TEXT 2
sri-visnuduta ucuh
aho kastam dharma-drsam
adharmah sprsate sabham
yatradandyesv apapesu
dando yair dhriyate vrtha
SYNONYMS
sri-visnudutah ucuhthe Visnudutas said; ahoalas; kastamhow painful it is; dharma-drsamof persons interested in maintaining religion; adharmahirreligion; sprsateis affecting; sabhamthe assembly; yatrawherein; adandyesuupon persons not to be punished; apapesuwho are sinless; dandahpunishment; yaihby whom; dhriyateis being allotted; vrthaunnecessarily.
TRANSLATION
The Visnudutas said: Alas, how painful it is that irreligion is being introduced into an assembly where religion should be maintained. Indeed, those in charge of maintaining the religious principles are needlessly punishing a sinless, unpunishable person.
PURPORT
The Visnudutas accused the Yamadutas of violating the religious principles by attempting to drag Ajamila to Yamaraja for punishment. Yamaraja is the officer appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to judge religious and irreligious principles and to punish people who are irreligious. However, if completely sinless people are punished, the entire assembly of Yamaraja is contaminated. This principle applies not only in the assembly of Yamaraja, but throughout human society also.
In human society, properly maintaining religious principles is the duty of the kings court or the government. Unfortunately, in this yuga, Kali-yuga, the religious principles are tampered with, and the government cannot properly judge who is to be punished and who is not. It is said that in the Kali-yuga if one cannot spend money in court, one cannot get justice. Indeed, in courts of justice it is often found that magistrates are bribed for favorable judgments. Sometimes religious men who preach the Krsna consciousness movement for the benefit of the entire populace are arrested and harassed by the police and courts. The Visnudutas, who are Vaisnavas, lamented for these very regrettable facts. Because of their spiritual compassion for all the fallen souls, Vaisnavas go out to preach according to the standard method of all religious principles, but unfortunately, because of the influence of Kali-yuga, Vaisnavas who have dedicated their lives to preaching the glories of the Lord are sometimes harassed and punished by courts on false charges of disturbing the peace.

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