Text 56]
King Citraketu's Lamentation
45
TEXT 56
त्वं तात नार्हसि च मां कृपणामनाथां त्यक्तुं विचक्ष्व पितरं तव शोकतप्तम् । अञ्जस्तरेम भवताप्रजदुस्तरं यद् ध्वान्तं न याह्यकरुणेन यमेन दूरम् ॥५६॥
tvam tāta nārhasi ca mām kṛpaṇām anāthām tyaktum vicakṣva pitaram tava śoka-taptam añjas tarema bhavatāpraja-dustaram yad dhvāntam na yāhy akaruṇena yamena dūram
tvam—you; tāta—my dear son; na—not; arhasi—ought; ca—and; mām—me; kṛpaṇām—very poor; anāthām—without a protector; tyaktum—to give up; vicakṣva—look; pitaram—at the father; tava—your; śoka-taptam—affected by so much lamentation; ajñaḥ—easily; tarema—we can cross; bhavatā—by you; apraja-dustaram—very difficult to cross for one without a son; yat—which; dhvāntam—the kingdom of darkness; na yāhi—do not go away; akaruṇena—merciless; yamena—with Yamarāja; dūram—any further.
TRANSLATION
My dear son, I am helpless and very much aggrieved. You should not give up my company. Just look at your lamenting father. We are helpless because without a son we shall have to suffer the distress of going to the darkest hellish regions. You are the only hope by which we can get out of these dark regions. Therefore I request you not to go any further with the merciless Yama.
PURPORT
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