Shloka 25
Sudāmā Brāhmaṇa Receives Kṛṣṇa’s Mercy
The Gift of Flat Rice
पतिमागतमाकर्ण्य पत्न्युद्धर्षातिसम्भ्रमा । निश्चक्राम गृहात्तूर्णं रूपिणी श्रीरिवालयात् ॥ २५ ॥
patim āgatam ākarṇya patny uddharṣāti-sambhramā niścakrāma gṛhāt tūrṇaṁ rūpiṇī śrīr ivālayāt
Hearing that her husband had arrived, the brāhmaṇa’s wife hurried out of the house in a rush of jubilant excitement. She appeared like Śrī, the goddess of fortune, emerging from her divine abode.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī points out that since Lord Kṛṣṇa had turned Sudāmā’s home into a heavenly abode, everyone living there now possessed beautiful bodies and attire appropriate to the residents of heaven. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī adds this insight: The night before, Sudāmā’s poor, emaciated wife had been sleeping in rags under a crumbling roof, but when she woke in the morning she found herself and her house wonderfully changed. Only for a moment was she confused; she then realized that this opulence was the Lord’s gift to her husband, who must be on his way home. Thus she prepared to greet him.
FAQs
This verse highlights the pure-hearted, joyful eagerness in Sudāmā’s household—his wife rushes out in loving excitement, showing simple domestic affection aligned with devotion and auspiciousness.
The comparison conveys her radiance and auspicious presence at that moment—she appears as if Śrī (Lakṣmī) herself has come forth, emphasizing dignity and grace even amid poverty.
It teaches that genuine affection, gratitude, and joyful welcome within family life are forms of dharma and can be spiritually uplifting, independent of material circumstances.