Shloka 61
Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Wrath, the Assault on Vedic Culture, and the Boy-Yamarāja’s Teaching on the Soul
श्रीनारद उवाच इति दैत्यपतेर्वाक्यं दितिराकर्ण्य सस्नुषा । पुत्रशोकं क्षणात्त्यक्त्वा तत्त्वे चित्तमधारयत् ॥ ६१ ॥
śrī-nārada uvāca iti daitya-pater vākyaṁ ditir ākarṇya sasnuṣā putra-śokaṁ kṣaṇāt tyaktvā tattve cittam adhārayat
Śrī Nārada dit : Diti entendit les paroles du seigneur des daityas avec sa belle-fille. Aussitôt, elle abandonna le chagrin pour son fils et fixa son esprit sur le tattva, la vérité essentielle de la vie.
When a relative dies one certainly becomes very much interested in philosophy, but when the funeral ceremony is over one again becomes attentive to materialism. Even Daityas, who are materialistic persons, sometimes think of philosophy when some relative meets death. The technical term for this attitude of the materialistic person is śmaśāna-vairāgya, or detachment in a cemetery or place of cremation. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, four classes of men receive an understanding of spiritual life and God — ārta (the distressed), jijñāsu (the inquisitive), arthārthī (one who desires material gains) and jñānī (one who is searching for knowledge). Especially when one is very much distressed by material conditions, one becomes interested in God. Therefore Kuntīdevī said in her prayers to Kṛṣṇa that she preferred distress to a happy mood of life. In the material world, one who is happy forgets Kṛṣṇa, or God, but sometimes, if one is actually pious but in distress, he remembers Kṛṣṇa. Queen Kuntīdevī therefore preferred distress because it is an opportunity for remembering Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa was leaving Kuntīdevī for His own country, Kuntīdevī regretfully said that she was better off in distress because Kṛṣṇa was always present, whereas now that the Pāṇḍavas were situated in their kingdom, Kṛṣṇa was going away. For a devotee, distress is an opportunity to remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly.
FAQs
This verse shows Diti giving up intense grief immediately after hearing instruction, and fixing her mind on tattva (spiritual truth), indicating that higher knowledge and right hearing can transform sorrow.
Nārada Muni is speaking, describing how Diti (with her daughter-in-law) heard the words of Hiraṇyakaśipu and then abandoned grief for her sons to focus on spiritual truth.
When facing loss or anxiety, one can consciously shift from emotion-driven rumination to spiritual grounding—hearing sacred teachings, reflecting on the soul’s reality, and acting with steadiness rather than despair.