686
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[ Canto 4, Ch. 17 ]
pumān yoṣid uta klība ātma-sambhāvano 'dhamaḥ bhūteṣu niranukrośo nṛpāṇām tad-vadho 'vadhaḥ
pumān—a man; yoṣit—a woman; uta—also; klībaḥ—eunuch; ātma-sambhāvanaḥ—interested in self-maintenance; adhamaḥ—lowest of human-kind; bhūteṣu—to other living entities; niranukrośaḥ—without compassion; nṛpāṇām—for the kings; tat—of him; vadhaḥ—killing; avadhaḥ—not killing.
TRANSLATION
Any cruel person—be he a man, woman or impotent eunuch—who is only interested in his personal maintenance and has no compassion for other living entities, may be killed by the king. Such killing can never be considered actual killing.
PURPORT
The planet earth is actually a woman in her constitutional form, and as such she needs to be protected by the king. Pṛthu Mahārāja argues, however, that if a citizen within the state—be he man, woman or a eunuch—is not compassionate upon his fellow men, he or she may be killed by the king, and such killing is never to be considered actual killing. As far as the field of spiritual activities is concerned, when a devotee is self-satisfied and does not preach the glories of Kṛṣṇa, he is not considered a first-class devotee. A devotee who tries to preach, who has compassion upon innocent persons who have no knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, is a superior devotee. In his prayer to the Lord, Prahlāda Mahārāja said that he was not personally interested in liberation from this material world; rather, he did not wish to be liberated from this material condition until all fallen souls are delivered. Even in the material field, if a person is not interested in others' welfare, he should be considered to be condemned by the Personality of Godhead or His incarnation as Pṛthu Mahārāja.
TEXT 27
त्वां स्तब्धां दुर्मदां नीत्वा मायागां तिलशः शरैः । आत्मयोगबलेनेमा धारयिष्याम्यहं प्रजाः ॥२७॥
tvām stabdhām durmadām nītvā māyā-gām tilaśaḥ śaraiḥ