FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.33.13

सा चापि तनयोक्तेन योगादेशेन योगयुक् । तस्मिन्नाश्रम आपीडे सरस्वत्या: समाहिता ॥ १३ ॥
sā cāpi tanayoktena
[saa chaapi tanayoktena]
yogādeśena yoga-yuk
[yogaadeshena yoga-yuk]
tasminn āśrama āpīḍe
[tasminn aashrama aapeede]
sarasvatyāḥ samāhitā
[sarasvatyaah samaahitaa]
sā — she ca — and api — also tanaya — by her son uktena — spoken yoga-ādeśena — by the instruction on yoga yoga-yuk — engaged in bhakti-yoga tasmin — in that āśrame — hermitage āpīḍe — the flower crown sarasvatyāḥ — of the Sarasvatī samāhitā — fixed in samādhi..
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sā cāpi tanayoktena
sā
she
ca
and
api
also
tanaya
by her son
yogādeśena yoga-yuk
uktena
spoken
yoga-ādeśena
by the instruction on yoga
yoga-yuk
engaged in bhakti-yoga
tasminn āśrama āpīḍe
tasmin
in that
āśrame
hermitage
āpīḍe
the flower crown
sarasvatyāḥ samāhitā
sarasvatyāḥ
of the Sarasvatī
samāhitā
fixed in samādhi..
As instructed by her son, Devahūti also began to practice bhakti-yoga in that very āśrama. She practiced samādhi in the house of Kardama Muni, which was so beautifully decorated with flowers that it was considered the flower crown of the river Sarasvatī.

Devahūti did not leave her house, because it is never recommended for a woman to leave her home. She is dependent. The very example of Devahūti was that when she was not married, she was under the care of her father, Svāyambhuva Manu, and then Svāyambhuva Manu gave her to Kardama Muni in charity. She was under the care of her husband in her youth, and then her son, Kapila Muni, was born. As soon as her son grew up, her husband left home, and similarly the son, after discharging His duty towards His mother, also left. She could also have left home, but she did not. Rather, she remained at home and began to practice bhakti-yoga as it was instructed by her great son, Kapila Muni, and because of her practice of bhakti-yoga, the entire home became just like a flower crown on the river Sarasvatī.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
By following the instructions on bhakti spoken by her son, absorbed in bhakti, she became engaged in samādhi in that hermitage, which was like a flower crown on the Sarasvatī River, Āpiḍe means “like a flower crown.”
Real devotion is steady, not theatrical. The verse treats bhakti as the work the soul was made for — every other career is a temporary detour from this primary employment.
Reflection Questions
  • What part of your day still belongs entirely to your own enjoyment, and could even a corner of it be offered?
  • Where in your life are you still 'enjoying' the fruits of work you call devotional?
📝 My note

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