TEXT 17
iti tesam vrsalanam rajas-tamah-prakrtinam dhana-mada-raja-utsikta-manasam bhagavat-kala-vira-kulam kadarthi-krtyotpathena svairam viharatam himsa-viharanam karmati-darunam yad brahma-bhutasya saksad brahmarsi-sutasya nirvairasya sarva-bhuta-suhrdah sunayam apy ananumatam alambhanam tad upalabhya brahma-tejasati-durvisahena dandahyamanena vapusa sahasoccacata saiva devi bhadra-kali.
SYNONYMS
itithus; tesamof them; vrsalanamthe sudras, by whom all religious principles are destroyed; rajahin passion; tamahin ignorance; prakrtinamhaving natures; dhana-madain the form of infatuation by material wealth; rajahby passion; utsiktapuffed up; manasamwhose minds; bhagavat-kalaan expansion of the plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vira-kulamthe group of elevated personalities (the brahmanas); kat-arthi-krtyadisrespecting; utpathenaby a wrong path; svairamindependently; viharatamwho are proceeding; himsa-viharanamwhose business is to commit violence against others; karmathe activity; ati-darunamvery fearful; yatthat which; brahma-bhutasyaof a self-realized person born in a brahmana family; saksatdirectly; brahma-rsi-sutasyaof the son born of a brahmana exalted in spiritual consciousness; nirvairasyawho had no enemies; sarva-bhuta-suhrdaha well-wisher to all others; sunayamat the last moment; apieven though; ananumatamnot being sanctioned by law; alambhanamagainst the desire of the Lord; tatthat; upalabhyaperceiving; brahma-tejasawith the effulgence of spiritual bliss; ati-durvisahenabeing too bright and unbearable; dandahyamanenaburning; vapusawith a physical body; sahasasuddenly; uccacatafractured (the deity); sashe; evaindeed; devithe goddess; bhadra-kaliBhadra Kali.
TRANSLATION
All the rogues and thieves who had made arrangements for the worship of goddess Kali were low minded and bound to the modes of passion and ignorance. They were overpowered by the desire to become very rich; therefore they had the audacity to disobey the injunctions of the Vedas, so much so that they were prepared to kill Jada Bharata, a self-realized soul born in a brahmana family. Due to their envy, these dacoits brought him before the goddess Kali for sacrifice. Such people are always addicted to envious activities, and therefore they dared to try to kill Jada Bharata. Jada Bharata was the best friend of all living entities. He was no ones enemy, and he was always absorbed in meditation on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He was born of a good brahmana father, and killing him was forbidden, even though he might have been an enemy or aggressive person. In any case, there was no reason to kill Jada Bharata, and the goddess Kali could not bear this. She could immediately understand that these sinful dacoits were about to kill a great devotee of the Lord. Suddenly the deitys body burst asunder, and the goddess Kali personally emerged from it in a body burning with an intense and intolerable effulgence.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic injunctions, only an aggressor can be killed. If a person comes with an intent to kill, one can immediately take action and kill in self-defense. It is also stated that one can be killed if he comes to set fire to the home or to pollute or kidnap ones wife. Lord Ramacandra killed the entire family of Ravana because Ravana kidnapped His wife, Sitadevi. However, killing is not sanctioned in the sastras for other purposes. The killing of animals in sacrifice to the demigods, who are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is sanctioned for those who eat meat. This is a kind of restriction for meat-eating. In other words, the slaughter of animals is also restricted by certain rules and regulations in the Vedas. Considering these points, there was no reason to kill Jada Bharata, who was born in a respectable, highly exalted brahmana family. He was a God-realized soul and a well-wisher to all living entities. The Vedas did not at all sanction the killing of Jada Bharata by rogues and thieves. Consequently the goddess Bhadra Kali emerged from the deity to give protection to the Lords devotee. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that due to the Brahman effulgence of such a devotee as Jada Bharata, the deity was fractured. Only thieves and rogues in the modes of passion and ignorance and maddened by material opulence offer a man in sacrifice before the goddess Kali. This is not sanctioned by the Vedic instructions. Presently there are many hundreds and thousands of slaughterhouses throughout the world that are maintained by a puffed-up population mad for material opulence. Such activities are never supported by the Bhagavata school.

Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/5/9/17

Previous: SB 5.9.16     Next: SB 5.9.18

If you Love Me Distribute My Books -- Srila Prabhupada