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ŚB 10.83.15-16

Devanagari

श्रीभद्रोवाच
पिता मे मातुलेयाय स्वयमाहूय दत्तवान् ।
कृष्णे कृष्णाय तच्चित्तामक्षौहिण्या सखीजनै: ॥ १५ ॥
अस्य मे पादसंस्पर्शो भवेज्जन्मनि जन्मनि ।
कर्मभिर्भ्राम्यमाणाया येन तच्छ्रेय आत्मन: ॥ १६ ॥

Text

śrī-bhadrovāca
pitā me mātuleyāya
svayam āhūya dattavān
kṛṣṇe kṛṣṇāya tac-cittām
akṣauhiṇyā sakhī-janaiḥ
asya me pāda-saṁsparśo
bhavej janmani janmani
karmabhir bhrāmyamāṇāyā
yena tac chreya ātmanaḥ

Synonyms

śrī-bhadrā uvāca — Śrī Bhadrā said; pitā — father; me — my; mātuleyāya — to my maternal cousin; svayam — of his own accord; āhūya — inviting; dattavān — gave; kṛṣṇe — O Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī); kṛṣṇāya — to Lord Kṛṣṇa; tat — absorbed in whom; cittām — whose heart; akṣauhiṇyā — with an akṣauhiṇī military guard; sakhī-janaiḥ — and with my female companions; asya — His; me — for me; pāda — of the feet; saṁsparśaḥ — the touch; bhavet — may it be; janmani janmani — in one life after another; karmabhiḥ — due to the reactions of material activities; bhrāmyamāṇāyāḥ — who will be wandering; yena — by which; tat — that; śreyaḥ — ultimate perfection; ātmanaḥ — of myself.

Translation

Śrī Bhadrā said: My dear Draupadī, of his own free will my father invited his nephew Kṛṣṇa, to whom I had already dedicated my heart, and offered me to Him as His bride. My father presented me to the Lord with an akṣauhiṇi military guard and a retinue of my female companions. My ultimate perfection is this: to always be allowed to touch Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet as I wander from life to life, bound by my karma.

Purport

With the word ātmanaḥ, Queen Bhadrā speaks not only for herself but for all living entities as well. The soul’s perfection (śreya ātmanaḥ) is devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, both in this world and beyond, in liberation.

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī comments that although in civilized society it is normally considered disrespectful to publicly speak the name of one’s guru or husband, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s name is unique: the mere utterance of the name Kṛṣṇa is commendable as the highest expression of reverence for God. As the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (4.19) states, yasya nāma mahad yaśaḥ: “The holy name of the Lord is supremely glorious.”