Texts 43-44
nāsāṁ dvijāti-saṁskāro
na nivāso gurāv api
na tapo nātma-mīmāṁsā
na śaucaṁ na kriyāḥ śubhāḥ
tathāpi hy uttamaḥ-śloke
kṛṣṇe yogeśvareśvare
bhaktir dṛḍhā na cāsmākaṁ
saṁskārādimatām api
na — there is not; āsām — on their part; dvijāti-saṁskāraḥ — the purificatory rituals pertaining to the twice-born classes of society; na — nor; nivāsaḥ — residence; gurau — in the āśrama of a spiritual master (that is, training as a brahmacārī); api — even; na — no; tapaḥ — execution of austerities; na — no; ātma-mīmāṁsā — philosophical inquiry into the reality of the self; na — no; śaucam — rituals of cleanliness; na — no; kriyāḥ — ritualistic activities; śubhāḥ — pious; tathā api — nevertheless; hi — indeed; uttamaḥ-śloke — whose glories are chanted by the exalted mantras of the Vedas; kṛṣṇe — for Lord Kṛṣṇa; yoga-īśvara-īśvare — the supreme master of all masters of mystic power; bhaktiḥ — pure devotional service; dṛḍhā — firm; na — not; ca — on the other hand; asmākam — of us; saṁskāra-ādi-matām — who possess such purification and so forth; api — even though.
These women have never undergone the purificatory rites of the twice-born classes, nor have they lived as brahmacārīs in the āśrama of a spiritual master, nor have they executed austerities, speculated on the nature of the self, followed the formalities of cleanliness or engaged in pious rituals. Nevertheless, they have firm devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose glories are chanted by the exalted hymns of the Vedas and who is the supreme master of all masters of mystic power. We, on the other hand, have no such devotion for the Lord, although we have executed all these processes.
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the husbands were not aware that their wives had occasionally associated with residents of Vṛndāvana, such as the flower ladies, and had heard about the beauty and qualities of Kṛṣṇa. The brāhmaṇas were astonished at their wives’ loving devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa, not realizing that this devotion had developed as a result of hearing and chanting about the Lord in the association of His pure devotees.