Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 25
Parīkṣit’s Inquiry into Vṛtrāsura’s Bhakti and the Beginning of Citraketu’s Trial
लोकपालैरपि प्रार्थ्या: साम्राज्यैश्वर्यसम्पद: । न नन्दयन्त्यप्रजं मां क्षुत्तृट्काममिवापरे ॥ २५ ॥
loka-pālair api prārthyāḥ sāmrājyaiśvarya-sampadaḥ na nandayanty aprajaṁ māṁ kṣut-tṛṭ-kāmam ivāpare
जसा भूक-तहानें व्याकुळ मनुष्याला माळा व चंदनाच्या बाह्य सुखांनी तृप्ती येत नाही, तसा लोकपालांनाही वांछनीय असलेला माझा राज्य-ऐश्वर्य-वैभव अपुत्रत्वामुळे मला आनंद देत नाही।
FAQs
This verse teaches that even vast sovereignty and opulence—desired by great cosmic rulers—cannot satisfy a heart burning with unmet material attachment; without inner fulfillment, external prosperity fails to bring joy.
In Canto 6, Chapter 14, Citraketu expresses his grief over being sonless, describing how his immense kingdom and wealth feel meaningless; he speaks as a lamenting king within the narrative context of his longing for a child.
It cautions that success, status, and possessions cannot heal deeper emotional or spiritual lack; it encourages redirecting the search for fulfillment toward dharma, devotion, and inner contentment rather than external accumulation.