Shloka 37
आकर्ण्यात्मजमायान्तं सम्परेत्य यथागतम् । राजा न श्रद्दधे भद्रमभद्रस्य कुतो मम ॥ ३७ ॥
ākarṇyātma-jam āyāntaṁ samparetya yathāgatam rājā na śraddadhe bhadram abhadrasya kuto mama
Hearing that his son Dhruva was returning—like one restored to life after death—King Uttānapāda could not at once believe the message. Thinking himself most wretched, he doubted that such auspicious fortune could ever come to him.
Dhruva Mahārāja, a five-year-old boy, went to the forest for penance and austerity, and the King could not at all believe that a small boy of such a tender age could live in the forest. He was certain that Dhruva was dead. He therefore could not fix his faith in the message that Dhruva Mahārāja was coming back home again. For him this message said that a dead man was coming back home, and so he could not believe it. After Dhruva Mahārāja’s departure from home, King Uttānapāda thought that he was the cause of Dhruva’s leaving, and thus he considered himself the most wretched. Therefore, even though it was possible that his lost son was coming back from the kingdom of death, he thought that since he was most sinful it was not possible for him to be so fortunate as to get back his lost son.
FAQs
This verse shows King Uttānapāda’s disbelief that anything auspicious could happen to him, highlighting how divine arrangements can surpass one’s self-judgment—especially when bhakti is present in the family through Dhruva.
Because he feared Dhruva had perished and considered himself ill-fated; thus, hearing that Dhruva returned safely felt impossible to him.
When overwhelmed by guilt or pessimism, one can remember that sincere devotion and divine mercy can reverse circumstances; avoid despair and stay steady in dharma and prayer.