Verse 1.6.70-72

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.6.70-72:

ततः पद्मावती राज्य-दान-भीता विमूढ-धीः ।
महिषी यदु-राजस्य वृद्धा मातामही प्रभोः ॥ ७० ॥
अप्य् उक्त-श्रवणात् पूर्वं राम-मात्रावहेलिता ।
स्व-भर्तू रक्षितुं राज्यं चातुर्यात् परिहासवत् ॥ ७१ ॥
यदु-वंश्यैक-शरणं विधातुं स्वस्थम् अब्रवीत् ॥ ७२ ॥

tataḥ padmāvatī rājya-dāna-bhītā vimūḍha-dhīḥ |
mahiṣī yadu-rājasya vṛddhā mātāmahī prabhoḥ || 70 ||
apy ukta-śravaṇāt pūrvaṃ rāma-mātrāvahelitā |
sva-bhartū rakṣituṃ rājyaṃ cāturyāt parihāsavat || 71 ||
yadu-vaṃśyaika-śaraṇaṃ vidhātuṃ svastham abravīt || 72 ||

The queen of Śrī Ugrasena, the foolish old lady Padmāvatī and maternal grandmother of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, was at first ignored by the mother of Śrī Balarāma, Śrī Rohiṇī-devī. Still she had the fear that Śrī Kṛṣṇa may give away the entire kingdom to the residents of Vraja. She wanted to protect the kingdom of her husband Śrī Ugrasena. She thought that by her speech the heart of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the only shelter of the people of the Yadu dynasty, would be absorbed in some other matter and would feel composed. Therefore, she spoke cleverly in a joking manner as follows.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Thereafter, becoming fearful that Śrī Kṛṣṇa being affected by the words of Śrī Devakī, may give away the kingdom to the vraja-vāsīs, Śrī Padmāvatī in joking words began to speak the next three verses that follow.

Padmāvatī is the queen of the Yadus; therefore, she is the grandmother of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. “Alas, this is a matter of great distress! From childhood He grazed the cows of those heartless gopas.” Despite having heard all these words, the mother of Śrī Baladevajī, Śrī Rohiṇī-devī, ignored her. Thus she rejected Padmāvatī. Still Padmāvatī, in order to protect the kingdom of Śrī Ugrasena and out of her lack of intelligence began to speak jokingly with clever words. It is inappropriate to joke like this at a time of distress.

Śrī Mahārāja Parīkṣit replies that through her succession of ridiculing words and gestures she wanted to attract the heart of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and thus wanted to pacify Him. She began to speak with this intention in mind. Why should she? Because Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the only shelter of the people of the Yadu dynasty, that is, He is the only shelter of Yādavas such as Śrī Ugrasena, so if He remains ill then all the Yādavas would be destroyed.