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
ああ、なんと無慈悲な摂理よ！全能の主は、慈しみ深い我が妻にさえ憐れみを示さぬ。彼女は哀れにも私を思って嘆いている――この哀れな鳥を奪って、運命はいかなる益を得るのか。
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.