Shloka 26
Pṛthu Pursues the Earth and the Earth Takes the Form of a Cow
Bhūmi as Gauḥ
पुमान् योषिदुत क्लीब आत्मसम्भावनोऽधम: । भूतेषु निरनुक्रोशो नृपाणां तद्वधोऽवध: ॥ २६ ॥
pumān yoṣid uta klība ātma-sambhāvano ’dhamaḥ bhūteṣu niranukrośo nṛpāṇāṁ tad-vadho ’vadhaḥ
Any cruel person — be he a man, woman or impotent eunuch — who is only interested in his personal maintenance and has no compassion for other living entities may be killed by the king. Such killing can never be considered actual killing.
The planet earth is actually a woman in her constitutional form, and as such she needs to be protected by the king. Pṛthu Mahārāja argues, however, that if a citizen within the state — be he man, woman or eunuch — is not compassionate upon his fellow men, he or she may be killed by the king, and such killing is never to be considered actual killing. As far as the field of spiritual activities is concerned, when a devotee is self-satisfied and does not preach the glories of Kṛṣṇa, he is not considered a first-class devotee. A devotee who tries to preach, who has compassion upon innocent persons who have no knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, is a superior devotee. In his prayer to the Lord, Prahlāda Mahārāja said that he was not personally interested in liberation from this material world; rather, he did not wish to be liberated from this material condition until all fallen souls were delivered. Even in the material field, if a person is not interested in others’ welfare, he should be considered to be condemned by the Personality of Godhead or His incarnation like Pṛthu Mahārāja.
FAQs
This verse condemns lack of compassion toward all beings as a mark of degradation; such cruelty is treated as a serious offense against dharma.
He is stating the principle of rāja-dharma: when a ruler punishes those who are cruel and harmful, it is meant to protect society and uphold dharma, not personal violence.
Cultivate humility and compassion, and support fair systems of accountability—harmful, cruel behavior should be checked for the protection of others.