Shloka 41
Kṛṣṇa Teases Rukmiṇī; Her Devotional Reply and the Lord’s Assurance
यद्वाञ्छया नृपशिखामणयोऽङ्गवैन्य- जायन्तनाहुषगयादय ऐक्यपत्यम् । राज्यं विसृज्य विविशुर्वनमम्बुजाक्ष सीदन्ति तेऽनुपदवीं त इहास्थिता: किम् ॥ ४१ ॥
yad-vāñchayā nṛpa-śikhāmaṇayo ’nga-vainya- jāyanta-nāhuṣa-gayādaya aikya-patyam rājyaṁ visṛjya viviśur vanam ambujākṣa sīdanti te ’nupadavīṁ ta ihāsthitāḥ kim
ഹേ അംബുജാക്ഷ, നിങ്ങളുടെ സാന്നിധ്യം ആഗ്രഹിച്ച് അങ്ഗ, വൈന്യ, ജയന്ത, നാഹുഷ, ഗയ മുതലായ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ രാജാക്കന്മാർ ഏകച്ഛത്ര രാജ്യം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് നിങ്ങളെ തേടി വനത്തിലേക്ക് പ്രവേശിച്ചു. അങ്ങനെ അവർ ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ എങ്ങനെ നിരാശപ്പെടും?
Here Queen Rukmiṇī refutes the ideas put forth by Lord Kṛṣṇa in text 13. In fact Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī repeats Lord Kṛṣṇa’s own words. The Lord said, āsthitāḥ padavīṁ su-bhru prāyaḥ sīdanti yoṣitaḥ: “Women who follow My path generally suffer.” Here Rukmiṇī-devī says, sīdanti te ’nupadavīṁ ta ihāsthitāḥ kim: “Why should those fixed on Your path suffer in this world?” She gives the example of many great kings who renounced their powerful sovereignty to enter the forest, where they performed austerities and worshiped the Lord, intensely desiring His transcendental association. Thus, according to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī here intends to tell Śrī Kṛṣṇa, “You have said that I, a king’s daughter, am unintelligent and frustrated because I married You. But how can You accuse all these great enlightened kings of being unintelligent? They were the wisest of men, yet they gave up everything to follow You and were certainly not frustrated by the result. Indeed, they achieved the perfection of Your association.”
FAQs
This verse notes that exalted kings like Aṅga and Gaya abandoned even complete sovereignty to pursue their higher spiritual aim, showing that worldly power is secondary to ultimate realization.
Rukmini is speaking intimately to Krishna, highlighting how great souls renounce worldly status for spiritual attainment and questioning the value of remaining in mere worldly routine without that higher purpose.
Use responsibilities without obsession for prestige or control; keep a clear spiritual goal, and simplify attachments that obstruct devotion and inner growth.