| Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 4: The Atrocities of King Kamsa |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.4.43
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukah uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; evam — in this way; durmantribhih — his bad ministers; kamsah — King Kamsa; saha — along with; sammantrya — after considering very elaborately; durmatih — without good intelligence; brahma-himsām — persecution of the brāhmanas; hitam — as the best way; mene — accepted; kāla-pāśa-āvritah — being bound by the rules and regulations of Yamarāja; asurah — because he was a demon.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Thus, having considered the instructions of his bad ministers, Kamsa, who was bound by the laws of Yamarāja and devoid of good intelligence because he was a demon, decided to persecute the saintly persons, the brāhmanas, as the only way to achieve his own good fortune.
PURPORT
Śrīla Locana dāsa Thākura has sung, āpana karama, bhuñjāye śamana, kahaye locana dāsa. Instead of taking good instructions from the sages and the śāstras, godless nondevotees act whimsically, according to their own plans. Actually, however, no one has his own plans because everyone is bound by the laws of nature and must act according to his tendency in material, conditional life. Therefore one must change one's own decision and follow the decision of Krishna and Krishna's devotees. Then one is rescued from punishment by Yamarāja. Kamsa was not uneducated. It appears from his talks with Vasudeva and Devakī that he knew all about the laws of nature. But because of his association with bad ministers, he could not make a clear decision about his welfare. Therefore the Caitanya-caritāmrita (Madhya 22.54) says:
'sādhu-sańga,' 'sādhu-sańga' — sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saśge sarva-siddhi haya
If one desires his real welfare, he must associate with devotees and saintly persons and in this way rectify the material condition of his life.
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
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Dravida dasa Brahmacari