Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.3.9-13

prithuh purūravā gādhir

nahusho bharato 'rjunah

māndhātā sagaro rāmah

khatvāńgo dhundhuhā raghuh

trinabindur yayātiś ca

śaryātih śantanur gayah

bhagīrathah kuvalayāśvah

kakutstho naishadho nrigah

hiranyakaśipur vritro

rāvano loka-rāvanah

namucih śambaro bhaumo

hiranyāksho 'tha tārakah

anye ca bahavo daityā

rājāno ye maheśvarāh

sarve sarva-vidah śūrāh

sarve sarva-jito 'jitāh

mamatām mayy avartanta

kritvoccair martya-dharminah

kathāvaśeshāh kālena

hy akritārthāh kritā vibho

SYNONYMS

prithuh purūravāh gādhih — Mahārājas Prithu, Purūravā and Gādhi; nahushah bharatah arjunah — Nahusha, Bharata and Kārtavīrya Arjuna; māndhātā sagarah rāmah — Māndhātā, Sagara and Rāma; khatvāńgah dhundhuhā raghuh — Khatvāńga, Dhundhuhā and Raghu; trinabinduh yayātih ca — Trinabindu and Yayāti; śaryātih śantanuh gayah — Śaryāti, Śantanu and Gaya; bhagīrathah kuvalayāśvah — Bhagīratha and Kuvalayāśva; kakutsthah naishadhah nrigah — Kakutstha, Naishadha and Nriga; hiranyakaśipuh vritrah — Hiranyakaśipu and Vritrāsura; rāvanah — Rāvana; loka-rāvanah — who made the whole world cry; namucih śambarah bhaumah — Namuci, Śambara and Bhauma; hiranyākshah — Hiranyāksha; atha — and; tārakah — Tāraka; anye — others; ca — as well; bahavah — many; daityāh — demons; rājānah — kings; ye — who; mahā-īśvarāh — great controllers; sarve — all of them; sarva-vidah — all-knowing; śūrāh — heroes; sarve — all; sarva-jitah — all-conquering; ajitāh — unconquerable; mamatām — possessiveness; mayi — for me; avartanta — they lived; kritvā — expressing; uccaih — to a great degree; martya-dharminah — subject to the laws of birth and death; kathā-avaśeshāh — remaining merely as historical narrations; kālena — by the force of time; hi — indeed; akrita-arthāh — incomplete in perfecting their desires; kritāh — they have been made; vibho — O Lord.

TRANSLATION

"Such kings as Prithu, Purūravā, Gādhi, Nahusha, Bharata, Kārtavīrya Arjuna, Māndhātā, Sagara, Rāma, Khatvāńga, Dhundhuhā, Raghu, Trinabindu, Yayāti, Śaryāti, Śantanu, Gaya, Bhagīratha, Kuvalayāśva, Kakutstha, Naishadha, Nriga, Hiranyakaśipu, Vritra, Rāvana, who made the whole world lament, Namuci, Śambara, Bhauma, Hiranyāksha and Tāraka, as well as many other demons and kings who possessed great powers of control over others, were all full of knowledge, heroic, all-conquering and unconquerable. Nevertheless, O almighty Lord, although they lived their lives intensely trying to possess me, these kings were subject to the passage of time, which reduced them all to mere historical accounts. None of them could permanently establish their rule."

PURPORT

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, and as confirmed by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura, the King Rāma mentioned here is not the incarnation of Godhead Rāmacandra. Prithu Mahārāja is understood to be an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who completely exhibited the characteristics of an earthly king, claiming proprietorship over the entire earth. A saintly king like Prithu Mahārāja, however, controls the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas a demon such as Hiranyakaśipu or Rāvana tries to exploit the earth for his personal sense gratification. Nevertheless, both saintly kings and demons must leave the earth. In this way their political supremacy is ultimately neutralized by the force of time.

Modern political leaders cannot even temporarily control the entire earth, nor are their opulences and intelligence unlimited. Possessing hopelessly fragmented power, enjoying a miniscule life span, and lacking deep existential intelligence, modern leaders inevitably are symbols of frustration and misdirected ambition.

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