SB 1.3.20
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 20
- avatāre ṣoḍaśame
- paśyan brahma-druho nṛpān
- triḥ-sapta-kṛtvaḥ kupito
- niḥ-kṣatrām akaron mahīm
SYNONYMS
avatāre — in the incarnation of the Lord; ṣoḍaśame — the sixteenth; paśyan — seeing; brahma-druhaḥ — disobedient to the orders of the brāhmaṇas; nṛpān — the kingly order; triḥ-sapta — thrice seven times; kṛtvaḥ — had done; kupitaḥ — being engaged; niḥ — negation; kṣatrām — the administrative class; akarot — did perform; mahīm — the earth.
TRANSLATION
In the sixteenth incarnation of the Godhead, the Lord [as Bhṛgupati] annihilated the administrative class [kṣatriyas] twenty-one times, being angry with them because of their rebellion against the brāhmaṇas [the intelligent class].
PURPORT
The kṣatriyas, or the administrative class of men, are expected to rule the planet by the direction of the intelligent class of men, who give direction to the rulers in terms of the standard śāstras, or the books of revealed knowledge. The rulers carry on the administration according to that direction. Whenever there is disobedience on the part of the kṣatriyas, or the administrative class, against the orders of the learned and intelligent brāhmaṇas, the administrators are removed by force from the posts, and arrangement is made for better administration.