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aham—I; danda-dharah—carrier of the scepter; raja—king; prajanam—of the citizens; iha—in this world; yojitah—engaged; raksita—protector; vrtti-dah—employer; svesu—in their own; setusu—respective social orders; sthapita—established; prthak—differently.

King Prthu continued: By the grace of the Supreme Lord I have been appointed the king of this planet, and I carry the scepter to rule the citizens, protect them from all danger and give them employment according to their respective positions in the social order established by Vedic injunction.

A king is supposed to be appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to look after the interests of his particular planet. On every planet there is a predominating person, just as we now see that in every country there is a president. If one is president or king, it should be understood that this opportunity has been given to him by the Supreme Lord. According to the Vedic system, the king is considered a representative of Godhead and is offered respects by the citizens as God in the human form of life. Actually, according to Vedic information, the Supreme Lord maintains all living entities, and especially human beings, to elevate them to the highest perfection. After many, many births in lower species, when a living entity evolves to the human form of life and in particular to the civilized human form of life, his society must be divided into four gradations, as ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Bhagavad-gita (catur-varnyam maya srstam, etc. [Bg. 4.13]). The four social orders—the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras—are natural divisions of human society, and as declared by Prthu Maharaja, every man in his respective social order must have proper employment for his livelihood. It is the duty of the king or the government to insure that the people observe the social order and that they are also employed in their respective occupational duties. In modern times, since the protection of the government or the king has been withdrawn, social order has practically collapsed. No one knows who is a brahmana, who is a ksatriya, who is a vaisya or who is a sudra, and people claim to belong to a particular social order by birthright only. It is the duty of the government to reestablish social order in terms of occupational duties and the modes of material nature, for that will make the entire world population actually civilized. If it does not observe the institutional functions of the four social orders, human society is no better than animal society in which there is never tranquillity, peace and prosperity but only chaos and confusion. Maharaja Prthu, as an ideal king, strictly observed the maintenance of the Vedic social order.

Prajayate iti praja. The word praja refers to one who takes birth. Therefore Prthu Maharaja guaranteed protection for prajanam—all living entities who took birth in his kingdom. Praja refers not only to human beings but also to animals, trees and every other living entity. It is the duty of the king to give all living entities protection and food. The fools and rascals of modern society have no knowledge of the extent of the responsibility of the government. Animals are also citizens of the land in which they happen to be born, and they also have the right to continue their existence at the cost of the Supreme Lord. The disturbance of the animal population by wholesale slaughter produces a catastrophic future reaction for the butcher, his land and his government.

SB4.21.23

TEXT 23

tasya me tad-anusthanad

yan ahur brahma-vadinah

lokah syuh kama-sandoha

yasya tusyati dista-drk

tasya—his; me—mine; tat—that; anusthanat—by executing; yan—that which; ahuh—is spoken; brahma-vadinah—by the experts in Vedic knowledge; lokah—planets; syuh—become; kama-sandohah—fulfilling one’s desirable objectives; yasya—whose; tusyati—becomes satisfied; dista-drk—the seer of all destiny.

Maharaja Prthu said: I think that upon the execution of my duties as king, I shall be able to achieve the desirable objectives described by experts in Vedic knowledge. This destination is certainly achieved by the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the seer of all destiny.

Maharaja Prthu gives special stress to the word brahma-vadinah (“by the experts in the Vedic knowledge”). Brahma refers to the Vedas, which are also known as sabda-brahma, or transcendental sound. Transcendental sound is not ordinary language, although it appears to be written in ordinary language. Evidence from the Vedic literature should be accepted as final authority. In the Vedic literature there is much information, and of course there is information about the execution of a king’s duty. A responsible king who executes his appointed duty by giving proper protection to all living entities on his planet is promoted to the heavenly planetary system. This is also dependent upon the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. It is not that if one executes his duty properly he is automatically promoted, for promotion depends upon the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It must ultimately be concluded that one can achieve the desired result of his activities upon satisfying the Supreme Lord. This is also confirmed in the First Canto, Second Chapter, of Srimad-Bhagavatam: (SB 1.2.13)

atah pumbhir dvija-srestha
varnasrama-vibhagasah
svanusthitasya dharmasya
samsiddhir hari-tosanam

