TEXT 24
mainam mayavinam drptam
nirankusam asattamam
akrida balavad deva
yathasivisam utthitam
SYNONYMS
mado not; enamhim; maya-vinamskilled in conjuring tricks; drptamarrogant; nirankusamself-sufficient; asat-tamammost wicked; akridaplay with; bala-vatlike a child; devaO Lord; yathaas; asivisama serpent; utthitamaroused.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahma continued: My dear Lord, there is no need to play with this serpentine demon, who is always very skilled in conjuring tricks and is arrogant, self-sufficient and most wicked.
PURPORT
No one is unhappy when a serpent is killed. It is a practice among village boys to catch a serpent by the tail and play with it for some time and then kill it. Similarly, the Lord could have killed the demon at once, but He played with him in the same way as a child plays with a snake before killing it. Brahma requested, however, that since the demon was more wicked and undesirable than a serpent, there was no need to play with him. It was his wish that he be killed at once, without delay.

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