Text 7]
The Story of King Vena
587
butter can be offered;  dvijāḥ —O twice-born;  kvacit —at any time;  iti —thus;  nyavārayat —he stopped;  dharmam —the procedures of religious principles;  bherī —of kettledrums;  ghoṣṇa —with the sound;  sarvaśaḥ —everywhere.
TRANSLATION
All the twice-born [ brāhmaṇas ] were forbidden henceforward to perform any sacrifice, and they were also forbidden to give charity or offer clarified butter. Thus King Vena sounded kettledrums throughout the countryside. In other words, he stopped all kinds of religious rituals.
PURPORT
What was committed by King Vena many years ago is at present being carried out by atheistic governments all over the world. The world situation is so tense that at any moment governments may issue declarations to stop religious rituals. Eventually the world situation will become so degraded that it will be impossible for pious men to live on the planet. Therefore sane people should execute  Kṛṣṇa  consciousness very seriously so that they can go back home, back to Godhead, without having to further suffer the miserable conditions predominant in this universe.
TEXT 7
वेनसावेक्ष्य मुनयो दुर्घृतस्य विचेष्टितम् । विमृश्य लोकन्यसनं कृपयोत्तुः स सत्रिणः ॥ ७ ॥
venasyāvekṣya munayo durvṛttasya viceṣṭitam vimṛśya loka-vyasanam kṛpayocuḥ sma satriṇaḥ
venasya —of King Vena;  āvekṣya —after observing;  munayaḥ —all great sages;  durvṛttasya —of the great rogue;  viceṣṭitam —activities;  vimṛśya —considering;  loka-vyasanam —danger to the people in general;  kṛpayā —out of compassion;  ūcuḥ —talked;  sma —in the past;  satriṇaḥ —the performers of sacrifices.
TRANSLATION
Therefore all the great sages assembled together, and, after observing cruel Vena's atrocities, concluded that a great danger and catastrophe was approaching the people of the world. Thus out of compassion they began to talk amongst themselves, for they themselves were the sacrificial performers.