Text 15] Punishment and Reward of Kali 893

TRANSLATION

Whoever causes offenseless living beings to suffer must fear me any-
where and everywhere in the world. By curbing dishonest miscreants, one
automatically benefits the offenseless.

PURPORT

Dishonest miscreants flourish because of cowardly and impotent execu-
tive heads of state. But when such executive heads are strong enough to
curb all sorts of dishonest miscreants, in any part of the state, certainly
they cannot flourish. When the miscreants are punished in an exemplary
manner, automatically all good fortune follows. As said before, it is the
prime duty of the king or the executive head to give protection in all
respects to the peaceful offenseless citizens of the state. The devotees of
the Lord are by nature peaceful and offenseless, and therefore it is the
prime duty of the state to arrange to convert everyone to become a devotee
of the Lord, and thus automatically there will be peaceful offenseless
citizens. Then the only duty of the king will be to curb the dishonest
miscreants. That will bring about peace and harmony all over human
society.

TEXT 15

Rae TAT A avTenfacET: |
MEAT Ist AAAS ATA 124

anagahsv iha bhutesu
ya agaskrn nirankusah
ahartasmi bhujam saksad
amartyasyapi sangadam

anagahsu iha—to the offenseless; bhutesu—living beings; yah— the person;
agaskrt—commits offense; nirankusah— upstart; aharta asmi—I shall bring
forth; bhujam— arms; saksat— directly; amartyasya api—even one who is a
demigod; sagadam—with decorations and armor.

TRANSLATION

An upstart living being who commits offenses by torturing those who
are offenseless shall be directly uprooted by me, even though he be a
denizen of heaven with armor and decorations.
