SMB. Animal suffering

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Got it ✅ — you mean the Śrīmad Bhāgavata (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) and King Parīkṣit’s question about animal suffering.

Here’s the context:

The Story

• In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto 1, Chapter 16–17, King Parīkṣit comes across Dharma (in the form of a bull) being beaten by Kali (the personification of Kali-yuga).
• Dharma is standing on one leg (since truth, austerity, mercy, and cleanliness have been weakened in Kali-yuga), and Mother Earth (Bhūmi, in the form of a cow) is crying because her calves (the good qualities and dharma) are lost.
• Parīkṣit asks Dharma (the bull):
  “Who has caused you to suffer? Who has broken your legs? Who is the cause of the suffering of animals and beings in this world?”

The Question of Animal Suffering

Parīkṣit’s inquiry is profound because it raises the theological-philosophical problem of suffering:

1. Is suffering caused by other beings (like Kali or evil-doers)?
2. Is it due to destiny/karma from past actions?
3. Is it caused by one’s own mind and attachments?
4. Or is it by the will of the Supreme Lord?

Dharma’s Reply

• Dharma, the bull, answers very carefully.
• He says: just as an expert judge never accuses anyone without full evidence, he cannot directly point to a single cause.
• Sometimes suffering is caused by other living beings (ādhibhautika), sometimes by natural forces (ādhidaivika), sometimes by one’s own body/mind (ādhyātmika), and ultimately everything is under the will of the Supreme Lord.
• Thus, Dharma acknowledges the complexity of suffering without blaming prematurely.

Philosophical Significance

• The episode reflects on animal suffering as a symbol of dharma’s decline in Kali-yuga.
• It shows that animals, like humans, are subject to karma and the cosmic law of cause and effect.
• Parīkṣit’s concern demonstrates the duty of a righteous king: to protect even animals, not just humans.

✨ In short:

King Parīkṣit’s question in the Bhāgavata about the suffering of the bull (Dharma) is really an inquiry into the problem of evil and suffering. The answer given points to karma, multiple causes, and ultimately divine will.

Would you like me to make a concise answer in exam style (bullet points, short explanation), or a deep-dive philosophical commentary on how the Bhāgavata approaches animal suffering?

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PHILLPNS 

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