mṛtyur buddhimatāpohyo
yāvad buddhi-balodayam
yady asau na nivarteta
nāparādho 'sti dehinaḥ
yāvad buddhi-balodayam
yady asau na nivarteta
nāparādho 'sti dehinaḥ
Synonyms
mṛtyuḥ-death; buddhi-matā-by an intelligent person; apohyaḥ-should be avoided; yāvat-as long as; buddhi-bala-udayam-intelligence and bodily strength are present; yadi-if; asau-that (death); na nivarteta-cannot be checked; na-not; aparādhaḥ-offense; asti-there is; dehinaḥ-of the person in danger of death.
As long as he has intelligence and bodily strength, an intelligent person must try to avoid death. This is the duty of every embodied person. But if death cannot be avoided in spite of one's endeavors, a person facing death commits no offense.
It is natural for a person facing untimely death to try his best to save himself. This is one's duty. Although death is sure, everyone should try to avoid it and not meet death without opposition because every living soul is by nature eternal. Because death is a punishment imposed in the condemned life of material existence, the Vedic culture is based on avoiding death (tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]). Everyone should try to avoid death and rebirth by cultivating spiritual life and should not submit to death without struggling to survive. One who is not trying to stop death is not an intelligent human being. Because Devakī was face to face with imminent death, it was Vasudeva's duty to save her, as he was trying his best to do. He therefore considered another way to approach Kaṁsa so that Devakī would be saved.
TEXTS 49–50
pradāya mṛtyave putrān
mocaye kṛpaṇām imām
sutā me yadi jāyeran
mṛtyur vā na mriyeta cet
viparyayo vā kiṁ na syād
gatir dhātur duratyayā
upasthito nivarteta
nivṛttaḥ punar āpatet
SYNONYMS
pradāya-promising to deliver; mṛtyave-unto Kaṁsa, who is death personified for Devakī; putrān-my sons; mocaye-I am releasing her from imminent danger; kṛpaṇām-innocent; imām-Devakī; sutāḥ-sons; me-my; yadi-whether; jāyeran-should take birth; mṛtyuḥ-Kaṁsa; vā-or; na-not; mriyeta-should die; cet-if; viparyayaḥ-just the opposite; vā-or; kim-whether; na-not; syāt-it may happen; gatiḥ-the movement; dhātuḥ-of providence; duratyayā-very difficult to understand; upasthitaḥ-that which is presently obtained; nivarteta-may stop; nivṛttaḥ-Devakī's death being stopped; punaḥ āpatet-in the future it may happen again (but what can I do).
Vasudeva considered: By delivering all my sons to Kaṁsa, who is death personified, I shall save the life of Devakī. Perhaps Kaṁsa will die before my sons take birth, or, since he is already destined to die at the hands of my son, one of my sons may kill him. For the time being, let me promise to hand over my sons so that Kaṁsa will give up this immediate threat, and if in due course of time Kaṁsa dies, I shall have nothing to fear.
Vasudeva wanted to save the life of Devakī by promising to deliver his sons to Kaṁsa. "In the future," he thought, "Kaṁsa may die, or I may not beget any sons. Even if a son is born and I deliver him to Kaṁsa, Kaṁsa may die at his hands, for by providence anything could happen. It is very difficult to understand how things are managed by providence." Thus Vasudeva decided that he would promise to deliver his sons to the hands of Kaṁsa in order to save Devakī from the imminent danger of death.
As long as he has intelligence and bodily strength, an intelligent person must try to avoid death. This is the duty of every embodied person. But if death cannot be avoided in spite of one's endeavors, a person facing death commits no offense.
It is natural for a person facing untimely death to try his best to save himself. This is one's duty. Although death is sure, everyone should try to avoid it and not meet death without opposition because every living soul is by nature eternal. Because death is a punishment imposed in the condemned life of material existence, the Vedic culture is based on avoiding death (tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]). Everyone should try to avoid death and rebirth by cultivating spiritual life and should not submit to death without struggling to survive. One who is not trying to stop death is not an intelligent human being. Because Devakī was face to face with imminent death, it was Vasudeva's duty to save her, as he was trying his best to do. He therefore considered another way to approach Kaṁsa so that Devakī would be saved.
TEXTS 49–50
pradāya mṛtyave putrān
mocaye kṛpaṇām imām
sutā me yadi jāyeran
mṛtyur vā na mriyeta cet
viparyayo vā kiṁ na syād
gatir dhātur duratyayā
upasthito nivarteta
nivṛttaḥ punar āpatet
SYNONYMS
pradāya-promising to deliver; mṛtyave-unto Kaṁsa, who is death personified for Devakī; putrān-my sons; mocaye-I am releasing her from imminent danger; kṛpaṇām-innocent; imām-Devakī; sutāḥ-sons; me-my; yadi-whether; jāyeran-should take birth; mṛtyuḥ-Kaṁsa; vā-or; na-not; mriyeta-should die; cet-if; viparyayaḥ-just the opposite; vā-or; kim-whether; na-not; syāt-it may happen; gatiḥ-the movement; dhātuḥ-of providence; duratyayā-very difficult to understand; upasthitaḥ-that which is presently obtained; nivarteta-may stop; nivṛttaḥ-Devakī's death being stopped; punaḥ āpatet-in the future it may happen again (but what can I do).
Vasudeva considered: By delivering all my sons to Kaṁsa, who is death personified, I shall save the life of Devakī. Perhaps Kaṁsa will die before my sons take birth, or, since he is already destined to die at the hands of my son, one of my sons may kill him. For the time being, let me promise to hand over my sons so that Kaṁsa will give up this immediate threat, and if in due course of time Kaṁsa dies, I shall have nothing to fear.
Vasudeva wanted to save the life of Devakī by promising to deliver his sons to Kaṁsa. "In the future," he thought, "Kaṁsa may die, or I may not beget any sons. Even if a son is born and I deliver him to Kaṁsa, Kaṁsa may die at his hands, for by providence anything could happen. It is very difficult to understand how things are managed by providence." Thus Vasudeva decided that he would promise to deliver his sons to the hands of Kaṁsa in order to save Devakī from the imminent danger of death.