SB 4.28.19

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Fourth Canto - Chapter 28: Purañjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life

SB 4.28.18 - SB 4.28.20

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

TEXT 19

na mayy anāśite bhuṅkte

nāsnāte snāti mat-parā

mayi ruṣṭe susantrastā

bhartsite yata-vāg bhayāt

SYNONYMS

na — never; mayi — when I; anāśite — had not eaten; bhuṅkte — she would eat; na — never; asnāte — had not taken bath; snāti — she would take her bath; mat-parā — always devoted to me; mayi — when I; ruṣṭe — was angry; su-santrastā — very much frightened; bhartsite — when I chastised; yata-vāk — fully controlled of words; bhayāt — out of fear.

TRANSLATION

King Purañjana then began to think of his past dealings with his wife. He recalled that his wife would not take her dinner until he had finished his, that she would not take her bath until he had finished his, and that she was always very much attached to him, so much so that if he would sometimes become angry and chastise her, she would simply remain silent and tolerate his misbehavior.

PURPORT

A wife is always supposed to be submissive to her husband. Submission, mild behavior and subservience are qualities in a wife which make a husband very thoughtful of her. For family life it is very good for a husband to be attached to his wife, but it is not very good for spiritual advancement. Thus Kṛṣṇa consciousness must be established in every home. If a husband and wife are very much attached to one another in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they will both benefit because Kṛṣṇa is the center of their existence. Otherwise, if the husband is too much attached to his wife, he becomes a woman in his next life. The woman, being overly attached to her husband, becomes a man in her next life. Of course, it is an advantage for a woman to become a man, but it is not at all advantageous for the man to become a woman.

SB 4.28.18 - SB 4.28.20