SB 4.21.9
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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.