45 verses
Maitreya said: The city was decorated with pearls, flower garlands, cloth, golden arches, and fragrant incense in various places.
Its roads and intersections were wet with sandalwood and aguru scent, and decorated with flowers, raw rice, fruits, barley shoots, popped rice and lamps.
Tokmaiḥ means with green barley.
The city was decorated everywhere with banana stalks including their fruits and flowers, with young betel trees, and with strings of young leaves.
Savṛntaiḥ means with fruit and flowers. Pūgapotaiḥ means young betel trees.
The citizens and pure young girls, decorated with bright earrings, approached Pṛthu with lamps and many auspicious articles.
They came to offer ārātrika to Pṛthu with lamps and unlimited auspicious items like yogurt. Mṛṣṭa-kanyāḥ means young girls thoroughly scrubbed. Mṛṣṭa-kuṇòala means they were wearing dazzling cloth and ornaments as well as earrings.
To the sound of conches, drums and the priests chanting Vedic mantras, the King, praised but not proud, entered the palace.
The King had no pride though he saw that he had extraordinary wealth.
After being worshipped, Pṛthu, pleased and giving desired blessings, worshipped the famous and common citizens here and there.
He was worshipped by the citizens with presents of gold coins, arghya, and new cloth. Worshipping others means he took off his turban and jacket and gave them to others.
Pṛthu, the greatest among the great, performing faultless actions and executing many rituals, ruled the whole earth. Achieving widespread fame, he then attained the Lord.
Mahān mahattamaḥ means that among the mahattamas, consisting of uttama, madhyama and kaniṣṭha, he was uttama, the highest class.
Sūta said: O Śaunaka! After worshipping Maitreya who had described in detail the glories of Pṛthu, adored by highly qualified persons, the great devotee Vidura then spoke. . His glory was adored (sabhājitam) by persons with good qualities (guṇavat).
Vidura said: Enthroned by the brāhmaṇas, worshipped by numerous devatās, Pṛthu received Viṣṇus strength in his arms with which he milked the earth.
He held in his two arms Viṣṇus strength.
What intelligent person will not hear Pṛthus glories? Even now, the devatās and planets maintain their lives with the desirable remnants produced by his valiant action. Please tell me of his pure actions.
Yad vikramocchiṣṭam means because of his actions, everyone received their desired items as milk from milking the earth.
Maitreya said: Living in the land between the Gaḍgā and Yamunā Rivers, Pṛthu experienced enjoyment, thinking of it as karma for exhausting the results of his previous pious actions.
The word matvā (thinking in this way) should be added. Though the avatāra of the Lord and the Lords devotee do not have prārabdha-karma (karmas experienced in the present life), out of great humility arising from his great bhakti, he thought that he would expend his pious and impious karmas by experiencing happiness and distress in this life like a conditioned soul.
His order went unchallenged everywhere. He had authority over all except the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas.
Acyuta-gotrataḥ means except for those in the Lords family--who are equal to the Lord. It refers to the Vaiṣṇavas who are without varṇa and āśrama. Concerning scriptures, he respected the brāhmaṇas because they were the ācāryas for the Vedas, and he respected the Vaiṣṇavas because they were the gurus for various mantras used in worship. Ṛṣabha has said:
putrāṁś ca śiṣyāṁś ca nṛpo gurur vā
mal-loka-kāmo mad-anugrahārthaḥ
itthaṁ vimanyur anuśiṣyād ataj-jñān
na yojayet karmasu karma-mūòhān
kaṁ yojayan manujo 'rthaṁ labheta
nipātayan naṣṭa-dṛśaṁ hi garte
The king or guru desiring to attain my abode, in order to obtain my mercy, should teach his sons or the students without becoming angry. He should not instruct the ignorant, bewildered by karma, in performing karma. What is achieved by engaging the ignorant man in karma? It is like throwing a blind man in a well. SB 5.5.15
One time there was a great sacrificial performance. At that place the devatās and an assembly of saintly brāhmaṇas and saintly kings were present.
At one time there was a great sacrifice and in the sacrifice, many devatās were present. (The verb should be repeated.)
There, Pṛthu stood up in the assembly among the great persons worthy of worship, who had been worshipped befitting to their status, like the moon among the stars.
Pṛthu stood up to make some announcement among the worshipable (arhatsu) sages. The sentence continues for six verses.
He was tall, with long, thick arms, fair complexion, and red lotus eyes. He had a graceful nose, a beautiful, cheerful face, thick shoulders and a smile with beautiful teeth.
He had a broad chest, large waist, an abdomen shaped like a banyan leaf with three lines, a twirled navel, golden thighs and feet raised in front.
He had a broad chest. He had a beautiful abdomen shaped like a banyan leaf, with tip pointing down, broad at the top and narrow at the bottom, spread with three lines horizontally. Below that was his navel twirling clockwise. He had limbs like golden pillars. The front parts of his feet were raised.
He had fine, black, curly, glossy hair. His neck was like a conch. He was wearing valuable cloth on his lower and upper body.
Upavīya means he had an upper cloth.
|| 4.21.18-19-20 ||
vyañjitāśeṣa-gātra-śrīr
niyame nyasta-bhūṣaṇaḥ
kṛṣṇājina-dharaḥ śrīmān
kuśa-pāṇiḥ kṛtocitaḥ
śiśira-snigdha-tārākṣaḥ
samaikṣata samantataḥ
ūcivān idam urvīśaḥ
sadaḥ saṁharṣayann iva
cāru citra-padaṁ ślakṣṇaṁ
mṛṣṭaṁ gūòham aviklavam
sarveṣām upakārārthaṁ
tadā anuvadann iva
Showing unlimited beauty in his limbs, wearing ornaments expertly placed, wearing a black deer skin and shining with kuśa on his finger when required, the ruler of the earth, who had charming pupils in his eyes as cooling as dew, glanced around. Giving joy to the assembly, he resonantly spoke attractive, delightful words which were ornamented with beautiful syllables, faultless, full of allusions, and which were easy to understand, for the benefit of all present.
The King said: O assembly, devotees who have gathered here! Good fortune to you. Please listen! In the presence of devotees, those who are inquisitive for truth should announce the principles which they have carefully considered.
The King addresses the devotees. My object is not the others who have gathered here. I cannot give instructions or orders to you since I am the King, but rather I should ask you for instructions and orders. Since there is devotee association here, the inquisitive should reveal topics of dharma, after considering them carefully, since they cannot come to a conclusion by themselves.
I have been engaged by the Lord as the punisher of the citizens, as the protector of the citizens, as the giver of occupations and as the establisher of rules of varṇāśrama.
One should not say, We should worship the King. Rather, I have merely been appointed by the Supreme Lord as the object worship, to engage you in your occupations. I do these activities, because I am engaged (yojitaḥ) by the Supreme Lord. I hold the stick, which is like medicine for curing the sickness of sinful action. I am employed by the Lord for protecting the citizens from thieves. I am engaged by the Lord to give occupations to the citizens. I am engaged by the Lord to establish respect for the rules of varṇāśrama. I am carrying on my head the weight of many types of service to you.
From executing all my duties, all the places which the followers of the Vedas describe, which fulfill my desires, will be mine, since I will please the Lord.
I receive my monthly, seasonal and yearly wage from the Lord. What the followers of the Vedas claim as the worlds to be attained by performance of my duties will be mine as well. These are the places I attain in my next life, according to my desire, and which are the fulfillment of my desires (kāma-sandohā), when the Lord (diṣṭa-dṛk) is satisfied with me.
śreyaḥ prajā-pālanam eva rājño
yat sāmparāye sukṛtāt ṣaṣṭham aṁśam
hartānyathā hṛta-puṇyaḥ prajānām
arakṣitā kara-hāro 'gham atti
It is most beneficial for the King to protect the population, because he enjoys one sixth of the pious acts of the citizens in the next life. Otherwise, not protecting the citizens, they take his pious acts and he suffers their sin. SB 4.20.14
The King who levies taxes without teaching the citizens about the principles of dharma suffers the sins of the citizens and loses his own good fortune.
However, among my duties, the chief and constant one is to institute dharma. Without doing that, I meet with misfortune. Bhāgam means wealth and power.
Citizens! Therefore, perform your duties without envy for the welfare of me, your protector, after death. Thinkers of the Lord! By that, you will show me mercy.
Therefore (tat) O citizens! Like offerings after death for the persons welfare, you should do your duties for my benefit after death. If you do your duties, I will become successful. Let me not have rebirth in this world. He describes the individual duty. O persons who place their intelligence in the Lord (adhokṣaja-dhiyaḥ) Worship the Lord! This is confirmed by the Gītā statement mayyeva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya: fix your mind in me and place your intelligence in me. (BG 12.8)
I request you pure devatās, Pitṛs and sages to approve of this, for after death the result is equally shared by the performer, the person who gives him the order, and the one who approves it.
Duties give their full effect if approved by all. Equal result is shared in the next life by the person who teaches the duty, the performer of the duty and those who approve the duty.
