SB 10.4.15 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अहो भगिन्यहो भाम मया वां बत पाप्मना । पुरुषाद इवापत्यं बहवो हिंसिता: सुता: ॥ १५ ॥

Verse text

aho bhaginy aho bhāma mayā vāṁ bata pāpmanā puruṣāda ivāpatyaṁ bahavo hiṁsitāḥ sutāḥ

Synonyms

aho — alas ; bhagini — my dear sister ; aho — alas ; bhāma — my dear brother-in-law ; mayā — by me ; vām — of you ; bata — indeed ; pāpmanā — because of sinful activities ; puruṣa — adaḥ — a Rākṣasa, man-eater ; iva — like ; apatyam — child ; bahavaḥ — many ; hiṁsitāḥ — have been killed ; sutāḥ — sons .

Translation

Alas, my sister! Alas, my brother-in-law! I am indeed so sinful that exactly like a man-eater [Rākṣasa] who eats his own child, I have killed so many sons born of you.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Alas, my sister! Alas, my brother-in-law! I am indeed so sinful that exactly like a man-eater [Rākṣasa] who eats his own child, I have killed so many sons born of you. KB 10.4.15 He said, “My dear sister and brother-in-law, I have acted just like a demon in killing my own nephews—your children.

Purport

Rākṣasas are understood to be accustomed to eating their own sons, as snakes and many other animals sometimes do. At the present moment in Kali-yuga, Rākṣasa fathers and mothers are killing their own children in the womb, and some are even eating the fetus with great relish. Thus the so-called civilization is gradually advancing by producing Rākṣasas.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In the following verses Kamsa begins to pacify Devaki and Vasudeva. Bhama means the brother-in-law. Purusadah means raksasa, one who eats human flesh. "Just as a raksasa kills his own children, I have killed many of your sons."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Uttering aho twice indicates his pain. Bata indicates lamentation. Puruṣāda means a person who eats his own children. One time Durgā saw a woman Rākṣasa eating her own child. Out of compassion Durgā said “From this time the children of Rākṣasas will be very strong (and cannot be eaten). (Thus Kaṁsa should also refrain from further killing.)

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Uttering aho twice indicates his pain. Bata indicates lamentation. I am sin personified because of my previous sins (pāpmanā). Pāpaṁ pāpānubandhi syāt: sin connects one to further sin.