44 verses
Maitreya said: Bhṛgu and other sages, seers of the peoples welfare, saw that in the absence of a king men would become like animals.
Calling his mother Sunīthā, the sages made Vena the King of the world, though this was not approved by the ministers.
There are two other versions of the text with prakṛty-asammataṁ (not approved by the ministers, citizens or his mother) and prakṛtyāsammatam (not approved because of his nature).
Hearing that Vena, a terrible punisher, has assumed the throne, sinful men hid themselves immediately, like rats which are afraid of snakes.
Vena, on ascending the throne, became proud because the eight powers, and proudly considered himself worthy of worship. Thus he disrespected exalted people.
He became proud because of the eight powers means he became proud because of possessing wealth from the eight directions. He ruled over the seven continents. Stabdhaḥ means proud. He boasted that he himself was a warrior and scholar.
Blind, intoxicated, proud and uncontrollable, like and elephant, he traveled on his chariot around the earth, causing the earth and sky to tremble.
O brāhmaṇas! No more sacrifice, no more charity, nor more oblations! He stopped performance of dharma with the sound of drums everywhere.
Seeing the activities of sinful Vena and considering the danger to the people, the sages, with compassion, spoke among themselves.
The people have great danger from both sidesfrom the thieves and from the King, like a log burning at both ends.
When a log burns from the root and the tip, the ants in the middle have danger from both sides. The citizens must flee to a fort out of fear of thieves and in the state they must fear their protector, the King.
Fearing a state without a King, they had made Vena King though he was not qualified. Therefore there was now fear of him. How will the people be happy?
Atad-arhaṇaḥ means not qualified to be King.
By nature Vena is wicked, being born from the womb of Sunīthā. He is like a snake nourished by milk, which is a cause of danger for its maintainer.
What to speak of being a danger to the citizens! We have made him the King but he now punishes us by announcing that we cannot perform sacrifice.
Appointed as the King, he desires to harm the citizens. Nevertheless, we should conciliate him so that his sins do not affect us.
By arguments we will enlighten him. Doing this, we will not be touched by sin. Otherwise we will become sinful.
We made him the King though we knew that he was sinful. If, after being advised, he does not accept our words, with our powers we will burn that sinner already condemned by public criticism.
We appointed him, knowing he was sinful. Dahiṣyāmaḥ should be dhakṣyāmaḥ.
Having decided in this way, the sages, hiding their anger, approached him and spoke to him after pacifying him with sweet words.
The sages said: Best of kings! Dear Sir! Please understand what we will reveal to you. You will have increase of life, wealth, strength and fame!
When men perform dharma by words, mind, body and intelligence, the whole world becomes free of misery. And for those without attachment, there is liberation.
There is liberation (ānantyam) for those with no material desires (asaḍginām).
O hero! Do not destroy dharma, which brings benefit to the citizens. If dharma is destroyed, the King will fall from his position.
Mā vinaśet should be mā vinaśyatu.
O King! The King protects the citizens from thieves and corrupt ministers, and accepts taxes accordingly. Thus he enjoys in this world and the next.
In such a Kings state and cities, the Supreme Lord, master of sacrifices, is worshipped by people executing their individual duties according to varṇāśrāma.
Instead of varṇāśramānvitaiḥ sometimes varṇāśramātmakaih is seen. The minds (ātma) of the people are absorbed in varṇāśrama.
Fortunate King! The Supreme Lord, protector of the people, soul of the universe, is satisfied with the King who follows his instructions.
If the Lord is pleased, what cannot be achieved in this universe? Thus all beings and their devatās offer tribute to the Lord of lords with respect.
For your benefit, you should entreat your citizens to worship through various sacrifices the Supreme Lord who accepts the sacrifices for attaining the devatās and their planets, who is the three Vedas, who is all the ingredients of sacrifice and who is all austerities.
You should entreat the citizens to be worshippers (yajataḥ), for your prosperity.
The devatās, portions of the Lord, properly worshipped, very satisfied by sacrifice performed by brāhmaṇas in your kingdom, will give whatever you desire. O hero! You should not disrespect them.
Ceṣṭitum means to do.
Vena said: O fools! You accept what is adharma as dharma. Giving up the husband who maintains you, you worship an illicit lover.
I am your maintainer. If I forbid you to pluck fruits or roots today, you will immediately die.
Fools who disrespect the Lord in the form of the King cannot enjoy happiness in this life or the next.
