Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.23.30
अथादर्शे स्वमात्मानं स्रग्विणं विरजाम्बरम् ।
विरजं कृतस्वस्त्ययनं कन्याभिर्बहुमानितम् ॥ ३० ॥
athādarśe svam ātmānaṁ
[athaadarshe svam aatmaanam]
sragviṇaṁ virajāmbaram
[sragvinam virajaambaram]
virajaṁ kṛta-svastyayanaṁ
[virajam krita-svastyayanam]
kanyābhir bahu-mānitam
[kanyaabhir bahu-maanitam]
Word-for-word
atha
—
then
ādarśe
—
in a mirror
svam ātmānam
—
her own reflection
srak-viṇam
—
adorned with a garland
viraja
—
unsullied
ambaram
—
robes
virajam
—
freed from all bodily dirt
kṛta-svasti-ayanam
—
decorated with auspicious marks
kanyābhiḥ
—
by the maids
bahu-mānitam
—
very respectfully served.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
athādarśe svam ātmānaṁ
atha
then
ādarśe
in a mirror
svam ātmānam
her own reflection
sragviṇaṁ virajāmbaram
srak-viṇam
adorned with a garland
viraja
unsullied
ambaram
robes
virajam
freed from all bodily dirt
virajaṁ kṛta-svastyayanaṁ
kṛta-svasti-ayanam
decorated with auspicious marks
kanyābhir bahu-mānitam
kanyābhiḥ
by the maids
bahu-mānitam
very respectfully served.
Then in a mirror she beheld her own reflection. Her body was completely freed from all dirt, and she was adorned with a garland. Dressed in unsullied robes and decorated with auspicious marks of tilaka, she was served very respectfully by the maids.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
In a mirror, she saw that her body was made auspicious and clean, tended carefully by the girls, adorned with a garland and clean cloth, bathed fully including the head, and decorated with all ornaments, with a niṣka around her neck, armlets, and jingling, gold anklets.
She saw herself in a mirror. The verb “saw” should be supplied. Some women of the western provinces do not bath the head. To defeat that idea, here it is stated that her head was bathed.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Devahūti sees her own reflection — dirt gone, garland on, tilaka marks, robes spotless, maidservants attending. Sometimes the proof of grace is seeing oneself transformed in a mirror. We can let ourselves be that person.
Reflection Questions
- What changed self might I be refusing to recognize in the mirror?
- How does receiving the new garlands and tilaka contradict my old self-image?
My note
Source: vedabase.io