FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.60.54

दिष्‍ट्या गृहेश्वर्यसकृन्मयि त्वया कृतानुवृत्तिर्भवमोचनी खलै: । सुदुष्करासौ सुतरां दुराशिषो ह्यसुंभराया निकृतिं जुष: स्‍त्रिया: ॥ ५४ ॥
diṣṭyā gṛheśvary asakṛn mayi tvayā
[dishtyaa griheshvary asakrin mayi tvayaa]
kṛtānuvṛttir bhava-mocanī khalaiḥ
[kritaanuvrittir bhava-mochanee khalaih]
su-duṣkarāsau sutarāṁ durāśiṣo
[su-dushkaraasau sutaraam duraashisho]
hy asuṁ-bharāyā nikṛtiṁ juṣaḥ striyāḥ
[hy asum-bharaayaa nikritim jushah striyaah]
diṣṭyā — fortunately gṛha — of the house īśvari — O mistress asakṛt — constantly mayi — to Me tvayā — by you kṛtā — done anuvṛttiḥ — faithful service bhava — from material existence mocanī — which gives liberation khalaiḥ — for those who are envious su - duṣkarā — very difficult to do asau — it sutarām — especially durāśiṣaḥ — whose intentions are wicked hi — indeed asum — her life air bharāyāḥ — who (only) maintains nikṛtim — deception juṣaḥ — who indulges in striyāḥ — for a woman .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
diṣṭyā gṛheśvary asakṛn mayi tvayā
diṣṭyā
fortunately
gṛha
of the house
kṛtānuvṛttir bhava-mocanī khalaiḥ
su-duṣkarāsau sutarāṁ durāśiṣo
īśvari
O mistress
hy asuṁ-bharāyā nikṛtiṁ juṣaḥ striyāḥ
asakṛt
constantly
mayi
to Me
tvayā
by you
kṛtā
done
anuvṛttiḥ
faithful service
bhava
from material existence
mocanī
which gives liberation
khalaiḥ
for those who are envious
su - duṣkarā
very difficult to do
asau
it
sutarām
especially
durāśiṣaḥ
whose intentions are wicked
hi
indeed
asum
her life air
bharāyāḥ
who (only) maintains
nikṛtim
deception
juṣaḥ
who indulges in
striyāḥ
for a woman .
  • anuvṛttiḥ — faithful service
    From anu + √vṛt — to follow continuously. The on-going pattern of service — not occasional but sustained. Gauḍīyas treat anuvṛtti as the sthāyī-bhāva of dāsya progressing into the higher rasas; here it is the sthāyī of svakīya-mādhurya.
  • bhava-mocanī — which gives liberation from material existence
    Compound: bhava (becoming, material existence) + mocanī (liberator, feminine). The service is bhava-mocanī — it liberates. Gauḍīyas hold that pure sevā automatically gives mokṣa as a by-product; one need not aim at mokṣa to attain it.
  • khalaiḥ su-duṣkarā — very difficult to do for the envious
    Compound: khala (envious, wicked) + duṣkara (hard to do) + su- (intensifier). Envy is the prime obstacle. Cf. BG 18.71 anasūyaḥ — non-envy is the entry requirement. Rukmiṇī's freedom from khalatā is what makes her sevā possible.
  • nikṛtim — deception
    Crookedness, duplicity. The classical opposite of ārjava (uprightness). Rukmiṇī is contrasted with women given to nikṛti. Gauḍīyas read ārjava as one of the foundational sādhana-virtues without which no rasa develops.
Fortunately, O mistress of the house, you have always rendered Me faithful devotional service, which liberates one from material existence. This service is very difficult for the envious to perform, especially for a woman whose intentions are wicked, who lives only to gratify her bodily demands, and who indulges in duplicity.

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī poses the following question: Since devotional service easily awards one liberation, isn’t it possible that everyone will be liberated and the world will no longer exist? The great ācārya answers that there is no such danger, since it is very difficult for envious, duplicitous, sensuous persons to faithfully serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and there is no shortage of such people in the world.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Fortunately, O mistress of the house, you have always rendered Me faithful devotional service, which liberates one from material existence. This service is very difficult for the envious to perform, especially for a woman whose intentions are wicked, who lives only to gratify her bodily demands, and who indulges in duplicity.
Commentary

"You have performed devotion which releases you from the bondage of the material world (bhavamocani). But because you are eternally liberated already, bhakti has a debt to you." She may object as follows. "Therefore bhakti should liberate others. But then, will even the low class women will become liberated?" He therefore says, "No, for those women who are ill motivated, self interested, and prone to cheating , this bhakti is very difficult to perform."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Your constant (asakṛt) service to me liberates you from the whole material world. Hearing and chanting frees everyone from all suffering. “Then the material world will no longer remain.” This service is very hard to do (suduskarā) for those how cheat guru and others (khalaiḥ). Because they are not fixed in me, women have evil desires (durāśiṣaḥ) because they are absorbed in sensual enjoyment (asuṁbhārāyāḥ), since they are engaged in cheating (nikṛti-juṣām). They are also cheaters like the men mentioned above (khalaiḥ). But you are engaged in service in all my houses as an ideal example (gṛheśvari). You are the mistress of all houses. Or, you are the mistress of the house and I am your servant.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

By good fortune, you constantly serve me. This service liberates you from the fire of saṁsāra which obstructs bhakti. This indicates the svarūpa of such service. Or the service frees one from the material world. One becomes free of suffering by hearing and chanting. Those who find fault in others (khalaiḥ) cannot do this service. Those who desire material enjoyment (durāśiśaḥ) find it even more difficult. And those who cheat find it most difficult. By removing those faults one becomes the best, pure woman. This strengthens his praise of her service (anuvṛttiḥ). O queen of the house! By your example, you are the queen of all houses, because you inspire service in all houses. Or, you are the ruler of the house and I am dependent on you.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Fortunately, mistress of the house, you have always rendered Me faithful devotional service — difficult for the envious, especially for a woman of mixed intentions. The Lord names the rarity of pure service.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do mixed intentions in your service need clearing?
  • How does explicit consecration of intention deepen what you already do?

She has done what is hardest of all: constant faithful sevā, fully impractical for the envious, doubly so for women whose lives turn on bodily maintenance and duplicity. Rukmiṇī has done it. The verse measures her sevā against the hardest yardstick and finds her well past it.

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