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candana—sandalwood; aguru—a kind of fragrant herb; toya—the water of; ardra—sprinkled with; rathya—a path for driving a chariot; catvara—small parks; margavat—lanes; puspa—flowers; aksata—unbroken; phalaih—by the fruits; tokmaih—minerals; lajaih—wetted grains; arcirbhih—by lamps; arcitam—decorated.

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

savrndaih kadali-stambhaih

puga-potaih pariskrtam

taru-pallava-malabhih

sarvatah samalankrtam

SYNONYMS

sa-vrndaih—along with fruits and flowers; kadali-stambhaih—by the pillars of banana trees; puga-potaih—by collections of young animals and by processions of elephants; pariskrtam—very nicely cleansed; taru—young plants; pallava—new leaves of mango trees; malabhih—by garlands; sarvatah—everywhere; samalankrtam—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

prajas tam dipa-balibhih

sambhrtasesa-mangalaih

abhiyur mrsta-kanyas ca

mrsta-kundala-manditah

SYNONYMS

prajah—citizens; tam—to him; dipa-balibhih—with lamps; sambhrta—equipped with; asesa—unlimited; mangalaih—auspicious articles; abhiyuh—came forward to welcome; mrsta—with beautiful bodily luster; kanyah ca—and unmarried girls; mrsta—colliding with; kundala—earrings; manditah—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. Kumari, 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

sankha-dundubhi-ghosena

brahma-ghosena cartvijam

vivesa bhavanam virah

stuyamano gata-smayah

sankha—conchshells; dundubhi—kettledrums; ghosena—by the sound of; brahma—Vedic; ghosena—chanting; ca—also; rtvijam—of the priests; vivesa—entered; bhavanam—the palace; virah—the King; stuyamanah—being worshiped; gata-smayah—without pride.

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.

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

pujitah pujayam asa

tatra tatra maha-yasah

pauran janapadams tams tan

pritah priya-vara-pradah

pujitah—being worshiped; pujayam asa—offered worship; tatra tatra—here and there; maha-yasah—with a background of great activities; pauran—the noble men of the city; jana-padan—common citizens; tan tan—in that way; pritah—being satisfied; priya-vara-pradah—was ready to offer them all benediction.

Both the important citizens and the common citizens welcomed the King very heartily, and he also bestowed upon them their desired blessings.

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 adiny anavadya-cestitah

karmani bhuyamsi mahan mahattamah

kurvan sasasavani-mandalam yasah

sphitam nidhayaruruhe param padam

sah—King Prthu; evam—thus; adini—from the very beginning; anavadya—magnanimous; cestitah—performing various works; karmani—work; bhuyamsi—repeatedly; mahan—great; mahat-tamah—greater than the greatest; kurvan—performing; sasasa—ruled; avani-mandalam—the surface of the earth; yasah—reputation; sphitam—widespread; nidhaya—achieving; aruruhe—was elevated; param padam—to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.

King Prthu 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.

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 varna and asrama divisions of society. Besides that, as exemplified by King Prthu, 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 Prthu exceeded all of them. He is therefore described here as mahattamah, greater than the greatest. Maharaja Prthu was a ksatriya, and he discharged his ksatriya duties perfectly. Similarly, brahmanas, vaisyas and sudras can discharge their respective duties perfectly and thus at the ultimate end of life be promoted to the transcendental world, which is called param padam. Param padam, or the Vaikuntha planets, can be achieved only by devotional service. The impersonal Brahman region is also called param padam, but unless one is attached to the personality of Godhead one must again fall down to the material world from the impersonal param padam situation. It is said, therefore, aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah: [SB 10.2.32] the impersonalists endeavor very strenuously to achieve the param 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 param padam of the impersonal brahmajyoti do not enter into the Vaikuntha 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

suta uvaca

tad adi-rajasya yaso vijrmbhitam

gunair asesair gunavat-sabhajitam

ksatta maha-bhagavatah sadaspate

kausaravim praha grnantam arcayan

sutah uvaca—Suta Gosvami said; tat—that; adi-rajasya—of the original king; yasah—reputation; vijrmbhitam—highly qualified; gunaih—by qualities; asesaih—unlimited; guna-vat—fittingly; sabhajitam—being praised; ksatta—Vidura; maha-bhagavatah—the great saintly devotee; sadah-pate—leader of the great sages; kausaravim—unto Maitreya; praha—said; grnantam—while talking; arcayan—offering all respectful obeisances.

Suta Gosvami continued: O Saunaka, leader of the great sages, after hearing Maitreya speak about the various activities of King Prthu, the original king, who was fully qualified, glorified and widely praised all over the world, Vidura, the great devotee, very submissively worshiped Maitreya Rsi and asked him the following question.

SB4.21.9

TEXT 9

vidura uvaca

so ’bhisiktah prthur viprair

labdhasesa-surarhanah

bibhrat sa vaisnavam tejo

bahvor yabhyam dudoha gam

SYNONYMS

vidurah uvaca—Vidura said; sah—he (King Prthu); abhisiktah—when enthroned; prthuh—King Prthu; vipraih—by the great sages and brahmanas; labdha—achieved; asesa—innumerable; sura-arhanah—presentations by the demigods; bibhrat—expanding; sah—he; vaisnavam—who has received through Lord Visnu; tejah—strength; bahvoh—arms; yabhyam—by which; dudoha—exploited; gam—the earth.

TRANSLATION

Vidura said: My dear brahmana Maitreya, it is very enlightening to understand that King Prthu was enthroned by the great sages and brahmanas. All the demigods presented him with innumerable gifts, and he also expanded his influence upon personally receiving strength from Lord Visnu. Thus he greatly developed the earth.

PURPORT

Because Prthu Maharaja was an empowered incarnation of Lord Visnu and was naturally a great Vaisnava 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 Prthu. As will be apparent from the next verse, every executive head of state should follow in the footsteps of Maharaja Prthu 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 kirtim na srnoty abhijno

yad-vikramocchistam asesa-bhupah

lokah sa-pala upajivanti kamam

adyapi tan me vada karma suddham

kah—who; nu—but; asya—King Prthu; kirtim—glorious activities; na srnoti—does not hear; abhijnah—intelligent; yat—his; vikrama—chivalry; ucchistam—remnants; asesa—innumerable; bhupah—kings; lokah—planets; sa-palah—with their demigods; upajivanti—execute livelihood; kamam—desired objects; adya api—up to that; tat—that; me—unto me; vada—please speak; karma—activities; suddham—auspicious.

Prthu Maharaja 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 Prthu Maharaja because his activities are so pious and auspicious.

Saint Vidura’s purpose in hearing about Prthu Maharaja over and over again was to set an example for ordinary kings and executive heads, who should all be inclined to hear repeatedly about Prthu Maharaja’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 Prthu Maharaja 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 uvaca

ganga-yamunayor nadyor

antara ksetram avasan

arabdhan eva bubhuje

bhogan punya-jihasaya

maitreyah uvaca—the great saint Maitreya said; ganga—the River Ganges; yamunayoh—of the River Yamuna; nadyoh—of the two rivers; antara—between; ksetram—the land; avasan—living there; arabdhan—destined; eva—like; bubhuje—enjoyed; bhogan—fortunes; punya—pious activities; jihasaya—for the purpose of diminishing.

The great saintly sage Maitreya told Vidura: My dear Vidura, King Prthu lived in the tract of land between the two great rivers Ganges and Yamuna. 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.

sapta-dvipaika-danda-dhrk

The terms “pious” and “impious” are applicable only in reference to the activities of an ordinary living being. But Maharaja Prthu was a directly empowered incarnation of Lord Visnu; 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 saktyavesa-avatara. Prthu Maharaja was not only a saktyavesa-avatara but also a great devotee. A devotee is not subjected to the reactions resulting from past deeds. In the Brahma-samhita it is said, karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam: [Bs. 5.54] for devotees the results of past pious and impious activities are nullified by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The words arabdhan eva mean “as if achieved by past deeds,” but in the case of Prthu Maharaja 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-gita the Lord says, avajananti mam mudhah. 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 sastras and acaryas be accepted as an incarnation or devotee. By the evidence of sastra, Sanatana Gosvami detected Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be a direct incarnation of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although Lord Caitanya never disclosed the fact. It is therefore generally recommended that the acarya, or guru, should not be accepted as an ordinary man.

SB4.21.12

TEXT 12

sarvatraskhalitadesah

anyatra brahmana-kulad

anyatracyuta-gotratah

sarvatra—everywhere; askhalita—irrevocable; adesah—order; sapta-dvipa—seven islands; eka—one; danda-dhrk—the ruler who holds the scepter; anyatra—except; brahmana-kulat—brahmanas and saintly persons; anyatra—except; acyuta-gotratah—descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Vaisnavas).

