SB 10.1.46 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच एवं स सामभिर्भेदैर्बोध्यमानोऽपि दारुण: । न न्यवर्तत कौरव्य पुरुषादाननुव्रत: ॥ ४६ ॥

Verse text

śrī-śuka uvāca evaṁ sa sāmabhir bhedair bodhyamāno ’pi dāruṇaḥ na nyavartata kauravya puruṣādān anuvrataḥ

Synonyms

śrī — śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said ; evam — in this way ; saḥ — he (Kaṁsa) ; sāmabhiḥ — by attempts to pacify him (Kaṁsa) ; bhedaiḥ — by moral instructions that one should not be cruel to anyone else ; bodhyamānaḥ api — even being pacified ; dāruṇaḥ — he who was the most fiercely cruel ; na nyavartata — could not be stopped (from the grievous act) ; kauravya — O Mahārāja Parīkṣit ; puruṣa — adān — the Rākṣasas, man-eaters ; anuvrataḥ — following in their footsteps .

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O best of the Kuru dynasty, Kaṁsa was fiercely cruel and was actually a follower of the Rākṣasas. Therefore he could be neither pacified nor terrified by the good instructions given by Vasudeva. He did not care about the results of sinful activities, either in this life or in the next.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O best of the Kuru dynasty, Kaṁsa was fiercely cruel and was actually a follower of the Rākṣasas. Therefore he could be neither pacified nor terrified by the good instructions given by Vasudeva. He did not care about the results of sinful activities, either in this life or in the next. KB 10.1.46 In this way Vasudeva tried to pacify Kaṁsa by good instruction as well as by philosophical discrimination, but Kaṁsa was not to be pacified because his association was demoniac. Because of his demoniac association, he was a demon, although born in a very high royal family. A demon never cares for any good instruction. He is just like a determined thief: one can give him moral instruction, but it will not be effective. Similarly, those who are demoniac or atheistic by nature can hardly assimilate any good instruction, however authorized it may be. That is the difference between demigods and demons. Those who can accept good instruction and try to live their lives in that way are called demigods, and those who are unable to take such good instruction are called demons.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Though being instructed by Vasudeva (bodhyamano’pi) with pacifying and fear instilling words, Kamsa, who keeps company with raksasas (purusadan) did not give up his intent to kill her.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Kaṁsa, surrounded by Aghāsura and others Rākṣasas, has adopted their mentality. For such persons sāma is useless. He addresses Parīkṣit as the head of the Kurus, since he was disappointed that Kaṁsa did not give up his intentions through sāma.