Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Chapter 16 Purports - Praise of King Prthu by the Professional Reciters
Pages in category "Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Chapter 16 Purports - Praise of King Prthu by the Professional Reciters"
The following 130 pages are in this category, out of 130 total.
A
- A king or governmental head must therefore be so competent to rule over the state that the citizens will worship him as God in human form. That is the perfectional stage for the head of any government or state
- A king should also be strict in chastising the atheists. In other words, an atheistic or godless government should never be supported by a king or governmental chief. That is the test of good government
- A learned man does not look upon the dresses that externally cover the living entity, but sees the pure soul within the varieties of dress and knows very well that the varieties of dress are the creation of nescience (avidya-racitam)
- A learned man treats all women except his wife as his mother, looks on others' property as garbage in the street, and treats others as he would treat his own self
- A peaceful and prosperous government, devoid of anxiety, was established by Prthu Maharaja. Thus the inhabitants of both saintly and demoniac planets were all engaged in glorifying the activities of Maharaja Prthu
- According to Vedic culture, the king is honored as the Supreme Personality of Godhead because he represents Narayana, who also gives protection to the citizens. He is therefore natha, or the proprietor
- According to Vedic etiquette, if a devotee came to a king's palace, the king would immediately offer his own seat to him
- All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajna (sacrifice), and yajna is born of prescribed duties - BG 3.14
- Although born of his dead father, King Prthu would still remain just like fire. Just as fire is not easily approached, King Prthu would be unapproachable by his enemies, even though they would appear to be very near him
- Although born out of the so-called dead body of King Vena, King Prthu was still an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the Lord's internal potency
- Although Maharaja Prthu was simply enthroned on the royal seat and was not at that time exhibiting his godly powers, the reciters like the suta, the magadha and the vandi understood that King Prthu was an incarnation of God
- Although the Arctic region is not visible to ordinary persons, the sun shines there without impediment
- Another significant word in this verse (SB 4.16.18) is mukta-sanga-prasangah, which indicates that the King (Prthu) was always associating with liberated persons
- Another significant word in this verse (SB 4.16.20) is naradeva. As described in previous verses, the qualified king - be he King Prthu or any other king who rules over the state as an ideal king - should be understood to be God in human form
- Arani wood is a kind of fuel used to ignite fire by friction. At the time of performing sacrifices, one can ignite a fire from arani wood
- As an ideal king, King Prthu would execute all this business in the village and state as expertly as the sun
- As an ideal king, Maharaja Prthu is compared to the earthly planet, for even though some citizens might violate the rules and regulations of the state, he would still be tolerant and maintain them with fruits and grains
- As far as Prthu Maharaja is concerned, it is indicated that his ruling power would extend all over the world. The Himalaya Mountains, from which the sunrise is first seen, are called udayacala or udayadri
- As far as reputation is concerned, King Prthu is already known as the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word adi-rajam means "the original king."
- As mentioned in this verse (SB 4.16.21, tad-yasah), Prthu Maharaja was actually carrying with him the reputation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead because he was actually reigning over the world in that capacity
- As soon as there were some discrepancies in the maintenance of the varnasrama system, the emperor would immediately take charge of the small states
- As stated by Narottama dasa Thakura, sadhu-sastra-guru: one has to test all spiritual matters according to the instructions of saintly persons, scriptures and the spiritual master
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the Lord appears through His internal potencies. We should therefore reject the Mayavada explanation that the Lord appears in a body given by the external potency, the material energy
- At the time of Maharaja Prthu, the world was ruled by one emperor, although there were many subordinate states
B
- Being a saktyavesa-avatara, empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Prthu Maharaja did not change his spiritual position, and consequently there was no possibility of his viewing the material world as reality
- Being an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Maharaja Prthu could not be equaled in his excellent qualities
- Brahma-samhita states, yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakrah: the sun rotates in its own orbit according to the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The conclusion is that the sun is not fixed in one place
- By glorifying the Lord with exalted verses, one becomes purified. Although we are unable to offer prayers to the Lord in an adequate fashion, our duty is to make the attempt in order to purify ourselves
E
- Education does not mean having academic degrees only. One should execute what he has learned in his personal life
- Even though preachers of the Krsna consciousness movement may be unable to describe the glories of the Lord, they can nonetheless go everywhere and request people to chant Hare Krsna