Maharaja Prthu 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 brahmanas and the descendants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead [the Vaisnavas].

Sapta-dvipa 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. Prthu Maharaja 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, Maharaja Prthu. The country where Prthu Maharaja 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 Yamuna. This tract of land, which is called Brahmavarta, 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, Visnu. The Supreme Lord is known as Acyuta, and Lord Krsna is addressed as such by Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita (senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya 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-gita (5.18) by the words panditah sama-darsinah.

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 Krsna 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.

Prthu Maharaja had no control over the brahmana-kula, which refers to the learned scholars in Vedic knowledge, nor over the Vaisnavas, who are above the considerations of Vedic knowledge. It is therefore said:

arcye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati-buddhir
visnor va vaisnavanam kali-mala-mathane pada-tirthe ’mbu-buddhih
sri-visnor namni mantre sakala-kalusa-he sabda-samanya-buddhir
visnau sarvesvarese tad-itara-sama-dhir yasya va naraki sah

“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 Vaisnava in the Acyuta-gotra to belong to a certain caste or creed or who thinks of caranamrta or Ganges water as ordinary water is taken to be a resident of hell.” (Padma Purana)

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 Vaisnavas and brahmanas, who are not under the control of anyone. Brahmana refers to one who knows Brahman, or the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth, and a Vaisnava is one who serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB4.21.13

TEXT 13

ekadasin maha-satra-

diksa tatra divaukasam

samajo brahmarsinam ca

rajarsinam ca sattama

ekada—once upon a time; asit—took a vow; maha-satra—great sacrifice; diksa—initiation; tatra—in that function; diva-okasam—of the demigods; samajah—assembly; brahma-rsinam—of great saintly brahmanas; ca—also; raja-rsinam—of great saintly kings; ca—also; sat-tama—the greatest of devotees.

Once upon a time King Prthu initiated the performance of a very great sacrifice in which great saintly sages, brahmanas, demigods from higher planetary systems and great saintly kings known as rajarsis all assembled together.

In this verse the most significant point is that although King Prthu’s residential quarters were in India, between the rivers Ganges and Yamuna, 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, Yudhisthira 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 sarvesu

sv-arcitesu yatharhatah

utthitah sadaso madhye

taranam udurad iva

tasmin—in that great meeting; arhatsu—of all those who are worshipable; sarvesu—all of them; su-arcitesu—being worshiped according to their respective positions; yatha-arhatah—as they deserved; utthitah—stood up; sadasah—amongst the assembly members; madhye—within the midst; taranam—of the stars; udu-rat—the moon; iva—like.

In that great assembly, Maharaja Prthu 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.

According to the Vedic system, the reception of great, exalted personalities, as arranged by Prthu Maharaja 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 Maharaja Yudhisthira performed a rajasuya-yajna, Krsna took charge of washing the feet of the visitors. Similarly, Maharaja Prthu also arranged for the proper reception of the demigods, the saintly sages, the brahmanas and the great kings.

SB4.21.15

TEXT 15

pramsuh pinayata-bhujo

gaurah kanjaruneksanah

sunasah sumukhah saumyah

pinamsah sudvija-smitah

pramsuh—very tall; pina-ayata—full and broad; bhujah—arms; gaurah—fair-complexioned; kanja—lotuslike; aruna-iksanah—with bright eyes resembling a morning sunrise; su-nasah—straight nose; su-mukhah—with a beautiful face; saumyah—of a grave bodily stature; pina-amsah—shoulders raised; su—beautiful; dvija—teeth; smitah—smiling.

King Prthu’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.

Amongst the four social orders (brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras), the ksatriyas, 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 Maharaja Prthu’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

vyudha-vaksa brhac-chronir

vali-valgu-dalodarah

avarta-nabhir ojasvi

kancanorur udagra-pat

vyudha—broad; vaksah—chest; brhat-sronih—thick waist; vali—wrinkles; valgu—very beautiful; dala—like a leaf of a banyan tree; udarah—abdomen; avarta—coiled; nabhih—navel; ojasvi—lustrous; kancana—golden; uruh—thighs; udagra-pat—arched instep.