Devanagari
ब्रह्मद्विष: शठधियो लुब्धस्य विषयात्मन: ।
क्षत्रबन्धो: कर्मदोषात् पञ्चत्वं मे गतोऽर्भक: ॥ २३ ॥
Verse text
brahma-dviṣaḥ śaṭha-dhiyo
lubdhasya viṣayātmanaḥ
kṣatra-bandhoḥ karma-doṣāt
paṣcatvaṁ me gato ’rbhakaḥ
Synonyms
brahma
—
against brāhmaṇas
;
dviṣaḥ
—
hateful
;
śaṭha
—
duplicitous
;
dhiyaḥ
—
whose mentality
;
lubdhasya
—
avaricious
;
viṣaya
—
ātmanaḥ — addicted to sense gratification
;
kṣatra
—
bandhoḥ — of an unqualified kṣatriya
;
karma
—
in the performance of duties
;
doṣāt
—
because of discrepancies
;
paṣcatvam
—
death
;
me
—
my
;
gataḥ
—
met
;
arbhakaḥ
—
son .
Translation
[The brāhmaṇa said:] This duplicitous, greedy enemy of brāhmaṇas, this unqualified ruler addicted to sense pleasure, has caused my son’s death by some discrepancies in the execution of his duties.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
[The brāhmaṇa said:] This duplicitous, greedy enemy of brāhmaṇas, this unqualified ruler addicted to sense pleasure, has caused my son's death by some discrepancies in the execution of his duties.
KB 10.89.23
“The present King, Ugrasena, is envious of the brāhmaṇas!” The exact word used in this connection is brahma-dviṣaḥ. One who is envious of the Vedas, of a qualified brāhmaṇa or of the brāhmaṇa caste is called brahma-dviṣ. So the King was accused of being brahma-dviṣ. He was also accused of being śaṭha-dhī, falsely intelligent. The executive head of a state must be very intelligent to see to the comforts of the citizens, but according to the brāhmaṇa the King was not at all intelligent, although he was occupying the royal throne. Therefore the brāhmaṇa also called him lubdha, which means “greedy.” In other words, a king or an executive head of state should not occupy the exalted post of president or king if he is greedy and self-interested. But it is natural that an executive head becomes self-interested when he is attached to material enjoyment. Therefore, another word used here is viṣayātmanaḥ.
The brāhmaṇa also accused the King of being kṣatra-bandhu, which refers to a person born in the family of kṣatriyas, or the royal order, but lacking the qualifications of a royal personality. A king should protect brahminical culture and should be very alert to the welfare of his citizens; he should not be greedy due to attachment to material enjoyment. If a person with no qualifications represents himself as a kṣatriya of the royal order, he is not called a kṣatriya but a kṣatra-bandhu. Similarly, if a person is born of a brāhmaṇa father but has no brahminical qualification, he is called brahma-bandhu or dvija-bandhu. This means that a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya is not accepted simply by birth. One has to qualify himself for the particular position; only then is he accepted as a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya.
Thus the brāhmaṇa charged that his newly born baby was dead due to the disqualifications of the King. The brāhmaṇa took it to be most unnatural, and therefore he held the King responsible. We also find in Vedic history that if a kṣatriya king was irresponsible, sometimes a consulting board of brāhmaṇas maintained by the monarchy would dethrone him. Considering all these points, it appears that the post of monarch in the Vedic civilization is a very responsible one.
Purport
Presuming that he himself had done nothing to cause his son’s death, the
brāhmaṇa
thought it reasonable to blame King Ugrasena. In the Vedic social system, the monarch is considered responsible for everything occurring in his kingdom, good or bad. Even in a democracy, a manager who takes charge of some group or project should accept personal responsibility for any failure rather than, as is so common today, trying to place the blame on his subordinates or superiors.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
I have no fault. It is the king’s fault that my sons have died.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
You hate the Vedas or brāhmaṇas since you are indifferent to the death of a brāhmaṇa. The reason is that you have distorted judgment, because your mind is attracted to material pleasures. The reason for this is that you are the lowest of kṣatriyas.