# Cc. Madhya 24.272 ## Text > nārada kahe,—"vyādha, ei nā haya āścarya > hari-bhaktye hiṁsā-śūnya haya sādhu-varya ## Synonyms *nārada* *kahe*—Nārada Muni said; *vyādha*—my dear hunter; *ei* *nā* *āścarya*—this is not wonderful for you; *hari*-*bhaktye*—by advancement in devotional service; *hiṁsā*-*śūnya* *haya*—one becomes nonviolent and nonenvious; *sādhu*-*varya*—thus one becomes the best of honest gentlemen. ## Translation **"Nārada Muni said, 'My dear hunter, such behavior is not at all astonishing. A man in devotional service is automatically nonviolent. He is the best of gentlemen.** ## Purport In this verse the word *sādhu-varya* means "the best of gentlemen." At the present moment there are many so-called gentlemen who are expert in killing animals and birds. Nonetheless, these so-called gentlemen profess a type of religion that strictly prohibits killing. According to Nārada Muni and Vedic culture, animal killers are not even gentlemen, to say nothing of being religious men. A religious person, a devotee of the Lord, must be nonviolent. Such is the nature of a religious person. It is contradictory to be violent and at the same time call oneself a religious person. Such hypocrisy is not approved by Nārada Muni and the disciplic succession.