98 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 3
such a father as a relative and to go to his house without being properly
invited was not suitable.
TEXT 19
Teskkaet AT TAT |
art qat aahrar gefafi-
fenfrd acafe atarsa: eon
tatharibhir na vyathate silimukhaih
Sete ’rditango hrdayena duyata
svanam yatha vakra-dhiyarn duruktibhir
diva-nisam tapyati marma-taditah

tatha—so; aribhih—enemy; na—not; vyathate—is hurt; silimukhaih—by
the arrows; sete—rests; ardita—aggrieved; angah—a part; hrdayena—by the
heart; diiyata—gricving; svandm—of relatives; yatha—as; vakra-dhiyam—de-
ceitful; duruktibhih—by harsh words; diva-nisam—day and night; tapyati—
suffers; marma-tdditah—one whose feelings are hurt.

TRANSLATION

Lord Siva continued: If one is hurt by the arrows of an enemy, he is not
as aggrieved as when he is cut by the unkind words of a relative, for such
grief continues to rend his heart day and night.

PURPORT

Sati might have concluded that she would take the risk of
going to her father’s house, and even if her father spoke unkindly
against her she would be tolerant, as a son sometimes tolerates the
reproaches of his parents, But Lord Siva reminded her that she would
not be able to tolerate such unkind words because natural psychology
dictates that one can suffer harm from an enemy and not mind so much
because pain inflicted by an enemy is natural; but when one is hurt by the
strong words of a relative, he suffers the effects continually, day and night,
and sometimes the injury becomes so intolerable that one commits suicide.
