Parīkṣit’s Inquiry into Vṛtrāsura’s Bhakti and the Beginning of Citraketu’s Trial
तस्यास्तदाकर्ण्य भृशातुरं स्वरं घ्नन्त्या: कराभ्यामुर उच्चकैरपि । प्रविश्य राज्ञी त्वरयात्मजान्तिकं ददर्श बालं सहसा मृतं सुतम् ॥ ४७ ॥
tasyās tadākarṇya bhṛśāturaṁ svaraṁ ghnantyāḥ karābhyām ura uccakair api praviśya rājñī tvarayātmajāntikaṁ dadarśa bālaṁ sahasā mṛtaṁ sutam
ด้วยความร้อนรน สาวใช้ทุบอกด้วยสองมือและร่ำไห้เสียงดัง ครั้นพระนางได้ยินเสียงนั้นก็รีบเสด็จไปยังโอรส และทอดพระเนตรเห็นว่าพระกุมารสิ้นพระชนม์กะทันหัน
This verse depicts how death can come abruptly even to one’s most cherished relations; the Bhagavatam uses such moments to point toward sober understanding of life’s impermanence and the need for spiritual refuge beyond material attachment.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates the episode to King Parīkṣit: hearing a co-wife’s loud lament, the chief queen rushes in and finds the child—Citraketu’s son—suddenly dead.
It reminds a devotee to acknowledge grief honestly yet also reflect on the temporary nature of worldly relationships, strengthening remembrance of the soul’s journey and turning the heart toward prayer, dharma, and steady spiritual practice.