Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 10 - Chapter 1 - Verse 15-16


Sanskrit:

श्रीभद्रोवाचपिता मे मातुलेयाय स्वयमाहूय दत्तवान् ।कृष्णे कृष्णाय तच्चित्तामक्षौहिण्या सखीजनै: ॥ १५ ॥अस्य मे पादसंस्पर्शो भवेज्जन्मनि जन्मनि ।कर्मभिर्भ्राम्यमाणाया येन तच्छ्रेय आत्मन: ॥ १६ ॥

ITRANS:

śrī-bhadrovācapitā me mātuleyāyasvayam āhūya dattavānkṛṣṇe kṛṣṇāya tac-cittāmakṣauhiṇyā sakhī-janaiḥ

Translation:

Śrī Bhadrā said: My dear Draupadī, 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 akṣauhiṇi 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.

Purport:

With the word ātmanaḥ, Queen Bhadrā speaks not only for herself but for all living entities as well. The soul’s perfection (śreya ātmanaḥ) is devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, both in this world and beyond, in liberation. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī 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 Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (4.19) states, yasya nāma mahad yaśaḥ: “The holy name of the Lord is supremely glorious.”