Text 56] King Citraketu’s Lamentation 45

TEXT 56
a ata area a at STAT

aad fae frat aa aR |
ABA AAAIATE AZ

Ted TMAH OMA WAT TAYE I

tvarn tata narhasi ca mam krpandm anatham
tyaktum vicaksva pitarar tava soka-taptam

afijas tarema bhavatdapraja-dustaram yad
dhvantam na yahy akarunena yamena diiram

tvam—you; tata—my dear son; na—not; arhasi—ought; ca—and;
mam—me; krpandm—very poor; andtham—without a protector; tyak-
tum—to give up; vicaksva—look; pitaram—at the father; tava—your;
Soka-taptam—affected by so much lamentation; ajfiah—easily;
tarema—we can cross; bhavata—by you; apraja-dustaram—very dif-
ficult to cross for one without a son; yat—which; dhvdéntam—the
kingdom of darkness; na yahi—do not go away; akarunena—merciless;
yamena—with Yamaraja; diram—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 dis-
tress 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 Yamaraja. Unless
one has a son to offer oblations to the pitds, or forefathers, one must
suffer in Yamaraja’s kingdom. King Citraketu was very much aggrieved.
thinking that because his son was going away with Yamaraja. he himself
