1230 Stimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 26

kva vartate sa lalana
majjantam vyasanarnave

ya mam uddharate prajnam
dipayanti pade pade

kva—where; vartate—is now staying; sd—she; lalana—woman; majjantam—
while drowning; vyasana-arnave—in the ocean of danger; ya—who; mam—
me; uddharate—delivers; prajiam—good intelligence; dipayanti—
enlightening; pade pade—in every step.

TRANSLATION

Kindly let me know the whereabouts of that beautiful woman who
always saves me when | am drowning in the ocean of danger. By giving me
good intelligence at every step, she always saves me.

PURPORT

There is no difference between a good wife and good intelligence. One
who possesses good intelligence can deliberate properly and save himself
from many dangerous conditions. In material existence there is danger at
every step. In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said: padar padarn yad vipadarn na
tesam (Bhag. 10.14.58). This material world is not actually a place of
residence for an intelligent person or a devotee because here there is danger
at every step. Vaikuntha is the real home for the devotee, for there is no
anxiety and no danger. Good intelligence means becoming Krsna
conscious. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said: krsna ye bhaje se bada
catura. Unless one is Krsna conscious, he cannot be called an intelligent
person.

Herein we see that King Purafijana was searching after his good wife,
who always helped him out of the dangerous situations that always occur
in material existence. As already explained, a real wife is dharma-patni.
That is, a woman accepted in marriage by ritualistic ceremony is called
dharma-patni, which signifies that she is accepted in terms of religious
principles. Children born of dharma-patni, or a woman married according
to religious principles, inherit the property of the father, but children born
of a woman who is not properly married do not inherit the father’s
property. The word dharma-patni also refers to a chaste wife. A chaste wife
is one who never had any connection with men before her marriage. Once
a woman is given the freedom to mingle with all kinds of men in her youth,
itis very difficult for her to keep chaste. She generally cannot remain chaste.
