A young woman who has no husband is called anatha, meaning "one who is not protected

Posted by dinesh

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 4.25.42

yo 'natha-vargadhim alam ghrinoddhata-

smitavalokena caraty apohitum

SYNONYMS

kasyah -- whose; manah -- mind; te -- your; bhuvi -- in this world;bhogi-bhogayoh -- like the body of a serpent; striyah -- of a woman; na -- not;sajjet -- becomes attracted; bhujayoh -- by the arms; maha-bhuja -- O mighty-armed; yah -- one who; anatha-varga -- of poor women like me; adhim -- distresses of the mind; alam -- able; ghrina-uddhata -- by aggressive mercy;smita-avalokena -- by attractive smiling; carati -- travels; apohitum -- todissipate.

TRANSLATION

O mighty-armed, who in this world will not be attracted by your arms, which are just like the bodies of serpents? Actually you relieve the distress of husbandless women like us by your attractive smile and your aggressive mercy. We think that you are traveling on the surface of the earth just to benefit us only.

PURPORT

When a husbandless woman is attacked by an aggressive man, she takes his action to be mercy. A woman is generally very much attracted by a man's long arms. A serpent's body is round, and it becomes narrower and thinner at the end. The beautiful arms of a man appear to a woman just like serpents, and she very much desires to be embraced by such arms.

The word anatha-varga is very significant in this verse. Natha means "husband," and a means "without." A young woman who has no husband is called anatha, meaning "one who is not protected." As soon as a woman attains the age of puberty, she immediately becomes very much agitated by sexual desire. It is therefore the duty of the father to get his daughter married before she attains puberty. Otherwise she will be very much mortified by not having a husband. Anyone who satisfies her desire for sex at that age becomes a great object of satisfaction. It is a psychological fact that when a woman at the age of puberty meets a man and the man satisfies her sexually, she will love that man for the rest of her life, regardless who he is. Thus so-called love within this material world is nothing but sexual satisfaction.

Yours

Dinesh