SB 10.42.1 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच अथ व्रजन् राजपथेन माधव: स्त्रियं गृहीताङ्गविलेपभाजनाम् । विलोक्य कुब्जां युवतीं वराननां पप्रच्छ यान्तीं प्रहसन् रसप्रद: ॥ १ ॥

Verse text

śrī-śuka uvāca atha vrajan rāja-pathena mādhavaḥ striyaṁ gṛhītāṅga-vilepa-bhājanām vilokya kubjāṁ yuvatīṁ varānanāṁ papraccha yāntīṁ prahasan rasa-pradaḥ

Synonyms

śrī — śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said ; atha — then ; vrajan — walking ; rāja — pathena — along the King’s road ; mādhavaḥ — Kṛṣṇa ; striyam — a woman ; gṛhīta — holding ; aṅga — for the body ; vilepa — with ointments ; bhājanām — a tray ; vilokya — seeing ; kubjām — hunchbacked ; yuvatīm — young ; vara — ānanām — with an attractive face ; papraccha — He inquired ; yāntīm — going ; prahasan — smiling ; rasa — of the pleasure of love ; pradaḥ — the bestower .

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: As He walked down the King’s road, Lord Mādhava then saw a young hunchback woman with an attractive face, who carried a tray of fragrant ointments as she walked along. The bestower of the ecstasy of love smiled and inquired from her as follows.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: As He walked down the King's road, Lord Mādhava then saw a young hunchback woman with an attractive face, who carried a tray of fragrant ointments as she walked along. The bestower of the ecstasy of love smiled and inquired from her as follows. KB 10.42.1 After leaving the florist’s place, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma saw a hunchbacked young woman carrying a dish of sandalwood pulp through the streets. Since Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure, He wanted to make all His companions joyous by cutting a joke with the hunchbacked woman. Kṛṣṇa addressed her,

Purport

According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the young hunchbacked girl was actually a partial expansion of the Lord’s wife Satyabhāmā. Satyabhāmā is the Lord’s internal energy known as Bhū-śakti, and this expansion of hers, known as Pṛthivī, represents the earth, which was bent down by the great burden of countless wicked rulers. Lord Kṛṣṇa descended to remove these wicked rulers, and thus His pastime of straightening out the hunchback Trivakrā, as explained in these verses, represents His rectifying the burdened condition of the earth. At the same time, the Lord awarded Trivakrā a conjugal relationship with Himself. In addition to the given meaning, the word rasa-pradaḥ indicates that the Lord amused His cowherd boyfriends by His dealings with the young hunchback.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This chapter describes the curing of the hunchback Kubja, breaking the bow, slaying Kamsa’ soldiers, Kamsa’s seeing omens and the festival in the arena. Kubja was carrying various ointments for the body such as sandalwood. Krsna is described as rasa prada, one who gives rasa. To Kubja, he gave conjugal rasa, to his friends he gave hasya rasa, and to the general public astonishment. Kubja was an expansion of Satyabhama, or bhu sakti. The earth is also one of her external manifestations. Being non different from the earth, Kubja showed herself as bent over with the burden of thousands of evil asuras. On the road, associating with the earth, who was filled with the greatest devotion, she showed devotion by offering to Krsna the essence of earth element, fragrance, represented by the sandalwood. Accepting the sandalwood with great joy, Krsna bestowed madhurya rasa on her and said, "O my devotee earth! Know that the burdens caused by Kamsa and others have now been taken by me. Therefore now you should stand up straight." Comforting her in this way, he straightened up the blissful Kubja. Some explain the event in this way.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Kṛṣṇa performed this pastime in order to show that he was the giver of happiness to all people. Though Kubjā was a hunchback the other limbs of her body were beautiful (yuvatīm, varānanām). She was going to Kaṁsa’s palace with the ointment. Hari-vamśa she says rājñaḥ snānagṛhaṁ yāmi: I am going to the bath house of the king. He laughed in amusement (pra—hasan). By his very nature he was the giver of rasa: he gave śṛṅgara-rasa to Kubjā and hāsya-rasa (laughing) to his friends, and adbhūta-rāsa (astonishment) to all people present.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Atha indicates auspiciousness, in remembrance of the gopīs rasa. The longer meter introduces a new topic. He walked on the road so many people could see him in order to see the beauty of the city, to break the bow and to come near Kaṁsa’s house. He was the beloved of Lakṣmī (mādhavaḥ). This shows his great skill in love. Or he was born in the Madhu dynasty. He was pleasing to the Yadus. She carried a container of sandalwood and other unguents. Kubjā’ body was bent in three places. But she had a beautiful face and was young. Thus in all other ways she was attractive. In Hari-vamśa she says rājñaḥ snānagṛhaṁ yāmi: I am going to the bath house of the king. He laughed in amusement (pra—hasan). By his very nature he was the giver of happiness or attraction (rasa-pradaḥ).