34
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 6, Ch. 14]
PURPORT
As stated by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita:
mātā yasya gṛhe nāsti bhāryā cāpriya-vādinī araṇyam tena gantavyam yathāraṇyam tathā gṛham
“A person who has no mother at home and whose wife does not speak sweetly should go to the forest. For such a person, living at home and living in the forest are equal.” Similarly, for a woman who has no son, who is not cared for by her husband and whose co-wives neglect her, treating her like a maidservant, to go to the forest is better than to remain at home.
TEXT 41
दासीनां को नु सन्तापः स्वामिनः परिचर्यया । अभीक्षणं लब्धमानानां दास्या दासीव दुर्भगाः ॥४१॥
dāsīnām ko nu santāpaḥ svāminaḥ paricaryayā abhīkṣṇam labdha-mānānām dāsyā dāsīva durbhagāḥ
dāsīnām —of the maidservants;  kaḥ —what;  nu —indeed;  santāpaḥ —lamentation;  svāminaḥ —unto the husband;  paricaryayā —by rendering service;  abhīkṣṇam —constantly;  labdha-mānānām —honored;  dāsyāḥ —of the maidservant;  dāsī iva —like a maidservant;  durbhagāḥ —most unfortunate.
TRANSLATION
Even maidservants who are constantly engaged in rendering service to the husband are honored by the husband, and thus they have nothing for which to lament. Our position, however, is that