The perfection of one’s execution of his appointed duties is the ultimate satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. The word kama-sandohah means “achievement of the desired result.” Everyone desires to achieve the ultimate goal of life, but in modern civilization the great scientists think that man’s life has no plan. This gross ignorance is very dangerous and makes civilization very risky. People do not know the laws of nature, which are the rulings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because they are atheists of the first order, they have no faith in the existence of God and His rulings and therefore do not know how nature is working. This gross ignorance of the mass of people, including even the so-called scientists and philosophers, makes life a risky situation in which human beings do not know whether they are making progress in life. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.30), they are simply progressing to the darkest region of material existence. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram. The Krsna consciousness movement has therefore been started to give philosophers, scientists, and people in general the proper knowledge about the destiny of life. Everyone should take advantage of this movement and learn the real goal of life.

SB4.21.24

TEXT 24

ya uddharet karam raja

praja dharmesv asiksayan

prajanam samalam bhunkte

bhagam ca svam jahati sah

yah—anyone (king or governor); uddharet—exact; karam—taxes; raja—king; prajah—the citizens; dharmesu—in executing their respective duties; asiksayan—without teaching them how to execute their respective duties; prajanam—of the citizens; samalam—impious; bhunkte—enjoys; bhagam—fortune; ca—also; svam—own; jahati—gives up; sah—that king.

Any king who does not teach his citizens about their respective duties in terms of varna and asrama but who simply exacts tolls and taxes from them is liable to suffer for the impious activities which have been performed by the citizens. In addition to such degradation, the king also loses his own fortune.

A king, governor or president should not take the opportunity to occupy his post without also discharging his duty. He must teach the people within the state how to observe the divisions of varna and asrama. If a king neglects to give such instructions and is simply satisfied with levying taxes, then those who share in the collection—namely, all the government servants and the head of the state—are liable to share in the impious activities of the general masses. The laws of nature are very subtle. For example, if one eats in a place which is very sinful, he shares in the resultant reaction of the sinful activities performed there. (It is a Vedic system, therefore, for a householder to call brahmanas and Vaisnavas to eat at ceremonial performances in his house because the brahmanas and Vaisnavas can immunize him from sinful activities. But it is not the duty of rigid brahmanas and Vaisnavas to accept invitations everywhere. There is, of course, no objection to taking part in feasts in which prasada is distributed.) There are many subtle laws which are practically unknown to people in general, but the Krsna consciousness movement is very scientifically distributing all this Vedic knowledge for the benefit of the people of the world.

SB4.21.25

TEXT 25

tat praja bhartr-pindartham

svartham evanasuyavah

kurutadhoksaja-dhiyas

tarhi me ’nugrahah krtah

tat—therefore; prajah—my dear citizens; bhartr—of the master; pinda-artham—welfare after death; sva-artham—own interest; eva—certainly; anasuyavah—without being envious; kuruta—just execute; adhoksaja—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dhiyah—thinking of Him; tarhi—therefore; me—unto me; anugrahah—mercy; krtah—being done.

Prthu Maharaja continued: Therefore, my dear citizens, for the welfare of your king after his death, you should execute your duties properly in terms of your positions of varna and asrama and should always think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within your hearts. By doing so, you will protect your own interests, and you will bestow mercy upon your king for his welfare after death.

The words adhoksaja-dhiyah, meaning “Krsna consciousness,” are very important in this verse. The king and citizens should both be Krsna conscious, otherwise both of them will be doomed to lower species of life after death. A responsible government must teach Krsna consciousness very vigorously for the benefit of all. Without Krsna consciousness, neither the state nor the citizens of the state can be responsible. Prthu Maharaja therefore specifically requested the citizens to act in Krsna consciousness, and he was also very anxious to teach them how to become Krsna conscious. A summary of Krsna consciousness is given in Bhagavad-gita (9.27):

yat karosi yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam

“Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you give in charity and whatever penances you undergo should be done in Krsna consciousness, or for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” If all the people of the state, including the government servants, are taught the techniques of spiritual life, then although everyone is liable to be punished in different ways by the stringent laws of material nature, they will not be implicated.

