Text 50-51

Text

śrutvā mṛtaṁ putram alakṣitāntakaṁ
vinaṣṭa-dṛṣṭiḥ prapatan skhalan pathi
snehānubandhaidhitayā śucā bhṛśaṁ
vimūrcchito ‘nuprakṛtir dvijair vṛtaḥ

papāta bālasya sa pāda-mūle
mṛtasya visrasta-śiroruhāmbaraḥ
dīrghaṁ śvasan bāṣpa-kaloparodhato
niruddha-kaṇṭho na śaśāka bhāṣitum

Synonyms

śrutvā—hearing; mṛtam—dead; putram—the son; alakṣita-antakam—the cause of death being unknown; vinaṣṭa-drstih—unable to see properly; prapatan—constantly falling down; skhalan—slipping; pathi—on the road; sneha-anubandha—because of affection; edhitayā—increasing; suca—by lamentation; bhṛśam—greatly; vimūrcchitaḥ—becoming unconscious; anuprakṛtiḥ—followed by ministers and other officers; dvijaiḥ—by learned brāhmaṇas; vṛtaḥ—surrounded; papāta—fell down; balasya—of the boy; saḥ—he (the King); pada-mūle—at the feet; mṛtasya—of the dead body; visrasta—scattered; siroruha—hair; ambarah—and dress; dīrgham—long; svasan—breathing; bāṣpa-kala-uparodhataḥ—due to crying with tearful eyes; niruddha-kaṇṭhaḥ—having a choked voice; na—not; sasaka—was able; bhāṣitum—to speak. 

Translation

When King Citraketu heard of his son’s death from unknown causes, he became almost blind. Because of his great affection for his son, his lamentation grew like a blazing fire, and as he went to see the dead child, he kept slipping and falling on the ground. Surrounded by his ministers and other officers and the learned brāhmaṇas present, the King approached and fell unconscious at the child’s feet, his hair and dress scattered. When the King, breathing heavily, regained consciousness, his eyes were tearful, and he could not speak. 

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