Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.75.16
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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guptāḥ
—
guarded
Past participle of √gup (to protect). Royal women are guarded — Gauḍīyas note the contrast with the gopīs of Vraja, whose only guard is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Both are valid; the chapter is in Hastināpura, not Vraja.
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nṛ-devyaḥ
—
the queens
Compound: nṛ (king) + devī (goddess). Queens addressed as goddesses — the kṣatriya idiom. The royal frame is not hidden, but it bows to Kṛṣṇa elsewhere in the chapter.
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mātuleya
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by maternal cousins
Kṛṣṇa Himself is mātuleya — Kuntī is His paternal aunt. The play among 'cousins' includes the Supreme. Familial proximity to Bhagavān is the Pāṇḍava-Yādava distinctive of this canto.
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sa-vrīḍa-hāsa
—
with shy smiles
Compound: sa-vrīḍa (with shyness) + hāsa (smile). Vrīḍā is the chaste devotee's natural protection; in a moment, verse 38's contrasting laugh — Bhīma's, Draupadī's, Kṛṣṇa's-approved — will land very differently.
The maternal cousins referred to here are Lord Kṛṣṇa and such brothers of His as Gada and Sāraṇa, and the friends mentioned are such persons as Bhīma and Arjuna.
The wives (nr devya) of Yudhisthira such as Draupadi (and Yaudheyi???who is she?), in order to get pleasure went out of the city on chariots, just as the wives of the devatas enjoy riding in airplanes. Nephew (matuleya) here refers to the cousins on the husband’s side (though commonly it refers to those on the wife’s side) : that is, the sons of Vasudeva, brother of Kunti. The wives joked and played with their husbands (devaran uta sakhin), as well be seen in the next verse. It would be improper for them to joke with their cousins such as Krsna, the most famous of the cousins. Therefore the wives joked with the friends of their cousins, meaning Bhima, Arjuna etc, who were their husbands.
This verse describes the play suitable for the wives of Yudhiṣṭhira such as Draupadī, and his son’s wives, after going to the bank of the Gaṅgā. Draupadī and also the queens such as Rukmiṇī saw the fun. Since Draupadī and others were principal to the sacrifice, the word mātuleya (maternal uncle’s son) refers the husband’s cousins, just as “nephew” would refer to nephews on the husband’s side. It would be improper to joke with maternal cousins on the wife’s side. Of Yudhiṣṭhira’s cousins the most famous was Kṛṣṇa. Thus mātuleya here refers to Kṛṣṇa, just as Govardhana is accepted as the most famous among mountains. Hantāyam adrir abalā hari-dāsa-varyah:‘Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! (SB 10.21.18) Kṛṣṇa was the best husband. Others were also husbands such as Bhīma and other friends who were nearby. They were understood to be brothers. The next verse states that the wives of Yudhiṣṭhira squirted water on the brothers of Yudhiṣṭhira (devarān) and their friends. Thus in the eyes of the public it was proper for them to joke with each other. They would not be subject to criticism since their relationship was close.
Draupadī, Rukmiṇī and other queens came to the fun. The word devyaḥ indicates their great beauty. The devatās’ wives came in the sky. The queens were sprinkled by friends of Kṛṣṇa (mātulasya). Some say that the word should be sakhībhiḥ (by wives of Kṛṣṇa). They appeared more beautiful than before.
- Where might more relaxed playfulness deepen rather than weaken my close relationships?
- What would a little more 'sprinkling' look like in my home?
Queens carried out to see the play, surrounded by guards, are themselves treated as objects of vision — but their own vision is the deeper subject. The Bhāgavatam's camera keeps catching not what is looked at but what is looked at WITH: shy smiles, devotion-tinted glances.
My note
Source: vedabase.io