336 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5, Ch. 10

to step on ants. Consequently he could not keep pace with the
other carriers. Due to this, the palanquin was shaking, and King
Rahigana immediately asked the carriers, “‘Why are you carrying
this palanquin unevenly? Better carry it properly.”

PURPORT

Although Jada Bharata was forced to carry the palanquin, he did not
give up his sympathetic feelings toward the poor ants passing on the
road. A devotee of the Lord does not forget his devotional service and
other favorable activities, even when he is in a most distressful condi-
tion. Jada Bharata was a qualified brahmana, highly elevated in spiritual
knowledge, yet he was forced to carry the palanquin. He did not mind
this, but while walking on the road, he could not forget his duty to avoid
killing even an ant. A Vaisnava is never envious or unnecessarily
violent. There were many ants on the path, but Jada Bharata took care by
looking ahead three feet. When the ants were no longer in his way, he
would place his foot on the ground. A Vaisnava is always very kind at
heart to all living entities. In His sankhya-yoga, Lord Kapiladeva ex-
plains: suhrdah sarva-dehinam. Living entities assume different bodily
forms. Those who are not Vaisnavas consider only human society worthy
of their sympathy, but Krsna claims to be the supreme father of all life
forms. Consequently the Vaisnava takes care not to annihilate untimely
or unnecessarily any life form. All living entities have to fulfill a certain
duration for being encaged in a particular type of material body. They
have to finish the duration allotted a particular body before being pro-
moted or evolved to another body. Killing an animal or any other living
being simply places an impediment in the way of his completing his term
of imprisonment in a certain body. One should therefore not kill bodies
for one’s sense gratification, for this will implicate one in sinful activity.

TEXT 3

aq a faa: atweneiqarsearaad
faarratnga: 1 3 1

atha ta isvara-vacah sopalambham upakarnyopaya-turiyac chankita-
manasas tam vijnapayam babhivuh.
