SB 1.11.36 (1964)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 36
Uddama bhava pishunah amala valguhasa Brida avaloka nihito' madano' api yasam. Sammuhya chapam ajahat pramadottamas ta Yasya indriam vimathitum kuhakair na sethuh.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Uddama—very grave, Bhava—expression, Pishuna—exciting, Amala—spotless, Valguhasa—beautiful smiling, Brida—corner of the eyelids, Avaloka—looking, Nihita—conquered, Madano—cupid (*amadano—Shiva the great tolerant) Api—also Yasam—whose, Sanmuhya—being overpowered by, Chapam—bows, Ajahat—gave up, Pramoda—women who maddens, Uttama—of high grade, Ta—all, Yasya—whose, Indriam—senses, Vimathitum—to cause perturbance, Kuhakair—by magical feats, Na—never, Sekuh—was able.
*There is 'amadano' reading also.
TRANSLATION
Although the queen's beautiful smiling and looking on from the corner of the eyelids were all spotless exciting and grave which could have conquered even the cupid personally because he gave up his bows in frustration (or even the tolerant Shiva also became a victim) still by all these magical feats of attractive features, they could hardly agitate the senses of the Lord.
PURPORT
The path of salvation or the path of going back to Godhead does always forbid association of women and the complete Sanatan Dharma or Varnashram Dharma scheme forbids or restricts association of women. How then one can be accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead while the Person Himself is addicted to so many women more than sixteen thousands of wives? This question may be relevantly raised by inquisitive persons really anxious to know about the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord. And to answer such undue question the sages at Naimisaranya have discussed very nicely about the transcendental character of the Lord in this particular and the following verses before ending the chapter. It is clear herein that the feminine attractive features, which can conquer even the Cupid or even the Supermost tolerant Lord Shiva,-could not conquer the senses of the Lord. The cupid's business is to invoke mundane lust of living being on another living being. The whole universe is moving being agitated by the cupid's arrow. The activities of the world is being carried on by the central attraction of male and female affinity. A male is searching after a mate to his liking and the female is looking after a suitable male. That is the way of material stimulus. And as soon as a male is combined with a female the material bondage of the living being is at once tightly interlocked by the two opposite hearts by sex-relation and as a result of this, both the male and female's attraction for sweet home, motherland, bodily offsprings, society and friendship and accumulation of wealth by all means become the illusory field of activities and thus a false but indefatigable attraction for the temporary material existence which is full of miseries, becomes a fail. Those who are therefore on the path of salvation, for going back to home and back to Godhead, are specially advised by all scriptural instruction to become free from such different paraphernalia of material attraction. And that is possible only by the association of the devotees of the Lord who are called the Mahatmas. The cupid, therefore, throws his arrow upon the living being to become mad after his opposite sex never mind whether the party is actually beautiful or not. Such action of the cupid is going on even on the negroes and beastly societies who are all ugly looking in the estimation of the civilized nations. Thus cupid's influence is exerted even in the ugliest forms (of living being) and-what to speak about the most perfectional stage of personal beauties. Lord Shiva who is considered to be the most perfect tolerant, within this material world, was also struck by the cupid's arrow because He also became mad after the Mohini incarnation of the Lord and acknowledged himself to be defeated. The cupid however was himself captivated by the grave and exciting dealings of the Goddess of Fortune and he voluntarily gave up his bow and arrow in a spirit of frustration. Such was the beauty and attractive feminine dealings of the queens of Lord Krishna, but still they could not distrub the transcendental senses of the Lord. The reason is that the Lord is all perfect Atmarama or self-sufficient. He does not require anyone's extraneous help for His personal satisfaction. Therefore, the queens could not satisfy the Lord by their feminine attractiveness but they satisfied the Lord by their sincere affection and service. By unalloyed transcendental loving service only they could satisfy the Lord and the Lord was pleased to treat them as wives in reciprocation of their spontaneous love and service. Thus being satisfied by their unalloyed service only the Lord reciprocated the service just like a devout husband. Otherwise He had no business to become the husband of so many wives. He is the husband of everyone but one who accepts Him as such He reciprocates the feeling just like a devout husband. This unalloyed affection for the Lord is never to be compared with mundane lust. It is purely transcendental. And the grave dealing, which the queens dispalyed in the natural feminine ways, were also transcendental because the feelings were expressed out of transcendental ecstasy. It is already explained in the previous verse that the Lord appeared like a mundane husband but factually His relation with His wives was trancendental, pure and without being conditioned by the modes of material nature.