Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.26.24
ये त्विह वै श्वगर्दभपतयो ब्राह्मणादयो मृगयाविहारा अतीर्थे च मृगान्निघ्नन्ति तानपि सम्परेताँल्लक्ष्यभूतान् यमपुरुषा इषुभिर्विध्यन्ति ॥ २४ ॥
ye tv iha vai śva-gardabha-patayo brāhmaṇādayo mṛgayā vihārā atīrthe ca mṛgān nighnanti tān api samparetāḻ lakṣya-bhūtān yama-puruṣā iṣubhir vidhyanti.
[ye tv iha vai shva-gardabha-patayo braahmanaadayo mrigayaa vihaaraa ateerthe cha mrigaan nighnanti taan api samparetaaḻ lakshya-bhootaan yama-purushaa ishubhir vidhyanti.]
Word-for-word
ye
—
those who
tu
—
but
iha
—
in this life
vai
—
or
śva
—
of dogs
gardabha
—
and asses
patayaḥ
—
maintainers
brāhmaṇa-ādayaḥ
—
brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas
mṛgayā vihārāḥ
—
taking pleasure in hunting animals in the forest
atīrthe
—
other than prescribed
ca
—
also
mṛgān
—
animals
nighnanti
—
kill
tān
—
them
api
—
indeed
samparetān
—
having died
lakṣya-bhūtān
—
becoming the targets
yama-puruṣāḥ
—
the assistants of Yamarāja
iṣubhiḥ
—
by arrows
vidhyanti
—
pierce.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ye tv iha vai śva-gardabha-patayo brāhmaṇādayo mṛgayā vihārā atīrthe ca mṛgān nighnanti tān api samparetāḻ lakṣya-bhūtān yama-puruṣā iṣubhir vidhyanti.
ye
those who
tu
but
iha
in this life
vai
or
śva
of dogs
gardabha
and asses
patayaḥ
maintainers
brāhmaṇa-ādayaḥ
brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas
mṛgayā vihārāḥ
taking pleasure in hunting animals in the forest
atīrthe
other than prescribed
ca
also
mṛgān
animals
nighnanti
kill
tān
them
api
indeed
samparetān
having died
lakṣya-bhūtān
becoming the targets
yama-puruṣāḥ
the assistants of Yamarāja
iṣubhiḥ
by arrows
vidhyanti
pierce.
If in this life a man of the higher classes [brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya] is very fond of taking his pet dogs, mules or asses into the forest to hunt and kill animals unnecessarily, he is placed after death into the hell known as Prāṇarodha. There the assistants of Yamarāja make him their targets and pierce him with arrows.
Purport
In the Western countries especially, aristocrats keep dogs and horses to hunt animals in the forest. Whether in the West or the East, aristocratic men in the Kali-yuga adopt the fashion of going to the forest and unnecessarily killing animals. Men of the higher classes (the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas ) should cultivate knowledge of Brahman, and they should also give the śūdras a chance to come to that platform. If instead they indulge in hunting, they are punished as described in this verse. Not only are they pierced with arrows by the agents of Yamarāja, but they are also put into the ocean of pus, urine and stool described in the previous verse.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The man of the higher classes who, taking his pet dogs or asses, goes hunting in the forest and kills animals against the rules, is placed after death into the hell known as Prāṇarodha. There the assistants of Yamarāja make him their targets and pierce him with arrows.
Atīrthe means “against the rules.”
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Killing animals unnecessarily in hunting lands one in Prāṇarodha, pierced with arrows. Treating other lives as sport for one's amusement returns as one's own piercing. Recreation that requires harm is never harmless to the recreator.
Reflection Questions
- Where in my entertainment do I participate, even passively, in the harming of other beings?
- What recreation could replace harm-based entertainment without sacrificing joy?
My note
Source: vedabase.io