- Eventually the state will not be able to collect taxes and consequently will not be able to meet its huge military and administrative expenses. Everything will collapse, and there will be chaos and disturbance all over the state
H
- Here (SB 4.16.1) the word muni-coditah indicates instructions received from great sages and saintly persons
- His success was made possible because he was a reservoir of unlimited glorified qualities. The word upagupta-vittah is very significant here (SB 4.16.10). It indicates that no one would know the extent of the riches King Prthu would confidentially keep
- However expert one may be, he can never describe the glories of God adequately. Nonetheless, those engaged in glorifying the activities of the Lord should try to do so as far as possible. Such an attempt will please the Supreme Personality of Godhead
I
- If the demigods cannot find adequate language to express the glories of the Lord, then what to speak of others? Consequently reciters like the suta and magadha felt inadequate to speak about King Prthu
- If we are serious and sincere devotees, the Lord will give us the intelligence to offer prayers properly
- In Kali-yuga the kings and heads of state enjoy life at the cost of taxes exacted from the citizens. Such unfair taxation makes the people dishonest, and the people try to hide their income in so many ways
- In Kali-yuga, democratic government can be captured by Krsna conscious people. If this can be done, the general populace can be made very happy
- In Kali-yuga, in the so-called secular state, the executive branch of government is in the charge of so-called kings and presidents who are all fools and rascals, ignorant of the intricacies of nature's causes and ignorant of the principles of sacrifice
- In Kali-yuga, the king or government has no well-protected treasury, and the only means of circulation is currency notes made of paper
- In Kali-yuga, the position of the citizens is very horrible because taxes are exacted in so many forms and are spent for the personal comforts of the administrators
- In order to counteract this unfortunate situation in government, the general populace is advised to chant the maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
- In the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that the sun rotates in its own orbit at the rate of sixteen thousand miles per second
- In the name of secular government, the king or governmental head remains neutral and allows people to engage in all sorts of irreligious activities. In such a state, people cannot be happy, despite all economic development
- In this age of Kali there are no pious kings. Instead, rogues and thieves are elected to head the government. But how can the people be happy without religion and God consciousness
- In this age, so-called kings and presidents do not treat all other living entities as their own self
- In this connection we may note that previously (4.15.21) it was mentioned that King Prthu was smiling and was in a pleasant mood while speaking to the reciters. Thus we have to learn from the Lord or His incarnation how to become gentle and humble
- In this verse (SB 4.16.2) the word mayaya means "by your causeless mercy"
- In this verse (SB 4.16.20) the word yatharkah indicates that the sun is not fixed but is rotating in its orbit, which is set by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita and also in other parts of Srimad-Bhagavatam
- In this verse (SB 4.16.25) the verb vidanti is sometimes taken to mean "understanding." Thus when a person understands Brahman, or the supreme source of everything, he enjoys a blissful life
- In times of distress the government artificially inflates the currency by simply printing papers, and this artificially raises the price of commodities, and the general condition of the citizens becomes very precarious
- It is foretold herein (SB 4.16.8) that if there would be a scarcity of rain, King Prthu would manage to counteract the deficiency by virtue of his godly powers. Such powers were also exhibited by Lord Krsna when He was present in Vrndavana
- It is herein indicated (SB 4.16.20) that Prthu Maharaja's reign over the world would cover even the Himalaya Mountains and extend to the borders of all oceans and seas. In other words, his reign would cover the entire planet
- It is indicated that King Prthu would arrange for the distribution of rainfall personally if Indra failed to discharge his duty properly. Sometimes Indra, would become angry at the inhabitants of the earth if they did not offer sacrifices to appease him
- It is most regrettable when a woman becomes the executive head instead of a lionlike king. In such a situation the people are considered very unfortunate
- It is not that we should stop our glorification because demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva cannot adequately glorify the Lord. Rather, as stated by Prahlada Maharaja, everyone should glorify the Lord according to his own ability
- It is said that the Lord is siva-virinci-nutam (SB 11.5.33)-always worshiped by demigods like Lord Siva and Lord Brahma
- It is stated that Ananta, an incarnation of God who has unlimited mouths, cannot reach the end of His glorification of the Lord, although Ananta has been describing the Lord since time immemorial. So what to speak of demigods like Brahma, Siva and others
- It is stated that during the reign of Maharaja Yudhisthira there did not even exist severe cold or scorching heat, nor did the citizens suffer from any kind of mental anxiety. This is the standard of good government
- It is the duty of the king to look after the comforts of the citizens, even at the cost of his own personal convenience. This is not the case, however, in Kali-yuga
- It is very appropriate to compare a powerful king like Prthu to a lion. In India, ksatriya kings are still called singh, which means "lion."
