FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.22.18

तां प्रार्थयन्तीं ललनाललाम- मसेवितश्रीचरणैरद‍ृष्टाम् । वत्सां मनोरुच्चपद: स्वसारं को नानुमन्येत बुधोऽभियाताम् ॥ १८ ॥
tāṁ prārthayantīṁ lalanā-lalāmam
[taam praarthayanteem lalanaa-lalaamam]
asevita-śrī-caraṇair adṛṣṭām
[asevita-shree-charanair adrishtaam]
vatsāṁ manor uccapadaḥ svasāraṁ
[vatsaam manor uchchapadah svasaaram]
ko nānumanyeta budho ’bhiyātām
[ko naanumanyeta budho ’bhiyaataam]
Word-for-word
tām — her prārthayantīm — seeking lalanā-lalāmam — the ornament of women asevita-śrī-caraṇaiḥ — by those who have not worshiped the feet of Lakṣmī adṛṣṭām — not seen vatsām — beloved daughter manoḥ — of Svāyambhuva Manu uccapadaḥ — of Uttānapāda svasāram — sister kaḥ — what na anumanyeta — would not welcome budhaḥ — wise man abhiyātām — who has come of her own accord.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tāṁ prārthayantīṁ lalanā-lalāmam
tām
her
prārthayantīm
seeking
lalanā-lalāmam
the ornament of women
asevita-śrī-caraṇair adṛṣṭām
asevita-śrī-caraṇaiḥ
by those who have not worshiped the feet of Lakṣmī
adṛṣṭām
not seen
vatsāṁ manor uccapadaḥ svasāraṁ
vatsām
beloved daughter
manoḥ
of Svāyambhuva Manu
uccapadaḥ
of Uttānapāda
svasāram
sister
kaḥ
what
ko nānumanyeta budho ’bhiyātām
na anumanyeta
would not welcome
budhaḥ
wise man
abhiyātām
who has come of her own accord.
What wise man would not welcome her, the very ornament of womanhood, the beloved daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu and sister of Uttānapāda? Those who have not worshiped the gracious feet of the goddess of fortune cannot even perceive her, yet she has come of her own accord to seek my hand.
Purport

Kardama Muni praised the beauty and qualification of Devahūti in different ways. Devahūti was actually the ornament of all ornamented beautiful girls. A girl becomes beautiful by putting ornaments on her body, but Devahūti was more beautiful than the ornaments; she was considered the ornament of the ornamented beautiful girls. Demigods and Gandharvas were attracted by her beauty. Kardama Muni, although a great sage, was not a denizen of the heavenly planets, but it is mentioned in the previous verse that Viśvāvasu, who came from heaven, was also attracted by the beauty of Devahūti. Besides her personal beauty, she was the daughter of Emperor Svāyambhuva and sister of King Uttānapāda. Who could refuse the hand of such a girl?

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
What wise man would not honor this ornament among women, daughter of Manu and sister of Uttānapāda, unseen by those who do not worship Lakṣmī, and who has come of her own accord seeking me? No one would not accept her. She cannot be seen by those who do not worship Lakṣmī. I have worshipped the feet of Lakṣmī, the consort of my deity Nārāyaṇa, and thus I can see here. But no one else can. Viśvāvasu, moving in the sky, saw only the effulgence of her beauty, but not her personally. The excellence of her noble family is described. She is the object of affection (vatsām) of you, Manu. She is the sister of Uttānapāda. Because Priyavrata had gone away, he is not mentioned. Abhiyātam means “attained without endeavour.”
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The scale of the creation in this verse is not given to overwhelm us but to right-size us. Most of our anxiety shrinks when our self-importance shrinks.
Reflection Questions
  • How does it change your day to remember the universe was not built around your preferences?
  • How could awe of the creation become a daily practice and not just a Sunday feeling?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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