SB4.21.26

TEXT 26

yuyam tad anumodadhvam

pitr-devarsayo ’malah

kartuh sastur anujnatus

tulyam yat pretya tat phalam

yuyam—all you respectable persons who are present here; tat—that; anumodadhvam—kindly approve of my proposal; pitr—persons coming from Pitrloka; deva—persons coming from the heavenly planets; rsayah—great sages and saintly persons; amalah—those who are cleansed of all sinful activities; kartuh—the performer; sastuh—the order-giver; anujnatuh—of the supporter; tulyam—equal; yat—which; pretya—after death; tat—that; phalam—result.

I request all the pure-hearted demigods, forefathers and saintly persons to support my proposal, for after death the result of an action is equally shared by its doer, its director and its supporter.

The government of Prthu Maharaja was perfect because it was administered exactly according to the orders of the Vedic injunctions. Prthu Maharaja has already explained that the chief duty of the government is to see that everyone executes his respective duty and is elevated to the platform of Krsna consciousness. The government should be so conducted that automatically one is elevated to Krsna consciousness. King Prthu therefore wanted his citizens to cooperate fully with him, for if they assented, they would enjoy the same profit as he after death. If Prthu Maharaja, as a perfect king, were elevated to the heavenly planets, the citizens who cooperated by approving of his methods would also be elevated with him. Since the Krsna consciousness movement going on at the present moment is genuine, perfect and authorized and is following in the footsteps of Prthu Maharaja, anyone who cooperates with this movement or accepts its principles will get the same result as the workers who are actively propagating Krsna consciousness.

SB4.21.27

TEXT 27

asti yajna-patir nama

kesancid arha-sattamah

ihamutra ca laksyante

jyotsnavatyah kvacid bhuvah

asti—there must be; yajna-patih—the enjoyer of all sacrifices; nama—of the name; kesancit—in the opinion of some; arha-sattamah—O most respectable; iha—in this material world; amutra—after death; ca—also; laksyante—it is visible; jyotsna-vatyah—powerful, beautiful; kvacit—somewhere; bhuvah—bodies.

My dear respectable ladies and gentlemen, according to the authoritative statements of sastra, there must be a supreme authority who is able to award the respective benefits of our present activities. Otherwise, why should there be persons who are unusually beautiful and powerful both in this life and in the life after death?

Prthu Maharaja’s sole aim in ruling his kingdom was to raise the citizens to the standard of God consciousness. Since there was a great assembly in the arena of sacrifice, there were different types of men present, but he was especially interested in speaking to those who were not atheists. It has already been explained in the previous verses that Prthu Maharaja advised the citizens to become adhoksaja-dhiyah, which means God conscious, or Krsna conscious, and in this verse he specifically presents the authority of sastra, even though his father was a number one atheist who did not abide by the injunctions mentioned in the Vedic sastras, who practically stopped all sacrificial performances and who so disgusted the brahmanas that they not only dethroned him but cursed and killed him. Atheistic men do not believe in the existence of God, and thus they understand everything which is happening in our daily affairs to be due to physical arrangement and chance. Atheists believe in the atheistic Sankhya philosophy of the combination of prakrti and purusa. They believe only in matter and hold that matter under certain conditions of amalgamation gives rise to the living force, which then appears as purusa, the enjoyer; then, by a combination of matter and the living force, the many varieties of material manifestation come into existence. Nor do atheists believe in the injunctions of the Vedas. According to them, all the Vedic injunctions are simply theories that have no practical application in life. Taking all this into consideration, Prthu Maharaja suggested that theistic men will solidly reject the views of the atheists on the grounds that there cannot be many varieties of existence without the plan of a superior intelligence. Atheists very vaguely explain that these varieties of existence occur simply by chance, but the theists who believe in the injunctions of the Vedas must reach all their conclusions under the direction of the Vedas.

