Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.3

nisamya bhishmoktam athacyutoktam

pravritta-vijnana-vidhuta-vibhramah

sasasa gam indra ivajitasrayah

paridhyupantam anujanuvartitah

SYNONYMS

nisamya -- after listening; bhishma-uktam -- what was spoken by Bhishmadeva; atha -- as also; acyuta-uktam -- what was spoken by the infallible Lord Krishna; pravritta -- being engaged in; vijnana -- perfect knowledge; vidhuta -- completely washed; vibhramah -- all misgivings; sasasa -- ruled over; gam -- the earth; indra -- the king of the heavenly planet; iva -- like; ajita-asrayah -- protected by the invincible Lord; paridhi-upantam -- including the seas; anuja -- the younger brothers; anuvartitah -- being followed by them.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhishthira, after being enlightened by what was spoken by Bhishmadeva and Lord Sri Krishna, the infallible, engaged himself in matters of perfect knowledge because all his misgivings were eradicated. Thus he ruled over the earth and seas and was followed by his younger brothers.

PURPORT

The modern English law of primogeniture, or the law of inheritance by the firstborn, was also prevalent in those days when Maharaja Yudhishthira ruled the earth and seas. In those days the King of Hastinapura (now part of New Delhi) was the emperor of the world, including the seas, up to the time of Maharaja Parikshit, the grandson of Maharaja Yudhishthira. Maharaja Yudhishthira's younger brothers were acting as his ministers and commanders of state, and there was full cooperation between the perfectly religious brothers of the King. Maharaja Yudhishthira was the ideal king or representative of Lord Sri Krishna to rule over the kingdom of earth and was comparable to King Indra, the representative ruler of the heavenly planets. The demigods like Indra, Candra, Surya, Varuna and Vayu are representative kings of different planets of the universe, and similarly Maharaja Yudhishthira was also one of them, ruling over the kingdom of the earth. Maharaja Yudhishthira was not a typically unenlightened political leader of modern democracy. Maharaja Yudhishthira was instructed by Bhishmadeva and the infallible Lord also, and therefore he had full knowledge of everything in perfection.

The modern elected executive head of a state is just like a puppet because he has no kingly power. Even if he is enlightened like Maharaja Yudhishthira, he cannot do anything out of his own good will due to his constitutional position. Therefore, there are so many states over the earth quarreling because of ideological differences or other selfish motives. But a king like Maharaja Yudhishthira had no ideology of his own. He had but to follow the instructions of the infallible Lord and the Lord's representative and the authorized agent, Bhishmadeva. It is instructed in the sastras that one should follow the great authority and the infallible Lord without any personal motive and manufactured ideology. Therefore, it was possible for Maharaja Yudhishthira to rule the whole world, including the seas, because the principles were infallible and universally applicable to everyone. The conception of one world state can only be fulfilled if we can follow the infallible authority. An imperfect human being cannot create an ideology acceptable to everyone. Only the perfect and the infallible can create a program which is applicable at every place and can be followed by all in the world. It is the person who rules, and not the impersonal government. If the person is perfect, the government is perfect. If the person is a fool, the government is a fool's paradise. That is the law of nature. There are so many stories of imperfect kings or executive heads. Therefore, the executive head must be a trained person like Maharaja Yudhishthira, and he must have the full autocratic power to rule over the world. The conception of a world state can take shape only under the regime of a perfect king like Maharaja Yudhishthira. The world was happy in those days because there were kings like Maharaja Yudhishthira to rule over the world.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness