SB 10.1.67 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

मातरं पितरं भ्रातृन् सर्वांश्च सुहृदस्तथा घ्नन्ति ह्यसुतृपो लुब्धा राजान: प्रायशो भुवि ॥ ६७ ॥

Verse text

mātaraṁ pitaraṁ bhrātṝn sarvāṁś ca suhṛdas tathā ghnanti hy asutṛpo lubdhā rājānaḥ prāyaśo bhuvi

Synonyms

mātaram — unto the mother ; pitaram — unto the father ; bhrātṝn — unto brothers ; sarvān ca — and anyone else ; suhṛdaḥ — friends ; tathā — as well as ; ghnanti — they kill (as it is practically seen) ; hi — indeed ; asu — tṛpaḥ — those who envy the lives of others for their personal sense gratification ; lubdhāḥ — greedy ; rājānaḥ — such kings ; prāyaśaḥ — almost always ; bhuvi — on the earth .

Translation

Kings greedy for sense gratification on this earth almost always kill their enemies indiscriminately. To satisfy their own whims, they may kill anyone, even their mothers, fathers, brothers or friends.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Kings greedy for sense gratification on this earth almost always kill their enemies indiscriminately. To satisfy their own whims, they may kill anyone, even their mothers, fathers, brothers or friends. KB 10.1.67 This action of Kaṁsa is not very difficult to understand. In the history of the world there are many instances of persons in the royal order who have killed their father, brother or whole family and friends for the satisfaction of their ambitions. There is nothing astonishing about this, for members of the demoniac, greedy royal order can kill anyone for their nefarious ambitions.

Purport

We have seen in the history of India that Aurangzeb killed his brother and nephews and imprisoned his father to fulfill political ambitions. There have been many similar instances, and Kaṁsa was the same type of king. Kaṁsa did not hesitate to kill his nephews and imprison his sister and his father. For demons to do such things is not astonishing. Nonetheless, although Kaṁsa was a demon, he was aware that Lord Viṣṇu cannot be killed, and thus he attained salvation. Even partial understanding of the activities of Lord Viṣṇu makes one eligible for salvation. Kaṁsa knew a little about Kṛṣṇa — that He could not be killed — and therefore he attained salvation although he thought of Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, as an enemy. What then is to be said of one who knows Kṛṣṇa perfectly from the descriptions of śāstras like Bhagavad-gītā ? It is therefore the duty of everyone to read Bhagavad-gītā and understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly. This will make one’s life successful.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This was not a surprising action for evil men like Kamsa. That is the intention of this verse. What to speak of killing father, brothers, and friends, they will kill even their own mothers. The order of seriousness is from first (mother) to last (friend).

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

“Was Kaṁsa not ashamed of killing a baby?” This verse answers. The list begins with the person invoking the most affection, the mother. Greedy kings, to satisfy their own life airs (asutṛpaḥ), greedy for kingdoms, kill even their mother, what to speak of their father and others. Prāyaśaḥ means that not all kings act in this manner. Thus it shows Kaṁsa’s extreme debasement.