Bhāg.
9.24.21-23
)
Some of Vasudeva’s other wives are mentioned a few verses later:
pauravī rohiṇī bhadrā
madirā rocanā ilā
devakī-pramukhāś cāsan
patnya ānakadundubheḥ
“Devakī, Pauravī, Rohiṇī, Bhadrā, Madirā, Rocanā, Ilā and others were all wives of Ānakadundubhi [Vasudeva]. Among them all, Devakī was the chief.” (
Bhāg.
9.24.45
)
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Anointed with anjana on his eyes and smeared with butter on all parts of his body, he appeared like the king of moons (soma rajam)if there were many moons, surrounded by his eighteen wives like stars.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
He was like the moon, king of soma. The word “king” is used in remembrance of his participation in the rājasūya sacrifice. The sacrifice was like that rājasūya sacrifice in grandeur. Though there are many somas (moons), among them, one will be the king. He is compared to the king among moons. The other kings are compared to stars. He had twenty-eight wives, but only eighteen participated because twenty-eight was too many. Hari-vaṁśa describes his birth:
manuṣya-loke kṛtsne 'pi rūpe nāsti samo bhuvi /
yasyāsīt puruṣāgryasya kāntiś candramaso yathā //
One could not compare his beauty with that of any human beings on earth. The beauty of the best of men was like the moonlight.
Here also he was incomparable.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
The wives were the seven daughters of Devaka. There eleven others headed by Rohiṇī. With eighteen wives the scene was very beautiful. The king surrouned by the priests was like the moon surrounded by stars. The word “king” is used to indicate the glory of the sacrifice and its beauty.
Hari-vaṁśa describes his birth:
manuṣya-loke kṛtsne 'pi rūpe nāsti samo bhuvi /
yasyāsīt puruṣāgryasya kāntiś candramaso yathā //
One could not compare his beauty with that of any human beings on earth. The beauty of the best of men was like the moonlight.