Shloka 66
Dhruva’s Humiliation, Sunīti’s Counsel, and Nārada’s Bhakti-Yoga Instruction
अप्यनाथं वने ब्रह्मन्मा स्मादन्त्यर्भकं वृका: । श्रान्तं शयानं क्षुधितं परिम्लानमुखाम्बुजम् ॥ ६६ ॥
apy anāthaṁ vane brahman mā smādanty arbhakaṁ vṛkāḥ śrāntaṁ śayānaṁ kṣudhitaṁ parimlāna-mukhāmbujam
يا برهمن، كان وجه ابني كزهرة اللوتس. إني أفكّر في حاله الخطر: بلا حامٍ في الغابة، لعلّه جائعٌ مُتعبٌ قد اضطجع في مكان ما؛ فليت الذئاب لا تهجم عليه لتفترسه، وهو ذو وجهٍ لوتسيٍّ قد ذبل.
FAQs
This verse shows the father’s fear and compassion—Dhruva is described as helpless, hungry, and exhausted in the forest—highlighting the gravity of Dhruva’s renunciation and the human concern for a devotee’s safety.
After Dhruva departed, Uttānapāda was overwhelmed with remorse and anxiety, imagining his young son alone among wild animals; he voices this worry while addressing a brāhmaṇa, lamenting Dhruva’s vulnerable condition.
It reminds us that intense spiritual resolve can alarm loved ones; balancing determination with compassion, and offering practical protection and support to sincere seekers, is a dharmic response.