sūta uvāca tatra go-mithunaṁ rājā hanyamānam anāthavat daṇḍa-hastaṁ ca vṛṣalaṁ dadṛśe nṛpa-lāñchanam
Universal Translation
Sūta Gosvāmī said: After reaching that place, Mahārāja Parīkṣit observed that a lower-caste śūdra, dressed like a king, was beating a cow and a bull with a club, as if they had no owner.
vṛṣaṁ mṛṇāla-dhavalaṁ mehantam iva bibhyatam vepamānaṁ padaikena sīdantaṁ śūdra-tāḍitam
Universal Translation
The bull was as white as a white lotus flower. He was terrified of the śūdra who was beating him, and he was so afraid that he was standing on one leg, trembling and urinating.
gāṁ ca dharma-dughāṁ dīnāṁ bhṛśaṁ śūdra-padāhatām vivatsām āśru-vadanāṁ kṣāmāṁ yavasam icchatīm
Universal Translation
Although the cow is beneficial because one can draw religious principles from her, she was now rendered poor and calfless. Her legs were being beaten by a śūdra. There were tears in her eyes, and she was distressed and weak. She was hankering after some grass in the field.
papraccha ratham ārūḍhaḥ kārtasvara-paricchadam megha-gambhīrayā vācā samāropita-kārmukaḥ
Universal Translation
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, well equipped with arrows and bow and seated on a gold-embossed chariot, spoke to him [the śūdra] with a deep voice sounding like thunder.
kas tvaṁ mac-charaṇe loke balād dhaṁsy abalān balī nara-devo ’si veṣeṇa naṭavat karmaṇā ’dvijaḥ
Universal Translation
Oh, who are you? You appear to be strong and yet you dare kill, within my protection, those who are helpless! By your dress you pose yourself to be a godly man [king], but by your deeds you are opposing the principles of the twice-born kṣatriyas.
yas tvaṁ kṛṣṇe gate dūraṁ saha-gāṇḍīva-dhanvanā śocyo ’sy aśocyān rahasi praharan vadham arhasi
Universal Translation
You rogue, do you dare beat an innocent cow because Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, the carrier of the Gāṇḍīva bow, are out of sight? Since you are beating the innocent in a secluded place, you are considered a culprit and therefore deserve to be killed.
tvaṁ vā mṛṇāla-dhavalaḥ pādair nyūnaḥ padā caran vṛṣa-rūpeṇa kiṁ kaścid devo naḥ parikhedayan
Universal Translation
Then he [Mahārāja Parīkṣit] asked the bull: Oh, who are you? Are you a bull as white as a white lotus, or are you a demigod? You have lost three of your legs and are moving on only one. Are you some demigod causing us grief in the form of a bull?
na jātu kauravendrāṇāṁ dordaṇḍa-parirambhite bhū-tale ’nupatanty asmin vinā te prāṇināṁ śucaḥ
Universal Translation
Now for the first time in a kingdom well protected by the arms of the kings of the Kuru dynasty, I see you grieving with tears in your eyes. Up till now no one on earth has ever shed tears because of royal negligence.
mā saurabheyātra śuco vyetu te vṛṣalād bhayam mā rodīr amba bhadraṁ te khalānāṁ mayi śāstari
Universal Translation
O son of Surabhi, you need lament no longer now. There is no need to fear this low-class śūdra. And, O mother cow, as long as I am living as the ruler and subduer of all envious men, there is no cause for you to cry. Everything will be good for you.
ko ’vṛścat tava pādāṁs trīn saurabheya catuṣ-pada mā bhūvaṁs tvādṛśā rāṣṭre rājñāṁ kṛṣṇānuvartinām
Universal Translation
He [Mahārāja Parīkṣit] repeatedly addressed and questioned the bull thus: O son of Surabhi, who has cut off your three legs? In the state of the kings who are obedient to the laws of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, there is no one as unhappy as you.
ākhyāhi vṛṣa bhadraṁ vaḥ sādhūnām akṛtāgasām ātma-vairūpya-kartāraṁ pārthānāṁ kīrti-dūṣaṇam
Universal Translation
O bull, you are offenseless and thoroughly honest; therefore I wish all good to you. Please tell me of the perpetrator of these mutilations, which blacken the reputation of the sons of Pṛthā.
jane ’nāgasy aghaṁ yuñjan sarvato ’sya ca mad-bhayam sādhūnāṁ bhadram eva syād asādhu-damane kṛte
Universal Translation
Whoever causes offenseless living beings to suffer must fear me anywhere and everywhere in the world. By curbing dishonest miscreants, one automatically benefits the offenseless.
anāgaḥsv iha bhūteṣu ya āgas-kṛn niraṅkuśaḥ āhartāsmi bhujaṁ sākṣād amartyasyāpi sāṅgadam
Universal Translation
An upstart living being who commits offenses by torturing those who are offenseless shall be directly uprooted by me, even though he be a denizen of heaven with armor and decorations.
