SB 10.39.5 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

किं नु न: कुशलं पृच्छे एधमाने कुलामये । कंसे मातुलनाम्नाङ्ग स्वानां नस्तत्प्रजासु च ॥ ५ ॥

Verse text

kiṁ nu naḥ kuśalaṁ pṛcche edhamāne kulāmaye kaṁse mātula-nāmnāṅga svānāṁ nas tat-prajāsu ca

Synonyms

kim — what ; nu — rather ; naḥ — our ; kuśalam — about the well-being ; pṛcche — I should inquire ; edhamāne — when he is prospering ; kula — of our family ; āmaye — the disease ; kaṁse — King Kaṁsa ; mātula — nāmnā — by the name “maternal uncle” ; aṅga — my dear ; svānām — of the relatives ; naḥ — our ; tat — his ; prajāsu — of the citizens ; ca — and .

Translation

But, my dear Akrūra, as long as King Kaṁsa — that disease of our family who goes by the name “maternal uncle” — is still prospering, why should I even bother to ask about the well-being of our family members and his other subjects?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

But, my dear Akrūra, as long as King Kaṁsa—that disease of our family who goes by the name "maternal uncle"—is still prospering, why should I even bother to ask about the well-being of our family members and his other subjects? KB 10.39.5 Kṛṣṇa stated that He was very sorry that His maternal uncle Kaṁsa was the head of the kingdom; He said that Kaṁsa was the greatest anomaly in the whole system of government and that they could not expect any welfare for the citizens while he ruled.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

"Asking about their welfare is not an intelligent question. Oh Akrura (anga), should I ask about the welfare of relatives when Kamsa, the disease of our family, is present?"

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Kṛṣṇa asked if Akrūra was free of disease. Here he reveals the meaning of the question, by stating the Kaṁsa is the disease in the family. When Kaṁsa stops his persecution, Akrūra will be free of disease. He is a maternal uncle in name only since he is actually a disease. He has appeared to create problems within the family, not from outside. It is not a disease afflicting one person, but the whole dynasty. Therefore he should be destroyed. Until this time he was not noticed because he went by the name of “uncle.” Why ask about our family or his subjects (tat-prajāsu)? Or why ask about his followers who are like his younger brothers (tat-prajāsu), who are also prospering?