श्वाद: पुल्कसको वापि शुद्ध्येरन् यस्य कीर्तनात् ॥ ८ ॥
तमश्वमेधेन महामखेन
श्रद्धान्वितोऽस्माभिरनुष्ठितेन ।
हत्वापि सब्रह्मचराचरं त्वं
न लिप्यसे किं खलनिग्रहेण ॥ ९ ॥
mātṛ-hācārya-hāghavān
śvādaḥ pulkasako vāpi
śuddhyeran yasya kīrtanāt
śraddhānvito 'smābhir anuṣṭhitena
hatvāpi sabrahma-carācaraṁ tvaṁ
na lipyase kiṁ khala-nigraheṇa
pāpa-nirharaṇe hareḥ
tāvat kartuṁ na śaknoti
pātakaṁ pātakī naraḥ
bahu janme sei pāpī karite nāraya
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye 'nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ
SYNONYMS
brahma-hā—a person who has killed a brāhmaṇa; pitṛ-hā—a person who has killed his father; go-ghnaḥ—a person who has killed a cow; mātṛ-hā—a person who has killed his mother; ācārya-hā—a person who has killed his spiritual master; agha-vān—such a sinful person; śva-adaḥ—a dog-eater; pulkasakaḥ—a caṇḍāla, one who is less than a śūdra; vā—or; api—even; śuddhyeran—may be purified; yasya—of whom (Lord Nārāyaṇa); kīrtanāt—from chanting the holy name; tam—Him; aśvamedhena—by the aśvamedha sacrifice; mahā-makhena—the topmost of all sacrifices; śraddhā-anvitaḥ—endowed with faith; asmābhiḥ—by us; anuṣṭhitena—conducted or managed; hatvā—killing; api—even; sa-brahma-cara-acaram—all the living entities, including the brāhmaṇas; tvam—you; na—not; lipyase—are contaminated; kim—what then; khala-nigraheṇa—by killing one disturbing demon.
TRANSLATION
One who has killed a brāhmaṇa, one who has killed a cow or one who has killed his father, mother or spiritual master can be immediately freed from all sinful reactions simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Nārāyaṇa. Other sinful persons, such as dog-eaters and caṇḍālas, who are less than śūdras, can also be freed in this way. But you are a devotee, and we shall help you by performing the great horse sacrifice. If you please Lord Nārāyaṇa in that way, why should you be afraid? You will be freed even if you kill the entire universe, including the brāhmaṇas, not to speak of killing a disturbing demon like Vṛtrāsura.
PURPORT
It is said in the Bṛhad-viṣṇu Purāṇa:
pāpa-nirharaṇe hareḥ
tāvat kartuṁ na śaknoti
pātakaṁ pātakī naraḥ
bahu janme sei pāpī karite nāraya
These verses name the performers of various sinful deeds. In the Manu-saṁhitā the following names are given. A son begotten by a brāhmaṇa and born from the womb of a śūdra mother is called a pāraśava or niṣāda, a hunter accustomed to stealing. A son begotten by a niṣāda in the womb of a śūdra woman is called a pukkasa. A child begotten by a kṣatriya in the womb of the daughter of a śūdra is called an ugra. A child begotten by a śūdra in the womb of the daughter of a kṣatriya is called a kṣattā. A child begotten by a kṣatriya in the womb of a lower-class woman is called a śvāda, or dog-eater. All such offspring are considered extremely sinful, but the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so strong that all of them can be purified simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
The Hare Kṛṣṇa movement offers everyone a chance to be purified, regardless of birth or family. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.4.18):
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye 'nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ
Herein the sages encourage King Indra to kill Vṛtrāsura even at the risk of brahma-hatyā, the killing of a brāhmaṇa, and they guarantee to release him from sinful reactions by performing an aśvamedha-yajña. Such purposefully devised atonement, however, cannot relieve the performer of sinful acts. This will be seen from the following verse.