Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.23.39
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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strīṇām
—
the devotion of women
Compound: strīṇām (of women, genitive plural) + bhaktim (devotion). The Bhāgavatam names women's bhakti as the standard the brāhmaṇas measure themselves against. Gauḍīyas: bhakti is not gendered, and this chapter is one of its proofs.
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alaukikīm
—
transcendental to this world
Compound: a (not) + laukikīm (worldly). Not-of-this-world bhakti. The chapter has already touched laukikīm-gatim (verse 13) — Kṛṣṇa showed laukika so we would notice the alaukika here.
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tayā-hīnam
—
devoid of that (bhakti)
Compound: tayā (by that, instrumental) + hīnam (lacking). Self-diagnosis. The brāhmaṇas have everything except bhakti — and bhakti is the one variable that mattered. The verse anatomises the lesson.
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anutaptāḥ
—
lamenting
Past participle of anu + √tap. The burning-after. The same word-family as anvatapyan in verse 38, kept at heat through the next several verses. Anutāpa is sustained.
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vyagarhayan
—
they condemned (themselves)
Imperfect of vi + ā + √garh. Self-blame as the form repentance takes. The next verses (40-44) are this self-condemnation in detail.
Our triple birth—from the womb, by gayatri and by initiation into the sacrifice—are all useless. Our vrata of celibacy is useless. Our expertise in daily and occasional duties (nitya and nimittika kriya) are all useless, because we have been inimical to Krsna (adhoksaja).
They saw that their wives had extraordinary devotion to the Supreme Lord (bhagavati), who attracts everyone’s heart by manifestation of his powers. Not only did they repent but, giving up their pride, they condemned themselves. Their devotion is called alaukikīm (unworldly) since it did not depend on hopes in this world or Svarga, and made them give up their bodies immediately on not attaining Kṛṣṇa.
The husbands saw their wives bhakti of the supreme lord (bhagavati) who was moreover the attractor of all hearts, by revealing all his unlimited powers (kṛṣne). They condemned themselves with rejection of their pride (vi—garhayan). Or not only did they lament (last verse), they criticized themselves. The wives’ bhakti was extraordinary because it rejected this world and Svarga and because by it they could give up their bodies and immediately attain Kṛṣṇa. Or they developed extraordinary symptoms of prema such as laughing and crying illustrated in verses like SB 11.2.40: evaṁ-vrataḥ sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā jātānurāgo druta-citta uccaiḥ hasaty atho roditi rauti gāyaty unmāda-van nṛtyati loka-bāhyaḥ Regulated with such devotion, chanting the name of his dear Kṛṣṇa, he develops prema. His heart melts and he laughs loudly, weeps, wails and sings. He dances like a madman without regard for the public.
A learned man watching his unlettered wife sing kīrtana with tears, realising she has reached in one breath what his ten thousand pages have not — the brāhmaṇas see their wives' alaukika-bhakti and recognise the missing variable in their own life.
My note
Source: vedabase.io