Text 17] | The Supreme Character of Jada Bharata 327

of passion and ignorance. They were overpowered by the desire to
become very rich; therefore they had the audacity to disobey the
injunctions of the Vedas, so much so that they were prepared to
kill Jada Bharata, a self-realized soul born in a brahmana family.
Due to their envy, these dacoits brought him before the goddess
Kali for sacrifice. Such people are always addicted to envious ac-
tivities, and therefore they dared to try to kill Jada Bharata. Jada
Bharata was the best friend of all living entities. He was no one’s
enemy, and he was always absorbed in meditation on the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. He was born of a good brahmana father,
and killing him was forbidden, even though he might have been
an enemy or aggressive person. In any case, there was no reason to
kill Jada Bharata, and the goddess Kali could not bear this. She
could immediately understand that these sinful dacoits were about
to kill a great devotee of the Lord. Suddenly the deity’s body burst
asunder, and the goddess Kali personally emerged from it in a
body burning with an intense and intolerable effulgence.

PURPORT

According to the Vedic injunctions, only an aggressor can be killed. If
a person comes with an intent to kill, one can immediately take action
and kill in self-defense. It is also stated that one can be killed if he comes
to set fire to the home or to pollute or kidnap one’s wife. Lord Rama-
candra killed the entire family of Ravana because Ravana kidnapped His
wife, Sitadevi. However, killing is not sanctioned in the sastras for other
purposes. The killing of animals in sacrifice to the demigods, who are ex-
pansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is sanctioned for those
who eat meat. This is a kind of restriction for meat-eating. In other
words, the slaughter of animals is also restricted by certain rules and
regulations in the Vedas. Considering these points, there was no reason
to kill Jada Bharata, who was born in a respectable, highly exalted
bréhmana family. He was a God-realized soul and a well-wisher to all
living entities. The Vedas did not at all sanction the killing of Jada
Bharata by rogues and thieves. Consequently the goddess Bhadra Kali
emerged from the deity to give protection to the Lord’s devotee. Srila
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that due to the Brahman
effulgence of such a devotee as Jada Bharata. the deity was fractured.
