SB 10.89.23

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter 89: Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna Retrieve a Brāhmaṇa's Sons

SB 10.89.22

SB 10.89.24

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

TEXT 23

brahma-dviṣaḥ śaṭha-dhiyo
lubdhasya viṣayātmanaḥ
kṣatra-bandhoḥ karma-doṣāt
pañcatvaṁ me gato 'rbhakaḥ

SYNONYMS

brahma—against brāhmaṇas; dviṣaḥ—hateful; śaṭha—duplicitous; dhiyaḥ-whose mentality; lubdhasya—avaricious; viṣaya-ātmanaḥ—addicted to sense gratification; kṣatra-bandhoḥ—of an unqualified kṣatriya; karma—in the performance of duties; doṣāt—because of discrepancies; pañcatvam—death; me—my; gataḥ—met; arbhakaḥ—son.

TRANSLATION

[The brāhmaṇa said:] This duplicitous, greedy enemy of brāhmaṇas, this unqualified ruler addicted to sense pleasure, has caused my son's death by some discrepancies in the execution of his duties.

PURPORT

Presuming that he himself had done nothing to cause his son's death, the brāhmaṇa thought it reasonable to blame King Ugrasena. In the Vedic social system, the monarch is considered responsible for everything occurring in his kingdom, good or bad. Even in a democracy, a manager who takes charge of some group or project should accept personal responsibility for any failure rather than, as is so common today, trying to place the blame on his subordinates or superiors.