SB 3.23.50
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 50
- likhanty adho-mukhī bhūmiṁ
- padā nakha-maṇi-śriyā
- uvāca lalitāṁ vācaṁ
- nirudhyāśru-kalāṁ śanaiḥ
SYNONYMS
likhantī — scratching; adhaḥ-mukhī — her head bent down; bhūmim — the ground; padā — with her foot; nakha — nails; maṇi — gemlike; śriyā — with radiant; uvāca — she spoke; lalitām — charming; vācam — accents; nirudhya — suppressing; aśru-kalām — tears; śanaiḥ — slowly.
TRANSLATION
She stood and scratched the ground with her foot, which was radiant with the luster of her gemlike nails. Her head bent down, she spoke in slow yet charming accents, suppressing her tears.
PURPORT
Devahūti was so beautiful that her toenails appeared just like pearls, and as she scratched the ground it appeared as if pearls had been thrown on the ground. When a woman scratches the ground with her foot, it is a sign that her mind is very disturbed. These signs were sometimes exhibited by the gopīs before Kṛṣṇa. When the gopīs came in the dead of night and Kṛṣṇa asked them to return to their homes, the gopīs also scratched the ground like this because their minds were very disturbed.