SB 12.6.27 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तस्मात् सत्रमिदं राजन् संस्थीयेताभिचारिकम् । सर्पा अनागसो दग्धा जनैर्दिष्टं हि भुज्यते ॥ २७ ॥

Verse text

tasmāt satram idaṁ rājan saṁsthīyetābhicārikam sarpā anāgaso dagdhā janair diṣṭaṁ hi bhujyate

Synonyms

tasmāt — therefore ; satram — sacrifice ; idam — this ; rājan — O King ; saṁsthīyeta — should be stopped ; ābhicārikam — done with intent to harm ; sarpāḥ — the serpents ; anāgasaḥ — innocent ; dagdhāḥ — burned ; janaiḥ — by persons ; diṣṭam — fate ; hi — indeed ; bhujyate — is suffered .

Translation

Therefore, my dear King, please stop this sacrificial performance, which was initiated with the intent of doing harm to others. Many innocent snakes have already been burned to death. Indeed, all persons must suffer the unforeseen consequences of their past activities.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Therefore, O King, please stop this sacrificial performance, which was initiated with the intent of doing harm to others. Many innocent snakes have already been burned to death, but all creatures must suffer their fate. This sacrifice should be stopped because it is black magic, which condemned and useless (ābhicārikam). The killing of snakes done already is not a sin for you, since all creatures suffer their fate. Even the snakes are experiencing the results of ancient karmas.

Purport

Bṛhaspati here admits that although the snakes appeared to be innocent, by the Lord’s arrangement they were also being punished for previous vicious activities.