Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 1.12.4

suta uvaca

apipalad dharma-rajah

pitrivad ranjayan prajah

nihsprihah sarva-kamebhyah

krishna-padanusevaya

SYNONYMS

sutah uvaca -- Sri Suta Gosvami said; apipalat -- administered prosperity; dharma-rajah -- King Yudhishthira; pitri-vat -- exactly like his father; ranjayan -- pleasing; prajah -- all those who took birth; nihsprihah -- without personal ambition; sarva -- all; kamebhyah -- from sense gratification; krishna-pada -- the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna; anusevaya -- by dint of rendering continuous service.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: Emperor Yudhishthira administered generously to everyone during his reign. He was exactly like his father. He had no personal ambition and was freed from all sorts of sense gratification because of his continuous service unto the lotus feet of the Lord Sri Krishna.

PURPORT

As mentioned in our introduction, "There is a need for the science of Krishna in human society for all the suffering humanity of the world, and we simply request the leading personalities of all nations to take to the science of Krishna for their own good, for the good of society, and for the good of all the people of the world." So it is confirmed herein by the example of Maharaja Yudhishthira, the personality of goodness. In India the people hanker after Rama-rajya because the Personality of Godhead was the ideal king and all other kings or emperors in India controlled the destiny of the world for the prosperity of every living being who took birth on the earth. Herein the word prajah is significant. The etymological import of the word is "that which is born." On the earth there are many species of life, from the aquatics up to the perfect human beings, and all are known as prajas. Lord Brahma, the creator of this particular universe, is known as the prajapati because he is the grandfather of all who have taken birth. Thus praja is used in a broader sense than it is now used. The king represents all living beings, the aquatics, plants, trees, reptiles, birds, animals and man. Every one of them is a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord (Bg. 14.4), and the king, being the representative of the Supreme Lord, is duty-bound to give proper protection to every one of them. This is not the case with the presidents and dictators of this demoralized system of administration, where the lower animals are given no protection while the higher animals are given so-called protection. But this is a great science which can be learned only by one who knows the science of Krishna. By knowing the science of Krishna, one can become the most perfect man in the world, and unless one has knowledge in this science, all qualifications and doctorate diplomas acquired by academic education are spoiled and useless. Maharaja Yudhishthira knew this science of Krishna very well, for it is stated here that by continuous cultivation of this science, or by continuous devotional service to Lord Krishna, he acquired the qualification of administering the state. The father is sometimes seemingly cruel to the son, but that does not mean that the father has lost the qualification to be a father. A father is always a father because he always has the good of the son at heart. The father wants every one of his sons to become a better man than himself. Therefore, a king like Maharaja Yudhishthira, who was the personality of goodness, wanted everyone under his administration, especially human beings who have better developed consciousness, to become devotees of Lord Krishna so that everyone can become free from the trifles of material existence. His motto of administration was all good for the citizens, for as personified goodness he knew perfectly well what is actually good for them. He conducted the administration on that principle, and not on the rakshasi, demonic, principle of sense gratification. As an ideal king, he had no personal ambition, and there was no place for sense gratification because all his senses at all times were engaged in the loving service of the Supreme Lord, which includes the partial service to the living beings, who form the parts and parcels of the complete whole. Those who are busy rendering service to the parts and parcels, leaving aside the whole, only spoil time and energy, as one does when watering the leaves of a tree without watering the root. If water is poured on the root, the leaves are enlivened perfectly and automatically, but if water is poured on the leaves only, the whole energy is spoiled. Maharaja Yudhishthira, therefore, was constantly engaged in the service of the Lord, and thus the parts and parcels of the Lord, the living beings under his careful administration, were perfectly attended with all comforts in this life and all progress in the next. That is the way of perfect management of state administration.

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