Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

Srimad Bhagawatam, First Canto, Volume Three
Yas—on account of, Tam—you the rogue, Krishne—Lord Krishna, Gate—
having gone away, Duh—out of sight, Sarama—along with, Gandiva—the
bow of the name, Dhanwana—the carrier, Sochya—culprit, Asi—you stand to
be, Asochyan—innocent, Rahasi—in a secluded place, Praharan—beating,
Badham—being killed, Arhasi—deserve.
You rogue do you dare to beat innocent cow on account of Lord
Krishna's and Arjuna's, the carrier of Gandibha bow, being out of sight ?
As you are beating the innocent in a secluded place, you stand to be a
culprit and therefore deserve to be killed.
In a civilization where God is conspicuously banished and there is no devotee
warrior like Arjuna, the associates of the age of Kali take advantage of this
lawless kingdom and arrange for killing innocent animals like the cow in
secluded slaughter houses. Such murderers of animals in secluded slaughter
houses, stand to be condemned to death by the order of a pious king like
Maharaj Parikshit. For a pious king like Maharaj Parikshit the culprit, who
kills an animal in secluded place, is equally punishable by death-penalty
exactly like a murderer who kills an innocent child in a secluded place.
Twam va mrinalad havalah padair nyunah pada charan
Vrisa rupena kim kaschid devo nah parikhedayan.
Twam—yourself, Va—either, Mrinaldhavalah—as white as the lotus,
Padair—by three legs, Nyunam—being devoid of, Pada—by one leg,
Charan—moving, Vrisal—bull, Rupena—in the form of, Kim—whether,
Kaschid—somebody, Devo—demigod, Nah—our, Parikhedayan—berieving.
Thereafter he asked the bull, 'Oh ! who are you either the bull as white as
the white lotus or a demigod ? You have lost your three legs and are
moving on one only. If you are some demigod and causing us berievement
in such form of a bull ?'
At least up to the time of Maharaj Parikshit no body could imagine such
wretched conditions of the cow and the bull. Maharaj Parikshit was, therefore,
astonished to visualise such awkward scene. He enquired therefore, whether
the bull was not some demigod assumed such wretched condition indicating
the future of the cow and the bull.
Na jatu kourevendram dordanda parirambhite
Bhutale anutapanti asmin vina te praninam suchah.
Na—not, Jatu—at any time, Kourevendranam—of the kings in the Kuru
dynasty, Dordanda—strength of arms, Parirambhit—protected by, Bhutale—
on the surface of the earth, Anutapanti—berieve, Asmin—up till now, Vina—
save and except, Te—thou, Praninam—Of the living being, Suchah—tears in
the eyes.
For the first time I have seen you only berieving with tears in the eyes in
the kingdom well protected by the arms of the kings of Kuru dynasty;
otherwise on the surface of the earth no body has ever shed tears on
account of royal negligence.
Protection of life, by the state administration for both the human being and the
animals, is the first and foremost duty of the Government. The Government
must not make any discrimination in such principles of state duty and it is
simply horrible for a pure hearted man that he has to see organised way of
animal killing by the state in this age of Kali! Maharaj Parikshit was
lamenting the tears in the eyes of the bull and he was astonished to see the
unprecedented thing in his good kingdom. Both man and animals were
equally protected so far life was concerned. That is the way of God's
Kingdom.
Ma sourebheyatra sucho byetu te vrisalad bhayam
Ma rodir amba bhadram te khalanam maye sastavi.
Ma—Do not, Sourebheya—oh the son of Surabhi, Atra—in my kingdom,
Sucho—lament, Byetu—Let there be no, Te—your, Vrisalad—by the Sudra,
Bhayam—causes of fear, Ma—do not, Rodir—cry, Amba—mother cow,
Bhadram—all good, Te—unto you, Khalanam—of the envious, Maye—while
I am living, Sastari—the ruler or subduer.
Oh the son of Surabhi, you need not lament any more now; there is no
cause of your being afraid of from this lower class Sudra. And oh mother
cow so long I am living as the ruler and subduer of all envious, there is no
cause for your crying; there is everything good for you.