Who is the master of sacrifice for whom you show devotion, like the devotion of unchaste women who give up affection for their husbands for a paramour?
ete cānye ca vibudhāḥ prabhavo vara-śāpayoḥ dehe bhavanti nṛpateḥ sarva-devamayo nṛpaḥ
Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, Vāyu, Yama, the sun-god, the rain god, Kuvera, the moon-god, the earth deity, Agni, Varuṇa, and all other devatās, competent to bestow benedictions or curses, reside in the body of the King. The King is the composite of all devatās.
Therefore, without envy, you should worship me by your rituals. Bring the offerings to me. Who except me is the first to enjoy the offerings?
Maitreya said: Thus, the sinful King straying from the path, intelligence lost, bereft of good fortune, though pacified by the sages, did not accept their request.
O Vidura! Being insulted by the King who thought himself learned and who had refused their request, the brāhmaṇas, became angry with him.
The sages were mistreated (asat-kṛtāḥ) by Vena (tena).
This sinful person should be killed! He should be killed! If he continues living, certainly this sinful person of cruel nature will quickly turn the whole world to ashes.
He will turn the world to ashes. Therefore he should be turned to ashes.
This sinful person who criticizes without shame Viṣṇu, the master of sacrifice, should not sit on the throne.
Who except unfortunate Vena would criticize the Lord, by whose mercy a person receives such wealth and power?
Who except Vena would criticize Viṣṇu from whom he received such power and was the object of mercy? Therefore he should be shown no mercy, and should be killed.
The sages, deciding to kill him, increased their anger, and by incantations killed Vena, who was destroyed by criticism of the Lord.
When the sages returned to their homes, lamenting Sunīthā preserved the body of her son by use of mantras.
Vidyā-yogena means by placing it in oil with use of mantras.
Once, the sages, after taking bath in the Sarasvatī River, and offering oblations, began to speak about the Lord, while sitting on the river bank.
Sarasvat in the masculine gender is poetic license.
Observing the increasing disturbances, a cause of fear in society, they discussed whether having no ruler would cause the misfortune in the world because of thieves.
While the sages were reflecting thus, great dust from plundering thieves running about arose in all directions.
While the sages were reflecting and sitting there, the dust arose.
cora-prāyaṁ jana-padaṁ hīna-sattvam arājakam lokān nāvārayañ chaktā api tad-doṣa-darśinaḥ
Though they understood the disturbance to the population by people mutually looting wealth and killing, and understood that almost the whole population without a King had become thieves, devoid of sense control, the kṣatriyas, capable of preventing this, though seeing it happen, did not stop those who were looting others when the King had died.
The order of the sentence is as follows. Understanding the disturbance to the population by looters of wealth and killers, and understanding that almost the whole population had become thieves, persons capable of preventing this, even seeing it happen, the kṣatriyas, protecting only themselves, and being indifferent, thinking Why should we protect others? did not stop those who were looting others.
If a peaceful brāhmaṇa who sees all equally but ignores others suffering, his spiritual power diminishes just like water flowing from a broken pot.
What to speak of devotees and kṣatriyas being obligated to stop suffering of the people, if even the brāhmaṇa, peaceful and seeing all beings equally, ignores the suffering, then even his austerity as a brāhmaṇa dissipates.
The dynasty of Aḍga, a saintly King, should not be destroyed. Kings of unfailing strength, who took shelter of Viṣṇu, had appeared in this dynasty.
If that is so, why did the sages headed by Bhṛgu remain unconcerned? Seeing that they could prevent destruction of their austerity by killing the thieves and protecting the population, they concluded that some King was necessary. Samṣthātum means to be destroyed.
Deciding thus, the sages swiftly churned the thigh of the dead king. A dwarf appeared.
Bāhukaḥ means a dwarf. First the mothers portion (adharma) was separated and extracted from the body.
He was black like a crow, very short in stature, with short arms, big jaws, short legs, flat nose, red eyes and copper-colored hair.
When, bowing down humbly, he said What shall I do? the sages said Sit (niṣīda). Therefore he became the Niṣāda tribe.
Since he was tribal in nature, he was not suitable to be the King.
Because accepting the terrible sins of Vena on being born, his descendents, the Naiṣādas, inhabit the mountains and forests.
By being born and taking the sins of Vena, he took low birth as a Niṣāda, and his descendents the Naiṣādas were very low in birth.
Thus ends the commentary on the Fourteenth Chapter of the Fourth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Fourteenth Chapter, after being installed as King by the sages, the irreligious Vena is given instructions, killed and then has his leg churned by the sages.
The sages saw that the people were similar to animals. Sāmyatam has the same meaning as samatām, being equal to.1 As wolves or jackals kill sheep, so criminals would kill the citizens.