SB 6.14.40 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

धिगप्रजां स्त्रियं पापां पत्युश्चागृहसम्मताम् । सुप्रजाभि: सपत्नीभिर्दासीमिव तिरस्कृताम् ॥ ४० ॥

Verse text

dhig aprajāṁ striyaṁ pāpāṁ patyuś cāgṛha-sammatām suprajābhiḥ sapatnībhir dāsīm iva tiraskṛtām

Synonyms

dhik — all condemnation ; aprajām — without a son ; striyam — upon a woman ; pāpām — full of sinful activities ; patyuḥ — by the husband ; ca — also ; a — gṛha — sammatām — who is not honored at home ; su — prajābhiḥ — who have sons ; sapatnībhiḥ — by co-wives ; dāsīm — a maidservant ; iva — exactly like ; tiraskṛtām — dishonored .

Translation

A wife who has no sons is neglected at home by her husband and dishonored by her co-wives exactly like a maidservant. Certainly such a woman is condemned in every respect because of her sinful life.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

A wife who has no sons is considered by her husband to be fit for sending off to the forest and is criticized like a maidservant by her co-wives who have children. Certainly such a woman is condemned as sinful. The sonless wife is seen by the husband as worthy of sending to live in the forest.

Purport

As stated by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita: mātā yasya gṛhe nāsti bhāryā cāpriya-vādinī araṇyaṁ tena gantavyaṁ yathāraṇyaṁ tathā gṛham “A person who has no mother at home and whose wife does not speak sweetly should go to the forest. For such a person, living at home and living in the forest are equal.” Similarly, for a woman who has no son, who is not cared for by her husband and whose co-wives neglect her, treating her like a maidservant, to go to the forest is better than to remain at home.