Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.38 , Los Angeles , 1973-12-16

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

[break]

sva-rāṭ---the emperor; pautram---unto the grandson; vinayinam---properly trained; ātmanaḥ---his own self; su-samam---equal in all respects; guṇaiḥ---by the qualities; toya-nīvyāḥ---bordered by the seas; patim---master; bhūmeḥ---of the land; abhyaṣiñcat---enthroned; gajāhvaye---in the capital of Hastināpura.

[03:25]

Prabhupāda: Hm. So it appear that five thousand years ago, all the lands of this globe were known. It is a mistake that "America was discovered." [laughter] It was known. Otherwise, how it is said that "the land encircled by water," unless it is known? So our so-called Hindus, they say that if somebody goes on the other side of the sea, he becomes fallen. Does it mean that the emperor did not go outside? The capital was Hastināpura, which is now near New Delhi. They say the Pāṇḍava fort is there. Anyway, so the whole world was being governed by the emperor situated in Hastināpura. One, one state. There are many evidences. Therefore the history of the whole world is called Mahābhārata. Mahā means greater. Mahābhārata, the history. Mahābhārata is history. They call it epic. No. It is history.

So formerly, the whole planet, Bhārata-varṣa---it was named Bhārata-varṣa---and it was being governed by one emperor. Therefore it is said here, sva-rāṭ. Sva-rāṭ means completely independent. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was not dependent on any other king or any other state. He was fully independent. Whatever he liked, he could do. That is king. That is emperor. If the so-called king or the president is dependent on the votes of some rascal voters, then what kind of sva-rāṭ he is? At the present moment, the so-called president is dependent on the votes of some rascals. That's all.

The rascals, they do not know whom to vote, and therefore another rascal is elected, and when he is not doing well, they cry. "You have elected. Why you are crying now?" Because they are rascals. They do not know. So this is going on. But actually, the head of the state should be sva-rāṭ, fully independent. Not on the votes of the prajā. He is only dependent on Kṛṣṇa, just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. All the Pāṇḍavas, they were under the order of Kṛṣṇa.

So the king or the emperor is representative of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is so honored, naradeva. The king's another name is naradeva, "God in..., as human being." "God as human being," the king is so respected. Because he is representative of Kṛṣṇa. Any representative of Kṛṣṇa... Just [as] king. Not the present king or president, but this is the ideal. So he should be so perfect representative that... It is said by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ.

If the king is real representative of God, then simply by pleasing the king, you please the almighty father, God. This was the... So why Kṛṣṇa wanted this Battle of Kurukṣetra to install Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne? Because He knew that "He is My right representative, not the Duryodhana. Therefore there must be fight, and this Duryodhana and company should be finished, and Yudhiṣṭhira should be installed."

So selection... This is paramparā. So Yudhiṣṭhira's responsibility is that next king... Because he is going to retire. "So next emperor, he should be also equally qualified like me." Therefore it is said, susamaṁ guṇaiḥ. Susamam, "Exactly my representative. He has got... My grandson, Parīkṣit, he has got the equal qualification. Therefore he should be installed," not a vagabond. No. That cannot be.

When Mahārāja Parīkṣit was born, he was the only child in the whole Kuru family. All others were killed in the battle. No. He was also posthumous child. He was within the womb of his mother. His mother was simply pregnant. His father, sixteen years old only, Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son, he went to fight in the battle. He was so great warrior. So seven big men required to kill him = Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, Duryodhana, like that, all combined together. So there is no mercy. This Abhimanyu was grandson, great-grandson of all the heroes who encircled him to kill. Very beloved grandson or great-grandson..., Bhīṣma's great-grandson, Duryodhana's grandson. But it is fight, kṣatriya. When you have come to fight, you must kill the opposite party. It doesn't matter whether he is my beloved son or grandson or great-grandson. This is duty.

