Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 53
Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Wrath, the Assault on Vedic Culture, and the Boy-Yamarāja’s Teaching on the Soul
अहो अकरुणो देव: स्त्रियाकरुणया विभु: । कृपणं मामनुशोचन्त्या दीनया किं करिष्यति ॥ ५३ ॥
aho akaruṇo devaḥ striyākaruṇayā vibhuḥ kṛpaṇaṁ mām anuśocantyā dīnayā kiṁ kariṣyati
Weh! Wie erbarmungslos ist die Vorsehung! Der allmächtige Herr zeigt nicht einmal meiner mitleidvollen Gattin Erbarmen. Sie klagt in ihrer Not um mich — welchen Gewinn hätte das Schicksal, wenn es diesen armen Vogel fortnimmt?
FAQs
This verse shows how intense attachment produces grief; even the powerful feel helpless when confronted with suffering, and lamentation cannot change the Lord’s arrangement or the results of karma.
Hiraṇyakaśipu speaks in despair, reflecting that even if a compassionate woman mourns for him, such pity cannot alter destiny; he contrasts human compassion with what he perceives as the Lord’s harsh dispensation.
It encourages shifting from helpless grief to spiritual steadiness—accepting what cannot be changed, reducing attachment-driven anxiety, and seeking shelter in bhakti rather than emotional collapse.