Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 25
Parīkṣit’s Inquiry into Vṛtrāsura’s Bhakti and the Beginning of Citraketu’s Trial
लोकपालैरपि प्रार्थ्या: साम्राज्यैश्वर्यसम्पद: । न नन्दयन्त्यप्रजं मां क्षुत्तृट्काममिवापरे ॥ २५ ॥
loka-pālair api prārthyāḥ sāmrājyaiśvarya-sampadaḥ na nandayanty aprajaṁ māṁ kṣut-tṛṭ-kāmam ivāpare
كما أن من يتألم من الجوع والعطش لا يرضى بزينةٍ خارجية كأكاليل الزهر أو طلاء الصندل، كذلك لا تُسعدني مملكتي ولا ثروتي ولا نعيمي—وهي مما يرغبه حتى كبار الدِّيفات—لأني بلا ابن.
FAQs
This verse teaches that even vast sovereignty and opulence—desired by great cosmic rulers—cannot satisfy a heart burning with unmet material attachment; without inner fulfillment, external prosperity fails to bring joy.
In Canto 6, Chapter 14, Citraketu expresses his grief over being sonless, describing how his immense kingdom and wealth feel meaningless; he speaks as a lamenting king within the narrative context of his longing for a child.
It cautions that success, status, and possessions cannot heal deeper emotional or spiritual lack; it encourages redirecting the search for fulfillment toward dharma, devotion, and inner contentment rather than external accumulation.