Canto 1: CreationChapter 17: Punishment and Reward of Kali

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.17.31

rājovāca

na te guḍākeśa-yaśo-dharāṇāḿ

baddhāñjaler vai bhayam asti kiñcit

na vartitavyaḿ bhavatā kathañcana

kṣetre madīye tvam adharma-bandhuḥ

SYNONYMS

rājā uvāca — the King said; na — not; te — your; guḍākeśaArjuna; yaśaḥ-dharāṇām — of us who inherited the fame; baddha-añjaleḥ — one with folded hands; vai — certainly; bhayam — fear; asti — there is; kiñcit — even a slight; na — neither; vartitavyam — can be allowed to live; bhavatā — by you; kathañcana — by all means; kṣetrein the land; madīyein my kingdom; tvam — you; adharma-bandhuḥ — the friend of irreligion.

TRANSLATION

The King thus said: We have inherited the fame of Arjuna; therefore since you have surrendered yourself with folded hands you need not fear for your life. But you cannot remain in my kingdom, for you are the friend of irreligion.

PURPORT

The personality of Kali, who is the friend of all kinds of irreligiosities, may be excused if he surrenders, but in all circumstances he cannot be allowed to live as a citizen in any part of a welfare state. The Pāṇḍavas were entrusted representatives of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who practically brought into being the Battle of Kurukṣetra, but not for any personal interest. He wanted an ideal king like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and his descendants like Mahārāja Parīkṣit to rule the world, and therefore a responsible king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit could not allow the friend of irreligiosity to flourish in his kingdom at the cost of the good fame of the Pāṇḍavas. That is the way of wiping out corruption in the state, and not otherwise. The friends of irreligiosity should be banished from the state, and that will save the state from corruption.

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