SB 1.7.37
तद्वधस्तस्य हि श्रेयो यद्दोषाद्यात्यधः पुमान् ॥ ३७ ॥
tad-vadhas tasya hi śreyo yad-doṣād yāty adhaḥ pumān
Synonyms
tat-vadhaḥ — to kill him [as a form of punishment (daṇḍa-rūpaḥ)143]; aghṛṇaḥ — the merciless [niṣkṛpāvān144]; khalaḥ — [and] wicked person [durātmā145]; yaḥ — who; prapuṣṇāti — sustains; sva-prāṇān — his own life; para-prāṇaiḥ — by taking the lives of others [by endangering the lives of others through violence (pareṣāṁ para-prāṇaiḥ prāṇa-saṅkaṭaiḥ himsābhiḥ)146]; hi — [is] indeed; tasya — for his own; śreyaḥ — ultimate good [puruṣārthaḥ]; yat — because [yataḥ]; pumān — the person; [anyathā147] yāti — would otherwise spiral [patati148]; adhaḥ — downward; doṣāt — as a consequence of his fault [of not undergoing atonement through appropriate punishment (daṇḍa-prāyaścitta-rahitāt)].
Translation
To kill a merciless and wicked person who sustains his own life by taking the lives of others is indeed for his own ultimate good, because the person would otherwise spiral downward as a consequence of his fault.