Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.21.25

tat prajā bhartṛ-piṇḍārthaḿ

svārtham evānasūyavaḥ

kurutādhokṣaja-dhiyas

tarhi me 'nugrahaḥ kṛtaḥ

SYNONYMS

tat — therefore; prajāḥ — my dear citizens; bhartṛ — of the master; piṇḍa-artham — welfare after death; sva-artham — own interest; eva — certainly; anasūyavaḥ — without being envious; kuruta — just execute; adhokṣaja — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dhiyaḥ — thinking of Him; tarhi — therefore; me — unto me; anugrahaḥ — mercy; kṛtaḥ — being done.

TRANSLATION

Pṛthu Mahārāja continued: Therefore, my dear citizens, for the welfare of your king after his death, you should execute your duties properly in terms of your positions of varṇa and āśrama and should always think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within your hearts. By doing so, you will protect your own interests, and you will bestow mercy upon your king for his welfare after death.

PURPORT

The words adhokṣaja-dhiyaḥ, meaning "Kṛṣṇa consciousness," are very important in this verse. The king and citizens should both be Kṛṣṇa conscious, otherwise both of them will be doomed to lower species of life after death. A responsible government must teach Kṛṣṇa consciousness very vigorously for the benefit of all. Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, neither the state nor the citizens of the state can be responsible. Pṛthu Mahārāja therefore specifically requested the citizens to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and he was also very anxious to teach them how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. A summary of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is given in Bhagavad-gītā (9.27):

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi

yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you give in charity and whatever penances you undergo should be done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." If all the people of the state, including the government servants, are taught the techniques of spiritual life, then although everyone is liable to be punished in different ways by the stringent laws of material nature, they will not be implicated.

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