184 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 10, Ch. 10

many possible claimants, who is the rightful claimant? Not to
ascertain this but instead to maintain the body by sinful activities
is not good.

TEXT 12

VCMEUD UME CRC CIOL. Mal
Bl STATA HAT hed HeTATASTAT IA Ul

evam sddhaéranam deham
avyakta-prabhavapyayam

ko vidvan Gtmasat krtva
hanti jantin rte ’satah

evam—in this way; sddhdranam—common property; deham—the
body; avyakta—from unmanifested nature; prabhava—manifested in
that way; apyayam—and again merged with the unmanifested (“for
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”); kah—who is that per-
son; vidvén—one who is actually in knowledge; dtmasat krtva—claim-
ing as his own; hanti—kills; jantin—poor animals; rte—except;
asatah—rascals who have no knowledge, no clear understanding.

TRANSLATION

This body, after all, is produced by the unmanifested nature and
again annihilated and merged in the natural elements. Therefore,
it is the common property of everyone. Under the circumstances,
who but a rascal claims this property as his own and while main-
taining it commits such sinful activities as killing animals just to
satisfy his whims? Unless one is a rascal, one cannot commit such
sinful activities.

PURPORT

Atheists do not believe in the existence of the soul. Nonetheless, unless
one is very cruel, why should one kill animals unnecessarily? The body
is a manifestation of a combination of matter. In the beginning it was
nothing, but by a combination of matter it has come into existence. Then
again, when the combination is dismantled, the body will no longer exist.
