Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 52
Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Wrath, the Assault on Vedic Culture, and the Boy-Yamarāja’s Teaching on the Soul
सासज्जत सिचस्तन्त्र्यां महिष्य: कालयन्त्रिता । कुलिङ्गस्तां तथापन्नां निरीक्ष्य भृशदु:खित: । स्नेहादकल्प: कृपण: कृपणां पर्यदेवयत् ॥ ५२ ॥
sāsajjata sicas tantryāṁ mahiṣyaḥ kāla-yantritā kuliṅgas tāṁ tathāpannāṁ nirīkṣya bhṛśa-duḥkhitaḥ snehād akalpaḥ kṛpaṇaḥ kṛpaṇāṁ paryadevayat
She became caught in the snare’s cord, as though bound by the device of Time. O queens of Suyajña, seeing his wife in such peril, the male kuliṅga was overwhelmed with grief; out of love, unable to free her, the poor bird began to lament for his poor mate.
FAQs
This verse shows that intense attachment makes one helpless in crisis; the kuliṅga bird, overwhelmed by affection, can only lament when his mate is trapped—illustrating how material sneha leads to grief.
Kāla is presented as the unseen force that drives events and traps living beings in suffering; the birds’ capture is not random but under the governance of time and destiny.
It advises cultivating detachment and devotion so that when inevitable changes come (loss, separation, reversal), one responds with spiritual steadiness rather than helpless lamentation.