FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.14.19

यामाहुरात्मनो ह्यर्धं श्रेयस्कामस्य मानिनि । यस्यां स्वधुरमध्यस्य पुमांश्चरति विज्वर: ॥ १९ ॥
yām āhur ātmano hy ardhaṁ
[yaam aahur aatmano hy ardham]
śreyas-kāmasya mānini
[shreyas-kaamasya maanini]
yasyāṁ sva-dhuram adhyasya
[yasyaam sva-dhuram adhyasya]
pumāṁś carati vijvaraḥ
[pumaamsh charati vijvarah]
yām — the wife who āhuḥ — is said ātmanaḥ — of the body hi — thus ardham — half śreyaḥ — welfare kāmasya — of all desires mānini — O respectful one yasyām — in whom sva-dhuram — all responsibilities adhyasya — entrusting pumān — a man carati — moves vijvaraḥ — without anxiety.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yām āhur ātmano hy ardhaṁ
yām
the wife who
āhuḥ
is said
ātmanaḥ
of the body
hi
thus
ardham
half
śreyas-kāmasya mānini
śreyaḥ
welfare
kāmasya
of all desires
mānini
O respectful one
yasyāṁ sva-dhuram adhyasya
yasyām
in whom
sva-dhuram
all responsibilities
adhyasya
entrusting
pumāṁś carati vijvaraḥ
pumān
a man
carati
moves
vijvaraḥ
without anxiety.
O respectful one, a wife is so helpful that she is called the better half of a man’s body because of her sharing in all auspicious activities. A man can move without anxiety entrusting all responsibilities to his wife.

By the Vedic injunction, the wife is accepted as the better half of a man’s body because she is supposed to be responsible for discharging half of the duties of the husband. A family man has a responsibility to perform five kinds of sacrifices, called pañca-yajña, in order to get relief from all kinds of unavoidable sinful reaction incurred in the course of his affairs. When a man becomes qualitatively like the cats and dogs, he forgets his duties in cultivating spiritual values, and thus he accepts his wife as a sense gratificatory agency. When the wife is accepted as a sense gratificatory agency, personal beauty is the main consideration, and as soon as there is a break in personal sense gratification, there is disruption or divorce. But when husband and wife aim at spiritual advancement by mutual cooperation, there is no consideration of personal beauty or the disruption of so-called love. In the material world there is no question of love. Marriage is actually a duty performed in mutual cooperation as directed in the authoritative scriptures for spiritual advancement. Therefore marriage is essential in order to avoid the life of cats and dogs, who are not meant for spiritual enlightenment.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Dear wife! The wife is called half of the husband who desires auspiciousness. To her the husband imparts all his present and future karmas, and thus moves about without worry. They call the wife (yām) half of the body (ātmanaḥ) of the husband. Śruti says ardho vā eśa yat patnī: the wife is half of the husband. To her the husband entrusts all his present and future karmas (svaduram).
Mind and senses, left ungoverned, will quietly run a life into the ground. The verse implies that small daily regulation is more powerful than occasional dramatic resolve.
Reflection Questions
  • What small rule kept consistently would do more for you than a dramatic vow once broken?
  • Where could you offer the senses a better object instead of merely fighting them?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 14