rājño hi paramo dharmaḥ sva-dharma-sthānupālanam śāsato ’nyān yathā-śāstram anāpady utpathān iha
Universal Translation
The supreme duty of the ruling king is to give all protection to law-abiding persons and to chastise those who stray from the ordinances of the scriptures in ordinary times, when there is no emergency.
dharma uvāca etad vaḥ pāṇḍaveyānāṁ yuktam ārtābhayaṁ vacaḥ yeṣāṁ guṇa-gaṇaiḥ kṛṣṇo dautyādau bhagavān kṛtaḥ
Universal Translation
The personality of religion said: These words just spoken by you befit a person of the Pāṇḍava dynasty. Captivated by the devotional qualities of the Pāṇḍavas, even Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, performed duties as a messenger.
na vayaṁ kleśa-bījāni yataḥ syuḥ puruṣarṣabha puruṣaṁ taṁ vijānīmo vākya-bheda-vimohitāḥ
Universal Translation
O greatest among human beings, it is very difficult to ascertain the particular miscreant who has caused our sufferings, because we are bewildered by all the different opinions of theoretical philosophers.
kecid vikalpa-vasanā āhur ātmānam ātmanaḥ daivam anye ’pare karma svabhāvam apare prabhum
Universal Translation
Some of the philosophers, who deny all sorts of duality, declare that one’s own self is responsible for his personal happiness and distress. Others say that superhuman powers are responsible, while yet others say that activity is responsible, and the gross materialists maintain that nature is the ultimate cause.
apratarkyād anirdeśyād iti keṣv api niścayaḥ atrānurūpaṁ rājarṣe vimṛśa sva-manīṣayā
Universal Translation
There are also some thinkers who believe that no one can ascertain the cause of distress by argumentation, nor know it by imagination, nor express it by words. O sage amongst kings, judge for yourself by thinking over all this with your own intelligence.
sūta uvāca evaṁ dharme pravadati sa samrāḍ dvija-sattamāḥ samāhitena manasā vikhedaḥ paryacaṣṭa tam
Universal Translation
Sūta Gosvāmī said: O best among the brāhmaṇas, the Emperor Parīkṣit, thus hearing the personality of religion speak, was fully satisfied, and without mistake or regret he gave his reply.
rājovāca dharmaṁ bravīṣi dharma-jña dharmo ’si vṛṣa-rūpa-dhṛk yad adharma-kṛtaḥ sthānaṁ sūcakasyāpi tad bhavet
Universal Translation
The King said: O you, who are in the form of a bull! You know the truth of religion, and you are speaking according to the principle that the destination intended for the perpetrator of irreligious acts is also intended for one who identifies the perpetrator. You are no other than the personality of religion.
athavā deva-māyāyā nūnaṁ gatir agocarā cetaso vacasaś cāpi bhūtānām iti niścayaḥ
Universal Translation
Thus it is concluded that the Lord’s energies are inconceivable. No one can estimate them by mental speculation or by word jugglery.
tapaḥ śaucaṁ dayā satyam iti pādāḥ kṛte kṛtāḥ adharmāṁśais trayo bhagnāḥ smaya-saṅga-madais tava
Universal Translation
In the age of Satya [truthfulness] your four legs were established by the four principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. But it appears that three of your legs are broken due to rampant irreligion in the form of pride, lust for women, and intoxication.
idānīṁ dharma pādas te satyaṁ nirvartayed yataḥ taṁ jighṛkṣaty adharmo ’yam anṛtenaidhitaḥ kaliḥ
Universal Translation
You are now standing on one leg only, which is your truthfulness, and you are somehow or other hobbling along. But quarrel personified [Kali], flourishing by deceit, is also trying to destroy that leg.
iyaṁ ca bhūmir bhagavatā nyāsitoru-bharā satī śrīmadbhis tat-pada-nyāsaiḥ sarvataḥ kṛta-kautukā
Universal Translation
The burden of the earth was certainly diminished by the Personality of Godhead and by others as well. When He was present as an incarnation, all good was performed because of His auspicious footprints.
śocaty aśru-kalā sādhvī durbhagevojjhitā satī abrahmaṇyā nṛpa-vyājāḥ śūdrā bhokṣyanti mām iti
Universal Translation
Now she, the chaste one, being unfortunately forsaken by the Personality of Godhead, laments her future with tears in her eyes, for now she is being ruled and enjoyed by lower-class men who pose as rulers.
iti dharmaṁ mahīṁ caiva sāntvayitvā mahā-rathaḥ niśātam ādade khaḍgaṁ kalaye ’dharma-hetave
Universal Translation
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who could fight one thousand enemies single-handedly, thus pacified the personality of religion and the earth. Then he took up his sharp sword to kill the personality of Kali, who is the cause of all irreligion.
taṁ jighāṁsum abhipretya vihāya nṛpa-lāñchanam tat-pāda-mūlaṁ śirasā samagād bhaya-vihvalaḥ
Universal Translation
When the personality of Kali understood that the King was willing to kill him, he at once abandoned the dress of a king and, under pressure of fear, completely surrendered to him, bowing his head.
