SB 7.4.46 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

किमुतानुवशान् साधूंस्ताद‍ृशान् गुरुदेवतान् । एतत्कौतूहलं ब्रह्मन्नस्माकं विधम प्रभो । पितु: पुत्राय यद्‌द्वेषो मरणाय प्रयोजित: ॥ ४६ ॥

Verse text

kim utānuvaśān sādhūṁs tādṛśān guru-devatān etat kautūhalaṁ brahmann asmākaṁ vidhama prabho pituḥ putrāya yad dveṣo maraṇāya prayojitaḥ

Synonyms

kim uta — much less ; anuvaśān — to obedient and perfect sons ; sādhūn — great devotees ; tādṛśān — of that sort ; guru — devatān — honoring the father as the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; etat — this ; kautūhalam — doubt ; brahman — O brāhmaṇa ; asmākam — of us ; vidhama — dissipate ; prabho — O my lord ; pituḥ — of the father ; putrāya — unto the son ; yat — which ; dveṣaḥ — envy ; maraṇāya — for killing ; prayojitaḥ — applied .

Translation

Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira further inquired: How was it possible for a father to be so violent toward an exalted son who was obedient, well-behaved and respectful to his father? O brāhmaṇa, O master, I have never heard of such a contradiction as an affectionate father’s punishing his noble son with the intention of killing him. Kindly dissipate our doubts in this regard.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

What to speak of tormenting sons who honor their fathers, who are devotees and who are obedient! Please remove my doubt-- that a father could have such hatred that he would try to kill his own son. Anuvaśān means favorable. Kautūhalam means doubt. Please remove this doubt—what hatred of a father would be so intense that he would kill his own son? Thus ends the commentary on the Fourth Chapter of the Seventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Five Hiraṇyakaśipu Attacks Prahlāda

Purport

In the history of human society, an affectionate father is rarely found to chastise a noble and devoted son. Therefore Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira wanted Nārada Muni to dissipate his doubt. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Seventh Canto, Fourth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Hiraṇyakaśipu Terrorizes the Universe.”