Å›rÄ«-bhadrovÄca
pitÄ me mÄtuleyÄya
svayam ÄhÅ«ya dattavÄn
kṛṣṇe kṛṣṇÄya tac-cittÄm
aká¹£auhiṇyÄ sakhÄ«-janaiḥ
asya me pÄda-saá¹sparÅ›o
bhavej janmani janmani
karmabhir bhrÄmyamÄṇÄyÄ
yena tac chreya Ätmanaḥ
Å›rÄ«-bhadrÄ uvÄca - ÅšrÄ« BhadrÄ said; pitÄ - father; me - my; mÄtuleyÄya - to my maternal cousin; svayam - of his own accord; ÄhÅ«ya - inviting; dattavÄn - gave; kṛṣṇe - O Ká¹›á¹£á¹‡Ä (DraupadÄ«); kṛṣṇÄya - to Lord Kṛṣṇa; tat - absorbed in whom; cittÄm - whose heart; aká¹£auhiṇyÄ - with an aká¹£auhiṇī military guard; sakhÄ«-janaiḥ - and with my female companions; asya - His; me - for me; pÄda - of the feet; saá¹sparÅ›aḥ - the touch; bhavet - may it be; janmani janmani - in one life after another; karmabhiḥ - due to the reactions of material activities; bhrÄmyamÄṇÄyÄḥ - who will be wandering; yena - by which; tat - that; Å›reyaḥ - ultimate perfection; Ätmanaḥ - of myself.
ÅšrÄ« BhadrÄ said: My dear DraupadÄ«, of his own free will my father invited his nephew Kṛṣṇa, to whom I had already dedicated my heart, and offered me to Him as His bride. My father presented me to the Lord with an aká¹£auhiṇi military guard and a retinue of my female companions. My ultimate perfection is this: to always be allowed to touch Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet as I wander from life to life, bound by my karma.
With the word Ätmanaḥ, Queen BhadrÄ speaks not only for herself but for all living entities as well. The soul’s perfection (Å›reya Ätmanaḥ) is devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, both in this world and beyond, in liberation.
ÅšrÄ«la JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ« comments that although in civilized society it is normally considered disrespectful to publicly speak the name of one’s guru or husband, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s name is unique: the mere utterance of the name Kṛṣṇa is commendable as the highest expression of reverence for God. As the ÅšvetÄÅ›vatara Upaniá¹£ad (4.19) states, yasya nÄma mahad yaÅ›aḥ: “The holy name of the Lord is supremely glorious.â€
