Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Twenty-one
Instructions by Mahārāja Pṛthu
SB4.21.1
TEXT 1
maitreya uvāca
mauktikaiḥ kusuma-sragbhir
dukūlaiḥ svarṇa-toraṇaiḥ
mahā-surabhibhir dhūpair
maṇḍitaṁ tatra tatra vai
SYNONYMS
maitreyaḥ uvāca—the great sage Maitreya continued to speak; mauktikaiḥ—with pearls; kusuma—of flowers; sragbhiḥ—with garlands; dukūlaiḥ—cloth; svarṇa—golden; toraṇaiḥ—by gates; mahā-surabhibhiḥ—highly perfumed; dhūpaiḥ—by incense; maṇḍitam—decorated; tatra tatra—here and there; vai—certainly.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Maitreya told Vidura: When the King entered his city, it was very beautifully decorated to receive him with pearls, flower garlands, beautiful cloth and golden gates, and the entire city was perfumed with highly fragrant incense.
PURPORT
Real opulence is supplied by natural gifts such as gold, silver, pearls, valuable stones, fresh flowers, trees and silken cloth. Thus the Vedic civilization recommends opulence and decoration with these natural gifts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such opulence immediately changes the condition of the mind, and the entire atmosphere becomes spiritualized. King Pṛthu’s capital was decorated with such highly opulent decorations.
SB4.21.2 TEXT 2 candanāguru-toyārdra- rathyā-catvara-mārgavat puṣpākṣata-phalais tokmair lājair arcirbhir arcitam SYNONYMS candana—sandalwood; aguru—a kind of fragrant herb; toya—the water of; ārdra—sprinkled with; rathyā—a path for driving a chariot; catvara—small parks; mārgavat—lanes; puṣpa—flowers; akṣata—unbroken; phalaiḥ—by the fruits; tokmaiḥ—minerals; lājaiḥ—wetted grains; arcirbhiḥ—by lamps; arcitam—decorated.
TRANSLATION Fragrant water distilled from sandalwood and aguru herb was sprinkled everywhere on the lanes, roads and small parks throughout the city, and everywhere were decorations of unbroken fruits, flowers, wetted grains, varied minerals, and lamps, all presented as auspicious paraphernalia. SB4.21.3 TEXT 3 savṛndaiḥ kadalī-stambhaiḥ pūga-potaiḥ pariṣkṛtam taru-pallava-mālābhiḥ sarvataḥ samalaṅkṛtam SYNONYMS sa-vṛndaiḥ—along with fruits and flowers; kadalī-stambhaiḥ—by the pillars of banana trees; pūga-potaiḥ—by collections of young animals and by processions of elephants; pariṣkṛtam—very nicely cleansed; taru—young plants; pallava—new leaves of mango trees; mālābhiḥ—by garlands; sarvataḥ—everywhere; samalaṅkṛtam—nicely decorated.
TRANSLATION At the street crossings there were bunches of fruits and flowers, as well as pillars of banana trees and betel nut branches. All these combined decorations everywhere looked very attractive. SB4.21.4 TEXT 4 prajās taṁ dīpa-balibhiḥ sambhṛtāśeṣa-maṅgalaiḥ abhīyur mṛṣṭa-kanyāś ca mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍala-maṇḍitāḥ SYNONYMS prajāḥ—citizens; tam—to him; dīpa-balibhiḥ—with lamps; sambhṛta—equipped with; aśeṣa—unlimited; maṅgalaiḥ—auspicious articles; abhīyuḥ—came forward to welcome; mṛṣṭa—with beautiful bodily luster; kanyāḥ ca—and unmarried girls; mṛṣṭa—colliding with; kuṇḍala—earrings; maṇḍitāḥ—being bedecked with.
