FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.26.9

तत्र निर्भिन्नगात्राणां चित्रवाजै: शिलीमुखै: । विप्लवोऽभूद्दु:खितानां दु:सह: करुणात्मनाम् ॥ ९ ॥
tatra nirbhinna-gātrāṇāṁ
[tatra nirbhinna-gaatraanaam]
citra-vājaiḥ śilīmukhaiḥ
[chitra-vaajaih shileemukhaih]
viplavo ’bhūd duḥkhitānāṁ
[viplavo ’bhood duhkhitaanaam]
duḥsahaḥ karuṇātmanām
[duhsahah karunaatmanaam]
tatra — there nirbhinna — being pierced gātrāṇām — whose bodies citra-vājaiḥ — with variegated feathers śilī-mukhaiḥ — by the arrows viplavaḥ — destruction abhūt — was done duḥkhitānām — of the most aggrieved duḥsahaḥ — unbearable karuṇa-ātmanām — for persons who are very merciful.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tatra nirbhinna-gātrāṇāṁ
tatra
there
nirbhinna
being pierced
gātrāṇām
whose bodies
citra-vājaiḥ śilīmukhaiḥ
citra-vājaiḥ
with variegated feathers
śilī-mukhaiḥ
by the arrows
viplavo ’bhūd duḥkhitānāṁ
viplavaḥ
destruction
abhūt
was done
duḥkhitānām
of the most aggrieved
duḥsahaḥ karuṇātmanām
duḥsahaḥ
unbearable
karuṇa-ātmanām
for persons who are very merciful.
When King Purañjana was hunting in this way, many animals within the forest lost their lives with great pain, being pierced by the sharp arrowheads. Upon seeing these devastating, ghastly activities performed by the King, all the people who were merciful by nature became very unhappy. Such merciful persons could not tolerate seeing all this killing.

When demoniac persons engage in animal-killing, the demigods, or devotees of the Lord, are very much afflicted by this killing. Demoniac civilizations in this modern age maintain various types of slaughterhouses all over the world. Rascal svāmīs and yogīs encourage foolish persons to go on eating flesh and killing animals and at the same time continue their so-called meditation and mystical practices. All these affairs are ghastly, and a compassionate person, namely a devotee of the Lord, becomes very unhappy to see such a sight. The hunting process is also carried on in a different way, as we have already explained. Hunting women, drinking different types of liquor, becoming intoxicated, killing animals and enjoying sex all serve as the basis of modern civilization. Vaiṣṇavas are unhappy to see such a situation in the world, and therefore they are very busy spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

The devotees are pained to see the hunting and killing of animals in the forest, the wholesale slaughter of animals in the slaughterhouses, and the exploitation of young girls in brothels that function under different names as clubs and societies. Being very much compassionate upon the killing of animals in sacrifice, the great sage Nārada began his instructions to King Prācīnabarhiṣat. In these instructions, Nārada Muni explained that devotees like him are very much afflicted by all the killing that goes on in human society. Not only are saintly persons afflicted by this killing, but even God Himself is afflicted and therefore comes down in the incarnation of Lord Buddha. Jayadeva Gosvāmī therefore sings, sadaya-hṛdaya-darśita-paśu-ghātam: simply to stop the killing of animals, Lord Buddha compassionately appeared. Some rascals put forward the theory that an animal has no soul or is something like dead stone. In this way they rationalize that there is no sin in animal-killing. Actually animals are not dead stone, but the killers of animals are stonehearted. Consequently no reason or philosophy appeals to them. They continue keeping slaughterhouses and killing animals in the forest. The conclusion is that one who does not care for the instructions of saintly persons like Nārada and his disciplic succession surely falls into the category of naṣṭa-prajña and thus goes to hell.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
This killing of animals who suffered with limbs pierced by his feathered arrows in the forest was unbearable for those with compassion. After discussing a side issue, the story continues. The killing (viplavaḥ) by arrows (vicitra-vājaiḥ) was unbearable. The hint of Nārada is “Committing sin such as violence by senses filled with various faults is intolerable for persons like us with compassion. Therefore you are being informed.”
Animals died in great pain; compassionate witnesses became unhappy. Devotees are pained by demoniac killing; their pain is real, even if uninvited.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose compassionate pain at my actions have I disregarded as squeamishness?
  • Where do I treat saintly grief as soft when it's actually accurate?
📝 My note

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