ततः पाहि महाभाग पूर्वैः सह गतं तमः यथा तरेम दुष्पारं प्रजया तद्विधेहि नः
tataḥ pāhi mahā-bhāga pūrvaiḥ saha gataṁ tamaḥ yathā tarema duṣpāraṁ prajayā tad vidhehi naḥ
Synonyms
tataḥ—therefore, because of this; pāhi—kindly save; mahā-bhāga—O great sage; pūrvaiḥ saha—along with my forefathers; gatam—gone; tamaḥ—to darkness; yathā—so that; tarema—we can cross; duṣpāram—very difficult to cross; prajayā—by getting a son; tat—that; vidhehi—kindly do; naḥ—for us..
Translation
Therefore, O great sage, please save me and my forefathers, who are descending to the darkness of hell because I have no progeny. Kindly do something so that I may have a son to deliver us from hellish conditions.
Purport
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.