TRANSLATION As the King entered the gate of the city, all the citizens received him with many auspicious articles like lamps, flowers and yogurt. The King was also received by many beautiful unmarried girls whose bodies were bedecked with various ornaments, especially with earrings which collided with one another. PURPORT Offerings of natural products such as betel nuts, bananas, newly grown wheat, paddy, yogurt and vermillion, carried by the citizens and scattered throughout the city, are all auspicious paraphernalia, according to Vedic civilization, for receiving a prominent guest like a bridegroom, king or spiritual master. Similarly, a welcome offered by unmarried girls who are internally and externally clean and are dressed in nice garments and ornaments is also auspicious. Kumārī, or unmarried girls untouched by the hand of any member of the opposite sex, are auspicious members of society. Even today in Hindu society the most conservative families do not allow unmarried girls to go out freely or mix with boys. They are very carefully protected by their parents while unmarried, after marriage they are protected by their young husbands, and when elderly they are protected by their children. When thus protected, women as a class remain an always auspicious source of energy to man.
SB4.21.5 TEXT 5 śaṅkha-dundubhi-ghoṣeṇa brahma-ghoṣeṇa cartvijām viveśa bhavanaṁ vīraḥ stūyamāno gata-smayaḥ SYNONYMS śaṅkha—conchshells; dundubhi—kettledrums; ghoṣeṇa—by the sound of; brahma—Vedic; ghoṣeṇa—chanting; ca—also; ṛtvijām—of the priests; viveśa—entered; bhavanam—the palace; vīraḥ—the King; stūyamānaḥ—being worshiped; gata-smayaḥ—without pride.
TRANSLATION When the King entered the palace, conchshells and kettledrums were sounded, priests chanted Vedic mantras, and professional reciters offered different prayers. But in spite of all this ceremony to welcome him, the King was not the least bit affected. PURPORT The reception given to the King was full of opulence, yet he did not become proud. It is said, therefore, that great personalities of power and opulence never become proud, and the example is given that a tree which is full of fruits and flowers does not stand erect in pride but instead bends downwards to show submissiveness. This is a sign of the wonderful character of great personalities.
SB4.21.6 TEXT 6 pūjitaḥ pūjayām āsa tatra tatra mahā-yaśāḥ paurāñ jānapadāṁs tāṁs tān prītaḥ priya-vara-pradaḥ SYNONYMS pūjitaḥ—being worshiped; pūjayām āsa—offered worship; tatra tatra—here and there; mahā-yaśāḥ—with a background of great activities; paurān—the noble men of the city; jāna-padān—common citizens; tān tān—in that way; prītaḥ—being satisfied; priya-vara-pradaḥ—was ready to offer them all benediction.
TRANSLATION Both the important citizens and the common citizens welcomed the King very heartily, and he also bestowed upon them their desired blessings. PURPORT A responsible king was always approachable by his citizens. Generally the citizens, great and common, all had an aspiration to see the king and take benediction from him. The king knew this, and therefore whenever he met the citizens he immediately fulfilled their desires or mitigated their grievances. In such dealings, a responsible monarchy is better than a so-called democratic government in which no one is responsible to mitigate the grievances of the citizens, who are unable to personally meet the supreme executive head. In a responsible monarchy the citizens had no grievances against the government, and even if they did, they could approach the king directly for immediate satisfaction.
SB4.21.7 TEXT 7 sa evam ādīny anavadya-ceṣṭitaḥ karmāṇi bhūyāṁsi mahān mahattamaḥ kurvan śaśāsāvani-maṇḍalaṁ yaśaḥ sphītaṁ nidhāyāruruhe paraṁ padam SYNONYMS saḥ—King Pṛthu; evam—thus; ādīni—from the very beginning; anavadya—magnanimous; ceṣṭitaḥ—performing various works; karmāṇi—work; bhūyāṁsi—repeatedly; mahān—great; mahat-tamaḥ—greater than the greatest; kurvan—performing; śaśāsa—ruled; avani-maṇḍalam—the surface of the earth; yaśaḥ—reputation; sphītam—widespread; nidhāya—achieving; āruruhe—was elevated; param padam—to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION King Pṛthu was greater than the greatest soul and was therefore worshipable by everyone. He performed many glorious activities in ruling over the surface of the world and was always magnanimous. After achieving such great success and a reputation which spread throughout the universe, he at last obtained the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. PURPORT A responsible king or chief executive has many responsible duties to attend to in ruling over the citizens. The most important duty of the monarch or the government is to perform various sacrifices as enjoined in the Vedic literatures. The next duty of the king is to see that every citizen executes the prescribed duties for his particular community. It is the king’s duty to see that everyone perfectly executes the duties prescribed for the varṇa and āśrama divisions of society. Besides that, as exemplified by King Pṛthu, he must develop the earth for the greatest possible production of food grains.
