Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 25
Pṛthu Mahārāja’s Renunciation, Austerities, Departure, and the Glory of Hearing His History
देव्य ऊचु: अहो इयं वधूर्धन्या या चैवं भूभुजां पतिम् । सर्वात्मना पतिं भेजे यज्ञेशं श्रीर्वधूरिव ॥ २५ ॥
devya ūcuḥ aho iyaṁ vadhūr dhanyā yā caivaṁ bhū-bhujāṁ patim sarvātmanā patiṁ bheje yajñeśaṁ śrīr vadhūr iva
দেৱপত্নীসকলে ক’লে—আহা, এই বধূ কিমান ধন্য! যিয়ে পৃথিৱীৰ সকলো ৰজাৰ অধিপতি স্বামীক মন, বাক্য আৰু দেহেৰে সম্পূৰ্ণভাবে সেৱা কৰিলে, যেনেকৈ শ্ৰীদেৱী যজ্ঞেশ বিষ্ণুক সেৱা কৰে।
In this verse the words yajñeśaṁ śrīr vadhūr iva indicate that Queen Arci served her husband just as the goddess of fortune serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu. We can observe that even in the history of this world, when Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme Viṣṇu, was ruling over Dvārakā, Queen Rukmiṇī, who was the chief of all Kṛṣṇa’s queens, used to serve Lord Kṛṣṇa personally in spite of having many hundreds of maidservants to assist her. Similarly, the goddess of fortune in the Vaikuṇṭha planets also serves Nārāyaṇa personally, although there are many thousands of devotees prepared to serve the Lord. This practice is also followed by the wives of the demigods, and in days past the wives of men also followed this same principle. In Vedic civilization the husband and wife were not separated by such man-made laws as divorce. We should understand the necessity for maintaining family life in human society and should thus abolish this artificial law known as divorce. The husband and wife should live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and follow in the footsteps of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa-Rukmiṇī. In this way peace and harmony can be possible within this world.
FAQs
Yajñeśa refers to Lord Viṣṇu, the supreme enjoyer and master of all sacrifices and worship; the verse praises accepting Him (and His devotee) in complete surrender.
They glorify Arcī because she accepts her husband with full-hearted surrender, seeing him in relation to Viṣṇu (Yajñeśa), like Lakṣmī’s devoted acceptance of the Lord.
It teaches wholehearted commitment and spiritual alignment in relationships—seeing duty and partnership as connected to devotion and higher purpose rather than mere worldly enjoyment.