patitaṁ pādayor vīraḥ kṛpayā dīna-vatsalaḥ śaraṇyo nāvadhīc chlokya āha cedaṁ hasann iva
Universal Translation
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was qualified to accept surrender and worthy of being sung in history, did not kill the poor surrendered and fallen Kali, but smiled compassionately, for he was kind to the poor.
rājovāca na te guḍākeśa-yaśo-dharāṇāṁ baddhāñjaler vai bhayam asti kiñcit na vartitavyaṁ bhavatā kathañcana kṣetre madīye tvam adharma-bandhuḥ
Universal Translation
The King thus said: We have inherited the fame of Arjuna; therefore since you have surrendered yourself with folded hands you need not fear for your life. But you cannot remain in my kingdom, for you are the friend of irreligion.
tvāṁ vartamānaṁ nara-deva-deheṣv anupravṛtto ’yam adharma-pūgaḥ lobho ’nṛtaṁ cauryam anāryam aṁho jyeṣṭhā ca māyā kalahaś ca dambhaḥ
Universal Translation
If the personality of Kali, irreligion, is allowed to act as a man-god or an executive head, certainly irreligious principles like greed, falsehood, robbery, incivility, treachery, misfortune, cheating, quarrel and vanity will abound.
na vartitavyaṁ tad adharma-bandho dharmeṇa satyena ca vartitavye brahmāvarte yatra yajanti yajñair yajñeśvaraṁ yajña-vitāna-vijñāḥ
Universal Translation
Therefore, O friend of irreligion, you do not deserve to remain in a place where experts perform sacrifices according to truth and religious principles for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
yasmin harir bhagavān ijyamāna ijyātma-mūrtir yajatāṁ śaṁ tanoti kāmān amoghān sthira-jaṅgamānām antar bahir vāyur ivaiṣa ātmā
Universal Translation
In all sacrificial ceremonies, although sometimes a demigod is worshiped, the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is worshiped because He is the Supersoul of everyone, and exists both inside and outside like the air. Thus it is He only who awards all welfare to the worshiper.
sūta uvāca parīkṣitaivam ādiṣṭaḥ sa kalir jāta-vepathuḥ tam udyatāsim āhedaṁ daṇḍa-pāṇim ivodyatam
Universal Translation
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: The personality of Kali, thus being ordered by Mahārāja Parīkṣit, began to tremble in fear. Seeing the King before him like Yamarāja, ready to kill him, Kali spoke to the King as follows.
kalir uvāca yatra kva vātha vatsyāmi sārva-bhauma tavājñayā lakṣaye tatra tatrāpi tvām ātteṣu-śarāsanam
Universal Translation
O Your Majesty, though I may live anywhere and everywhere under your order, I shall but see you with bow and arrows wherever I look.
tan me dharma-bhṛtāṁ śreṣṭha sthānaṁ nirdeṣṭum arhasi yatraiva niyato vatsya ātiṣṭhaṁs te ’nuśāsanam
Universal Translation
Therefore, O chief amongst the protectors of religion, please fix some place for me where I can live permanently under the protection of your government.
sūta uvāca abhyarthitas tadā tasmai sthānāni kalaye dadau dyūtaṁ pānaṁ striyaḥ sūnā yatrādharmaś catur-vidhaḥ
Universal Translation
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Parīkṣit, thus being petitioned by the personality of Kali, gave him permission to reside in places where gambling, drinking, prostitution and animal slaughter were performed.
punaś ca yācamānāya jāta-rūpam adāt prabhuḥ tato ’nṛtaṁ madaṁ kāmaṁ rajo vairaṁ ca pañcamam
Universal Translation
The personality of Kali asked for something more, and because of his begging, the King gave him permission to live where there is gold because wherever there is gold there is also falsity, intoxication, lust, envy and enmity.
amūni pañca sthānāni hy adharma-prabhavaḥ kaliḥ auttareyeṇa dattāni nyavasat tan-nideśa-kṛt
Universal Translation
Thus the personality of Kali, by the directions of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the son of Uttarā, was allowed to live in those five places.
athaitāni na seveta bubhūṣuḥ puruṣaḥ kvacit viśeṣato dharma-śīlo rājā loka-patir guruḥ
Universal Translation
Therefore, whoever desires progressive well-being, especially kings, religionists, public leaders, brāhmaṇas and sannyāsīs, should never come in contact with the four above-mentioned irreligious principles.
vṛṣasya naṣṭāṁs trīn pādān tapaḥ śaucaṁ dayām iti pratisandadha āśvāsya mahīṁ ca samavardhayat
Universal Translation
Thereafter the King reestablished the lost legs of the personality of religion [the bull], and by encouraging activities he sufficiently improved the condition of the earth.
ittham-bhūtānubhāvo ’yam abhimanyu-suto nṛpaḥ yasya pālayataḥ kṣauṇīṁ yūyaṁ satrāya dīkṣitāḥ
Universal Translation
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the son of Abhimanyu, is so experienced that by dint of his expert administration and patronage, it has been possible for you to perform a sacrifice such as this.