SB 10.75.16 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

गुप्ता नृभिर्निरगमन्नुपलब्धुमेतद् देव्यो यथा दिवि विमानवरैर्नृदेव्यो । ता मातुलेयसखिभि: परिषिच्यमाना: सव्रीडहासविकसद्वदना विरेजु: ॥ १६ ॥

Verse text

guptā nṛbhir niragamann upalabdhum etad devyo yathā divi vimāna-varair nṛ-devyo tā mātuleya-sakhibhiḥ pariṣicyamānāḥ sa-vrīḍa-hāsa-vikasad-vadanā virejuḥ

Synonyms

guptāḥ — guarded ; nṛbhiḥ — by soldiers ; niragaman — they went out ; upalabdhum — to see first-hand ; etat — this ; devyaḥ — the wives of the demigods ; yathā — as ; divi — in the sky ; vimāna — on their airplanes ; varaiḥ — excellent ; nṛ — devyaḥ — the queens (of King Yudhiṣṭhira) ; tāḥ — they ; mātuleya — by their maternal cousins (Lord Kṛṣṇa and His brothers, such as Gada and Sāraṇa) ; sakhibhiḥ — and by their friends (such as Bhīma and Arjuna) ; pariṣicyamānāḥ — being sprinkled ; sa — vrīḍa — shy ; hāsa — with smiles ; vikasat — blossoming ; vadanāḥ — whose faces ; virejuḥ — they appeared splendid .

Translation

Surrounded by guards, King Yudhiṣṭhira’s queens came out on their chariots to see the fun, just as the demigods’ wives appeared in the sky in celestial airplanes. As maternal cousins and intimate friends sprinkled the queens with liquids, the ladies’ faces bloomed with shy smiles, enhancing the queens’ splendid beauty.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Surrounded by guards, King Yudhiṣṭhira's queens came out on their chariots to see the fun, just as the demigods' wives appeared in the sky in celestial airplanes. As maternal cousins and intimate friends sprinkled the queens with liquids, the ladies' faces bloomed with shy smiles, enhancing the queens' splendid beauty. KB 10.75.16 In order to observe the great ceremony, many wives of the demigods had come in different airplanes, and they were visible in the sky. Similarly, the queens of the royal family, gorgeously decorated and surrounded by bodyguards, arrived on different palanquins. During this time, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the maternal cousin of the Pāṇḍavas, and His special friend Arjuna were both throwing the liquid substances on the bodies of the queens. The queens became bashful, but at the same time their beautiful smiling brightened their faces.

Purport

The maternal cousins referred to here are Lord Kṛṣṇa and such brothers of His as Gada and Sāraṇa, and the friends mentioned are such persons as Bhīma and Arjuna.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The wives (nr devya) of Yudhisthira such as Draupadi (and Yaudheyi???who is she?), in order to get pleasure went out of the city on chariots, just as the wives of the devatas enjoy riding in airplanes. Nephew (matuleya) here refers to the cousins on the husband’s side (though commonly it refers to those on the wife’s side) : that is, the sons of Vasudeva, brother of Kunti. The wives joked and played with their husbands (devaran uta sakhin), as well be seen in the next verse. It would be improper for them to joke with their cousins such as Krsna, the most famous of the cousins. Therefore the wives joked with the friends of their cousins, meaning Bhima, Arjuna etc, who were their husbands.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

This verse describes the play suitable for the wives of Yudhiṣṭhira such as Draupadī, and his son’s wives, after going to the bank of the Gaṅgā. Draupadī and also the queens such as Rukmiṇī saw the fun. Since Draupadī and others were principal to the sacrifice, the word mātuleya (maternal uncle’s son) refers the husband’s cousins, just as “nephew” would refer to nephews on the husband’s side. It would be improper to joke with maternal cousins on the wife’s side. Of Yudhiṣṭhira’s cousins the most famous was Kṛṣṇa. Thus mātuleya here refers to Kṛṣṇa, just as Govardhana is accepted as the most famous among mountains. Hantāyam adrir abalā hari-dāsa-varyah:‘Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! (SB 10.21.18) Kṛṣṇa was the best husband. Others were also husbands such as Bhīma and other friends who were nearby. They were understood to be brothers. The next verse states that the wives of Yudhiṣṭhira squirted water on the brothers of Yudhiṣṭhira (devarān) and their friends. Thus in the eyes of the public it was proper for them to joke with each other. They would not be subject to criticism since their relationship was close.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Draupadī, Rukmiṇī and other queens came to the fun. The word devyaḥ indicates their great beauty. The devatās’ wives came in the sky. The queens were sprinkled by friends of Kṛṣṇa (mātulasya). Some say that the word should be sakhībhiḥ (by wives of Kṛṣṇa). They appeared more beautiful than before.