J
- Just as no one can check the sunshine from spreading all over the universe, no one could check the influence and reign of King Prthu, which would remain undisturbed as long as he lived
- Just as no one can understand what is going on beneath the sea, no one could understand what policy King Prthu was following to make everything successful. Indeed, King Prthu's path of diplomacy was very grave
- Just as the king has the right to keep his treasury confidential and secret, the people should also keep their individual earnings a secret. There is no fault in such dealings
- Just as there are many united states in various parts of the world, in olden days the entire world was ruled through many states, but there was a supreme emperor who ruled over all subsidiary states
K
- Keeping one's money very secretly is an old practice, for we find this practice present even during the reign of Maharaja Prthu
- King Prthu is herein (SB 4.16.7) compared to the earthly planet as far as his tolerance is concerned. Although the earth is always trampled upon by men and animals, it still gives food to them by producing grains, fruits and vegetables
- King Prthu is very appropriately compared to the sun and the demigod Indra. King Indra of the heavenly planets is in charge of distributing water over the earth and other planetary systems
- King Prthu was an incarnation of Visnu, he taught the people in his kingdom to take instructions from a spiritual master who represents the disciplic succession. Thus one can become fortunate and enjoy a blissful life even within this material world
- King Prthu was so neutral that if his own son were punishable, he would not hesitate to punish him. On the other hand, if the son of his enemy were innocent, he would not engage in some intrigue in order to punish him
- King Prthu was very respectful to the brahmanas, and he protected them. He also protected persons advanced in age. Whatever the King would decide to do, no one would be able to stop. That is called drdha-sankalpa, or drdha-vrata
- King Prthu, however, being an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, did not depend on the mercy of the heavenly King
O
- One should not aspire to rule for any political or diplomatic consideration
- One should speak to the general populace in accordance with one's predecessors - sadhu, guru and sastras. This simple process is the easiest method by which one can glorify the Lord
- One who does not forget this position and knows that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord is nitya-mukta. Such a nitya-mukta living entity represents the Supersoul as His expansion. As stated in the Vedas, nityo nityanam
- Ordinary people have to follow the instructions of sadhu, sastra and guru. Those statements made in the sastras and those made by the bona fide sadhu or guru cannot differ from one another
S
- Sanatana Gosvami gave respect to the Nawab Hussain Shah as naradeva, although the Nawab was Muhammadan
- Since this message (of Krsna) is essentially Bhagavad-gita, the preacher's duty is to study Bhagavad-gita as it is understood by disciplic succession and explained by great sages and learned devotees
- Such rascals (kings and presidents ignorant of sacrifice) simply make various plans, which always fail, and the people subsequently suffer disturbances
T
- Tax revenues should be distributed to the citizens in times of need, during emergencies such as famine or flood. Tax revenues should never be distributed amongst governmental servants in the form of high salaries and various other allowances
- The conclusion is that the sunshine and the sun-god cannot be separated, nor could King Prthu and his ruling strength be separated. His rule over everyone would continue without disturbance. Thus the King could not be separated from his ruling power
- The demigods in charge of the various departmental activities that maintain this world are but assistants to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The duty of the king or the head of the government is described very nicely in this verse (SB 4.16.4). It is the duty of the governmental head to see that people strictly follow a religious life
- The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater - outcaste
- The King's (Prthu) behavior was very pleasing to the reciters, and consequently the reciters continued their praise and even foretold the King's future activities, as they had been instructed by the sadhus and sages
- The king's duty is to personally supervise the distribution of wealth for the maintenance of all living entities. If he does so, he will be as reputable as Narayana
- The living entity who is nitya-baddha, or eternally conditioned, sees the material varieties as being actually different from one another
- The Lord and His incarnation are fully independent and can appear anywhere and everywhere by virtue of the internal potency
- The Lord can appear in any family. Sometimes He appears as a fish incarnation (matsya-avatara) or a boar incarnation (varaha-avatara). Thus the Lord is completely free and independent to appear anywhere and everywhere by His internal potency
- The main point is that everyone should be trained in the system of varnasrama-dharma so that the money is spent only for good causes and nothing else
- The Mayavadi philosophers explain the word maya as meaning "illusion" or "falseness." However, there is another meaning of maya - that is, causeless mercy
- The nitya-mukta living entity knows that he is an expansion of the supreme nitya, or the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead. Being in such a position, he sees the material world with a different vision
- The original king is Narayana, or Lord Visnu. People do not know that the original king, or Narayana, is actually the protector of all living entities. As confirmed in the Vedas: eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman - Katha Upanisad 2.2.13
