SB 10.23.39 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.23.39

द‍ृष्ट्वा स्त्रीणां भगवति कृष्णे भक्तिमलौकिकीम् । आत्मानं च तया हीनमनुतप्ता व्यगर्हयन् ॥ ३९ ॥

dṛṣṭvā strīṇāṁ bhagavati

[drishtvaa streenaam bhagavati]

kṛṣṇe bhaktim alaukikīm

[krishne bhaktim alaukikeem]

ātmānaṁ ca tayā hīnam

[aatmaanam cha tayaa heenam]

anutaptā vyagarhayan

[anutaptaa vyagarhayan]

Word-for-word

dṛṣṭvā — observing strīṇām — of their wives bhagavati — for the Supreme Personality of Godhead kṛṣṇe — Śrī Kṛṣṇa bhaktim — the pure devotion alaukikīm — transcendental to this world ātmānam — themselves ca — and tayā — of that hīnam — devoid anutaptāḥ — lamenting vyagarhayan — they condemned .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

dṛṣṭvā strīṇāṁ bhagavati

dṛṣṭvā

observing

strīṇām

of their wives

bhagavati

for the Supreme Personality of Godhead

kṛṣṇe bhaktim alaukikīm

kṛṣṇe

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

bhaktim

the pure devotion

alaukikīm

transcendental to this world

ātmānaṁ ca tayā hīnam

ātmānam

themselves

and

tayā

of that

hīnam

devoid

anutaptā vyagarhayan

anutaptāḥ

lamenting

vyagarhayan

they condemned .

Important Words

strīṇām — the devotion of women
Compound: strīṇām (of women, genitive plural) + bhaktim (devotion). The Bhāgavatam names women's bhakti as the standard the brāhmaṇas measure themselves against. Gauḍīyas: bhakti is not gendered, and this chapter is one of its proofs.
alaukikīm — transcendental to this world
Compound: a (not) + laukikīm (worldly). Not-of-this-world bhakti. The chapter has already touched laukikīm-gatim (verse 13) — Kṛṣṇa showed laukika so we would notice the alaukika here.
tayā-hīnam — devoid of that (bhakti)
Compound: tayā (by that, instrumental) + hīnam (lacking). Self-diagnosis. The brāhmaṇas have everything except bhakti — and bhakti is the one variable that mattered. The verse anatomises the lesson.
anutaptāḥ — lamenting
Past participle of anu + √tap. The burning-after. The same word-family as anvatapyan in verse 38, kept at heat through the next several verses. Anutāpa is sustained.
vyagarhayan — they condemned (themselves)
Imperfect of vi + ā + √garh. Self-blame as the form repentance takes. The next verses (40-44) are this self-condemnation in detail.

Taking note of their wives’ pure, transcendental devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and seeing their own lack of devotion, the brāhmaṇas felt most sorrowful and began to condemn themselves.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Taking note of their wives' pure, transcendental devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and seeing their own lack of devotion, the brāhmaṇas felt most sorrowful and began to condemn themselves.

Commentary

Our triple birth—from the womb, by gayatri and by initiation into the sacrifice—are all useless. Our vrata of celibacy is useless. Our expertise in daily and occasional duties (nitya and nimittika kriya) are all useless, because we have been inimical to Krsna (adhoksaja).

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

They saw that their wives had extraordinary devotion to the Supreme Lord (bhagavati), who attracts everyone’s heart by manifestation of his powers. Not only did they repent but, giving up their pride, they condemned themselves. Their devotion is called alaukikīm (unworldly) since it did not depend on hopes in this world or Svarga, and made them give up their bodies immediately on not attaining Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

The husbands saw their wives bhakti of the supreme lord (bhagavati) who was moreover the attractor of all hearts, by revealing all his unlimited powers (kṛṣne). They condemned themselves with rejection of their pride (vi—garhayan). Or not only did they lament (last verse), they criticized themselves. The wives’ bhakti was extraordinary because it rejected this world and Svarga and because by it they could give up their bodies and immediately attain Kṛṣṇa. Or they developed extraordinary symptoms of prema such as laughing and crying illustrated in verses like SB 11.2.40: evaṁ-vrataḥ sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā jātānurāgo druta-citta uccaiḥ hasaty atho roditi rauti gāyaty unmāda-van nṛtyati loka-bāhyaḥ Regulated with such devotion, chanting the name of his dear Kṛṣṇa, he develops prema. His heart melts and he laughs loudly, weeps, wails and sings. He dances like a madman without regard for the public.

Related values & verses

Related values

Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)

Related lectures

RRDD SB 10-23-39 - Remorse and Guilt - 2021-02-12
Her Grace Ratna Radhika Mataji· 2021-02-12· English
Mukunda Datta Pr SB 10-23-39-40 - 2022-09-06 ISKCON Vrindavan
His Grace Mukunda Datta Prabhu· 2022-09-06· English
Bhanu Sw SB 10-23-39 - 2006-03-12
His Holiness Bhanu Swami· 2006-03-12· English

Personal Guidance

Noting their wives' pure devotion and their own lack, the brāhmaṇas grieve and condemn themselves. The truest mirror for our devotional poverty is the devotion present in those closest to us.

Reflection Questions

Whose devotion in my household exposes my own thinness — and am I willing to be exposed?
Where am I refusing to use a loved one's depth as instruction?

Analogy

A learned man watching his unlettered wife sing kīrtana with tears, realising she has reached in one breath what his ten thousand pages have not — the brāhmaṇas see their wives' alaukika-bhakti and recognise the missing variable in their own life.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io