Shloka 12
Parīkṣit Confronts Kali: Dharma (Bull) and Bhūmi (Cow) at the Dawn of Kali-yuga
कोऽवृश्चत् तव पादांस्त्रीन् सौरभेय चतुष्पद । मा भूवंस्त्वादृशा राष्ट्रे राज्ञां कृष्णानुवर्तिनाम् ॥ १२ ॥
ko ’vṛścat tava pādāṁs trīn saurabheya catuṣ-pada mā bhūvaṁs tvādṛśā rāṣṭre rājñāṁ kṛṣṇānuvartinām
Hỡi con của Surabhi, hỡi loài bốn chân, ai đã chặt mất ba chân của ngươi? Trong vương quốc của những vị vua tuân theo luật của Śrī Kṛṣṇa, không nên có kẻ khốn khổ như ngươi.
The kings or the executive heads of all states must know the codes of Lord Kṛṣṇa (generally Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ) and must act accordingly in order to fulfill the mission of human life, which is to make an end to all miseries of material conditions. One who knows the codes of Lord Kṛṣṇa can achieve this end without any difficulty. In the Bhagavad-gītā, in a synopsis, we can understand the codes of Godhead, and in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the same codes are explained further.
FAQs
This verse shows Parīkṣit’s shock that such violence could occur in a Kṛṣṇa-following kingdom, emphasizing that righteous rule protects cows and the principles of dharma from Kali’s influence.
Seeing the bull crippled, Parīkṣit questions who harmed him and declares that such injustice should not exist under rulers devoted to Kṛṣṇa—introducing his mission to check Kali and restore dharma.
Stand up against cruelty and injustice, support dharmic values (truth, cleanliness, mercy, austerity), and create communities where spiritual principles guide leadership and daily conduct.