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Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.5.28
mahā-rājopalakshanam
SYNONYMS
tam — Him; tadā — in that age; purusham — the supreme enjoyer; martyāh — mortal men; mahā-rāja — a great king; upalakshanam — playing the role of; yajanti — they worship; veda-tantrābhyām — according to both the original Vedas and ritual tantras; param — of the Supreme; jijñāsavah — those who want to gain knowledge; nripa — O King.
TRANSLATION
My dear King, in Dvāpara-yuga men who desire to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme enjoyer, worship Him in the mood of honoring a great king, following the prescriptions of both the Vedas and tantras.
PURPORT
When Lord Krishna was leaving the city of Hastināpura, Arjuna personally held an umbrella over the Lord, and Uddhava and Sātyaki fanned the Lord with decorated fans (Bhāg. 1.10.17, 18). In this way, Emperor Yudhishthira and his followers worshiped Krishna as the greatest of noble kings and as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, at the Rājasūya sacrifice all of the great souls of the universe elected Krishna as the King of all kings, the greatest personality, deserving of first worship. Such reverential worship of the Lord is characteristic of Dvāpara-yuga, as described in this verse (mahā-rājopalakshanam). With each successive yuga, namely Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali, the condition of human society deteriorates more and more. As mentioned in this verse, the only favorable qualification of the residents of Dvāpara-yuga is that they are jijñāsavah, strongly desirous of knowing the Absolute Truth. Otherwise there is no good qualification mentioned. The inhabitants of Satya-yuga were described as śāntāh, nirvairāh, suhridah and samāh, or peaceful, free from envy, the well-wishers of every living entity, and fixed on the spiritual platform beyond the modes of material nature. Similarly the inhabitants of Tretā-yuga were described as dharmishthāh and brahma-vādinah, or thoroughly religious, and expert followers of the Vedic injunctions. In the present verse, the inhabitants of Dvāpara-yuga are said to be simply jijñāsavah, desiring to know the Absolute Truth. Otherwise they are described as martyāh, or subject to the weakness of mortal beings. If the human society of even Dvāpara-yuga was clearly inferior to that of Satya and Tretā-yugas, we can hardly imagine the truly disastrous condition of human society in Kali-yuga. Therefore, as will be mentioned in the following verses, human beings who have taken their birth in the present age of Kali should attach themselves rigidly to the movement of Caitanya Mahāprabhu to free themselves from foolishness.
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari