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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 1 · Chapter 17: Punishment and Reward of Kali
1.17.51.17.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.17.6

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.17.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

यस्त्वं कृष्णे गते दूरं सहगाण्डीवधन्वना ।

शोच्योऽस्यशोच्यान् रहसि प्रहरन् वधमर्हसि ॥ ६ ॥

yas tvaṁ kṛṣṇe gate dūraṁ

saha-gāṇḍīva-dhanvanā

śocyo ’sy aśocyān rahasi

praharan vadham arhasi

Translation

You rogue, do you dare beat an innocent cow because Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, the carrier of the Gāṇḍīva bow, are out of sight? Since you are beating the innocent in a secluded place, you are considered a culprit and therefore deserve to be killed.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hidden Cruelty Still Demands Accountability

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Parīkṣit challenged the offender for beating an innocent cow while Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna were out of sight. A secluded place did not excuse the cruelty.

  2. 2

    The purport warns that when God is banished from civilization and devotee protectors are absent, agents of Kali exploit the resulting lawlessness.

  3. 3

    Mahārāja Parīkṣit regarded killing an innocent animal as a grave crime. The purport places responsibility for punishment with the pious king and describes the death penalty for such killing.

Key points from the purport
  • 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 to kill innocent animals like the cow in secluded slaughterhouses.
  • Such murderers of animals stand to be condemned to death by the order of a pious king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
  • For a pious king, the culprit who kills an animal in a secluded place is punishable by the death penalty, exactly like a murderer who kills an innocent child in a secluded place.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Moral alarm → Resolve. The king's duty is tested in a deteriorating age.

Chapters 16–17 of Canto 1: Parīkṣit confronts Kali. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 17: Punishment and Reward of Kali

Parīkṣit protects a cow and bull from abuse and restricts Kali to five places.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.17
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yaḥon account of
  2. tvamyou rogue
  3. kṛṣṇeLord Kṛṣṇa
  4. gatehaving gone away
  5. dūramout of sight
  6. sahaalong with
  7. gāṇḍīvathe bow named Gāṇḍīva
  8. dhanvanāthe carrier, Arjuna
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “death”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “king”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.17

    In this verse: “devotee”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I less concerned about suffering when it happens out of sight?

Practice

Reflect for one minute on the cow's innocence and write one commitment to avoid supporting cruelty.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHidden Cruelty Still Demands AccountabilityThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 1.17.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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