In praising Krsna, the wives of Kaliya began by first agreeing with his punishment, in order to appease the anger of Krsna. "One must certainly bear responsibility for one’s own wicked deeds in the form of violence to the innocent and devoted. You protect the good and punish the wicked, but in that you do not show any partiality. Thus you treat the sons of your enemy and your own sons equally. (the word api here indicates ca, and your own sons.) Though Hiranyakasipu was your enemy, you protected his son Prahlada. Though Narakasura was your own son, you killed him. And though you punish the wicked you hold not animosity towards them. You punish them thinking ( phalam anusamsan) that after relieving them of their wicked nature by hellish suffering you will reward them with the eternal happiness of liberation."

His punishment is proper because he committed sins against Garuḍa, against the living entities in the Yamunā and in Vṛndāvana, and against the Lord. Because you give just punishment, you have appeared to punish the afflicters of the devotees. You have also come to give mercy to the devotees. If you did not appear there would be no punishment for the evil or mercy to the devotees. You are equal towards enemies and sons. Thus though you punish the wicked, you do not hate them. You give results which cure the wicked of their nature, by giving them hellish punishment and then giving them eternal happiness.

The punishment for the offender (kata-kilbiṣe) is proper because you have appeared as an avatāra to punish the wicked. Though your real purpose is distribution of prema-bhakti, that is accomplished with the punishing of the wicked. In punishing the wicked one should consider that the result is beneficial for that person. You never partake of dealing unequally. The genitive ripoḥ means locative case. You see equally objects of affection like sons because of their proper conduct and enemies because of their evil nature. Or “Why do you give punishment to the good who have done sin, even if they are sons?” It is because you are equal to the enemy and to sons. Ripoḥ is in the singular to represent a class. One version has tūlya-drṣteḥ, genitive modifying tava: you (tava) who have equal vision. Damam dhatse is taken as a separate statement. Ripoh then makes sense without changing it to the genitive. However if the nominative case is accepted as the subject of dhatse, the phrase with phalam, giving beneficial results, is connected with seeing equally: he who sees equally (tulya-dṛṣṭiḥ) gives punishment, which gives beneficial results (phalam). It explains why he is equal. You give punishment as a result. This does not mention the mercy, but that should be included in the meaning since punishment and mercy are being discussed. In having equal vision, mercy is also indicted. Or the cause of punishment is explained. For the most offensive person, your punishment is suitable. Therefore you give punishment (damam dhatse) to the wicked. If he punishes the wicked how can the Lord be glorified as merciful? He gives results beneficial for them through his dealing with them.