Shloka 43
Dhruva-vaṁśa Continuation: Utkala’s Renunciation, Aṅga’s Sacrifice, and the Birth of Vena
Prelude to Pṛthu
प्रायेणाभ्यर्चितो देवो येऽप्रजा गृहमेधिन: । कदपत्यभृतं दु:खं ये न विन्दन्ति दुर्भरम् ॥ ४३ ॥
prāyeṇābhyarcito devo ye ’prajā gṛha-medhinaḥ kad-apatya-bhṛtaṁ duḥkhaṁ ye na vindanti durbharam
The King reflected within himself: Those who have no son are surely blessed. They must have worshiped the Lord in former lives, and thus they do not suffer the unbearable misery brought by a wicked son.
It is said that a married couple must have a son, otherwise their family life is void. But a son born without good qualities is as good as a blind eye. A blind eye has no use for seeing, but it is simply unbearably painful. The King therefore thought himself very unfortunate to have such a bad son.
FAQs
This verse notes that materialistic householders may face heavy, hard-to-bear misery when maintaining ill-behaved spouse and children, whereas those without such dependents often worship the Lord more earnestly.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse while narrating the context around King Vena and the social consequences of irreligious leadership.
Perform family responsibilities with dharma and devotion, avoid enabling harmful behavior, and reduce attachment by centering the home on worship and character—so duties do not become a source of degrading suffering.