FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.28.43

पतिं परमधर्मज्ञं वैदर्भी मलयध्वजम् । प्रेम्णा पर्यचरद्धित्वा भोगान् सा पतिदेवता ॥ ४३ ॥
patiṁ parama-dharma-jñaṁ
[patim parama-dharma-jnam]
vaidarbhī malayadhvajam
[vaidarbhee malayadhvajam]
premṇā paryacarad dhitvā
[premnaa paryacharad dhitvaa]
bhogān sā pati-devatā
[bhogaan saa pati-devataa]
patim — her husband parama — supreme dharma-jñam — knower of religious principles vaidarbhī — the daughter of Vidarbha malaya-dhvajam — named Malayadhvaja premṇā — with love and affection paryacarat — served in devotion hitvā — giving up bhogān — sense enjoyments sā — she pati-devatā — accepting her husband as the Supreme Lord.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
patiṁ parama-dharma-jñaṁ
patim
her husband
parama
supreme
dharma-jñam
knower of religious principles
vaidarbhī malayadhvajam
vaidarbhī
the daughter of Vidarbha
malaya-dhvajam
named Malayadhvaja
premṇā paryacarad dhitvā
premṇā
with love and affection
paryacarat
served in devotion
hitvā
giving up
bhogān sā pati-devatā
bhogān
sense enjoyments
sā
she
pati-devatā
accepting her husband as the Supreme Lord.
The daughter of King Vidarbha accepted her husband all in all as the Supreme. She gave up all sensual enjoyment and in complete renunciation followed the principles of her husband, who was so advanced. Thus she remained engaged in his service.

Figuratively, King Malayadhvaja is the spiritual master, and his wife, Vaidarbhī, is the disciple. The disciple accepts the spiritual master as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura in Gurv-aṣṭaka, sākṣād-dharitvena: “One directly accepts the guru, the spiritual master, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” One should accept the spiritual master not in the sense that the Māyāvādī philosophers do, but in the way recommended here. Since the spiritual master is the most confidential servant of the Lord, he should be treated exactly like the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The spiritual master should never be neglected or disobeyed, like an ordinary person.

If a woman is fortunate enough to be the wife of a pure devotee, she can serve her husband without any desire for sense gratification. If she remains engaged in the service of her exalted husband, she will automatically attain the spiritual perfections of her husband. If a disciple gets a bona fide spiritual master, simply by satisfying him, he can attain a similar opportunity to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Vaidarbhī, seeing her husband as the Lord, served her husband, the highest knower of dharma, with devotion, giving up all enjoyment. The disciple remains serving the guru until attaining perfection. That is shown in four verses.
Vaidarbhī accepted her husband as Supreme, gave up sense-enjoyment, followed him in renunciation. The disciple accepts the master as ultimate; that acceptance enables renunciation, not the other way around.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose acceptance-as-Supreme would unlock my own renunciation?
  • Where am I trying to renounce without first surrendering the master-question?
📝 My note

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