Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 66
Dhruva’s Humiliation, Sunīti’s Counsel, and Nārada’s Bhakti-Yoga Instruction
अप्यनाथं वने ब्रह्मन्मा स्मादन्त्यर्भकं वृका: । श्रान्तं शयानं क्षुधितं परिम्लानमुखाम्बुजम् ॥ ६६ ॥
apy anāthaṁ vane brahman mā smādanty arbhakaṁ vṛkāḥ śrāntaṁ śayānaṁ kṣudhitaṁ parimlāna-mukhāmbujam
હે બ્રાહ્મણ, મારા પુત્રનું મુખ કમળ જેવું હતું. હું તેની દયનીય સ્થિતિ વિચારો છું—તે વનમાં અનાથ છે, ભૂખ્યો હશે, થાકી ક્યાંક સૂઈ ગયો હશે; તેનો મ્લાન કમળમુખ જોઈ વાઘિયા/વૃક તેને ખાઈ ન જાય.
FAQs
This verse shows the father’s fear and compassion—Dhruva is described as helpless, hungry, and exhausted in the forest—highlighting the gravity of Dhruva’s renunciation and the human concern for a devotee’s safety.
After Dhruva departed, Uttānapāda was overwhelmed with remorse and anxiety, imagining his young son alone among wild animals; he voices this worry while addressing a brāhmaṇa, lamenting Dhruva’s vulnerable condition.
It reminds us that intense spiritual resolve can alarm loved ones; balancing determination with compassion, and offering practical protection and support to sincere seekers, is a dharmic response.