FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.17.19

स त्वं जिघांससे कस्माद्दीनामकृतकिल्बिषाम् अहनिष्यत्कथं योषां धर्मज्ञ इति यो मत: ॥ १९ ॥
sa tvaṁ jighāṁsase kasmād
[sa tvam jighaamsase kasmaad]
dīnām akṛta-kilbiṣām
[deenaam akrita-kilbishaam]
ahaniṣyat kathaṁ yoṣāṁ
[ahanishyat katham yoshaam]
dharma-jña iti yo mataḥ
[dharma-jna iti yo matah]
Word-for-word
saḥ — that very person tvam — you jighāṁsase — want to kill kasmāt — why dīnām — poor akṛta — without having done kilbiṣām — any sinful activities ahaniṣyat — would kill katham — how yoṣām — a woman dharma-jñaḥ — the knower of religious principles iti — thus yaḥ — one who mataḥ — is considered.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa tvaṁ jighāṁsase kasmād
saḥ
that very person
tvam
you
jighāṁsase
want to kill
kasmāt
why
dīnām akṛta-kilbiṣām
dīnām
poor
akṛta
without having done
kilbiṣām
any sinful activities
ahaniṣyat kathaṁ yoṣāṁ
ahaniṣyat
would kill
katham
how
yoṣām
a woman
dharma-jña iti yo mataḥ
dharma-jñaḥ
the knower of religious principles
iti
thus
yaḥ
one who
mataḥ
is considered.
The cow-shaped earth continued to appeal to the King: I am very poor and have not committed any sinful activities. I do not know why you want to kill me. Since you are supposed to be the knower of all religious principles, why are you so envious of me, and why are you so anxious to kill a woman?
Purport

The earth appealed to the King in two ways. A king who knows religious principles cannot kill anyone who has not committed sinful activities. Apart from this, a woman is not to be killed, even if she does commit some sinful activities. Since the earth was innocent and was also a woman, the King should not kill her.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Why do you want to kill a wretched, sinless creature? How could one who is considered a knower of dharma kill a woman? Ahaniṣyat stands for haniṣyati.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
I am poor and sinless — why are you envious of me and ready to kill a woman? Excellent rhetoric, but the speaker may be conflating roles; she is also the planet-system that failed her duty.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose 'I am only a woman / I am only innocent' framing have I accepted without checking the other roles they also hold?
  • Where do I play the woman/innocent card when I should be answering for my actual role?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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