There are different types of great personalities—some are positive great personalities, some comparative and some superlative—but King Pṛthu exceeded all of them. He is therefore described here as mahattamaḥ, greater than the greatest. Mahārāja Pṛthu was a kṣatriya, and he discharged his kṣatriya duties perfectly. Similarly, brāhmaṇas, vaiśyas and śūdras can discharge their respective duties perfectly and thus at the ultimate end of life be promoted to the transcendental world, which is called paraṁ padam. Paraṁ padam, or the Vaikuṇṭha planets, can be achieved only by devotional service. The impersonal Brahman region is also called paraṁ padam, but unless one is attached to the personality of Godhead one must again fall down to the material world from the impersonal paraṁ padam situation. It is said, therefore, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ: [SB 10.2.32] the impersonalists endeavor very strenuously to achieve the paraṁ padam, or impersonal brahmajyoti, but unfortunately, being bereft of a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they come down again to the material world. If one flies in outer space, he can go very high up, but unless he reaches a planet he must come down again to earth. Similarly, because the impersonalists who reach the paraṁ padam of the impersonal brahmajyoti do not enter into the Vaikuṇṭha planets, they come down again to this material world and are given shelter in one of the material planets. Although they may attain Brahmaloka, or Satyaloka, all such planets are situated in the material world.
SB4.21.8 TEXT 8 sūta uvāca tad ādi-rājasya yaśo vijṛmbhitaṁ guṇair aśeṣair guṇavat-sabhājitam kṣattā mahā-bhāgavataḥ sadaspate kauṣāraviṁ prāha gṛṇantam arcayan SYNONYMS sūtaḥ uvāca—Sūta Gosvāmī said; tat—that; ādi-rājasya—of the original king; yaśaḥ—reputation; vijṛmbhitam—highly qualified; guṇaiḥ—by qualities; aśeṣaiḥ—unlimited; guṇa-vat—fittingly; sabhājitam—being praised; kṣattā—Vidura; mahā-bhāgavataḥ—the great saintly devotee; sadaḥ-pate—leader of the great sages; kauṣāravim—unto Maitreya; prāha—said; gṛṇantam—while talking; arcayan—offering all respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION Sūta Gosvāmī continued: O Śaunaka, leader of the great sages, after hearing Maitreya speak about the various activities of King Pṛthu, the original king, who was fully qualified, glorified and widely praised all over the world, Vidura, the great devotee, very submissively worshiped Maitreya Ṛṣi and asked him the following question. SB4.21.9 TEXT 9 vidura uvāca so ’bhiṣiktaḥ pṛthur viprair labdhāśeṣa-surārhaṇaḥ bibhrat sa vaiṣṇavaṁ tejo bāhvor yābhyāṁ dudoha gām SYNONYMS viduraḥ uvāca—Vidura said; saḥ—he (King Pṛthu); abhiṣiktaḥ—when enthroned; pṛthuḥ—King Pṛthu; vipraiḥ—by the great sages and brāhmaṇas; labdha—achieved; aśeṣa—innumerable; sura-arhaṇaḥ—presentations by the demigods; bibhrat—expanding; saḥ—he; vaiṣṇavam—who has received through Lord Viṣṇu; tejaḥ—strength; bāhvoḥ—arms; yābhyām—by which; dudoha—exploited; gām—the earth.
