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

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.26.16

Who is speaking and story frame

यस्त्विह वै राजा राजपुरुषो वा अदण्ड्ये दण्डं प्रणयति ब्राह्मणे वा शरीरदण्डं स पापीयान्नरकेऽमुत्र सूकरमुखे निपतति तत्रातिबलैर्विनिष्पिष्यमाणावयवो यथैवेहेक्षुखण्ड आर्तस्वरेण स्वनयन् क्‍वचिन्मूर्च्छित: कश्मलमुपगतो यथैवेहाद‍ृष्टदोषा उपरुद्धा: ॥ १६ ॥

yas tv iha vai rājā rāja-puruṣo vā adaṇḍye daṇḍaṁ praṇayati brāhmaṇe vā śarīra-daṇḍaṁ sa pāpīyān narake ’mutra sūkaramukhe nipatati tatrātibalair viniṣpiṣyamāṇāvayavo yathaivehekṣukhaṇḍa ārta-svareṇa svanayan kvacin mūrcchitaḥ kaśmalam upagato yathaivehā-dṛṣṭa-doṣā uparuddhāḥ.

Translation

In his next life, a sinful king or governmental representative who punishes an innocent person, or who inflicts corporal punishment upon a brāhmaṇa, is taken by the Yamadūtas to the hell named Sūkaramukha, where the most powerful assistants of Yamarāja crush him exactly as one crushes sugarcane to squeeze out the juice. The sinful living entity cries very pitiably and faints, just like an innocent man undergoing punishments. This is the result of punishing a faultless person.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Authority Must Not Punish the Innocent

  1. 1

    A king or government representative who punishes an innocent person is held responsible. The verse also condemns inflicting corporal punishment upon a brāhmaṇa.

  2. 2

    Such a ruler or official is taken by the Yamadūtas to Sūkaramukha, where powerful assistants of Yamarāja crush him like sugarcane.

  3. 3

    He cries and faints just as an innocent person does under punishment. The verse presents this as the result of punishing someone faultless.

How it feels

Moral dread → Wakefulness. Consequences of action are rendered emotionally vivid.

Chapter 26 of Canto 5: The hellish planets. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 26: A Description of the Hellish Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

A government official who poorly administers justice, or who punishes an innocent man, is taken by the assistants of Yamarāja to the hell known as Sūkaramukha, where he is mercilessly beaten. God has given advanced consciousness to the human being.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.26
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yaḥanyone who
  2. tubut
  3. ihain this life
  4. vaiindeed
  5. rājāa king
  6. rāja-puruṣaḥa king’s man
  7. vāor
  8. adaṇḍyeunto one not punishable
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 5.26

    In this verse: “king”, “governmental”, “ruler”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.26

    In this verse: “sinful”

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

When I have authority, do I take care not to blame or punish someone innocent?

Practice

Before correcting someone today, check the facts and give that person a chance to explain.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayAuthority Must Not Punish the InnocentThis 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 5.26.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.