SB 1.8.51

TEXT 51

TEXT

स्त्रीणां मद्द्हतबन्धूनां द्रोहो यो ऽसाविहोत्थितः ।
कर्मभिर्गृहमेधीयैर् नाहं कल्पो व्यपोहितुम् ॥ ५१ ॥

strinam madd-hata-bandhunam

droho yo 'sav ihotthitah

karmabhir grhamedhiyair

naham kalpo vyapohitum

strinam-of the woman; mat-by me; hata-bandhunam-of the friends who are killed; drohah-enmity; yah-that; asau-all those; iha-herewith; utthitah-has accrued; karmabhih-by dint of work; grhamedhiyaih-by persons engaged in material welfare; na-never; aham-I; kalpah-can expect; vyapohitum-undoing the same.

TRANSLATION

I have killed many friends of women, and I have thus caused enmity to such an extent that it is not possible to undo it by material welfare work.

The grhamedhis are those whose only business is to perform welfare work for the sake of material prosperity. Such material prosperity is some times hampered by sinful activities, and the materialist is sure to commit sins, even unintentionally, in course of discharging material duties. To get relief from such sinful reactions, the Vedas prescribe several kinds of sacrifices. It is said in the Vedas that by performing the asvamedha yajna (horse sacrifice) one can get relief from even brahmahatya (killing of a brahmana).

Yudhisthira Maharaja performed this asvamedha-yajna, but he thinks that even by performing such yajnas it is not possible to get relief from the great sins committed. In the war either the husband or the brother or even the father or sons go to fight. And when they are killed, a fresh enmity is created, and thus a chain of actions and reactions increases which is not possible to be counteracted even by thousands of asvamedha yajnas.

The way of work (karma) is like that. It creates one action and another reaction simultaneously and thus increases the chain of material activities, binding the performer in material bondage. In the Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 9.27-28) the remedy is suggested that such actions and reactions of the path of work can be checked only when work is done on behalf of the Supreme Lord. The Battle of Kuruksetra was actually fought by the will of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, as it is evident from His version, and by His will only Yudhisthira was replaced on the throne of Hastinapura. Therefore, factually no sin whatsoever touched the Pandavas, who were only the order carriers of the Lord. For others, who declare war out of personal interest, the whole responsibility lies on them.

Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/1/8/51