The most sinful activity, according to Vedic information—to kill a child, to kill a woman, to kill a brāhmaṇa and to kill a cow. This is very abominable, punishful. Child, brāhmaṇa, cow and woman, they are to be given protection by the laws of Vedic instruction. They have to be protected. So this should be very carefully done. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnām (SB 1.4.25). Strī, they are considered either as innocent as the child or as innocent as the animal. So they should be given always protection. So here it is said that tasmāt puraiva āśu iha pāpa-niṣkṛtau. Very busy. We do not know when is, when we shall die. But we must know we have committed so many sinful activities; therefore before the next death, yateta mṛtyor avipadyatātmanā. Mṛtyu: we have to die. Before death, we have to make the atonement. "Otherwise," Parīkṣit Mahārāja . . . Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "as I have already described the different position of hellish condition of life, one has to suffer." And how it will be done? Doṣasya dṛṣṭvā lāghu . . . guru-lāghavaṁ yathā. There are degrees. The first degree sinful activity, I have already said. There are different degrees. So as the physician . . . the example is given that bhiṣak cikitseta rujāṁ nidānavit. Bhiṣak means physician. You have got some pain, disease, ailments. He gives you . . . suppose you are suffering, so he sees that "This suffering is not very serious. All right, you take this tablet," what is called? Anacin? "And you will be relived." But if he has got a big boil, and it has got pus and bad blood . . .
(break). . .decided in India still there is the system. Now everything is gone practically. But still the Vedic system is there that if one has committed . . . they are always conscious, the mass of people, not the so-called educated men, that "In the śāstra it is said that this is sinful."