Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.22.62

brihaspatir brahma-vāde

ātmavattve svayam harih

bhaktyā go-guru-vipreshu

vishvaksenānuvartishu

hriyā praśraya-śīlābhyām

ātma-tulyah parodyame

SYNONYMS

brihaspatih — the priest of the heavenly planets; brahma-vāde — in the matter of spiritual understanding; ātma-vattve — in the matter of self-control; svayam — personally; harih — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhaktyā — in devotion; go — cow; guru — spiritual master; vipreshu — unto the brāhmanas; vishvaksena — the Personality of Godhead; anuvartishu — followers; hriyā — by shyness; praśraya-śīlābhyām — by most gentle behavior; ātma-tulyah — exactly like his personal interest; para-udyame — in the matter of philanthropic work.

TRANSLATION

In his personal behavior, Prithu Mahārāja exhibited all good qualities, and in spiritual knowledge he was exactly like Brihaspati. In self-control he was like the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. As far as his devotional service was concerned, he was a great follower of devotees who were attached to cow protection and the rendering of all service to the spiritual master and the brāhmanas. He was perfect in his shyness and in his gentle behavior, and when he engaged in some philanthropic activity, he worked as if he were working for his own personal self.

PURPORT

When Lord Caitanya talked to Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya, the Lord honored him as the incarnation of Brihaspati. Brihaspati is the chief priest of the heavenly kingdom, and he is a follower of the philosophy known as brahma-vada, or Māyāvāda. Brihaspati is also a great logician. It appears from this statement that Mahārāja Prithu, although a great devotee constantly engaged in the loving service of the Lord, could defeat all kinds of impersonalists and Māyāvādīs by his profound knowledge of Vedic scriptures. We should learn from Mahārāja Prithu that a Vaishnava, or devotee, must not only be fixed in the service of the Lord, but, if required, must be prepared to argue with the impersonalist Māyāvādīs with all logic and philosophy and defeat their contention that the Absolute Truth is impersonal.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ideal self-controller or brahmacārī. When Krishna was elected to be president of the Rājasūya yajña performed by Mahārāja Yudhishthira, Grandfather Bhīshmadeva praised Lord Krishna as the greatest brahmacārī. Because Grandfather Bhīshmadeva was a brahmacārī, he was quite fit to distinguish a brahmacārī from a vyabhicārī. Although Prithu Mahārāja was a householder and father of five children, he was still considered to be most controlled. One who begets Krishna conscious children for the benefit of humanity is actually a brahmacārī. One who simply begets children like cats and dogs is not a proper father. The word brahmacārī also refers to one who acts on the platform of Brahman, or devotional service. In the impersonal Brahman conception, there is no activity, yet when one performs activities in connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is to be known as brahmacārī. Thus Prithu Mahārāja was an ideal brahmacārī and grihastha simultaneously. Vishvaksenānuvartishu refers to those devotees who are constantly engaged in the service of the Lord. Other devotees must follow in their footsteps. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Thākura said, ei chaya gosāñi yāra, mui tāra dāsa. He is prepared to become the disciple of anyone who follows in the footsteps of the six Gosvāmīs.

Also, like all Vaishnavas, Mahārāja Prithu was devoted to cow protection, spiritual masters and qualified brāhmanas. Prithu Mahārāja was also very humble, meek and gentle, and whenever he performed any philanthropic work or welfare activity for the general public, he would labor exactly as if he were tending to his own personal necessities. In other words, his philanthropic activities were not for the sake of show but were performed out of personal feeling and commitment. All philanthropic activities should be thus performed.

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