Devanagari
किं मया हतया मन्द जात: खलु तवान्तकृत् ।
यत्र क्व वा पूर्वशत्रुर्मा हिंसी: कृपणान् वृथा ॥ १२ ॥
Verse text
kiṁ mayā hatayā manda
jātaḥ khalu tavānta-kṛt
yatra kva vā pūrva-śatrur
mā hiṁsīḥ kṛpaṇān vṛthā
Synonyms
kim
—
what is the use
;
mayā
—
me
;
hatayā
—
in killing
;
manda
—
O you fool
;
jātaḥ
—
has already been born
;
khalu
—
indeed
;
tava anta
—
kṛt — who will kill you
;
yatra kva vā
—
somewhere else
;
pūrva
—
śatruḥ — your former enemy
;
mā
—
do not
;
hiṁsīḥ
—
kill
;
kṛpaṇān
—
other poor children
;
vṛthā
—
unnecessarily .
Translation
O Kaṁsa, you fool, what will be the use of killing me? The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has been your enemy from the very beginning and who will certainly kill you, has already taken His birth somewhere else. Therefore, do not unnecessarily kill other children.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O Kaṁsa, you fool, what will be the use of killing me? The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has been your enemy from the very beginning and who will certainly kill you, has already taken His birth somewhere else. Therefore, do not unnecessarily kill other children.
KB 10.4.12
From above, the goddess addressed Kaṁsa: “You rascal, how can you kill me? The child who will kill you is already born before me somewhere within this world. Don’t be so cruel to your poor sister.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"What can you gain from killing me? If you kill me, you still cannot prevent your own death. He who will kill you has already been born in some place, which cannot be revealed to you (yatra kva va)." Krpanam refers to Devaki who is suffering. Another reading is krpanan, in which case it refers to many poor babies. Instead of "You should not kill the poor Devaki" the sentence would read "You should not kill the poor innocent children."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
O fool (manda)! What is the use even if you had killed me? He who will kill you has been born somewhere though I cannot clearly say the place. Therefore I will not kill you today. In a previous birth he killed you. Do not afflict poor Devakī by keeping her imprisoned. Release her along with her husband. You should also offer them some money. Instead of kṛpanām sometimes kṛpnanān is seen. Then the meaning is “Do not kill other helpless children thinking that they will kill you because they are related to the couple.”