Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 58
Parīkṣit’s Inquiry into Vṛtrāsura’s Bhakti and the Beginning of Citraketu’s Trial
नाहं तनूज ददृशे हतमङ्गला ते मुग्धस्मितं मुदितवीक्षणमाननाब्जम् । किं वा गतोऽस्यपुनरन्वयमन्यलोकं नीतोऽघृणेन न शृणोमि कला गिरस्ते ॥ ५८ ॥
nāhaṁ tanūja dadṛśe hata-maṅgalā te mugdha-smitaṁ mudita-vīkṣaṇam ānanābjam kiṁ vā gato ’sy apunar-anvayam anya-lokaṁ nīto ’ghṛṇena na śṛṇomi kalā giras te
My dear son, I am truly most unfortunate, for I can no longer behold your gentle smile and your lotus face, once bright with joyful glances. Your eyes have closed forever. I therefore feel that the merciless one has carried you from this world to another, from which you will not return. My child, I can no longer hear your sweet voice.
FAQs
This verse shows Citraketu’s intense sorrow and attachment, highlighting how death abruptly ends worldly relationships and pushes one to seek a higher, spiritual understanding beyond bodily ties.
His son had just died, and Citraketu, overwhelmed by parental love and shock, laments that he can no longer see his child’s smiling face or hear his voice.
It teaches that loss is inevitable under time and fate; channeling grief toward spiritual inquiry and remembrance of the soul’s journey can gradually transform attachment into wisdom and devotion.