TRANSLATION Vidura said: My dear brāhmaṇa Maitreya, it is very enlightening to understand that King Pṛthu was enthroned by the great sages and brāhmaṇas. All the demigods presented him with innumerable gifts, and he also expanded his influence upon personally receiving strength from Lord Viṣṇu. Thus he greatly developed the earth. PURPORT Because Pṛthu Mahārāja was an empowered incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu and was naturally a great Vaiṣṇava devotee of the Lord, all the demigods were pleased with him and presented different gifts to help him in exercising his royal power, and the great sages and saintly persons also joined in his coronation. Thus blessed by them, he ruled over the earth and exploited its resources for the greatest satisfaction of the people in general. This has already been explained in the previous chapters regarding the activities of King Pṛthu. As will be apparent from the next verse, every executive head of state should follow in the footsteps of Mahārāja Pṛthu in ruling over his kingdom. Regardless of whether the chief executive is a king or president, or whether the government is monarchical or democratic, this process is so perfect that if it is followed, everyone will become happy, and thus it will be very easy for all to execute devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB4.21.10 TEXT 10 ko nv asya kīrtiṁ na śṛṇoty abhijño yad-vikramocchiṣṭam aśeṣa-bhūpāḥ lokāḥ sa-pālā upajīvanti kāmam adyāpi tan me vada karma śuddham SYNONYMS kaḥ—who; nu—but; asya—King Pṛthu; kīrtim—glorious activities; na śṛṇoti—does not hear; abhijñaḥ—intelligent; yat—his; vikrama—chivalry; ucchiṣṭam—remnants; aśeṣa—innumerable; bhūpāḥ—kings; lokāḥ—planets; sa-pālāḥ—with their demigods; upajīvanti—execute livelihood; kāmam—desired objects; adya api—up to that; tat—that; me—unto me; vada—please speak; karma—activities; śuddham—auspicious.
TRANSLATION Pṛthu Mahārāja was so great in his activities and magnanimous in his method of ruling that all the kings and demigods on the various planets still follow in his footsteps. Who is there who will not try to hear about his glorious activities? I wish to hear more and more about Pṛthu Mahārāja because his activities are so pious and auspicious. PURPORT Saint Vidura’s purpose in hearing about Pṛthu Mahārāja over and over again was to set an example for ordinary kings and executive heads, who should all be inclined to hear repeatedly about Pṛthu Mahārāja’s activities in order to also be able to rule over their kingdoms or states very faithfully for the peace and prosperity of the people in general. Unfortunately, at the present moment no one cares to hear about Pṛthu Mahārāja or to follow in his footsteps; therefore no nation in the world is either happy or progressive in spiritual understanding, although that is the sole aim and objective of human life.
SB4.21.11 TEXT 11 maitreya uvāca gaṅgā-yamunayor nadyor antarā kṣetram āvasan ārabdhān eva bubhuje bhogān puṇya-jihāsayā SYNONYMS maitreyaḥ uvāca—the great saint Maitreya said; gaṅgā—the River Ganges; yamunayoḥ—of the River Yamunā; nadyoḥ—of the two rivers; antarā—between; kṣetram—the land; āvasan—living there; ārabdhān—destined; eva—like; bubhuje—enjoyed; bhogān—fortunes; puṇya—pious activities; jihāsayā—for the purpose of diminishing.
TRANSLATION The great saintly sage Maitreya told Vidura: My dear Vidura, King Pṛthu lived in the tract of land between the two great rivers Ganges and Yamunā. Because he was very opulent, it appeared that he was enjoying his destined fortune in order to diminish the results of his past pious activities. PURPORT The terms “pious” and “impious” are applicable only in reference to the activities of an ordinary living being. But Mahārāja Pṛthu was a directly empowered incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu; therefore he was not subject to the reactions of pious or impious activities. As we have already explained previously, when a living being is specifically empowered by the Supreme Lord to act for a particular purpose, he is called a śaktyāveśa-avatāra. Pṛthu Mahārāja was not only a śaktyāveśa-avatāra but also a great devotee. A devotee is not subjected to the reactions resulting from past deeds. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām: [Bs. 5.54] for devotees the results of past pious and impious activities are nullified by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The words ārabdhān eva mean “as if achieved by past deeds,” but in the case of Pṛthu Mahārāja there was no question of reaction to past deeds, and thus the word eva is used here to indicate comparison to ordinary persons. In Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. This means that sometimes people misunderstand an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be an ordinary man. The Supreme Godhead, His incarnations or His devotees may pose themselves as ordinary men, but they are never to be considered as such. Nor should an ordinary man not supported by authorized statements of the śāstras and ācāryas be accepted as an incarnation or devotee. By the evidence of śāstra, Sanātana Gosvāmī detected Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be a direct incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although Lord Caitanya never disclosed the fact. It is therefore generally recommended that the ācārya, or guru, should not be accepted as an ordinary man.
