Shloka 55
Hiraṇyakaśipu’s Wrath, the Assault on Vedic Culture, and the Boy-Yamarāja’s Teaching on the Soul
कथं त्वजातपक्षांस्तान् मातृहीनान् बिभर्म्यहम् । मन्दभाग्या: प्रतीक्षन्ते नीडे मे मातरं प्रजा: ॥ ५५ ॥
kathaṁ tv ajāta-pakṣāṁs tān mātṛ-hīnān bibharmy aham manda-bhāgyāḥ pratīkṣante nīḍe me mātaraṁ prajāḥ
હજી પાંખો ન ઉગેલા, માતૃહીન એ બચ્ચાંઓને હું કેવી રીતે પાળી શકું? મારી દુર્ભાગી સંતાન ઘોસલામાં પોતાની માતાની રાહ જોઈ રહી છે.
The bird is lamenting for the mother of his children because the mother naturally maintains and cares for the children. Yamarāja, however, in the guise of a small boy, has already explained that although his mother left him uncared for and wandering in the forest, the tigers and other ferocious animals had not eaten him. The real fact is that if the Supreme Personality of Godhead protects one, even though one be motherless and fatherless, one can be maintained by the good will of the Lord. Otherwise, if the Supreme Lord does not give one protection, one must suffer in spite of the presence of his father and mother. Another example is that sometimes a patient dies in spite of a good physician and good medicine. Thus without the protection of the Lord one cannot live, with or without parents.
FAQs
It highlights the suffering caused by cruelty—when the mother is killed, helpless dependents are left behind—urging the listener toward compassion and non-harm.
He laments that the young are wingless and motherless, emphasizing the moral weight of the hunter’s act and the burden now placed on the surviving parent.
It encourages mindful responsibility toward dependents (children, family, animals) and discourages actions that create avoidable suffering for the vulnerable.