Shloka 38
Chapter 54
मैवास्मान् साध्व्यसूयेथा भ्रातुर्वैरूप्यचिन्तया ।
सुखदुःखदो न चान्योऽस्ति यतः स्वकृतभुक् पुमान् ॥
maivāsmān sādhvy asūyethā bhrātur vairūpya-cintayā / sukha-duḥkha-do na cānyo 'sti yataḥ sva-kṛta-bhuk pumān //
O virtuous lady, do not be angry with Us because you are thinking of your brother’s disfigurement. No one else gives happiness and distress, for a person reaps the results of his own actions.
After Rukmī’s humiliation, Rukmiṇī—tender-hearted and devoted—naturally feels pain at her brother’s condition. The speaker consoles her with a core Bhāgavata principle: karma-phala, the law that one experiences the reactions of one’s own deeds. By saying there is no other “giver” of happiness and distress, the verse redirects the mind away from blame and resentment and toward sober understanding of moral causality. At the same time, the Bhāgavata never reduces life to cold fatalism. The Lord’s presence transforms karma through grace, and devotion purifies the heart so that one no longer reacts with envy or accusation. Here, the instruction is pastoral and devotional: a sādhvī (chaste, saintly woman) should not let family attachment turn into fault-finding toward the Lord and His relatives. Rukmī’s suffering is framed as the consequence of his own hostility and arrogance, while Rukmiṇī is guided to remain steady in bhakti—seeing events through dharma and the Lord’s higher purpose. For practitioners, this verse is a direct remedy for resentment: when hurt arises, examine causes, learn, and seek spiritual growth, rather than constructing an enemy-image. The Bhāgavata’s karmic lens, when combined with devotion, produces humility, forgiveness, and inner strength.
FAQs
This verse states that no external person is the ultimate giver; one experiences happiness and distress as reactions to one’s own actions (karma).
Because Rukmī’s humiliation was linked to his own hostile deeds, and Balarāma wanted Rukmiṇī to remain steady in virtue and devotion rather than blame the Lord’s family.
Replace blame with responsibility: reflect on causes, correct your conduct, forgive others, and use difficulties as motivation for spiritual practice and self-improvement.