Text 31] The Dynasty of Amsuman 27
TEXT 31
TA ATITTTT a Wee: |
ani ad TM BATT AANA AAT 132
tasya sadhor apapasya
bhrinasya brahma-vadinah
katham vadham yatha babhror
manyate san-mato bhavan

tasya—of him; sddhoh—of the great saintly person; apdpasya—of
one who has no sinful life; bhrimasya—of the embryo; brahma-
vadinah—of one who is well versed in Vedic knowledge; katham—how;
vadham—the killing; yatha—as; babhroh—of a cow; manyate—you
are thinking; sat-matah—well recognized by higher circles; bhavan—
your good self.

TRANSLATION

You are well known and worshiped in learned circles. How dare
you kill this brahmana, who is a saintly, sinless person, well versed
in Vedic knowledge? Killing him would be like destroying the
embryo within the womb or killing a cow.

PURPORT

As stated in the Amara-koSa dictionary, bhrino ’rbhake bala-garbhe:
the word bhrina refers either to the cow or to the living entity in
embryo. According to Vedic culture, destroying the undeveloped embryo
of the soul in the womb is as sinful as killing a cow or a brahmana. In the
embryo, the living entity is present in an undeveloped stage. The modern
scientific theory that life is a combination of chemicals is nonsense;
scientists cannot manufacture living beings, even like those born from
eggs. The idea that scientists can develop a chemical situation resembling
that of an egg and bring life from it is nonsensical. Their theory that a
chemical combination can have life may be accepted, but these rascals
cannot create such a combination. This verse refers to bhrinasya
vadham —the killing of a bhriina or destruction of the embryo. Here is a
challenge from the Vedic literature. The crude, atheistic understanding
