Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 32
Kṛṣṇa Kills Dantavakra; Balarāma’s Pilgrimage and the Slaying of Romaharṣaṇa
अजानतैवाचरितस्त्वया ब्रह्मवधो यथा । योगेश्वरस्य भवतो नाम्नायोऽपि नियामक: ॥ ३१ ॥ यद्येतद् ब्रह्महत्याया: पावनं लोकपावन । चरिष्यति भवाँल्लोकसङ्ग्रहोऽनन्यचोदित: ॥ ३२ ॥
ajānataivācaritas tvayā brahma-vadho yathā yogeśvarasya bhavato nāmnāyo ’pi niyāmakaḥ
“You have unknowingly killed a brāhmaṇa. Of course, even the injunctions of revealed scripture cannot dictate to You, the Lord of all mystic power. But if by Your own free will You nonetheless carry out the prescribed purification for this slaying of a brāhmaṇa, O purifier of the whole world, people in general will greatly benefit by Your example.”
FAQs
This verse states that Kṛṣṇa is Yogēśvara, and even Vedic injunctions are under His control—so His actions are never bound by ordinary karmic law, even if they resemble it outwardly.
In the narrative context, Arjuna addresses the appearance of a grave act—killing connected with brāhmaṇa status—affirming that although it may look like brahmahatyā, Kṛṣṇa remains the supreme controller who regulates dharma itself.
Do not imitate divine prerogatives; instead, respect dharma and scriptural guidance, while understanding that God’s actions operate on a transcendental level beyond ordinary moral accounting.