- The process of tax exaction is very nicely explained in this verse (SB 4.16.6). Tax exaction is not meant for the sense gratification of the so-called administrative heads
- The proper execution of yajna, sacrifice, is required. As indicated herein (SB 4.16.5), King Prthu alone would induce all the citizens to engage in such sacrificial activities so that there would not be scarcity or distress
- The protection of the earthly planet is dependent on proper rainfall, and as stated in Bhagavad-gita and other scriptures, sacrifices are performed to please those demigods who are in charge of rainfall
- The reciters of these prayers are describing the transcendental qualities of Prthu. These qualities are summarized in the words saksad bhagavan. This indicates that Prthu is directly the SP of Godhead and therefore possesses unlimited good qualities
- The rogues exact taxes from the citizens for their own sense enjoyment, and in the future the people will be so much harassed that according to Srimad-Bhagavatam they will flee from their homes and country and take shelter in the forest
- The spiritual master is one who follows the instructions of his predecessors, namely the sadhus, or saintly persons. A bona fide spiritual master does not mention anything not mentioned in the authorized scriptures
- The sun is millions of miles away, although the sun does not actually touch the earth, it manages to distribute clouds all over the planet by exacting water from the oceans, in due course of time the clouds pour water on the earth during the rainy season
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is fully equipped with six kinds of opulences, and King Prthu was also empowered in such a way that he could display these six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in full
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is maintaining all living entities. The king, or naradeva, is His representative
- The word brahma-vadinam is very significant. Brahma-vadi refers to the devotees of the Lord. Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan are different terms for the Supreme Brahman, and the Supreme Brahman is Lord Krsna. This is accepted in BG 10.12 by Arjuna
- The word brahma-vadinam refers to the devotees. The state should always serve the devotees of the Lord, & the ideal state should conduct itself according to the instructions of the devotee. Because Prthu followed this principle, he is highly praised
- The word dehinam refers to those who are embodied. The living entities are embodied in different forms, which number 8,400,000 species. All of these were treated by the King (Prthu) in the same way he would treat himself
- The word kuta-stha, meaning "without change," is also very significant. There are two kinds of living entities-nitya-mukta and nitya-baddha. A nitya-mukta never forgets his position as the eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The word utpatita-loka-salyah indicates that Maharaja Prthu completely uprooted all the miseries of his citizens. The word salya means "piercing thorns."
- The word vidanti refers to one who knows something or enjoys something. When a person is properly instructed by a spiritual master & understands transcendental bliss, he enjoys life. As stated in BG (18.54) brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati
- The word vrddha-sevakah is very significant. Vrddha means "old men." There are two kinds of old men: one is old by age, and another is old by knowledge. This Sanskrit word indicates that one can be older by the advancement of knowledge
- There are many kinds of miserable thorns that pierce the citizens of a state, but all competent rulers, even up to the reign of Maharaja Yudhisthira, uprooted all the miserable conditions of the citizens
- There is a predominating deity for all the material elements, and Varuna, or Praceta, is the predominating deity of the seas and the oceans
- There is another meaning of maya - that is, "causeless mercy." There are two kinds of maya-yogamaya and mahamaya. Mahamaya is an expansion of yogamaya, and both these mayas are different expressions of the Lord's internal potencies
- These are the characteristics of an impartial ruler. It is the duty of a ruler to punish the criminal and give protection to the innocent
- These are the symptoms of a learned person as described by Canakya Pandita. This should be the standard for education
- These learned characteristics were verily manifest in the life of King Prthu. Although he was the king, he treated himself as a servant of the Lord's devotees
- They (King Prthu's reciters) were very pleased with the King, who, although actually an incarnation of God, was so humble and delightful in his dealings with devotees
- They (the reciters) could understand this by the instructions given by the great sages and learned brahmanas. We have to understand the incarnations of God by the instructions of authorized persons. We cannot manufacture a God by our own concoctions
- To artificially advertise oneself and thus enjoy a so-called reputation is a kind of conceit
W
- We should remember that the embodiment of the conditioned soul is considered to be like a dress. One may dress in different ways, but a really learned man does not take dresses into consideration
- When an incarnation of Godhead descends on this planet, demigods like the sun-god, the moon-god or the King of heaven, Indra, all join Him. Consequently the incarnation is able to act for the departmental demigods to keep the planetary systems in order
- When Indra poured incessant water on Vrndavana for seven days, the inhabitants were protected by Krsna, who raised Govardhana Hill over their heads as a great umbrella. Thus Lord Krsna is also known as Govardhana-dhari
- When one attains to the Brahman platform, he neither hankers nor laments. He actually partakes of transcendental, blissful enjoyment