Sacred Texts
Mahānirvāṇa Tantra cover

॥ श्री ॥tantraFor reading

Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 11.142

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Verses
2517
Minutes
1258
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 11 · Verse 142

मृगयायां वैधपशुवधे दोषाभावःNo fault in lawful killing in the hunt

Verse 142

पशुमीनाण्डजान्निघ्नन् मृगयायां महीपतिः । न पापार्हो भवेद्देवि राज्ञो धर्मः सनातनः ॥ १४२ ॥

paśumīnāṇḍajānnighnan mṛgayāyāṁ mahīpatiḥ | na pāpārhō bhavēddēvi rājñō dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ || 142 ||

Translation

A king who kills animals, fish and birds in the hunt incurs no sin, O Goddess: it is the king's eternal dharma.

Word by word

paśu
animals
mīna
fish
aṇḍajān
and birds
nighnan
(nighnan) killing
mṛgayāyāṁ
in the hunt
mahīpatiḥ
(mahīpatiḥ) a king
na
no
pāpa
sin
arhaḥ
(arhaḥ) incurs
bhavēt
is
dēvi
O Goddess
rājñaḥ
(rājñaḥ) of the king
dharmaḥ
(dharmaḥ) dharma
sanātanaḥ
(sanātanaḥ) eternal

Meaning

Hunting is allowed to kings.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

But does a king who kills deer, fish and the like in hunting incur the sin caused by killing deer and the like? Answering her question he says "paśu" and the rest. O Devī, a king who kills animals, fish and birds (aṇḍaja, egg-born), deer, tigers, fish and birds, in hunting (mṛgayā) does not deserve sin, since this is the eternal (sanātana), constant, dharma of the king.