FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.14.23

వేన ఉవాచ బాలిశా బత యూయం వా అధర్మే ధర్మమానిన: । యే వృత్తిదం పతిం హిత్వా జారం పతిముపాసతే ॥ ౨౩ ॥
vena uvāca
[vena uvaacha]
bāliśā bata yūyaṁ vā
[baalishaa bata yooyam vaa]
adharme dharma-māninaḥ
[adharme dharma-maaninah]
ye vṛttidaṁ patiṁ hitvā
[ye vrittidam patim hitvaa]
jāraṁ patim upāsate
[jaaram patim upaasate]
venaḥ — King Vena uvāca — replied bāliśāḥ — childish bata — oh yūyam — all of you vā — indeed adharme — in irreligious principles dharma-māninaḥ — accepting as religious ye — all of you who vṛttidam — providing maintenance patim — husband hitvā — giving up jāram — paramour patim — husband upāsate — worship.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vena uvāca
venaḥ
King Vena
uvāca
replied
bāliśā bata yūyaṁ vā
bāliśāḥ
childish
bata
oh
yūyam
all of you
vā
indeed
adharme dharma-māninaḥ
adharme
in irreligious principles
dharma-māninaḥ
accepting as religious
ye vṛttidaṁ patiṁ hitvā
ye
all of you who
vṛttidam
providing maintenance
patim
husband
hitvā
giving up
jāraṁ patim upāsate
jāram
paramour
patim
husband
upāsate
worship.
King Vena replied: You are not at all experienced. It is very much regrettable that you are maintaining something which is not religious and are accepting it as religious. Indeed, I think you are giving up your real husband, who maintains you, and are searching after some paramour to worship.

King Vena was so foolish that he accused the saintly sages of being inexperienced like small children. In other words, he was accusing them of not having perfect knowledge. In this way he could reject their advice and make accusations against them, comparing them to a woman who does not care for her husband who maintains her but goes to satisfy a paramour who does not maintain her. The purpose of this simile is apparent: It is the duty of the kṣatriyas to engage the brāhmaṇas in different types of religious activities, and the king is supposed to be the maintainer of the brāhmaṇas. If the brāhmaṇas do not worship the king but instead go to the demigods, they are as polluted as unchaste women.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Vena said: O fools! You accept what is adharma as dharma. Giving up the husband who maintains you, you worship an illicit lover. I am your maintainer. If I forbid you to pluck fruits or roots today, you will immediately die.
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 14