FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.53.37

अस्यैव भार्या भवितुं रुक्‍मिण्यर्हति नापरा । असावप्यनवद्यात्मा भैष्म्या: समुचित: पति: ॥ ३७ ॥
asyaiva bhāryā bhavituṁ
[asyaiva bhaaryaa bhavitum]
rukmiṇy arhati nāparā
[rukminy arhati naaparaa]
asāv apy anavadyātmā
[asaav apy anavadyaatmaa]
bhaiṣmyāḥ samucitaḥ patiḥ
[bhaishmyaah samuchitah patih]
asya — for Him eva — alone bhāryā — wife bhavitum — to be rukmiṇī — Rukmiṇī arhati — deserves na aparā — none other asau — He api — as well anavadya — faultless ātmā — whose bodily form bhaiṣmyāḥ — for the daughter of Bhīṣmaka samucitaḥ — most suitable patiḥ — husband .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
asyaiva bhāryā bhavituṁ
asya
for Him
eva
alone
bhāryā
wife
bhavitum
to be
rukmiṇy arhati nāparā
rukmiṇī
Rukmiṇī
arhati
deserves
na aparā
none other
asāv apy anavadyātmā
asau
He
api
as well
anavadya
faultless
ātmā
whose bodily form
bhaiṣmyāḥ samucitaḥ patiḥ
bhaiṣmyāḥ
for the daughter of Bhīṣmaka
samucitaḥ
most suitable
patiḥ
husband .
  • bhāryā bhavitum — to be (His) wife
    Predicate noun + infinitive. The citizens are speaking in the language of marriage. Gauḍīyas note: Rukmiṇī as Lakṣmī is eternally bhāryā; the wedding is a temporal manifestation of an eternal fact.
  • anavadya - ātmā — whose bodily form is faultless
    Compound: an + avadya (faultless) + ātmā (body, self). The third occurrence of anavadya in this chapter (verses 3, 24, 37). Vyāsa keeps marking Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī with the same word — they are anavadya for each other.
  • samucitaḥ patiḥ — most suitable husband
    Compound: samucita (fitting, suitable) + pati (husband, lord). Pati here is loaded — Gauḍīyas pun on its other meaning, Lord. Kṛṣṇa is samucita-pati not only as bridegroom but as Bhagavān, the only fitting Lord.
[The people of the city said:] Rukmiṇī, and no one else, deserves to become His wife, and He also, possessing such flawless beauty, is the only suitable husband for Princess Bhaiṣmī.

According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, this text combines statements made by different citizens. Some pointed out that Rukmiṇī was a suitable wife for Kṛṣṇa, others said that no one else was suitable. Similarly, some stated that Kṛṣṇa was most suitable for Rukmiṇī, and others stated that no one else would be a suitable husband for her.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
[The people of the city said:] Rukmiṇī, and no one else, deserves to become His wife, and He also, possessing such flawless beauty, is the only suitable husband for Princess Bhaiṣmī.
Commentary

1. For him alone and no other. 2. As a wife not as an enjoyable object. 3. Rukmini alone and no one else. 4. This certainly must be, and should not be avoided. 5. He alone and no one else. 6. For Rukmini and no one else. 7. This must be done, without the slightest trace of doubt (samuchitah). These are the seven statements, with the negative qualifier "no one else nor nothing else" applied to each statement (napara). Because of the number of speakers there were numerous statements. Seven statements have been combined in one. Some said "Rukmini should be his wife and no one elses. Others said "She should be his wife and nothing else, such as object of enjoyment." Others said, "Rukmini alone, and no one else, should be his wife." In this way also four other statements could be made.(Rukmini should certainly be his wife, there is no question about it. Krsna and only Krsna should be Rukmini’s husband. Krsna should be the husband of Rukmini only. Krsna must be the husband of Rukmini.) To say it is a fault because of the impossibility of combining seven statements in one is not correct as there are authoritative statements which that it is possible to combine different statements in one.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

All were completely overcome on seeing the excellent suitability of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī. They speak in three verses. Kṛṣṇa alone (asya eva), and no one else, is suitable to be his wife and no one else except Rukmiṇī is suitable as his wife. He alone and no other is most suitable (samucitaḥ) as a husband for Rukmiṇī alone, and no one else. There is not even a little unsuitability in others. This is a different way of asserting the same fact. To derive another meaning from one statement is considered to be a fault since an imaginary meaning is not respected. One will not be able to obtain the true meaning if a statement has various interpretations. It is said śabda-buddhi-karmānāṁ viramya vyapārābhavah: when the function of words has been understood in a sentence their use is finished (a statement should be made only once). (This quoted in Sāhitya-darpaṇa commentary 1.23) However, the conclusion is stated in Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary. Anudya-vidheya-bhedena vibhinnānām eva vākyānām saha prayogāt: various statements can be used to express the same meaning in different words. Generally one should not repeat a statement. However one can do so eloquently by using different words. Thus Rukmiṇī should be the wife of Kṛṣṇa alone, not the wife of someone else. That is the first statement. Rukmiṇī alone should be the wife of Kṛṣṇa. That is the second statement. By use of the word eva (alone) the statements become different and thus fault is avoided, like cleaning a sacrificial spoon with a piece of cloth (grahaṁ samarṣṭi, a term from Pūrva-mīmāṁsa raised in Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary). The utensils become the main object, and also serve a purpose in the sacrificial rites. Thus all those particular items known as grahas should be purified, not just one. If the meaning is otherwise, the action becomes meaningless. In this particular instance the meaning of the sentence should be repeated so that all the vessels are cleansed, even though the statement is general. Similarly, statements may be repeated in a slightly different manner and this will not produce fault. The main object is expressed first by general indication and purpose. It is indicated by the particularizing, secondary word eva in this verse. In the first statement Rukmiṇī is stated to be most suitable as the wife of only Kṛṣṇa with Kṛṣṇa’s possessiveness as the intention and purpose. In the second statement only Rukmiṇī is suitable as the wife of Kṛṣṇa, with emphasis on Rukmiṇī. As in the case of cleaning the utensils, there is no fault in repetition of the statement in a different way. The word eva should be understood to with both asya and bhaiṣmyāḥ to indicate that they are mutually qualified in the same way. (He alone is qualified for her and she alone is qualified for him.) The word anavadyātmā (completely faultless) should also modify both. This verse shows the great attraction of the people for both Rukmiṇī and Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The two are most suitable for each other. The word eva should be understood for both parties. The reason is that he and she are flawless (anavadyātmā). They desired the marriage of the two, offering their unlimited piety with devotion.

Related values
Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Bhakti (Devotion)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)
Related verses
Concepts
Atma
The people say: Rukmiṇī alone deserves to become His wife, and He alone is suitable for Bhaiṣmī. Mutual recognition by the citizens names what the elites are about to violate.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do citizens see the right pairing while authorities engineer the wrong one?
  • Could public conscience inform your judgments?

A piece of gold and a jewel made for each other lie in separate hands — and the city understands at a glance that they must be joined. Vyāsa records popular intuition here as a kind of prophetic chorus: even uninitiated darśana recognizes the eternal couple.

📝 My note

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