Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 26
Parīkṣit’s Inquiry into Vṛtrāsura’s Bhakti and the Beginning of Citraketu’s Trial
तत: पाहि महाभाग पूर्वै: सह गतं तम: । यथा तरेम दुष्पारं प्रजया तद्विधेहि न: ॥ २६ ॥
tataḥ pāhi mahā-bhāga pūrvaiḥ saha gataṁ tamaḥ yathā tarema duṣpāraṁ prajayā tad vidhehi naḥ
Потому, о великий мудрец, спаси меня и моих предков, которые из‑за отсутствия потомства нисходят во тьму ада. Будь милостив: устрой так, чтобы у меня родился сын и мы переправились через эту непроходимую тьму.
According to Vedic civilization, one gets married simply to have a son, who is needed to offer oblations to his forefathers. King Citraketu responsibly desired to beget a child so that he and his forefathers might be delivered from the darkest regions. He was concerned with how to get piṇḍa, oblations, in the next life, not only for himself but also for his forefathers. Therefore he requested Aṅgirā Ṛṣi to favor him by doing something that could help him get a son.
FAQs
This verse frames saṁsāra as “duṣpāra,” extremely hard to cross, and teaches that one should pray for divine protection and guidance, seeking the Lord’s arrangement to overcome ignorance and suffering.
In Canto 6, Chapter 14, Citraketu’s queens are distressed by childlessness and the fear of ancestral “darkness”; they appeal to the king—seen as their protector—to arrange relief and the blessing of progeny.
It encourages humble prayer, responsibility, and seeking higher guidance when burdens feel unmanageable—while remembering that true deliverance from “darkness” ultimately comes through spiritual alignment, not merely external solutions.