Shloka 13
Parīkṣit Confronts Kali: Dharma (Bull) and Bhūmi (Cow) at the Dawn of Kali-yuga
आख्याहि वृष भद्रं व: साधूनामकृतागसाम् । आत्मवैरूप्यकर्तारं पार्थानां कीर्तिदूषणम् ॥ १३ ॥
ākhyāhi vṛṣa bhadraṁ vaḥ sādhūnām akṛtāgasām ātma-vairūpya-kartāraṁ pārthānāṁ kīrti-dūṣaṇam
ಎಲೈ ವೃಷಭನೇ, ನಿನಗೆ ಮಂಗಳವಾಗಲಿ. ನೀನು ನಿರಪರಾಧಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸಜ್ಜನ. ಪಾಂಡವರ ಕೀರ್ತಿಗೆ ಕಳಂಕ ತರುವಂತೆ ನಿನ್ನ ಅಂಗವಿಕಲತೆಯನ್ನು ಉಂಟುಮಾಡಿದ ಆ ಅಪರಾಧಿಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನನಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸು.
The reputation of the reign of Mahārāja Rāmacandra and that of the kings who followed in the footsteps of Mahārāja Rāmacandra, like the Pāṇḍavas and their descendants, are never to be forgotten because in their kingdom offenseless and honest living beings were never in trouble. The bull and the cow are the symbols of the most offenseless living beings because even the stool and urine of these animals are utilized to benefit human society. The descendants of the sons of Pṛthā, like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, were afraid of losing their reputations, but in the modern days the leaders are not even afraid of killing such offenseless animals. Herein lies the difference between the reign of those pious kings and the modern states ruled by irresponsible executive heads without knowledge of the codes of God.
FAQs
This verse shows King Parīkṣit demanding to know the offender who harmed the faultless saintly, indicating that rulers must actively protect dharma and the innocent from Kali’s influence.
Parīkṣit encountered Dharma personified as a bull, injured and disfigured; he questioned Dharma to identify the perpetrator (Kali) and to uphold justice and religious principles.
Stand up for those who are wrongly harmed, defend truth and integrity, and do not tolerate actions that degrade character, spirituality, or the reputation of the genuinely virtuous.