SB 4.13.21

Devanāgarī

विदुर उवाच तस्य शीलनिधे: साधोर्ब्रह्मण्यस्य महात्मन: । राज्ञ: कथमभूद्दुष्टा प्रजा यद्विमना ययौ ॥ २१ ॥

Text

vidura uvāca tasya śīla-nidheḥ sādhor brahmaṇyasya mahātmanaḥ rājñaḥ katham abhūd duṣṭā prajā yad vimanā yayau

Synonyms

viduraḥuvāca—Vidura said;tasya—of him (Aṅga);śīla-nidheḥ—reservoir of good characteristics;sādhoḥ—saintly person;brahmaṇyasya—lover of brahminical culture;mahātmanaḥ—great soul;rājñaḥ—of the king;katham—how;abhūt—it was;duṣṭā—bad;prajā—son;yat—by which;vimanāḥ—being indifferent;yayau—he left.

Translation

Vidura inquired from the sage Maitreya: My dear brāhmaṇa, King Aṅga was very gentle. He had high character and was a saintly personality and lover of brahminical culture. How is it that such a great soul got a bad son like Vena, because of whom he became indifferent to his kingdom and left it?

Purport

In family life a man is supposed to live happily with father, mother, wife and children, but sometimes, under certain conditions, a father, mother, child or wife becomes an enemy. It is said by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita that a father is an enemy when he is too much in debt, a mother is an enemy if she marries for a second time, a wife is an enemy when she is very beautiful, and a son is an enemy when he is a foolish rascal. In this way, when a family member becomes an enemy it is very difficult to live in family life or remain a householder. Generally such situations occur in the material world. Therefore according to Vedic culture one has to take leave of his family members just after his fiftieth year so that the balance of his life may be completely devoted in search of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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