FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.17.15

अनाग:स्विह भूतेषु य आगस्कृन्निरङ्कुश: । आहर्तास्मि भुजं साक्षादमर्त्यस्यापि साङ्गदम् ॥ १५ ॥
anāgaḥsv iha bhūteṣu
[anaagahsv iha bhooteshu]
ya āgas-kṛn niraṅkuśaḥ
[ya aagas-krin nirankushah]
āhartāsmi bhujaṁ sākṣād
[aahartaasmi bhujam saakshaad]
amartyasyāpi sāṅgadam
[amartyasyaapi saangadam]
Word-for-word
anāgaḥsu iha — to the offenseless bhūteṣu — living beings yaḥ — the person āgaḥ-kṛt — commits offense niraṅkuśaḥ — upstart āhartā asmi — I shall bring forth bhujam — arms sākṣāt — directly amartyasya api — even one who is a demigod sa-aṅgadam — with decorations and armor.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
anāgaḥsv iha bhūteṣu
anāgaḥsu iha
to the offenseless
bhūteṣu
living beings
ya āgas-kṛn niraṅkuśaḥ
yaḥ
the person
āgaḥ-kṛt
commits offense
niraṅkuśaḥ
upstart
āhartāsmi bhujaṁ sākṣād
āhartā asmi
I shall bring forth
bhujam
arms
sākṣāt
directly
amartyasyāpi sāṅgadam
amartyasya api
even one who is a demigod
sa-aṅgadam
with decorations and armor.
An upstart living being who commits offenses by torturing those who are offenseless shall be directly uprooted by me, even though he be a denizen of heaven with armor and decorations.
Purport

The denizens of the heavenly kingdom are called amara, or deathless, due to their possessing a long span of life, far greater than that of the human beings. For a human being, who has only a maximum one-hundred-year duration of life, a span of life spreading over millions of years is certainly considered to be deathless. For example, from the Bhagavad-gītā we learn that on the Brahmaloka planet the duration of one day is calculated to be 4,300,000 × 1,000 solar years. Similarly, in other heavenly planets one day is calculated to be six months of this planet, and the inhabitants get a life of ten million of their years. Therefore, in all higher planets, since the span of life is far greater than that of the human being, the denizens are called deathless by imagination, although actually no one within the material universe is deathless.

Mahārāja Parīkṣit challenges even such denizens of heaven if they torture the offenseless. This means that the state executive head must be as strong as Mahārāja Parīkṣit so that he may be determined to punish the strongest offenders. It should be the principle of a state executive head that the offender of the codes of God is always punished.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
I will cut off the arms along with the armbands of the person who without regard for rules commits violence against the innocent beings, even if he is a devatā.
Commentary

“What happens if there is someone stronger that you?” Even if the person is a devatā, I will cut off his arms at the root—with the armbands. Actually there is no person among men and devatās who is as strong as me.

Related lectures
Personal Guidance
An upstart who tortures the offenseless will be uprooted by me, even if he is a denizen of heaven. Status doesn't shield from accountability. The high are not above consequence.
Reflection Questions
  • Whom in my life have I treated as above accountability?
  • Where could a higher standard apply equally up?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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