So this Abhimanyu, father of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, only sixteen years old... His mother, Uttarā. So king of..., Mahārāja Virāṭa. So when he was born... There is Vedic ceremony, jāta-karma ceremony. After a child is born... Oh, what a horrible age we are now. Eh? We are killing before the birth of the child. This is Kali-yuga. Such... It is so welcome, auspicious, a child is born in the family. There is ceremony, jāta-karma ceremony. Before the child is born there is ceremony, garbhādhāna ceremony, śvāda-bhaksana ceremony. Such a nice culture. Where it has gone now? Now child is killed within the womb of the mother by the mother. This is called Kali-yuga. And it is scientific advancement. The scientists, the priests, they give order. The doctor gives out, "Yes, do it." Just try to understand what is Kali-yuga.

So anyway, this is the Vedic system, that when a child is born, immediately his horoscope is made. Astrological science is so perfect, the moment the child is born, immediately calculated, "What is the position of this moment?" Then they derive calculation = "This child will be like this; this will be this, will be this, will be this." I have also horoscope---the other day I was talking---and it was clearly written, that horoscope, that "This child, after seventy years, he will be great religious propagator and establish so many temples."

Devotees: Jaya!

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is astrology. Those of my students who have seen my horoscope in India, it is clearly written there. So that is horoscope.

So while the brāhmaṇas were writing horoscope, so Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's anxiety was... They were describing, "This child will be so, such a great hero; he will do this..." And it was mentioned that "He will die also, being cursed by a brāhmaṇa." This... That was. So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja did not take care of that how he will die. He simply took care how he will live. He inquired from the learned brāhmaṇas, "Whether this child will be exactly prototype of our dynasty? Because this is a..., Kuru dynasty is the paramparā system of emperors, all perfect. So whether this child will be like that?" That was his inquiry, first. So all the brāhmaṇas replied, "Yes, sir, this is just quite fit, your family." Therefore it is said here that susamaṁ guṇaiḥ: "By quality, exactly like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira."

So unless one is qualified, highly qualified, how he can be installed as the head of the executive of the state or the world? And this has been given charge through a third-class voters, who has no character. So how you can expect the elected persons to be perfect? That is not possible. This is not the system. This is the system = The head of the state should be perfect, and the next head should be selected by this perfect head of the state, not by the rascal voters. This is perfection. If the head of the state is perfect, then naturally the citizens will be perfect. Because all the laws are there. If the head of the state says, "No more meat-eating," all slaughterhouses will be closed. If the head of the state says, "No more intoxication," then all the cigarette factories and liquor factories will be closed. Is it not? Because... So therefore the head must be perfect. Then yad yad ācarati śreṣṭha tat tad eva itaro janaḥ [Bg. 3.21]. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "What the chief man behaves, others will follow." Therefore it is called leader. Leader.

So you have read in Bhāgavatam about the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, how perfect it was, that at that time the cows were supplying so much milk, the bag was packed with milk, that where the cows were moving, milks were dropping, and the pasture ground became muddy with milk, so much milk was being supplied. And it is said, sarva-kāma-dughā mahī [SB 1.10.4]. And exactly in right time, the right quantity of rainfall was there. Not like nowadays = sometimes there is no rain and there is sometimes excessive rain, flood. What the scientist can do? They cannot check. These regulative principle depends on nature, and nature is being conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

This cosmic manifestation is going regularly. The sun is rising exactly at the time; it is setting exactly..., the seasons are coming exactly---under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So when the king is a debauch or the president is a debauch, and the citizens are also debauch, there is restriction of supply by nature, under the order of the Supreme. Just like there is now petroleum problem. Now, by the order of the Supreme, the restriction is there. Now they are howling, cowling. You see? So everything will rest, tasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭa. If you keep Kṛṣṇa satisfied, if you all become devotees, Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is no question of scarcity. There is no question of scarcity. There is immense supply. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13].

