356
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 7]
TRANSLATION
A person who knows the principles of religion does not kill an enemy who is careless, intoxicated, insane, asleep, afraid or devoid of his chariot. Nor does he kill a boy, a woman, a foolish creature or a surrendered soul.
PURPORT
An enemy who does not resist is never killed by a warrior who knows the principles of religion. Formerly battles were fought on the  principles of religion  and not for the sake of sense gratification. If the enemy happened to be intoxicated, asleep, etc., as above mentioned, he was never to be killed. These are some of the codes of religious war. Formerly war was never declared by the whims of selfish political leaders, but it was carried out on religious principles free from all vices. Violence carried out on religious principles is far superior to so-called nonviolence.
TEXT 37
स्वप्राणान् यः परप्राणैः प्रपुष्णात्यघृणः खलः । तद्वधस्तस्य हि श्रेयो यद्दोषाद्यात्यधः पुमान् ॥३७॥
sva-prāṇān yaḥ paraprāṇaiḥ prapuṣṇāty aghṛṇaḥ khalaḥ tad-vadhas tasya hi śreyo yad doṣād yāty adhaḥ pumān
sva-prāṇān—one’s own life; yaḥ—one who; paraprāṇaiḥ—at the cost of others’ lives; prapuṣṇāti—maintains properly; aghṛṇaḥ—shameless; khalaḥ—wretched; tat-vadhaḥ—killing of him; tasya—his; hi—certainly; śreyaḥ—well-being; yat—by which; doṣāt—by the fault; yāti—goes; adhaḥ—downwards; pumān—a person.
TRANSLATION
A cruel and wretched person who maintains his existence at the cost of others’ lives deserves to be killed for his own well-being, otherwise he will go down by his own actions.
PURPORT
A life for a life is just punishment for a person who cruelly and shamelessly lives at the cost of another’s life. Political morality is to punish a