SB4.21.12 TEXT 12 sarvatrāskhalitādeśaḥ sapta-dvīpaika-daṇḍa-dhṛk anyatra brāhmaṇa-kulād anyatrācyuta-gotrataḥ SYNONYMS sarvatra—everywhere; askhalita—irrevocable; ādeśaḥ—order; sapta-dvīpa—seven islands; eka—one; daṇḍa-dhṛk—the ruler who holds the scepter; anyatra—except; brāhmaṇa-kulāt—brāhmaṇas and saintly persons; anyatra—except; acyuta-gotrataḥ—descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Vaiṣṇavas).
TRANSLATION Mahārāja Pṛthu was an unrivaled king and possessed the scepter for ruling all the seven islands on the surface of the globe. No one could disobey his irrevocable orders but the saintly persons, the brāhmaṇas and the descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead [the Vaiṣṇavas]. PURPORT Sapta-dvīpa refers to the seven great islands or continents on the surface of the globe: (1) Asia, (2) Europe, (3) Africa, (4) North America, (5) South America, (6) Australia and (7) Oceania. In the modern age people are under the impression that during the Vedic period or the prehistoric ages America and many other parts of the world had not been discovered, but that is not a fact. Pṛthu Mahārāja ruled over the world many thousands of years before the so-called prehistoric age, and it is clearly mentioned here that in those days not only were all the different parts of the world known, but they were ruled by one king, Mahārāja Pṛthu. The country where Pṛthu Mahārāja resided must have been India because it is stated in the eleventh verse of this chapter that he lived in the tract of land between the rivers Ganges and Yamunā. This tract of land, which is called Brahmāvarta, consists of what is known in the modern age as portions of Punjab and northern India. It is clear that the kings of India once ruled all the world and that their culture was Vedic.
The word askhalita indicates that orders by the king could not be disobeyed by anyone in the entire world. Such orders, however, were never issued to control saintly persons or the descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. The Supreme Lord is known as Acyuta, and Lord Kṛṣṇa is addressed as such by Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā (senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me ’cyuta). Acyuta refers to one who does not fall because He is never influenced by the modes of material nature. When a living entity falls down to the material world from his original position, he becomes cyuta, which means that he forgets his relationship with Acyuta. Actually every living entity is a part and parcel, or a son, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When influenced by the modes of material nature, a living entity forgets this relationship and thinks in terms of different species of life; but when he again comes to his original consciousness, he does not observe such bodily designations. This is indicated in Bhagavad-gītā (5.18) by the words paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.
Material designations create differentiation in terms of caste, color, creed, nationality, etc. Different gotras, or family designations, are distinctions in terms of the material body, but when one comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness he immediately becomes one of the Acyuta-gotra, or descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus becomes transcendental to all considerations of caste, creed, color and nationality.
Pṛthu Mahārāja had no control over the brāhmaṇa-kula, which refers to the learned scholars in Vedic knowledge, nor over the Vaiṣṇavas, who are above the considerations of Vedic knowledge. It is therefore said:
arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhir “One who thinks the Deity in the temple to be made of wood or stone, who thinks of the spiritual master in the disciplic succession as an ordinary man, who thinks the Vaiṣṇava in the Acyuta-gotra to belong to a certain caste or creed or who thinks of caraṇāmṛta or Ganges water as ordinary water is taken to be a resident of hell.” (Padma Purāṇa)
From the facts presented in this verse, it appears that people in general should be controlled by a king until they come to the platform of Vaiṣṇavas and brāhmaṇas, who are not under the control of anyone. Brāhmaṇa refers to one who knows Brahman, or the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth, and a Vaiṣṇava is one who serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB4.21.13 TEXT 13 ekadāsīn mahā-satra- dīkṣā tatra divaukasām samājo brahmarṣīṇāṁ ca rājarṣīṇāṁ ca sattama SYNONYMS ekadā—once upon a time; āsīt—took a vow; mahā-satra—great sacrifice; dīkṣā—initiation; tatra—in that function; diva-okasām—of the demigods; samājaḥ—assembly; brahma-ṛṣīṇām—of great saintly brāhmaṇas; ca—also; rāja-ṛṣīṇām—of great saintly kings; ca—also; sat-tama—the greatest of devotees.
