वृद्धावनाथौ पितरौ नान्यबन्धू तपस्विनौ ।
अहो मयाधुना त्यक्तावकृतज्ञेन नीचवत् ॥२८॥

vá¹›ddhÄv anÄthau pitarau
nÄnya-bandhÅ« tapasvinau
aho mayÄdhunÄ tyaktÄv
akṛtajñena nīcavat

 vá¹›ddhau - old; anÄthau - who had no other person to look after their comforts; pitarau - my father and mother; na anya-bandhÅ« - who had no other friend; tapasvinau - who underwent great difficulties; aho - alas; mayÄ - by me; adhunÄ - at that moment; tyaktau - were given up; aká¹›ta-jñena - ungrateful; nÄ«ca-vat - like the most abominable low-class person.


Text

My father and mother were old and had no other son or friend to look after them. Because I did not take care of them, they lived with great difficulty. Alas, like an abominable lower-class man, I ungratefully left them in that condition.

Purport

According to Vedic civilization, everyone has the responsibility for taking care of brÄhmaṇas, old men, women, children and cows. This is the duty of everyone, especially an upper-class person. Because of his association with a prostitute, AjÄmila abandoned all his duties. Regretting this, AjÄmila now considered himself quite fallen.