FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.17.6

यस्त्वं कृष्णे गते दूरं सहगाण्डीवधन्वना । शोच्योऽस्यशोच्यान् रहसि प्रहरन् वधमर्हसि ॥ ६ ॥
yas tvaṁ kṛṣṇe gate dūraṁ
[yas tvam krishne gate dooram]
saha-gāṇḍīva-dhanvanā
[saha-gaandeeva-dhanvanaa]
śocyo ’sy aśocyān rahasi
[shochyo ’sy ashochyaan rahasi]
praharan vadham arhasi
[praharan vadham arhasi]
yaḥ — on account of tvam — you rogue kṛṣṇe — Lord Kṛṣṇa gate — having gone away dūram — out of sight saha — along with gāṇḍīva — the bow named Gāṇḍīva dhanvanā — the carrier, Arjuna śocyaḥ — culprit asi — you are considered aśocyān — innocent rahasi — in a secluded place praharan — beating vadham — to be killed arhasi — deserve.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yas tvaṁ kṛṣṇe gate dūraṁ
yaḥ
on account of
tvam
you rogue
kṛṣṇe
Lord Kṛṣṇa
gate
having gone away
dūram
out of sight
saha-gāṇḍīva-dhanvanā
saha
along with
gāṇḍīva
the bow named Gāṇḍīva
dhanvanā
the carrier, Arjuna
śocyo ’sy aśocyān rahasi
śocyaḥ
culprit
asi
you are considered
aśocyān
innocent
praharan vadham arhasi
rahasi
in a secluded place
praharan
beating
vadham
to be killed
arhasi
deserve.
You rogue, do you dare beat an innocent cow because Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, the carrier of the Gāṇḍīva bow, are out of sight? Since you are beating the innocent in a secluded place, you are considered a culprit and therefore deserve to be killed.

In a civilization where God is conspicuously banished, and there is no devotee warrior like Arjuna, the associates of the Age of Kali take advantage of this lawless kingdom and arrange to kill innocent animals like the cow in secluded slaughterhouses. Such murderers of animals stand to be condemned to death by the order of a pious king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. For a pious king, the culprit who kills an animal in a secluded place is punishable by the death penalty, exactly like a murderer who kills an innocent child in a secluded place.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Since Kṛṣṇa has departed with Arjuna, you are in pitiable position. By beating innocent creatures in a solitary place, you deserve to be killed.
Commentary

“Just as you are king of your country, I am king of this time. Thus you do not have power over me.” The King answers in this verse. “Before Kṛṣṇa departed out of sight with Arjuna, where were you?” “I was present, but I did not have power because of fear of them. But I have fear of no one today.” “True. You are worthy of lamentation. You desire to die today.”

You rogue, do you dare beat an innocent cow because Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are out of sight? You deserve to be killed. Some cruelty is opportunistic — done because the protectors look away. Vigilance even in their absence.
Reflection Questions
  • What harm in my world is being done because the protectors look away?
  • Where could I be the present protector now?
📝 My note

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