We have seen it. You have also seen. Sometimes in season, there is so much mango supply that they rot on the ground. Nobody cares to take it. So supply is not in your hand. You cannot supply by factory. You can manufacture bolts and nuts, not rice or ḍāl or ghee or mango or fruits. So supply is... Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. What is the difference between God and ourself? We are also living entities, God is also living entity. Nityo nityānām. I have several times explained this. Just like Kṛṣṇa, what is the difference of Kṛṣṇa? You have got two hands; I have got two..., He has got two hands. He has two leg; you have got two leg. So the appearance, Kṛṣṇa is equal or in quality. But the difference is that He maintains everyone, and you are maintained.

You are not maintainer. You cannot maintain even your family, what to speak of maintain everyone. But God maintains everyone. Eko yo bahūnām. Bahūnām. Bahūnām means many, unlimited. Unlimited number of living entities are there. There are millions of elephants in Africa; He is maintaining. At a time the elephant eats about forty kilograms. And who is supplying food? He is eating. The small fish in the ocean, he is also eating. A small ant within the hole of your room, you are not supplying any food, but they are... They have got their family, their friends and everything. Sometimes they come out in hundreds. [laughter] Who is maintaining? Therefore eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti: Kṛṣṇa is maintaining. God is maintaining.

So the king is required. Because the human being has got developed consciousness, so the chance is given. Just like this your president's post is a very exalted post, but he has... Some way or other, people say that he has misused, "Therefore you should go away." Similarly, amongst all living entities, human being is the eldest, or the chief, or the supermost. So they should use their intelligence properly. But because every human being has got little independence, because he is part and parcel of God... God has got full independence, so he has also little independence. Just like big fire and small fire, a spark. The spark is also fire. When the sparks falls on your body, it immediately burns your cloth, because it is fire. Similarly, in quality we are as good as God. We are spirit soul, and Kṛṣṇa is the supreme spirit soul, Paramātmā. So qualitatively, there is no difference. But quantitatively, there is difference. His intelligence, His power and my power, my intelligence is not the same.

You can manufacture a toy sputnik to fly in the sky, to float in the sky, by so many mechanical arrangement. As soon as the machine is gone out, immediately falls down. But just see what machine is there, millions and trillions of airplane, big, big planet with big, big mountains, ocean, they are floating. So that is His intelligence. Your intelligence may be that you can also float a big aeroplane. But what is that big aeroplane in comparison to this big, big planet? It is nothing. There is also petrol stock, and in the aeroplane there is also petrol stock. Perhaps it is floating by petrol, and you are taking out all the petrols; one day it will fall down. Yes.

You are disturbing God's arrangement. Just like we had the history of Lord Varāha's lifting this planet, earth planet, from the Garbhodaka Ocean. So any time it can fall down. But it is being floated by the supreme power. Otherwise, by calculation how such a big planet can float just like a cotton swab? Yes, it is floating. Not only one; millions. So that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, gām āviśya ojasā dhārayāmi [Bg. 15.13]. He enters. He enters in each and every planet, in each and every universe, each and every atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham [Bs. 5.35], and maintaining that, maintaining that.

So the emperor should be representative of God. He should be qualified, fully qualified. That was the Vedic system---monarchy, but fully qualified. Therefore he could maintain the kingdom. The citizens were fully qualified, so qualified that they did not suffer even from disease, excessive heat, excessive coldness. No. Very peaceful. Supply was properly. Sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. Everything was being supplied. Whatever you want, that is supplied through the earth. Throughout the earth. Even if you take meat, that is also coming from the earth. The grass is there, the animal is eating, the cow or the goat. Then you are able to eat the animal. So sarva-kāma-dughā mahī.

But a human being is not meant for eating animal. Although the nature is that one animal eats another animal---that is the nature---but you have got discrimination. God has given you... When you are in the jungle, you are a tiger, you can eat animal. But when you are civilized, when you can produce nice foodstuff, so many nice grains, fruits and milk, why should you eat meat? That means you are misusing your advanced intelligence improperly. Therefore you must suffer. You must suffer. You are using your intelligence... Your intelligence was given to understand what is God, what is your relationship with God, why you are rotting in this material world under shadow illusion of so-called happiness. These things are to be known in human form of body. Not like working very hard like cats and dogs and asses, and eat little food and do all sinful activities. This is not human intelligence.

