SB 1.17.8
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 8
- na jātu kauravendrāṇāṁ
- dordaṇḍa-parirambhite
- bhū-tale 'nupatanty asmin
- vinā te prāṇināṁ śucaḥ
SYNONYMS
na — not; jātu — at any time; kaurava-indrāṇām — of the kings in the Kuru dynasty; dordaṇḍa — strength of arms; parirambhite — protected by; bhū-tale — on the surface of the earth; anupatanti — grieving; asmin — up till now; vinā — save and except; te — you; prāṇinām — of the living being; śucaḥ — tears in the eyes.
TRANSLATION
Now for the first time in a kingdom well protected by the arms of the kings of the Kuru dynasty, I see you grieving with tears in your eyes. Up till now no one on earth has ever shed tears because of royal negligence.
PURPORT
The protection of the lives of both the human beings and the animals is the first and foremost duty of a government. A government must not discriminate in such principles. It is simply horrible for a pure-hearted soul to see organized animal-killing by the state in this age of Kali. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was lamenting for the tears in the eyes of the bull, and he was astonished to see such an unprecedented thing in his good kingdom. Men and animals were equally protected as far as life was concerned. That is the way in God's kingdom.