In the Visnu Purana it is said that the entire varnasrama institution is meant to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The rules and regulations set up for the execution of the duties of brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras or brahmacaris, grhasthas, vanaprasthas and sannyasis are all meant to satisfy the Supreme Lord. At the present moment, although the so-called brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras have lost their original culture, they claim to be brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras by birthright. Yet they have rejected the proposition that such social and spiritual orders are especially meant for worship of Lord Visnu. The dangerous Mayavada theory set forth by Sankaracarya—that God is impersonal—does not tally with the injunctions of the Vedas. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore described the Mayavadi philosophers as the greatest offenders against the Personality of Godhead. According to the Vedic system, one who does not abide by the orders of the Vedas is called a nastika, or atheist. When Lord Buddha preached his theory of nonviolence, he was obliged to deny the authority of the Vedas, and for this reason he was considered by the followers of the Vedas to be a nastika. But although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu very clearly enunciated that the followers of Lord Buddha’s philosophy are nastikas, or atheists, because of their denial of the authority of the Vedas, He considered the Sankarites, who wanted to establish Vedic authority by trickery and who actually followed the Mayavada philosophy of Buddha’s school, to be more dangerous than the Buddhists themselves. The Sankarite philosophers’ theory that we have to imagine a shape of God is more dangerous than denial of the existence of God. Notwithstanding all the philosophical theorizing by atheists or Mayavadis, the followers of Krsna consciousness rigidly live according to the injunctions given in Bhagavad-gita, which is accepted as the essence of all Vedic scripture. In Bhagavad-gita (18.46) it is said:

yatah pravrttir bhutanam
yena sarvam idam tatam
sva-karmana tam abhyarcya
siddhim vindati manavah

“By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain perfection.” This indicates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original source of everything, as described in the Vedanta-sutra (janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]). The Lord Himself also confirms in Bhagavad-gita, aham sarvasya prabhavah: “I am the origin of everything.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original source of all emanations, and at the same time, as Paramatma, He is spread all over existence. The Absolute Truth is therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and every living being is meant to satisfy the Supreme Godhead by performing his respective duty (sva-karmana tam abhyarcya). Maharaja Prthu wanted to introduce this formula amongst his citizens.

The most important point in human civilization is that while one engages in different occupational duties, he must try to satisfy the Supreme Lord by the execution of such duties. That is the highest perfection of life. Svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam: [SB 1.2.13] by discharging one’s prescribed duty, one can become very successful in life if he simply satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The vivid example is Arjuna. He was a ksatriya, his duty was to fight, and by executing his prescribed duty he satisfied the Supreme Lord and therefore became perfect. Everyone should follow this principle. The atheists, who do not, are condemned in Bhagavad-gita (16.19) by the following statement: tan aham dvisatah kruran samsaresu naradhaman. In this verse it is clearly said that persons who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are the lowest of mankind and are very mischievous. Under the regulative principles of the Supreme, such mischievous persons are thrown into the darkest region of material existence and are born of asuras, or atheists. Birth after birth, such asuras go still further down, finally to animal forms like those of tigers or similar ferocious beasts. Thus for millions of years they have to remain in darkness without knowledge of Krsna.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as Purusottama, or the best of all living entities. He is a person like all other living entities, but He is the leader or the best of all living beings. That is stated in the Vedas also. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. He is the chief of all eternals, the chief of all living entities, and He is complete and full. He has no need to derive benefit by interfering with the affairs of other living entities, but because He is the maintainer of all, He has the right to bring them to the proper standard so that all living entities may become happy. A father wants all of his children to become happy under his direction. Similarly, God, or Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has the right to see that all living entities are happy. There is no possibility of becoming happy within this material world. The father and the sons are eternal, but if a living entity does not come to the platform of his eternal life of bliss and knowledge, there is no question of happiness. Although Purusottama, the best of all living entities, has no benefit to derive from the common living entities, He does have the right to discriminate between their right and wrong ways. The right way is the path of activities meant to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as we have already discussed (svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13]). A living entity may engage in any occupational duty, but if he wants to have perfection in his duties, he must satisfy the Supreme Lord. As such, one who pleases Him gets better facilities for living, but one who displeases Him gets involved in undesirable situations.

