Texts 50-51
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
śrutvā — hearing; mṛtam — dead; putram — the son; alakṣita-antakam — the cause of death being unknown; vinaṣṭa-dṛṣṭiḥ — unable to see properly; prapatan — constantly falling down; skhalan — slipping; pathi — on the road; sneha-anubandha — because of affection; edhitayā — increasing; śucā — by lamentation; bhṛśam — greatly; vimūrcchitaḥ — becoming unconscious; anuprakṛtiḥ — followed by ministers and other officers; dvijaiḥ — by learned brāhmaṇas; vṛtaḥ — surrounded; papāta — fell down; bālasya — of the boy; saḥ — he (the King); pāda-mūle — at the feet; mṛtasya — of the dead body; visrasta — scattered; śiroruha — hair; ambaraḥ — and dress; dīrgham — long; śvasan — breathing; bāṣpa-kalā-uparodhataḥ — due to crying with tearful eyes; niruddha-kaṇṭhaḥ — having a choked voice; na — not; śaśāka — was able; bhāṣitum — to speak.
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.