Text 17] The Supreme Character of Jada Bharata 325
Kali. The sacrifice of a goat or a similar animal before the goddess Kali is
mentioned in Sdstras just to keep people from eating slaughterhouse meat
and becoming responsible for the killing of animals. The conditioned
soul has a natural tendency toward sex and meat-eating; consequently
the sdstras grant them some concessions. Actually the sdastras aim at put-
ting an end to these abominable activities, but they impart some regula-
tive principles so that gradually meat-eaters and sex hunters will be rec-
tified.
TEXT 16

wy Tet: geananar wt aguet year.
wahrateraattratascatf rage sii’ a
atha vrsala-rdja-panih purusa-pasor asrg-dsavena devirn bhadra-kalim
yaksyamanas tad-abhimantritam asim ati-kardla-nisitam upddade.

atha—thereafter; vrsala-rdja-panih—the so-called priest of the
leader of the dacoits (one of the thieves); purusa-pasoh—of the
animalistic man for being sacrificed (Bharata Maharaja); asrk-Gsavena —
with the liquor of blood; devim—to the deity; bhadra-kdlim—the god-
dess Kali; yaksyamaénah—desiring to offer; tat-abhimantritam—con-
secrated by the mantra of Bhadra Kali; asim—the sword: ati-karala—
very fearful; nisitam—finely sharpened; upa@dade—he took up.

TRANSLATION

At this time, one of the thieves, acting as the chief priest, was
ready to offer the blood of Jada Bharata, whom they imagined to
be an animal-man, to the goddess Kali to drink as a liquor. He
therefore took up a very fearsome sword, which was very sharp
and, consecrating it by the mantra of Bhadra Kali, raised it to kill
Jada Bharata.

TEXT 17

fa IA TTS HAA HMA TANTS AAA MTHS

° a ° ° e
Hatin at freat arent salfaqred aR.
