Shloka 45
Kṛṣṇa Teases Rukmiṇī; Her Devotional Reply and the Lord’s Assurance
त्वक्श्मश्रुरोमनखकेशपिनद्धमन्त- र्मांसास्थिरक्तकृमिविट्कफपित्तवातम् । जीवच्छवं भजति कान्तमतिर्विमूढा या ते पदाब्जमकरन्दमजिघ्रती स्त्री ॥ ४५ ॥
tvak-śmaśru-roma-nakha-keśa-pinaddham antar māṁsāsthi-rakta-kṛmi-viṭ-kapha-pitta-vātam jīvac-chavaṁ bhajati kānta-matir vimūḍhā yā te padābja-makarandam ajighratī strī
Une femme qui ne parvient pas à savourer le parfum du miel de Vos pieds pareils au lotus devient totalement stupide, et accepte ainsi comme mari ou amant un cadavre vivant couvert de peau, de moustaches, d'ongles, de cheveux et de poils et rempli de chair, d'os, de sang, de parasites, d'excréments, de mucus, de bile et d'air.
Here Lord Kṛṣṇa’s chaste wife makes a quite unequivocal statement about material sense gratification based on the physical body. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī comments as follows on this verse: On the authority of the statement sa vai patiḥ syād akuto-bhayaḥ svayam — “He indeed should become one’s husband who can remove all fear” — Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the real husband for all women at all times. Thus a woman who worships someone else as her husband simply worships a dead body.
FAQs
This verse calls bodily attraction a delusion, describing the body as a skin-covered bundle of perishable substances, and urges turning one’s longing toward devotion to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet instead.
In this chapter Kṛṣṇa speaks in a testing, instructive mood—exposing worldly attachment and redirecting affection toward pure bhakti—while engaging in an intimate exchange with Rukmiṇī.
See the body realistically (without obsession), reduce idolization of physical charm, and strengthen daily devotion—hearing, chanting, and remembrance—so love becomes grounded in spiritual purpose rather than mere sensual fascination.