FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.46.17

दिष्‍ट्या कंसो हत: पाप: सानुग: स्वेन पाप्मना । साधूनां धर्मशीलानां यदूनां द्वेष्टि य: सदा ॥ १७ ॥
diṣṭyā kaṁso hataḥ pāpaḥ
[dishtyaa kamso hatah paapah]
sānugaḥ svena pāpmanā
[saanugah svena paapmanaa]
sādhūnāṁ dharma-śīlānāṁ
[saadhoonaam dharma-sheelaanaam]
yadūnāṁ dveṣṭi yaḥ sadā
[yadoonaam dveshti yah sadaa]
diṣṭyā — by good fortune kaṁsaḥ — King Kaṁsa hataḥ — has been killed pāpaḥ — the sinful sa — along with anugaḥ — his followers (brothers) svena — because of his own pāpmanā — sinfulness sādhūnām — saintly dharma - śīlānām — always righteous in their behavior yadūnām — the Yadus dveṣṭi — hated yaḥ — who sadā — always .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
diṣṭyā kaṁso hataḥ pāpaḥ
diṣṭyā
by good fortune
kaṁsaḥ
King Kaṁsa
hataḥ
has been killed
pāpaḥ
the sinful
sānugaḥ svena pāpmanā
sa
along with
anugaḥ
his followers (brothers)
svena
because of his own
pāpmanā
sinfulness
sādhūnāṁ dharma-śīlānāṁ
sādhūnām
saintly
dharma - śīlānām
always righteous in their behavior
yadūnāṁ dveṣṭi yaḥ sadā
yadūnām
the Yadus
dveṣṭi
hated
yaḥ
who
sadā
always .
  • diṣṭyā — by good fortune
    Instrumental of diṣṭi (destiny, ordained). A Sanskrit interjection of gratitude for providential outcome — 'thank heavens.' Nanda credits not Kṛṣṇa's strength but daiva, the divine arrangement; the cowherd refuses to praise the son to the son's friend.
  • pāpaḥ — the sinful (Kaṁsa)
    Nominative of pāpa. Kaṁsa is named by his moral substance, not his throne. Gauḍīya tīkā: Nanda's denunciation is mild — pāpaḥ, not asura or daitya — because vātsalya-rasa preserves the cowherd's structural innocence; he does not enter the language of demonology.
  • svena-pāpmanā — by his own sinfulness
    Compound: sva (own) + pāpman (sinfulness, instrumental). Theological correctness: Kaṁsa is killed not by Kṛṣṇa's anger but by his own karma working through Kṛṣṇa. The doctrine of svakṛta-doṣa stated in passing.
  • sādhūnām — of the saintly
    Genitive plural of sādhu. Nanda calls the Yadus sādhus — a courtly compliment, but also a quiet self-distancing. He does not call himself a sādhu; vātsalya speaks from a more domestic register.
  • dharma - śīlānām — of those always righteous in behavior
    Compound: dharma + śīla (character). The Yadus are credentialed by śīla, not by power. Gauḍīyas note that Vraja's vocabulary praises others' character abundantly and its own not at all — humility is structural to the rasa.
  • dveṣṭi — hated
    Third-person singular of √dviṣ. The verb of hatred — used of Kaṁsa, never reciprocated by the Yadus or Kṛṣṇa. The Bhāgavatam preserves a strict asymmetry: dveṣa is the demonic emotion; the divine response to it is līlā-vadha, not counter-dveṣa.
Fortunately, because of his own sins, the sinful Kaṁsa has been killed, along with all his brothers. He always hated the saintly and righteous Yadus.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Fortunately, because of his own sins, the sinful Kaṁsa has been killed, along with all his brothers. He always hated the saintly and righteous Yadus.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

In order to maintain self control, Nanda praises the main cause of Vasudeva being freed, putting the direct topic of Kṛṣṇa at a distance temporarily. Since Kaṁsa died because he was sinful, there was no fault in killing him. His sin was hatred of those of proper conduct (innocent people) and those following dharma. Therefore we permitted Kṛṣṇa to go to Mathurā.

Related values
Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Nyaya (Justice / Righteous Judgment)Satya (Truthfulness)Daya (Compassion / Mercy)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Discriminative WisdomShanti (Peace / Tranquility)Kartavya (Duty / Responsibility)
Related verses
Concepts
JivaDharmaPapa
Fortunately, because of his own sins, sinful Kaṁsa has been killed with his brothers — he always hated the saintly Yadus. Devotees acknowledge that the wicked's downfall is their own karma, not random fortune.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you avoid naming someone's downfall as a consequence of their own actions?
  • How does clear theology of karma steady your reading of news?

Before asking about Kṛṣṇa directly, Nanda first acknowledges the political deliverance Kṛṣṇa has accomplished — Kaṁsa is dead, the Yadus safe. The father verifies the work before asking after the worker. Even here, vātsalya does not yet name its real concern.

📝 My note

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