Shloka 42
The Brāhmaṇas’ Wives Blessed (Brāhmaṇa-patnī-prasāda) — Ritualism Humbled by Bhakti
अहो पश्यत नारीणामपि कृष्णे जगद्गुरौ । दुरन्तभावं योऽविध्यन्मृत्युपाशान् गृहाभिधान् ॥ ४२ ॥
aho paśyata nārīṇām api kṛṣṇe jagad-gurau duranta-bhāvaṁ yo ’vidhyan mṛtyu-pāśān gṛhābhidhān
Seht nur! Welch grenzenlose Liebe haben diese Frauen zu Śrī Kṛṣṇa, dem Lehrer des ganzen Universums, entwickelt! Diese Liebe hat für sie die Fesseln des Todes zerschlagen—die Bindung an das häusliche Leben.
Superficially, the husbands, fathers, fathers-in-law and so on were the ladies’ gurus, or teachers. Yet the women had become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whereas the men had fallen into the darkness of ignorance.
FAQs
This verse calls household attachment ‘the ropes of death’ (mṛtyu-pāśa) and praises devotion to Kṛṣṇa as the power that cuts through that binding identification with “home.”
In the narrative, the brāhmaṇas neglect Kṛṣṇa, but their wives respond with spontaneous devotion, bringing offerings and surrendering their hearts—showing that bhakti, not social status, grants spiritual success.
Keep duties, but reduce possessiveness: center life on Kṛṣṇa through hearing, chanting, and offering food and actions to Him, so “home” becomes service rather than bondage.