Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.60.41
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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nṛpa-śikhāmaṇayaḥ
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crown jewels of kings
Compound: nṛpa (king) + śikhā (crest) + maṇi (jewel). The 'crest-jewel kings' — the highest-class rulers. They left dominion to seek Him; the present verse refutes His v. 17 advice that she should accept a 'kṣatra-bandhu' instead of Him.
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anupadavīm
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on Your path
Compound: anu (following) + padavī (path). The 'after-path' — the trail of Your footprints. Cf. Bhāgavatam's gopī-songs: anugacchantī (10.30). The forest-path is the bhakta's path, named after His feet.
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vanam
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they entered the forest
Vana (forest) + viviśuḥ (entered, aorist plural of vi + √viś). The renunciation-marker. The kings entered the forest precisely to find what You are pretending it is shameful to be near.
Here Queen Rukmiṇī refutes the ideas put forth by Lord Kṛṣṇa in text 13. In fact Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī repeats Lord Kṛṣṇa’s own words. The Lord said, āsthitāḥ padavīṁ su-bhru prāyaḥ sīdanti yoṣitaḥ: “Women who follow My path generally suffer.” Here Rukmiṇī-devī says, sīdanti te ’nupadavīṁ ta ihāsthitāḥ kim: “Why should those fixed on Your path suffer in this world?” She gives the example of many great kings who renounced their powerful sovereignty to enter the forest, where they performed austerities and worshiped the Lord, intensely desiring His transcendental association. Thus, according to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī here intends to tell Śrī Kṛṣṇa, “You have said that I, a king’s daughter, am unintelligent and frustrated because I married You. But how can You accuse all these great enlightened kings of being unintelligent? They were the wisest of men, yet they gave up everything to follow You and were certainly not frustrated by the result. Indeed, they achieved the perfection of Your association.”
"You have said that almost all women who follow your path end up suffering. That is also a foolish statement. Bharata (Jayanta) and other great kings took shelfer of you, but did they suffer? Were they foolish? You have said that because I am a foolish princess I suffer."
With particular anger she responds to his suggestion that he should be given up. She rejects his assertions of verse 13 that women become unhappy because of him. Desiring you, topmost kings gave up kingdoms desired even by the devatās and entered the forest. They had faith in you, the son of Nanda and thus remained fixed at your feet somewhere in this world (iha). Nu indicates a question. This verse replies to his statement that all women become miserable because of him. Kings and others also included in his statement. Thus she replies by mentioning kings.
Yad is the correlative of te in the sentence. The best of kings, possessing kingdoms, gave up their kingdoms which they controlled completely (eka-patyam) and entered the forest. Or te distinguishes these kings from Jarāsandha. Ādayaḥ indicates Priyavrata and others. Nu indicates a question or can be the words anupadavīm. Will they who are situated on your path suffer, even in the forest (iha)? O lotus eyed lord! They wait to see your beauty.
- What lineage of kings who chose Kṛṣṇa over kingdom could steady your own choice?
- Where do you forget you stand in good company?
Crown-jewel kings — Aṅga, Vainya, Bharata-Jāyanta, Nāhuṣa-Yayāti, Gaya — abandoned absolute sovereignty and walked into the forest to seek You. They did not 'suffer frustration' there; they found You. So why do You speak as if association with You were a misfortune?
Vainya (Pṛthu Mahārāja, SB 4.15–23) emerged from his father Vena's body as an avatāra of Viṣṇu and after a perfect reign retired to the forest for tapasyā. Bharata (SB 5.7–14, the great-soul whose name India bears) renounced his throne, his wife, his children — first for the forest, ultimately for the path of pure bhakti.
Rukmiṇī's catalogue of forest-bound kings is not invented; each entry is a name from the earlier cantos of the very book whose tenth canto she is in. The Bhāgavatam is quoting itself through her mouth.
My note
Source: vedabase.io