SB 3.23.6 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

कर्दम उवाच तुष्टोऽहमद्य तव मानवि मानदाया: शुश्रूषया परमया परया च भक्त्या । यो देहिनामयमतीव सुहृत्स देहो नावेक्षित: समुचित: क्षपितुं मदर्थे ॥ ६ ॥

Verse text

kardama uvāca tuṣṭo ’ham adya tava mānavi mānadāyāḥ śuśrūṣayā paramayā parayā ca bhaktyā yo dehinām ayam atīva suhṛt sa deho nāvekṣitaḥ samucitaḥ kṣapituṁ mad-arthe

Synonyms

kardamaḥ uvāca — the great sage Kardama said ; tuṣṭaḥ — pleased ; aham — I am ; adya — today ; tava — with you ; mānavi — O daughter of Manu ; māna — dāyāḥ — who are respectful ; śuśrūṣayā — by the service ; paramayā — most excellent ; parayā — highest ; ca — and ; bhaktyā — by the devotion ; yaḥ — that which ; dehinām — to the embodied ; ayam — this ; atīva — extremely ; suhṛt — dear ; saḥ — that ; dehaḥ — body ; na — not ; avekṣitaḥ — taken care of ; samucitaḥ — properly ; kṣapitum — to expend ; mat — arthe — on my account .

Translation

Kardama Muni said: O respectful daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu, today I am very much pleased with you for your great devotion and most excellent loving service. Since the body is so dear to embodied beings, I am astonished that you have neglected your own body to use it on my behalf.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Kardama said: Daughter of Manu! I am pleased today with you, who give respect to me, for your excellent service and utmost devotion. You have neglected your body, which is dear to those possessing bodies, preferring to make it thin in order to serve me. You do not care for your body (na avekṣitaḥ). You do not care whether it remains or is destroyed. It is suitable (samucitaḥ) for you, to make your body thin in service to me, since you are highly devoted to your husband’s vows.

Purport

It is indicated here that one’s body is very dear, yet Devahūti was so faithful to her husband that not only did she serve him with great devotion, service and respect, but she did not even care for her own health. That is called selfless service. It appears that Devahūti had no sense pleasure, even with her husband, otherwise she would not have deteriorated in health. Acting to facilitate Kardama Muni’s engagement in spiritual elevation, she continually assisted him, not caring for bodily comfort. It is the duty of a faithful and chaste wife to help her husband in every respect, especially when the husband is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this case, the husband also amply rewarded the wife. This is not to be expected by a woman who is the wife of an ordinary person.