Canto 4: Creation of the Fourth OrderChapter 17: Mahārāja Pṛthu Becomes Angry at the Earth

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.17.19

sa tvaḿ jighāḿsase kasmād

dīnām akṛta-kilbiṣām

ahaniṣyat kathaḿ yoṣāḿ

dharma-jña iti yo mataḥ

SYNONYMS

saḥ — that very person; tvam — you; jighāḿsase — want to kill; kasmāt — why; dīnām — poor; akṛta — without having done; kilbiṣām — any sinful activities; ahaniṣyat — would kill; katham — how; yoṣāma woman; dharma-jñaḥ — the knower of religious principles; iti — thus; yaḥ — one who; mataḥ — is considered.

TRANSLATION

The cow-shaped earth continued to appeal to the King: I am very poor and have not committed any sinful activities. I do not know why you want to kill me. Since you are supposed to be the knower of all religious principles, why are you so envious of me, and why are you so anxious to kill a woman?

PURPORT

The earth appealed to the King in two ways. A king who knows religious principles cannot kill anyone who has not committed sinful activities. Apart from this, a woman is not to be killed, even if she does commit some sinful activities. Since the earth was innocent and was also a woman, the King should not kill her.

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