Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 12 Chapter 2 Verse 41

Canto 12: The Age of Deterioration | Chapter 2: The Symptoms of Kali-yuga

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.2.41

kṛmi-viḍ-bhasma-saḿjñānte

rāja-nāmno 'pi yasya ca

bhūta-dhruk tat-kṛte svārthaḿ

kiḿ veda nirayo yataḥ

SYNONYMS

kṛmi — of worms; viṭ — stool; bhasma — and ashes; saḿjñā — the designation; ante — in the end; rāja-nāmnaḥ — going by the name "king"; api — even though; yasya — of which (body); ca — and; bhūta — of living beings; dhruk — an enemy; tat-kṛte — for the sake of that body; sva-artham — his own best interest; kim — what; veda — does he know; nirayaḥ — punishment in hell; yataḥ — because of which.

TRANSLATION

Even though a person's body may now have the designation "king," in the end its name will be "worms," "stool" or "ashes." What can a person who injures other living beings for the sake of his body know about his own self-interest, since his activities are simply leading him to hell?

PURPORT

After death, the body may be buried and eaten by worms, or it may be thrown in the street or forest to be eaten by animals who will pass out its remnants as stool, or it may be burned and converted into ashes. Therefore one should not pave his way to hell by using his temporary body to injure the bodies of other living beings. In this verse the word bhūta includes nonhuman life forms, who are also creatures of God. One should give up all envious violence and learn to see God in everything by the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari