TEXT 37
akarnyatma-jam ayantam
samparetya yathagatam
raja na sraddadhe bhadram
abhadrasya kuto mama
SYNONYMS
akarnyahaving heard; atma-jamhis son; ayantamcoming back; samparetyaafter dying; yathaas if; agatamcoming back; rajaKing Uttanapada; nadid not; sraddadhehave any confidence; bhadramgood fortune; abhadrasyaof the impious; kutahwhence; mamamy.
TRANSLATION
When King Uttanapada heard that his son Dhruva was coming back home, as if coming back to life after death, he could not put his faith in this message, for he was doubtful of how it could happen. He considered himself the most wretched, and therefore he thought that it was not possible for him to attain such good fortune.
PURPORT
Dhruva Maharaja, a five-year-old boy, went to the forest for penance and austerity, and the King could not at all believe that a small boy of such a tender age could live in the forest. He was certain that Dhruva was dead. He therefore could not fix his faith in the message that Dhruva Maharaja was coming back home again. For him this message said that a dead man was coming back home, and so he could not believe it. After Dhruva Maharajas departure from home, King Uttanapada thought that he was the cause of Dhruvas leaving, and thus he considered himself the most wretched. Therefore, even though it was possible that his lost son was coming back from the kingdom of death, he thought that since he was most sinful it was not possible for him to be so fortunate as to get back his lost son.

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