Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.14.39-40

tad upadravam ājñāya

lokasya vasu lumpatām

bhartary uparate tasminn

anyonyaḿ ca jighāḿsatām

cora-prāyaḿ jana-padaḿ

hīna-sattvam arājakam

lokān nāvārayañ chaktā

api tad-doṣa-darśinaḥ

SYNONYMS

tat — at that time; upadravam — the disturbance; ājñāya — understanding; lokasya — of the people in general; vasu — riches; lumpatām — by those who were plundering; bhartari — the protector; uparate — being dead; tasmin — King Vena; anyonyam — one another; ca — also; jighāḿ-satām — desiring to kill; cora-prāyam — full of thieves; jana-padam — the state; hīna — bereft of; sattvam — regulation; arājakam — without a king; lokān — the thieves and rogues; na — not; avārayan — they subdued; śaktāḥ — able to do so; api — although; tat-doṣa — the fault of that; darśinaḥ — considering.

TRANSLATION

Upon seeing the dust storm, the saintly persons could understand that there were a great deal of irregularities due to the death of King Vena. Without government, the state was devoid of law and order, and consequently there was a great uprising of murderous thieves and rogues, who were plundering the riches of the people in general. Although the great sages could subdue the disturbance by their powers — just as they could kill the King — they considered it improper on their part to do so. Thus they did not attempt to stop the disturbance.

PURPORT

The saintly persons and great sages killed King Vena out of emergency, but they did not choose to take part in the government in order to subdue the uprising of thieves and rogues, which took place after the death of King Vena. It is not the duty of brāhmaṇas and saintly persons to kill, although they may sometimes do so in the case of an emergency. They could kill all the thieves and rogues by the prowess of their mantras, but they thought it the duty of kṣatriya kings to do so. Thus they reluctantly did not take part in the killing business.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness