SB 6.15.2 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

कोऽयं स्यात्तव राजेन्द्र भवान् यमनुशोचति । त्वं चास्य कतम: सृष्टौ पुरेदानीमत: परम् ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

ko ’yaṁ syāt tava rājendra bhavān yam anuśocati tvaṁ cāsya katamaḥ sṛṣṭau puredānīm ataḥ param

Synonyms

kaḥ — who ; ayam — this ; syāt — is ; tava — to you ; rāja — indra — O best of kings ; bhavān — Your Lordship ; yam — whom ; anuśocati — laments over ; tvam — you ; ca — and ; asya — to him (the dead boy) ; katamaḥ — who ; sṛṣṭau — in the birth ; purā — previously ; idānīm — at this time, at the present ; ataḥ param — and hereafter, in the future .

Translation

O King, what relationship does the dead body for which you lament have with you, and what relationship do you have with him? You may say that you are now related as father and son, but do you think this relationship existed before? Does it truly exist now? Will it continue in the future?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O best of kings! What relationship does the dead body for which you lament have with you, and what relationship do you have with him? Who is who, in your previous birth, this birth and future birth? “Who is he in relation to you?” “He is my son.” “That is true, But what you in relation to him?” “I am the father.” In previous birth, or now, or in next birth, who is who? Those who had a relationship with sons in a previous birth, at death were separated from those sons and in this present life they are sons of that person or another person. In another life they become wives, enemies or friends of that or another person.

Purport

The instructions given by Nārada and Aṅgirā Muni are the true spiritual instructions for the illusioned conditioned soul. This world is temporary, but because of our previous karma we come here and accept bodies, creating temporary relationships in terms of society, friendship, love, nationality and community, which are all finished at death. These temporary relationships did not exist in the past, nor will they exist in the future. Therefore at the present moment the so-called relationships are illusions.