FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.16

तत्तु कालस्य दीर्घत्वात् स्त्रीत्वान्मातुस्तिरोदधे । ऋषिणानुगृहीतं मां नाधुनाप्यजहात्स्मृति: ॥ १६ ॥
tat tu kālasya dīrghatvāt
[tat tu kaalasya deerghatvaat]
strītvān mātus tirodadhe
[streetvaan maatus tirodadhe]
ṛṣiṇānugṛhītaṁ māṁ
[rishinaanugriheetam maam]
nādhunāpy ajahāt smṛtiḥ
[naadhunaapy ajahaat smritih]
Word-for-word
tat — that (instruction on religion and knowledge) tu — indeed kālasya — of time dīrghatvāt — because of the longness strītvāt — because of being a woman mātuḥ — of my mother tirodadhe — disappeared ṛṣiṇā — by the sage anugṛhītam — being blessed mām — me na — not adhunā — today api — even ajahāt — left smṛtiḥ — the memory (of Nārada Muni’s instructions).
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tat tu kālasya dīrghatvāt
tat
that (instruction on religion and knowledge)
tu
indeed
kālasya
of time
dīrghatvāt
because of the longness
strītvān mātus tirodadhe
strītvāt
because of being a woman
mātuḥ
of my mother
tirodadhe
disappeared
ṛṣiṇānugṛhītaṁ māṁ
ṛṣiṇā
by the sage
anugṛhītam
being blessed
mām
me
nādhunāpy ajahāt smṛtiḥ
na
not
adhunā
today
api
even
ajahāt
left
smṛtiḥ
the memory (of Nārada Muni’s instructions).
Because of the long duration of time that has passed and because of her being a woman and therefore less intelligent, my mother has forgotten all those instructions; but the great sage Nārada blessed me, and therefore I could not forget them.
Purport

In Bhagavad-gītā (9.32) the Lord says:

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye ’pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatim

“O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me — though they be lowborn, women, vaiśyas [merchants] or śūdras [workers] — can approach the supreme destination.” The word pāpa-yoni refers to those who are less than śūdras, but even though a woman may not be pāpa-yoni, because of being less intelligent she sometimes forgets devotional instructions. For those who are strong enough, however, there is no question of forgetting. Women are generally attached to material enjoyment, and because of this tendency they sometimes forget devotional instructions. But if even a woman practices devotional service strictly, according to the rules and regulations, the statement by the Lord Himself that she can return to Godhead ( te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatim ) is not at all astonishing. One must take shelter of the Lord and rigidly follow the rules and regulations. Then, regardless of what one is, one will return home, back to Godhead. Prahlāda Mahārāja’s mother was more concerned with protecting the child in the womb and was very anxious to see her husband return. Therefore she could not consider very seriously the sublime instructions of Nārada Muni.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Because of the long duration of time that has passed and because of her being a woman, my mother has forgotten all those instructions; but blessed by Nārada, I could not forget them. “But why do we not see bhakti in your mother?” Because she was a woman and because a long time passed, she forgot. “But since you were a child and a long time also passed for you, why did you not forget?” I obtained the mercy of Nārada. Because she did not receive his mercy, the influence of time and her being a woman were stronger.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Kayādhu forgot the instructions because of long time and her being a woman (less intelligent by social conditioning), but Nārada's blessing kept the teaching alive in Prahlāda. Grace, not memory, preserves teaching. What you cannot retain by effort can be retained by blessing.
Reflection Questions
  • What teaching in you has clearly been preserved by grace rather than your memory?
  • Where can you ask for blessing rather than rely on willpower to retain?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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