दृप्तं क्षत्रं भुवो भारमब्रह्मण्यमनीनशत् ।
रजस्तमोवृतमहन् फल्गुन्यपि कृतेंऽहसि ॥१५॥

dá¹›ptaá¹ ká¹£atraá¹ bhuvo bhÄram
abrahmaṇyam anīnaśat
rajas-tamo-vá¹›tam ahan
phalguny api ká¹›te 'á¹hasi

 dá¹›ptam - very proud; ká¹£atram - the ká¹£atriyas, the ruling class; bhuvaḥ - of the earth; bhÄram - burden; abrahmaṇyam - sinful, not caring for the religious principles enunciated by the brÄhmaṇas; anÄ«naÅ›at - drove away or annihilated; rajaḥ-tamaḥ - by the qualities of passion and ignorance; vá¹›tam - covered; ahan - he killed; phalguni - not very great; api - although; ká¹›te - had been committed; aá¹hasi - an offense.


Text

When the royal dynasty, being excessively proud because of the material modes of passion and ignorance, became irreligious and ceased to care for the laws enacted by the brÄhmaṇas, ParaÅ›urÄma killed them. Although their offense was not very severe, he killed them to lessen the burden of the world.

Purport

The ká¹£atriyas, or the ruling class, must govern the world in accordance with the rules and regulations enacted by great brÄhmaṇas and saintly persons. As soon as the ruling class becomes irresponsible in regard to the religious principles, it becomes a burden on the earth. As stated here, rajas-tamo-vá¹›taá¹, bhÄram abrahmaṇyam: when the ruling class is influenced by the lower modes of nature, namely ignorance and passion, it becomes a burden to the world and must then be annihilated by superior power. We actually see from modern history that monarchies have been abolished by various revolutions, but unfortunately the monarchies have been abolished to establish the supremacy of third-class and fourth-class men. Although monarchies overpowered by the modes of passion and ignorance have been abolished in the world, the inhabitants of the world are still unhappy, for although the qualities of the former monarchs were degraded by taints of ignorance, these monarchs have been replaced by men of the mercantile and worker classes whose qualities are even more degraded. When the government is actually guided by brÄhmaṇas, or God conscious men, then there can be real happiness for the people. Therefore in previous times, when the ruling class was degraded to the modes of passion and ignorance, the brÄhmaṇas, headed by such a ká¹£atriya-spirited brÄhmaṇa as ParaÅ›urÄma, killed them twenty-one consecutive times.

In Kali-yuga, as stated in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (12.2.13), dasyu-prÄyeá¹£u rÄjasu: the ruling class (rÄjanya) will be no better than plunderers (dasyus) because the third-class and fourth-class men will monopolize the affairs of the government. Ignoring the religious principles and brahminical rules and regulations, they will certainly try to plunder the riches of the citizens without consideration. As stated elsewhere in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (12.1.40):

asaá¹ská¹›tÄḥ kriyÄ-hÄ«nÄ
 rajasÄ tamasÄvá¹›tÄḥ
prajÄs te bhaká¹£ayiá¹£yanti
 mlecchÄ rÄjanya-rÅ«piṇaḥ

Being unpurified, neglecting to discharge human duties properly, and being influenced by the modes of passion (rajas) and ignorance (tamas), unclean people (mlecchas), posing as members of the government (rÄjanya-rÅ«piṇaḥ), will swallow the citizens (prÄjas te bhaká¹£ayiá¹£yanti). And in still another place, ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (12.2.7-8) says:

evaá¹ prajÄbhir duṣṭÄbhir
 ÄkÄ«rṇe ká¹£iti-maṇá¸ale
brahma-viá¹­-ká¹£atra-śūdrÄṇÄá¹
 yo balÄ« bhavitÄ ná¹›paḥ
prajÄ hi lubdhai rÄjanyair
 nirghṛṇair dasyu-dharmabhiḥ
Äcchinna-dÄra-draviṇÄ
 yÄsyanti giri-kÄnanam

Human society is naturally grouped into four divisions, as stated in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (cÄtur-varṇyaá¹ mayÄ sṛṣṭaá¹ guṇa-karma-vibhÄgaÅ›aḥ). But if this system is neglected and the qualities and divisions of society are not considered, the result will be brahma-viá¹­-ká¹£atra-śūdrÄṇÄá¹ yo balÄ« bhavitÄ ná¹›paḥ: the so-called caste system of brÄhmaṇa, ká¹£atriya, vaiÅ›ya and śūdra will be meaningless. As a result, whoever somehow or other becomes powerful will be the king or president, and thus the prajÄs, or citizens, will be so harassed that they will give up hearth and home and will go to the forest (yÄsyanti giri-kÄnanam) to escape harassment by government officials who have no mercy and are addicted to the ways of plunderers. Therefore the prajÄs, or the people in general, must take to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, which is the sound incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kali-kÄle nÄma-rÅ«pe kṛṣṇa-avatÄra: Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has now appeared as an incarnation by His holy name. Therefore, when the prajÄs become Kṛṣṇa conscious, they can then expect a good government and good society, a perfect life, and liberation from the bondage of material existence.