SB 4.26.25 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

वक्त्रं न ते वितिलकं मलिनं विहर्षं संरम्भभीममविमृष्टमपेतरागम् । पश्ये स्तनावपि शुचोपहतौ सुजातौ बिम्बाधरं विगतकुङ्कुमपङ्करागम् ॥ २५ ॥

Verse text

vaktraṁ na te vitilakaṁ malinaṁ viharṣaṁ saṁrambha-bhīmam avimṛṣṭam apeta-rāgam paśye stanāv api śucopahatau sujātau bimbādharaṁ vigata-kuṅkuma-paṅka-rāgam

Synonyms

vaktram — face ; na — never ; te — your ; vitilakam — without being decorated ; malinam — unclean ; viharṣam — morose ; saṁrambha — with anger ; bhīmam — dangerous ; avimṛṣṭam — without luster ; apeta — rāgam — without affection ; paśye — I have seen ; stanau — your breasts ; api — also ; śucā — upahatau — wet because of your tears ; su — jātau — so nice ; bimba — adharam — red lips ; vigata — without ; kuṅkuma — paṅka — saffron ; rāgam — color .

Translation

My dear wife, until this day I have never seen your face without tilaka decorations, nor have I seen you so morose and without luster or affection. Nor have I seen your two nice breasts wet with tears from your eyes. Nor have I ever before seen your lips, which are ordinarily as red as the bimba fruit, without their reddish hue.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

I never see your face without tilaka, soiled and devoid of joy, frightful with anger, dull, and without affection. I never see your splendid breasts soaked in tears, or your red lips without betel stain. I never see your face without tilaka. Now I see it without tilaka. That is my misfortune. I never see you without red lips stained with betel (kuṁkuma-paṅka-rāgam). In another version, the phrase modified “breasts.” The present condition indicates that the intelligence is not pleased as she was formerly.

Purport

Every woman looks very beautiful when decorated with tilaka and vermillion. A woman generally becomes very attractive when her lips are colored with reddish saffron or vermillion. But when one’s consciousness and intelligence are without any brilliant thoughts about Kṛṣṇa, they become morose and lusterless, so much so that one cannot derive any benefit despite sharp intelligence.