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Chapter 14: King Citraketu's Lamentation

Verse 12 of 60
SB 6.14.12

रूपौदार्यवयोजन्म विद्यैश्वर्यश्रियादिभिः सम्पन्नस्य गुणैः सर्वैश्चिन्ता बन्ध्यापतेरभूत्

rūpaudārya-vayo-janma- vidyaiśvarya-śriyādibhiḥ sampannasya guṇaiḥ sarvaiś cintā bandhyā-pater abhūt

Synonyms

rūpawith beauty; audāryamagnanimity; vayaḥyouth; janmaaristocratic birth; vidyāeducation; aiśvaryaopulence; śriya-ādibhiḥwealth and so on; sampannasyaendowed; guṇaiḥwith good qualities; sarvaiḥall; cintāanxiety; bandhyā-pateḥof Citraketu, the husband of so many sterile wives; abhūtthere was..

Translation

Citraketu, the husband of these millions of wives, was endowed with a beautiful form, magnanimity and youth. He was born in a high family, he had a complete education, and he was wealthy and opulent. Nevertheless, in spite of being endowed with all these assets, he was full of anxiety because he did not have a son.

Purport

It appears that the King first married one wife, but she could not bear a child. Then he married a second, a third, a fourth and so on, but none of the wives could bear children. In spite of the material assets of janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī—birth in an aristocratic family with full opulence, wealth, education and beauty—he was very much aggrieved because in spite of having so many wives, he had no son. Certainly his grief was natural. Gṛhastha life does not mean having a wife and no children. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam: if a family man has no son, his home is no better than a desert. The King was certainly most unhappy that he could not get a son, and this is why he had married so many times. Kṣatriyas especially are allowed to marry more than one wife, and this King did so. Nonetheless, he had no issue.

Verse 12 of 60
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