TRANSLATION Once upon a time King Pṛthu initiated the performance of a very great sacrifice in which great saintly sages, brāhmaṇas, demigods from higher planetary systems and great saintly kings known as rājarṣis all assembled together. PURPORT In this verse the most significant point is that although King Pṛthu’s residential quarters were in India, between the rivers Ganges and Yamunā, the demigods also participated in the great sacrifice he performed. This indicates that formerly the demigods used to come to this planet. Similarly, great personalities like Arjuna, Yudhiṣṭhira and many others used to visit higher planetary systems. Thus there was interplanetary communication via suitable airplanes and space vehicles.
SB4.21.14 TEXT 14 tasminn arhatsu sarveṣu sv-arciteṣu yathārhataḥ utthitaḥ sadaso madhye tārāṇām uḍurāḍ iva SYNONYMS tasmin—in that great meeting; arhatsu—of all those who are worshipable; sarveṣu—all of them; su-arciteṣu—being worshiped according to their respective positions; yathā-arhataḥ—as they deserved; utthitaḥ—stood up; sadasaḥ—amongst the assembly members; madhye—within the midst; tārāṇām—of the stars; uḍu-rāṭ—the moon; iva—like.
TRANSLATION In that great assembly, Mahārāja Pṛthu first of all worshiped all the respectable visitors according to their respective positions. After this, he stood up in the midst of the assembly, and it appeared that the full moon had arisen amongst the stars. PURPORT According to the Vedic system, the reception of great, exalted personalities, as arranged by Pṛthu Mahārāja in that great sacrificial arena, is very important. The first procedure in receiving guests is to wash their feet, and it is learned from Vedic literature that one time when Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira performed a rājasūya-yajña, Kṛṣṇa took charge of washing the feet of the visitors. Similarly, Mahārāja Pṛthu also arranged for the proper reception of the demigods, the saintly sages, the brāhmaṇas and the great kings.
SB4.21.15 TEXT 15 prāṁśuḥ pīnāyata-bhujo gauraḥ kañjāruṇekṣaṇaḥ sunāsaḥ sumukhaḥ saumyaḥ pīnāṁsaḥ sudvija-smitaḥ SYNONYMS prāṁśuḥ—very tall; pīna-āyata—full and broad; bhujaḥ—arms; gauraḥ—fair-complexioned; kañja—lotuslike; aruṇa-īkṣaṇaḥ—with bright eyes resembling a morning sunrise; su-nāsaḥ—straight nose; su-mukhaḥ—with a beautiful face; saumyaḥ—of a grave bodily stature; pīna-aṁsaḥ—shoulders raised; su—beautiful; dvija—teeth; smitaḥ—smiling.
TRANSLATION King Pṛthu’s body was tall and sturdy, and his complexion was fair. His arms were full and broad and his eyes as bright as the rising sun. His nose was straight, his face very beautiful and his personality grave. His teeth were set beautifully in his smiling face. PURPORT Amongst the four social orders (brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras), the kṣatriyas, both men and women, are generally very beautiful. As will be apparent from the following verses, it is to be concluded that not only were Mahārāja Pṛthu’s bodily features attractive, as described here, but he had specific all-auspicious signs in his bodily construction.
As it is said, “The face is the index of the mind.” One’s mental constitution is exhibited by his facial features. The bodily features of a particular person are exhibited in accordance with his past deeds, for according to one’s past deeds, his next bodily features—whether in human society, animal society or demigod society—are determined. This is proof of the transmigration of the soul through different types of bodies.
SB4.21.16 TEXT 16 vyūḍha-vakṣā bṛhac-chroṇir vali-valgu-dalodaraḥ āvarta-nābhir ojasvī kāñcanorur udagra-pāt SYNONYMS vyūḍha—broad; vakṣāḥ—chest; bṛhat-śroṇiḥ—thick waist; vali—wrinkles; valgu—very beautiful; dala—like a leaf of a banyan tree; udaraḥ—abdomen; āvarta—coiled; nābhiḥ—navel; ojasvī—lustrous; kāñcana—golden; uruḥ—thighs; udagra-pāt—arched instep.
