Canto 4: Creation of the Fourth OrderChapter 13: Description of the Descendants of Dhruva Mahārāja

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.13.40

sa śarāsanam udyamya

mṛgayur vana-gocaraḥ

hanty asādhur mṛgān dīnān

veno 'sāv ity arauj janaḥ

SYNONYMS

saḥ — that boy of the name Vena; śarāsanam — his bow; udyamya — taking up; mṛgayuḥ — the hunter; vana-gocaraḥ — going into the forest; hanti — used to kill; asādhuḥ — being very cruel; mṛgān — deer; dīnān — poor; venaḥVena; asau — there he is; iti — thus; araut — would cry; janaḥ — all the people.

TRANSLATION

After fixing his bow and arrow, the cruel boy used to go to the forest and unnecessarily kill innocent deer, and as soon as he came all the people would cry, "Here comes cruel Vena! Here comes cruel Vena!"

PURPORT

Kṣatriyas are allowed to hunt in the forest for the purpose of learning the killing art, not to kill animals for eating or for any other purpose. The kṣatriya kings were sometimes expected to cut off the head of a culprit in the state. For this reason the kṣatriyas were allowed to hunt in the forest. Because this son of King Ańga, Vena, was born of a bad mother, he was very cruel, and he used to go to the forest and unnecessarily kill the animals. All the neighboring inhabitants would be frightened by his presence, and they would call, "Here comes Vena! Here comes Vena!" So from the beginning of his life he was fearful to the citizens.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness