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
Hélas ! Que la Providence est sans pitié ! Le Seigneur tout-puissant n’a même pas compassion de mon épouse au cœur tendre. Elle, démunie, se lamente pour moi : quel profit le destin tirera-t-il en arrachant ce pauvre oiseau ?
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.