Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.60.44

tasyāḥ syur acyuta nṛpā bhavatopadiṣṭāḥ

strīṇāḿ gṛheṣu khara-go-śva-viḍāla-bhṛtyāḥ

yat-karṇa-mūlam an-karṣaṇa nopayāyād

yuṣmat-kathā mṛḍa-viriñca-sabhāsu gītā

SYNONYMS

tasyāḥ — of her; syuḥ — let them become (the husbands); acyuta — O infallible Kṛṣṇa; nṛpāḥ — kings; bhavatā — by You; upadiṣṭāḥ — mentioned; strīṇām — of women; gṛheṣu — in the homes; khara — as asses; go — oxen; śva — dogs; viḍāla — cats; bhṛtyāḥ — and slaves; yat — whose; karṇa — of the ear; mūlam — the core; ari — Your enemies; karṣaṇa — O You who vex; na — never; upayāyāt — come near; yuṣmat — concerning You; kathā — discussions; mṛḍa — of Lord Śiva; viriñca — and Lord Brahmā; sabhāsu — in the scholarly assemblies; gītā — sung.

TRANSLATION

O infallible Kṛṣṇa, let each of the kings You named become the husband of a woman whose ears have never heard Your glories, which are sung in the assemblies of Śiva and Brahmā. After all, in the households of such women these kings live like asses, oxen, dogs, cats and slaves.

PURPORT

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, these fiery words of Queen Rukmiṇī's are a response to Lord Kṛṣṇa's opening statement, found in Text 10 of the chapter. The Supreme Lord had said, "My dear princess, You were sought after by many kings as powerful as the rulers of planets. They were all abundantly endowed with political influence, wealth, beauty, generosity and physical strength." According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, Queen Rukmiṇī here speaks with anger, pointing her index finger at the Lord. She compares the so-called great princes to asses because they carry many material burdens, to oxen because they are always distressed while performing their occupational duties, to dogs because their wives disrespect them, to cats because they are selfish and cruel, and to slaves because they are servile in family affairs. Such kings may appear desirable to a foolish woman who has not heard or understood the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī adds that such kings are like asses because their wives sometimes kick them, like dogs because they behave inimically toward outsiders in order to protect their homes, and like cats because they eat the remnants left by their wives.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
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