Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 56
Parīkṣit’s Inquiry into Vṛtrāsura’s Bhakti and the Beginning of Citraketu’s Trial
त्वं तात नार्हसि च मां कृपणामनाथां त्यक्तुं विचक्ष्व पितरं तव शोकतप्तम् । अञ्जस्तरेम भवताप्रजदुस्तरं यद् ध्वान्तं न याह्यकरुणेन यमेन दूरम् ॥ ५६ ॥
tvaṁ tāta nārhasi ca māṁ kṛpaṇām anāthāṁ tyaktuṁ vicakṣva pitaraṁ tava śoka-taptam añjas tarema bhavatāpraja-dustaraṁ yad dhvāntaṁ na yāhy akaruṇena yamena dūram
बाळा, मी दीन व अनाथासारखी शोकाने जळत आहे; तू मला सोडू नकोस। तुझ्या शोकतप्त पित्याकडे पाहा। पुत्राविना आम्हाला घोर अंधकारमय नरकमार्गाचे दुःख भोगावे लागेल; त्या अंधारातून पार नेणारी एकमेव आशा तूच आहेस। म्हणून निर्दयी यमाबरोबर पुढे जाऊ नकोस।
According to the Vedic injunctions, one must accept a wife just to beget a son who can deliver one from the clutches of Yamarāja. Unless one has a son to offer oblations to the pitās, or forefathers, one must suffer in Yamarāja’s kingdom. King Citraketu was very much aggrieved, thinking that because his son was going away with Yamarāja he himself would again suffer. The subtle laws exist for the karmīs; if one becomes a devotee, he has no more obligations to the laws of karma.
FAQs
This verse portrays intense parental grief, showing how attachment makes death feel like an overwhelming “darkness,” setting the stage for Bhagavatam’s higher teaching: grief is natural, but spiritual knowledge is needed to transcend it.
Citraketu, devastated by his son’s death, addresses the departed child as if present, begging him not to leave and expressing how helpless he feels without him.
It highlights the depth of human attachment and sorrow, encouraging us to seek spiritual grounding and remembrance of the soul’s journey rather than being consumed by loss.