Protection of the bulls and the cow or for the matter of that all other animals
can only be possible when there is a state ruled over by an executive head like
Maharaj Parikshit. Maharaj Parikshit addresses the cow as mother just as a
cultured twice-born Kshatriya King. Surabhi is the name of the cow which
exists in the spiritual planets and specially reared by Lord Sri Krishna
Himself. As men are made after the form and feature of the Supreme Lord, so
also the cows are made after the form and feature of the Surabhi cow in the
spiritual kingdom. In the material world the human society gives all protection
to the life of the human being but there is no law for protecting the life of the
descendants of Surabhi which can give all protection to the heman being by
supplying the miracle food Milk. But a pious king like Maharaj Parikshit or
the Pandavas were fully conscious of the importance of the cow and bull and
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they were prepared to punish the cow-killer with all chastisement including
death. There had been sometimes agitation for protection of the cow but for
want of pious executive heads and suitable law in the state, the cow and the
bull could not be given protection by the agitators. The human society may,
therefore, recognise the importance of cow and the bull and thus may give all
protections to these important animals in the human society following the foot
prints of Maharaj Parikshit. By such protection to the cow and the
Bhrahminical culture, the Lord who is very kind to the cow and the Brahmins
(go Brahmana hitaya), will be pleased upon us and will bestow upon us real
peace.
Yasya rastre prajah sarvas trasyante saddhi asadhubhih
Tasya mattasya nasyanti kirtir ayur bhago gatih.
Esha ranjno paro dharmo hi artanamarti nigrahah
Ata enam badhisyami bhutadruha asattamam.
Yasya—one whose, Rastre—in the state, Prajah—born living beings,
Sarvas—one and all, Trasyanti—are terrified, Saddhi—oh the chaste,
Asadhubhih—by the miscreants, Tasya—his, Mattasya—of the illusioned,
Nasyanti—vanishes, Kirtir—fame, Ayur—duration of life, Gatih—next good
life, Esha—these are, Rajno—of the kings; Paro—superior, Dharmo—
occupation, Hi—certainly, Artanam—of the sufferers, Arti—sufferings,
Nigraha—subduement, Atah—therefore, Enam—this man, Badhisyami—I
shall kill, Bhutadruha—revolter against other living beings, Asattamah—the
most wrctehed.
Oh the chaste, the king, in whose state all kinds of born living beings are
made to be terrified by the miscreants, such illusioned king's good name,
duration of life, next good life all do vanish away. It is the prime duty of
the king certainly to subdue first the sufferings of the sufferers and as
such I must kill this man who is the most wretched because he is revolter
against other living beings.
When there is some disturbance by the wild animals in a village or town the
Government policeforce or others do take action to kill such wild animals.
Similary it is the duty of the Government to kill at once bad social elements
such as the thieves, dacoits, murderers ete. The same punishment is also due
to the animal killers because the animals of the state are also the Praja. Praja
means one who has taken birth in that state and they are both the men and the
animals. Any born living being who does take birth in some particular state,
has the primary right to live under the protection of the king. The jungle
animals also are subject of the king and they have right to live also and what
to speak of the domestic animals like the cow and the bulls.
Any living being, if he terrifies other living being, is the most wretched
subject of the king and it requires that the king shall at once kill such
disturbing element. As the wild animal is killed when it creates disturbances
and terrifies the village and towns people, similarly any man who
unnecessarily kills or terrifies the jungle animals or other animals must be
punished at once. By the law of the Supreme Lord all living beings in
whatsoever shape it may be, are the sons of the Lord and no one has any right
to kill another animal unless it is so ordered by the codes of natural law. The
tiger can kill a lower animal for his subsistence but a man cannot kill an
animal for his subsistence. That is the law of God Who has created the law
that a living being subsists by eating another living being. As such the
vegetarians are also living by eating other living being. Therefore, the law is
that one should live only by eating specific living beings as they are ordained
by the law of God. The 'Ishopanishad' directs that one can live on the direction
of the Lord and not at one's sweet will independantly. A man can subsist on
varieties of grains, fruits and milk ordained by God and there is no need of
animal food save and except in particular cases.
The illusioned king or the executive head, even sometimes advertised as
great philosopher and learned scholar, allow to run on slaughter houses in the
state without any information that torturing the poor animals under the nose of
a state executive head means clearing the way to hell for such foolish king or
executive head The executive head always must be alert in the matter of
safety of the Prajas both man and animal and enquire whether a particular
living being is not harassed at any place by another living being. The
harassing living being must at once be caught hold of and punished to death as
examplified by Maharaj Parikshit.
The people's Government or Government by the people does not mean
harassing the innocent animals by the sweet will of such foolish men of the
Government. They must know the codes of God as they are mentioned in the
revealed scriptures. Maharaj Parikshit quotes here in the codes of God that
such irresponsible king or heads of the state executive must risk his good
name, duration of life, power and strength and ultimately his progressive
march towards a better life or salvation after death. Such foolish men even do
not believe in the existence of next life.
While commenting on this particular verse we have in our presence the
statement of a great modern politician who has recently died and left his will
which discloses about his poor fund of knowledge in the matter of the codes
of God as mentioned by Maharaj Parikshit. The politician was so ignorant
about the codes of God that he writes in his will as follows:—