So who will control? If the king, the head of the government, is perfect, then he will control. So that is all gone. Therefore we are suffering. Therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, first business is, before appointing his grandson, he was very much eager to know, "Whether he is competent, exactly my representative?" This is the business of the king. And toya-nīvyāḥ patim. Toya-nīvyāḥ patim means the whole world, not the modern India, a few yards of land. No. The India was governing. India, the king or the emperor of Hastināpura, he was the emperor. Now, seven seas, seven islands, they are mentioned in the Vedic literature. Seven islands. So the emperor would be emperor of the whole earth, and there was everywhere the Vedic culture. Everywhere the Vedic culture was, more or less; principally in that part which is known as India, but in other parts also, the Vedic culture was there. And the Europeans, they belonged to the kṣatriya family, and the Americans also coming from them.

Now, in due course of time, five thousand years, there is no history. The modern history can give detail up to three thousand years. They do not know what is beyond three thousand years. But you can get history of the human society for millions of years from Vedic literature---not poor fund of knowledge, only two thousand years or three thousand years. Just like this Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was emperor five thousand years ago. So this is the history. That is Mahābhārata. This is their characteristic. It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Everything is there. These rascal scholars, they say that these are literatures within 1,500 years or like that. No. That is not accepted by us or our ācāryas. That is not accepted. There are many evidences, archaeological evidences also. So five thousand years ago the king was so perfect, and there was one king who was ruling all over the... In the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, from all parts of the world, the subordinate kings, they joined to cooperate with either of the parties, Pāṇḍavas and the Kurus.

So bhūmer abhyaṣiñcat. Abhiṣeka. Abhyaṣiñcat. Just like we install Deity. We bathe the duty..., er, Deity with so many waters. Similarly, during installation of the king, the same ceremony takes place. Before the prince or the emperor sits on the throne, the same ceremony, abhiṣeka ceremony, is performed. Therefore it is said, abhyaṣiñcat. Gajāhvaye. Gajāhvaye means Hastināpura. Hasti means elephant. So because it is Hastināpura, therefore the name... And gaja means also elephant. It is named after elephant. There were many elephants. Just like Gokula. Kṛṣṇa's planet is known as Gokula. There are many cows, surabhi cows. Go means cow. Similarly, this capital of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Hastināpura, may be taken that there were many elephants. Formerly the kings used to maintain. Otherwise, who will maintain elephants? Suppose I bring one elephant, I present to you, will you accept? [laughs] You will be finished. [laughs] You can keep one dog, "Gow! Gow! Gow!" but if I say, "I present you one elephant. Please keep it," "No, sir. No, sir, it is not possible." [laughter] So who will maintain?

There... In India, there is a place near Patna where up to ten years before, it was a market, yearly market, for selling cows, horses, elephants, camels, like that. Now there is no customer. At the present moment, that fair of selling big, big horses and... Nobody can purchase horse. They have got this tin car. That also not everyone. So people have become poor. Nobody can maintain now horses or elephant or number of cows. No. That is not possible. So they are condemned now. Formerly they were maintaining. Instead of keeping a big car, they used to keep two, three elephants, number of horses, number of cows. This is domestic animal. They are domestic animals. They used to be maintained. But nowadays they cannot. But during Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time or before that, the city was so full of elephants that it is named after elephant, Hastināpura = "Many elephants."

Still in India, in big procession, marriage ceremony, they bring some elephants. But that is in procession, elephants, horses are demonstrated, especially royal family. But these things have now gone. Now, instead of Hastināpura, it is now "Motorcarpura." [laughter] Just see.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Jaya... [end]