यस्त्विह वै भूतानामीश्वरोपकल्पितवृत्तीनामविविक्तपरव्यथानां स्वयं
पुरुषोपकल्पितवृत्तिर्विविक्तपरव्यथो व्यथामाचरति स परत्रान्धकूपे तदभिद्रोहेण
निपतति तत्र हासौ तैर्जन्तुभिः पशुमृगपक्षिसरीसृपैर्मशकयूकामत्कुण
मक्षिकादिभिर्ये के चाभिद्रुग्धास्तैः सर्वतोऽभिद्रुह्यमाणस्तमसि विहतनिद्रा
निर्वृतिरलब्धावस्थानः परिक्रामति यथा कुशरीरे जीवः ॥१७॥

yas tv iha vai bhÅ«tÄnÄm Ä«Å›varopakalpita-vá¹›ttÄ«nÄm avivikta-para-vyathÄnÄá¹ svayaá¹ puruá¹£opakalpita-vá¹›ttir vivikta-para-vyatho vyathÄm Äcarati sa paratrÄndhakÅ«pe tad-abhidroheṇa nipatati tatra hÄsau tair jantubhiḥ paÅ›u-má¹›ga-paká¹£i-sarÄ«sá¹›pair maÅ›aka-yÅ«kÄ-matkuṇa-maká¹£ikÄdibhir ye ke cÄbhidrugdhÄs taiḥ sarvato 'bhidruhyamÄṇas tamasi vihata-nidrÄ-nirvá¹›tir alabdhÄvasthÄnaḥ parikrÄmati yathÄ kuÅ›arÄ«re jÄ«vaḥ

 yaḥ - any person who; tu - but; iha - in this life; vai - indeed; bhÅ«tÄnÄm - to some living entities; Ä«Å›vara - by the supreme controller; upakalpita - designed; vá¹›ttÄ«nÄm - whose means of livelihood; avivikta - not understanding; para-vyathÄnÄm - the pain of others; svayam - himself; puruá¹£a-upakalpita - designed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vá¹›ttiḥ - whose livelihood; vivikta - understanding; para-vyathaḥ - the painful conditions of others; vyathÄm Äcarati - but still causes pain; saḥ - such a person; paratra - in his next life; andhakÅ«pe - to the hell named AndhakÅ«pa; tat - to them; abhidroheṇa - by the sin of malice; nipatati - falls down; tatra - there; ha - indeed; asau - that person; taiḥ jantubhiḥ - by those respective living entities; paÅ›u - animals; má¹›ga - wild beasts; paká¹£i - birds; sarÄ«sá¹›paiḥ - snakes; maÅ›aka - mosquitoes; yÅ«kÄ - lice; matkuṇa - worms; maká¹£ika-Ädibhiḥ - flies and so on; ye ke - whoever else; ca - and; abhidrugdhÄḥ - persecuted; taiḥ - by them; sarvataḥ - everywhere; abhidruhyamÄṇaḥ - being injured; tamasi - in the darkness; vihata - disturbed; nidrÄ-nirvá¹›tiḥ - whose resting place; alabdha - not being able to obtain; avasthÄnaḥ - a resting place; parikrÄmati - wanders; yathÄ - just as; ku-Å›arÄ«re - in a low-grade body; jÄ«vaḥ - a living entity.


Text

By the arrangement of the Supreme Lord, low-grade living beings like bugs and mosquitoes suck the blood of human beings and other animals. Such insignificant creatures are unaware that their bites are painful to the human being. However, first-class human beings — brÄhmaṇas, ká¹£atriyas and vaiÅ›yas — are developed in consciousness, and therefore they know how painful it is to be killed. A human being endowed with knowledge certainly commits sin if he kills or torments insignificant creatures, who have no discrimination. The Supreme Lord punishes such a man by putting him into the hell known as AndhakÅ«pa, where he is attacked by all the birds and beasts, reptiles, mosquitoes, lice, worms, flies, and any other creatures he tormented during his life. They attack him from all sides, robbing him of the pleasure of sleep. Unable to rest, he constantly wanders about in the darkness. Thus in AndhakÅ«pa his suffering is just like that of a creature in the lower species.

Purport

From this very instructive verse we learn that lower animals, created by the laws of nature to disturb the human being, are not subjected to punishment. Because the human being has developed consciousness, however, he cannot do anything against the principles of varṇÄÅ›rama-dharma without being condemned. Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (4.13), cÄtur-varṇyaá¹ mayÄ sṛṣṭaá¹ guṇa-karma-vibhÄgaÅ›aḥ: “According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me.†Thus all men should be divided into four classes — brÄhmaṇas, ká¹£atriyas, vaiÅ›yas and śūdras — and they should act according to their ordained regulations. They cannot deviate from their prescribed rules and regulations. One of these states that they should never trouble any animal, even those that disturb human beings. Although a tiger is not sinful if he attacks another animal and eats its flesh, if a man with developed consciousness does so, he must be punished. In other words, a human being who does not use his developed consciousness but instead acts like an animal surely undergoes punishment in many different hells.