ŚB 10.54.39

Canto 10, Chapter 54, Text 39

बन्धुर्वधार्हदोषोऽपि न बन्धोर्वधमर्हति ।
त्याज्य: स्वेनैव दोषेण हत: किं हन्यते पुन: ॥ ३९ ॥

bandhur vadhārha-doṣo ’pi
na bandhor vadham arhati
tyājyaḥ svenaiva doṣeṇa
hataḥ kiṁ hanyate punaḥ

Word by word

bandhuḥ — a relative; vadha — being killed; arha — which merits; doṣaḥ — whose wrong-doing; api — even though; na — not; bandhoḥ — from a relative; vadham — being killed; arhati — deserves; tyājyaḥ — to be cast out; svena eva — by his own; doṣeṇa — fault; hataḥ — killed; kim — why; hanyate — is to be killed; punaḥ — again.

Translation

[Again addressing Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma said:] A relative should not be killed even if his wrongdoing warrants capital punishment. Rather, he should be thrown out of the family. Since he has already been killed by his own sin, why kill him again?

Purport

To further encourage Lady Rukmiṇī, Balarāma again emphasizes that Kṛṣṇa should not humiliate Rukmī.