Shloka 21
The Lord’s Advent: Yoga-māyā’s Mission, Saṅkarṣaṇa’s Transfer, and the Demigods’ Prayers
किमद्य तस्मिन् करणीयमाशु मेयदर्थतन्त्रो न विहन्ति विक्रमम् । स्त्रिया: स्वसुर्गुरुमत्या वधोऽयंयश: श्रियं हन्त्यनुकालमायु: ॥ २१ ॥
kim adya tasmin karaṇīyam āśu me yad artha-tantro na vihanti vikramam striyāḥ svasur gurumatyā vadho ’yaṁ yaśaḥ śriyaṁ hanty anukālam āyuḥ
കംസൻ ചിന്തിച്ചു—“ഇപ്പോൾ എനിക്ക് എന്താണ് ചെയ്യേണ്ടത്? ഭഗവാൻ തന്റെ ലക്ഷ്യം അറിഞ്ഞ് തന്റെ പരാക്രമം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുകയില്ല. ദേവകി സ്ത്രീയാണ്, എന്റെ സഹോദരിയാണ്, കൂടാതെ ഗർഭിണിയുമാണ്; അവളെ ഞാൻ കൊന്നാൽ എന്റെ യശസ്സും ഐശ്വര്യവും ആയുസ്സും തീർച്ചയായും നശിക്കും.”
According to Vedic principles, a woman, a brāhmaṇa, an old man, a child and a cow should never be killed. It appears that Kaṁsa, although a great enemy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was aware of the Vedic culture and conscious of the fact that the soul transmigrates from one body to another and that one suffers in the next life according to the karmas of this life. Therefore he was afraid of killing Devakī, since she was a woman, she was his sister, and she was pregnant. A kṣatriya becomes famous by performing heroic acts. But what would be heroic about killing a woman who, while confined in his custody, was under his shelter? Therefore, he did not want to act drastically by killing Devakī. Kaṁsa’s enemy was within Devakī’s womb, but killing an enemy in such a nescient state would not be an exhibition of prowess. According to kṣatriya rules, an enemy should be fought face to face and with proper weapons. Then if the enemy is killed, the victor becomes famous. Kaṁsa very conscientiously deliberated upon these facts and therefore refrained from killing Devakī, although he was completely confident that his enemy had already appeared within her womb.
FAQs
This verse states that wrongful killing—especially under improper influence—destroys one’s reputation, prosperity, and eventually one’s lifespan, showing the inevitable karmic and social consequences of adharma.
Kaṁsa reflects on the harm caused by killing Devakī’s children, recognizing that acting under selfish motives and improper counsel will ruin him—yet his fear and self-interest still restrain true repentance.
It warns against acting from self-interest or external pressure when it violates ethics—because such choices erode credibility, well-being, and long-term stability.