SB 6.14.12
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 12
- rūpaudārya-vayo-janma-
- vidyaiśvarya-śriyādibhiḥ
- sampannasya guṇaiḥ sarvaiś
- cintā bandhyā-pater abhūt
SYNONYMS
rūpa — with beauty; audārya — magnanimity; vayaḥ — youth; janma — aristocratic birth; vidyā — education; aiśvarya — opulence; śriya-ādibhiḥ — wealth and so on; sampannasya — endowed; guṇaiḥ — with good qualities; sarvaiḥ — all; cintā — anxiety; bandhyā-pateḥ — of Citraketu, the husband of so many sterile wives; abhūt — there 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 (SB 1.8.26) 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.