Devanagari
स्नातं कृतशिर:स्नानं सर्वाभरणभूषितम् ।
निष्कग्रीवं वलयिनं कूजत्काञ्चननूपुरम् ॥ ३१ ॥
Verse text
snātaṁ kṛta-śiraḥ-snānaṁ
sarvābharaṇa-bhūṣitam
niṣka-grīvaṁ valayinaṁ
kūjat-kāṣcana-nūpuram
Synonyms
snātam
—
bathed
;
kṛta
—
śiraḥ — including the head
;
snānam
—
bathing
;
sarva
—
all over
;
ābharaṇa
—
with ornaments
;
bhūṣitam
—
decorated
;
niṣka
—
a gold necklace with a locket
;
grīvam
—
on the neck
;
valayinam
—
with bangles
;
kūjat
—
tinkling
;
kāṣcana
—
made of gold
;
nūpuram
—
ankle bells .
Translation
Her entire body, including her head, was completely bathed, and she was decorated all over with ornaments. She wore a special necklace with a locket. There were bangles on her wrists and tinkling anklets of gold about her ankles.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In a mirror, she saw that her body was made auspicious and clean, tended carefully by the girls, adorned with a garland and clean cloth, bathed fully including the head, and decorated with all ornaments, with a niṣka around her neck, armlets, and jingling, gold anklets.
She saw herself in a mirror. The verb “saw” should be supplied. Some women of the western provinces do not bath the head. To defeat that idea, here it is stated that her head was bathed.
Purport
The word
kṛta-śiraḥ-snānam
appears here. According to the
smṛti-śāstra’s
directions for daily duties, ladies are allowed to bathe daily up to the neck. The hair on the head does not necessarily have to be washed daily because the mass of wet hair may cause a cold. For ladies, therefore, taking a bath up to the neck is ordinarily prescribed, and they take a full bath only on certain occasions. On this occasion Devahūti took a full bath and washed her hair very nicely. When a lady takes an ordinary bath it is called
mala-snāna,
and when she takes a full bath, including the head, it is called
śiraḥ-snāna.
At this time she needs sufficient oil to smear on her head. That is the direction of the commentators of
smṛti-śāstra.