TRANSLATION The chest of Mahārāja Pṛthu was very broad, his waist was very thick, and his abdomen, wrinkled by lines of skin, resembled in construction a leaf of a banyan tree. His navel was coiled and deep, his thighs were of a golden hue, and his instep was arched. SB4.21.17 TEXT 17 sūkṣma-vakrāsita-snigdha- mūrdhajaḥ kambu-kandharaḥ mahā-dhane dukūlāgrye paridhāyopavīya ca SYNONYMS sūkṣma—very fine; vakra—curly; asita—black; snigdha—slick; mūrdhajaḥ—hair on the head; kambu—like a conch; kandharaḥ—neck; mahā-dhane—very valuable; dukūla-agrye—dressed with a dhotī; paridhāya—on the upper portion of the body; upavīya—placed like a sacred thread; ca—also.
TRANSLATION The black, slick hair on his head was very fine and curly, and his neck, like a conchshell, was decorated with auspicious lines. He wore a very valuable dhotī, and there was a nice wrapper on the upper part of his body. SB4.21.18 TEXT 18 vyañjitāśeṣa-gātra-śrīr niyame nyasta-bhūṣaṇaḥ kṛṣṇājina-dharaḥ śrīmān kuśa-pāṇiḥ kṛtocitaḥ SYNONYMS vyañjita—indicating; aśeṣa—innumerable; gātra—bodily; śrīḥ—beauty; niyame—regulated; nyasta—given up; bhūṣaṇaḥ—garments; kṛṣṇa—black; ajina—skin; dharaḥ—putting on; śrīmān—beautiful; kuśa-pāṇiḥ—having kuśa grass on the fingers; kṛta—performed; ucitaḥ—as it is required.
TRANSLATION As Mahārāja Pṛthu was being initiated to perform the sacrifice, he had to leave aside his valuable dress, and therefore his natural bodily beauty was visible. It was very pleasing to see him put on a black deerskin and wear a ring of kuśa grass on his finger, for this increased the natural beauty of his body. It appears that Mahārāja Pṛthu observed all the regulative principles before he performed the sacrifice. SB4.21.19 TEXT 19 śiśira-snigdha-tārākṣaḥ samaikṣata samantataḥ ūcivān idam urvīśaḥ sadaḥ saṁharṣayann iva SYNONYMS śiśira—dew; snigdha—wet; tārā—stars; akṣaḥ—eyes; samaikṣata—glanced over; samantataḥ—all around; ūcivān—began to speak; idam—this; urvīśaḥ—highly elevated; sadaḥ—amongst the members of the assembly; saṁharṣayan—enhancing their pleasure; iva—like.
TRANSLATION Just to encourage the members of the assembly and to enhance their pleasure, King Pṛthu glanced over them with eyes that seemed like stars in a sky wet with dew. He then spoke to them in a great voice. SB4.21.20 TEXT 20 cāru citra-padaṁ ślakṣṇaṁ mṛṣṭaṁ gūḍham aviklavam sarveṣām upakārārthaṁ tadā anuvadann iva SYNONYMS cāru—beautiful; citra-padam—flowery; ślakṣṇam—very clear; mṛṣṭam—very great; gūḍham—meaningful; aviklavam—without any doubt; sarveṣām—for all; upakāra-artham—just to benefit them; tadā—at that time; anuvadan—began to repeat; iva—like.
TRANSLATION Mahārāja Pṛthu’s speech was very beautiful, full of metaphorical language, clearly understandable and very pleasing to hear. His words were all grave and certain. It appears that when he spoke, he expressed his personal realization of the Absolute Truth in order to benefit all who were present. PURPORT Mahārāja Pṛthu was beautiful in his external bodily features, and his speech was also very glorious in all respects. His words, which were nicely composed in highly metaphorical ornamental language, were pleasing to hear and were not only mellow but also very clearly understandable and without doubt or ambiguity.
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