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Library » Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) » Canto 4: The Creation of the Fourth Order » CHAPTER NINETEEN

ŚB 4.19.26

Devanagari

तदभिज्ञाय भगवान्पृथु: पृथुपराक्रम: ।
इन्द्राय कुपितो बाणमादत्तोद्यतकार्मुक: ॥ २६ ॥

Text

tad abhijñāya bhagavān
pṛthuḥ pṛthu-parākramaḥ
indrāya kupito bāṇam
ādattodyata-kārmukaḥ

Synonyms

tat — that; abhijñāya — understanding; bhagavān — the incarnation of Godhead; pṛthuḥ — King Pṛthu; pṛthu-parākramaḥ — celebrated as very powerful; indrāya — upon Indra; kupitaḥ — being very angry; bāṇam — an arrow; ādatta — took up; udyata — having taken up; kārmukaḥ — the bow.

Translation

Mahārāja Pṛthu, who was celebrated as very powerful, immediately took up his bow and arrows and prepared to kill Indra himself, because Indra had introduced such irregular sannyāsa orders.

Purport

It is the duty of the king not to tolerate the introduction of any irreligious systems. Since King Pṛthu was an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, certainly his duty was to cut down all kinds of irreligious systems. Following in his footsteps, all heads of state should themselves be bona fide representatives of God and should cut down all irreligious systems. Unfortunately they are cowards who declare a secular state. Such a mentality is a way of compromising religious and irreligious systems, but because of this citizens are generally becoming uninterested in spiritual advancement. Thus the situation deteriorates to such an extent that human society becomes hellish.