Madhya-līlā

Chapter 24: The Sixty-One Explanations of the Ātmārāma Verse

Verse 272 of 355
Cc Madhya 24.272

নারদ কহে,—"ব্যাধ, এই না হয আশ্চর্য হরিভক্ত্যে হিংসাশূন্য হয সাধুবর্য

नारद कहे,—"व्याध, एइ ना हय आश्चर्य हरिभक्त्ये हिंसाशून्य हय साधुवर्य

nārada kahe,—"vyādha, ei nā haya āścarya hari-bhaktye hiṁsā-śūnya haya sādhu-varya

Synonyms

nārada kaheNārada Muni said; vyādhamy dear hunter; ei nā āścaryathis is not wonderful for you; hari-bhaktyeby advancement in devotional service; hiṁsā-śūnya hayaone becomes nonviolent and nonenvious; sādhu-varyathus one becomes the best of honest gentlemen..

Translation

"Nārada Muni said, 'My dear hunter, such behavior is not at all astonishing. A man in devotional service is automatically nonviolent. He is the best of gentlemen.

Purport

In this verse the word sādhu-varya means "the best of gentlemen." At the present moment there are many so-called gentlemen who are expert in killing animals and birds. Nonetheless, these so-called gentlemen profess a type of religion that strictly prohibits killing. According to Nārada Muni and Vedic culture, animal killers are not even gentlemen, to say nothing of being religious men. A religious person, a devotee of the Lord, must be nonviolent. Such is the nature of a religious person. It is contradictory to be violent and at the same time call oneself a religious person. Such hypocrisy is not approved by Nārada Muni and the disciplic succession.

Verse 272 of 355
Prabhupāda Says