Å›rÄ«-vasudeva uvÄca
Å›lÄghanÄ«ya-guṇaḥ śūrair
bhavÄn bhoja-yaÅ›askaraḥ
sa kathaá¹ bhaginÄ«á¹ hanyÄt
striyam udvÄha-parvaṇi
Å›rÄ«-vasudevaḥ uvÄca - the great personality Vasudeva said; Å›lÄghanÄ«ya-guṇaḥ - a person who possesses praiseworthy qualities; śūraiḥ - by great heroes; bhavÄn - your good self; bhoja-yaÅ›aḥ-karaḥ - a brilliant star in the Bhoja dynasty; saḥ - one such as your good self; katham - how; bhaginÄ«m - your sister; hanyÄt - can kill; striyam - especially a woman; udvÄha-parvaṇi - at the time of the marriage ceremony.
Vasudeva said: My dear brother-in-law Kaá¹sa, you are the pride of your family, the Bhoja dynasty, and great heroes praise your qualities. How could such a qualified person as you kill a woman, your own sister, especially on the occasion of her marriage?
According to Vedic principles, a brÄhmaṇa, an old man, a woman, a child or a cow cannot be killed under any circumstances. Vasudeva stressed that DevakÄ« was not only a woman but a member of Kaá¹sa’s family. Because she was now married to Vasudeva, she was para-strÄ«, another man’s wife, and if such a woman were killed, not only would Kaá¹sa be implicated in sinful activities, but his reputation as king of the Bhoja dynasty would be damaged. Thus Vasudeva tried in many ways to convince Kaá¹sa in order to stop him from killing DevakÄ«.
