Text 8
mamaiveyaṁ mahī kṛtsnā
na te mūḍheti vādinaḥ
spardhamānā mitho ghnanti
mriyante mat-kṛte nṛpāḥ
mama — mine; eva — indeed; iyam — this; mahī — land; kṛtsnā — entire; na — not; te — yours; mūḍha — you fool; iti vādinaḥ — thus speaking; spardhamānāḥ — quarreling; mithaḥ — each other; ghnanti — they kill; mriyante — they are killed; mat-kṛte — for my sake; nṛpāḥ — kings.
“Political leaders challenge one another: ‘All this land is mine! It’s not yours, you fool!’ Thus they attack one another and die.
This verse describes with brilliant clarity the mundane political mentality that provokes innumerable conflicts in the world. For example, as we prepare this translation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, British and Argentine military forces are bitterly fighting over the tiny Falkland Islands.
The fact is that the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of all land. Of course, even in a God-conscious world political boundaries exist. But in such a God-conscious atmosphere political tensions are greatly eased, and people of all lands welcome each other and respect each other’s right to live in peace.