It is therefore concluded that there are two kinds of duties—mundane duty and duty performed for the sake of yajna, or sacrifice (yajnarthat karma). Any karma (activity) one performs which is not for the purpose of yajna is a cause of bondage. Yajnarthat karmano’nyatra loko’yam karma-bandhanah: “Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world.” (Bg. 3.9) Karma-bandhanah, or the bondage of karma, is administered under the regulations of the stringent laws of material nature. Material existence is a struggle to conquer the impediments put forth by material nature. The asuras are always fighting to overcome these impediments, and by the illusory power of material nature the foolish living entities work very hard within this material world and take this to be happiness. This is called maya. In that hard struggle for existence, they deny the existence of the supreme authority, Purusottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In order to regulate the activities of the living entities, God has given us codes, just as a king gives codes of law in a state, and whoever breaks the law is punished. Similarly, the Lord has given the infallible knowledge of the Vedas, which are not contaminated by the four defects of human life—namely the tendency to commit mistakes, to be illusioned, to cheat and to have imperfect senses. If we do not take direction from the Vedas but act whimsically according to our own choice, we are sure to be punished by the laws of the Lord, who offers different types of bodies in the 8,400,000 species of forms. Material existence, or the sense gratification process, is conducted according to the type of body we are given by prakrti, or material nature. As such, there must be divisions of pious and impious activities (punya and papa). In Bhagavad-gita (7.28) it is clearly stated:

yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah

“One who has completely surpassed the resultant activities of the impious path of life [this is possible only when one engages exclusively in pious activities] can understand his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus one engages in the Lord’s transcendental loving service.” This life of engaging always in the loving service of the Lord is called adhoksaja-dhiyah, or a life of Krsna consciousness, which King Prthu meant his citizens to follow.

The different varieties of life and of material existence do not come about by chance and necessity; they are different arrangements made by the Supreme Lord in terms of the pious and impious activities of the living entities. By performing pious activities one can take birth in a good family in a good nation, one can get a beautiful body or can become very well educated or very rich. We see, therefore, that in different places and in different planets there are different standards of life, bodily features and educational statuses, all awarded by the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to pious or impious activities. Varieties of life, therefore, develop not by chance but by prearrangement. There is a plan, which is already outlined in the Vedic knowledge. One has to take advantage of this knowledge and mold his life in such a way that at the end, especially in the human form of life, he may go back home, back to Godhead, by practicing Krsna consciousness.

The theory of chance can best be explained in the Vedic literature by the words ajnata-sukrti, which refer to pious activities performed without the actor’s knowledge. But these are also planned. For example, Krsna comes like an ordinary human being, He comes as a devotee like Lord Caitanya, or He sends His representative, the spiritual master, or pure devotee. This is also the planned activity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They come to canvass and educate, and thus a person in the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord gets a chance to mix with them, talk with them and take lessons from them, and somehow or other if a conditioned soul surrenders to such personalities and by intimate association with them chances to become Krsna conscious, he is saved from the material conditions of life. Krsna therefore instructs:

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Bg. 18.66) The word sarva-papebhyah means “from all sinful activities.” A person who surrenders unto Him by utilizing the chance to associate with the pure devotee, spiritual master or other authorized incarnations of Godhead, like Prthu Maharaja, is saved by Krsna. Then his life becomes successful.

SB4.21.28-29

TEXTS 28–29

manor uttanapadasya

dhruvasyapi mahipateh

priyavratasya rajarser

angasyasmat-pituh pituh

idrsanam athanyesam

ajasya ca bhavasya ca

prahladasya bales capi

krtyam asti gadabhrta