FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.14.3

అథ చ యత్ర కౌటుమ్బికా దారాపత్యాదయో నామ్నా కర్మణా వృకసృగాలా ఏవానిచ్ఛతోఽపి కదర్యస్య కుటుమ్బిన ఉరణకవత్సంరక్ష్యమాణం మిషతోఽపి హరన్తి ॥ ౩ ॥
atha ca yatra kauṭumbikā dārāpatyādayo nāmnā karmaṇā vṛka-sṛgālā evānicchato ’pi kadaryasya kuṭumbina uraṇakavat saṁrakṣyamāṇaṁ miṣato ’pi haranti.
[atha cha yatra kautumbikaa daaraapatyaadayo naamnaa karmanaa vrika-srigaalaa evaanichchato ’pi kadaryasya kutumbina uranakavat samrakshyamaanam mishato ’pi haranti.]
atha — in this way ca — also yatra — in which kauṭumbikāḥ — the family members dāra-apatya-ādayaḥ — beginning with the wife and children nāmnā — by name only karmaṇā — by their behavior vṛka-sṛgālāḥ — tigers and jackals eva — certainly anicchataḥ — of one who does not desire to spend his wealth api — certainly kadaryasya — being too miserly kuṭumbinaḥ — who is surrounded by family members uraṇaka-vat — like a lamb saṁrakṣyamāṇam — although protected miṣataḥ — of one who is observing api — even haranti — they forcibly take away.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
atha ca yatra kauṭumbikā dārāpatyādayo nāmnā karmaṇā vṛka-sṛgālā evānicchato ’pi kadaryasya kuṭumbina uraṇakavat saṁrakṣyamāṇaṁ miṣato ’pi haranti.
atha
in this way
ca
also
yatra
in which
kauṭumbikāḥ
the family members
dāra-apatya-ādayaḥ
beginning with the wife and children
nāmnā
by name only
karmaṇā
by their behavior
vṛka-sṛgālāḥ
tigers and jackals
eva
certainly
anicchataḥ
of one who does not desire to spend his wealth
api
certainly
kadaryasya
being too miserly
kuṭumbinaḥ
who is surrounded by family members
uraṇaka-vat
like a lamb
saṁrakṣyamāṇam
although protected
miṣataḥ
of one who is observing
api
even
haranti
they forcibly take away.
My dear King, family members in this material world go under the names of wife and children, but actually they behave like tigers and jackals. A herdsman tries to protect his sheep to the best of his ability, but the tigers and foxes take them away by force. Similarly, although a miserly man wants to guard his money very carefully, his family members take away all his assets forcibly, even though he is very vigilant.

One Hindi poet has sung: din kā dakinī rāt kā bāghinī pālak pālak lahu cuse. During the daytime, the wife is compared to a witch, and at night she is compared to a tigress. Her only business is sucking the blood of her husband both day and night. During the day there are household expenditures, and the money earned by the husband at the cost of his blood is taken away. At night, due to sex pleasure, the husband discharges blood in the form of semen. In this way he is bled by his wife both day and night, yet he is so crazy that he very carefully maintains her. Similarly, the children are also like tigers, jackals and foxes. As tigers, jackals and foxes take away lambs despite the herdsman’s vigilant protection, children take away the father’s money, although the father supervises the money himself. Thus family members may be called wives and children, but actually they are plunderers.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The family members such as wife and children, by their actions, are like wolves and jackals. Just as the wolf steals the protected sheep, the family members steal the wealth protected by the miserly husband as he looks on, though he does not want to part with it. This verse explains the meaning of the jackals. The family members steal the wealth protected by the man, with the logic “You should protect us by supplying food and clothing.” The object of the verb is svarthikam, referring to his collection of food, ghee and sugar, mentioned in SB 5.13.2. Of the two, the plunderers in the form of the senses are more difficult to control than the jackals of family members.
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 14