Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 4.25.1

maitreya uvaca

iti sandisya bhagavan

barhishadair abhipujitah

pasyatam raja-putranam

tatraivantardadhe harah

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca -- the great sage Maitreya continued to speak; iti -- thus; sandisya -- giving instruction; bhagavan -- the most powerful lord; barhishadaih -- by the sons of King Barhishat; abhipujitah -- being worshiped; pasyatam -- while they were looking on; raja-putranam -- the sons of the King; tatra -- there; eva -- certainly; antardadhe -- became invisible; harah -- Lord Siva.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya continued speaking to Vidura: My dear Vidura, in this way Lord Siva instructed the sons of King Barhishat. The sons of the King also worshiped Lord Siva with great devotion and respect. Finally, Lord Siva became invisible to the princes.

PURPORT

This chapter contains a great lesson concerning the monarchical kingdom in the days of yore. When King Barhishat was considering retiring from the royal duties, he sent his sons to perform austerities in order to become perfect kings for the welfare of the citizens. At the same time, King Barhishat was being instructed by the great sage Narada about the material world and the living entity who wants to enjoy it. It is therefore very clear how the kings and princes were trained to take charge of a kingdom. Welfare activities for the benefit of the citizens were aimed at understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The human form of life is especially meant for understanding God, our relationship with Him and our activities in His service. Because the kings took charge of the spiritual education of the citizens, both the king and the citizens were happy in Krishna consciousness. In this regard, we should remember that the monarchical hierarchy of Pracinabarhishat comes from Maharaja Dhruva, a great devotee of the Lord and the most celebrated disciple of Narada Muni. King Pracinabarhishat was then too much engaged in fruitive activities due to performing different types of yajnas. One can actually be promoted to higher planetary systems or to the heavenly kingdoms by performing various yajnas, but there is no question of liberation or going back home, back to Godhead. When the great sage Narada saw that a descendant of Maharaja Dhruva was being misled by fruitive activities, Narada took compassion upon him and personally came to instruct him about the ultimate benediction of life, bhakti-yoga. How Narada Muni indirectly introduced the bhakti-yoga system to King Pracinabarhishat is very interestingly described in this Twenty-fifth Chapter.

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