According to some authorities, the Supreme Lord, the master of sacrifice, exists. This can be observed by the presence of beautiful bodies in this life and the next in some place.
You desire to institute worship of the Lord. How is that possible, for your father Vena accepted the teaching of kaivalya? O most respectable persons! With an opposite intention he says, Some persons are of the opinion that the Supreme Lord called the Lord of sacrifice exists. To those who oppose, he says Do not doubt that this is true. It is proved by the fact that without the Lord there could be no variety in the universe. In this life by sense perception and in the next life by the statement of scripture, we know there are very beautiful bodies in certain places. And to the other extreme, we know there are very ugly bodies as well. People get various degrees of beauty through past pious actions, and lack of those results by lack of past pious actions. Bhuvaḥ means places of enjoyment and bodies. The meaning is this. Actions alone being material and unconscious, cannot give these different results. The devatās who appeared recently are not independent, since this is stated in the Antaryāmī-śruti. (Thus devatās are not the final cause of differences.) If the action is the same, we do not see difference results, and we never see lack of results. Thus one should conclude that the variety is possible only because of the Supreme Lord, who has the ability to do, not do or do differently. When there is difference in worship of the Lord, there is also difference in result. And when there is no worship of the Lord, there is no result.
|| 4.21.28-29-30 ||
manor uttānapādasya
dhruvasyāpi mahīpateḥ
priyavratasya rājarṣer
aḍgasyāsmat-pituḥ pituḥ
īdṛśānām athānyeṣām
ajasya ca bhavasya ca
prahlādasya baleś cāpi
kṛtyam asti gadābhṛtā
dauhitrādīn ṛte mṛtyoḥ
śocyān dharma-vimohitān
varga-svargāpavargāṇāṁ
prāyeṇaikātmya-hetunā
This is also the conclusion of Manu, Uttānapāda, King Dhruva, the saintly king Priyavrata, my grandfather Aḍga, many other great persons, Brahmā, Śiva, Prahlāda and Balibut not those lamentable persons straying from dharma like Vena. The achievements of artha, dharma, kāma, Svarga and mokṣa are generally given by the independent Supreme Lord, holder of the club.
Gods existence is also proved by the experiences of the wise. Svāyambhuva Manu, my paternal grandfather (pituḥ pituḥ) Aḍga, and others got certain achievements by the Supreme Lords mercy. Prahlāda and Bali are included, though they appeared after Pṛthu, since they are known from the scriptures. Gaòa-bhṛtā indicates the Lord holding a club, having a sweet attractive form (not impersonal Brahman). Kṛtyam (achievement) indicates constant service to the Lords feet. Others however are deplorable. The son of the daughter of death, Vena, and others, who strayed from dharma, are lamentable. Implied here by Pṛthu is Let those who disagree with my opinion at this place be sent to the city of my maternal grandfather, death. The Lord is further described. He is aikātmya, the independent (aikya) svarūpa (ātmya). Ātmya has the same meaning as ātmā. He is the cause, with his independent form, of artha, dharma and kāma (trivarga), Svarga (the result of dharma) and liberation (apavarga). Thus, persons desiring these things should worship the Lord. The Lord is the cause of achievements for persons without desires and for persons with desires. The proof is as follows:
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ |
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param ||
The person desiring destruction of all desires, the person with all desires, even the person with the intense desire for liberation, if he has good intelligence, will worship the Supreme Lord with pure bhakti. SB 2.3.10
yat karmabhir yat tapasā jñāna-vairāgyataś ca yat
yogena dāna-dharmeṇa śreyobhir itarair api
sarvaṁ mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto labhate 'ñjasā
svargāpavargaṁ mad-dhāma kathañcid yadi vāñchati
Everything that can be achieved by karma, penance, jñāna, vairāgya, mystic yoga, charity, dharma and all other auspicious means of perfecting life is easily achieved by my devotee through bhakti. If somehow or other my devotee desires Svarga, liberation, or residence in my abode, he easily achieves such benedictions. SB 11.20.32.-33
Prāyena (generally) here indicates that sometimes the pure form is mixed with karma or jñāna. Thus by bhakti mixed with karma and jñāna results appear. However, the results of trivarga, svarga or liberation do not come from karma or jñāna but by bhakti alone. This is the meaning. Thus not only the Lord but the bhakti, included in his svarūpa, is also proved.
Like the water flowing from the big toe of the Lord, a taste of service to the Lords feet immediately destroys the contamination in the intelligence of the performers of austerity, which has been acquired through unlimited births. Day by day that spiritual taste increases.
What has been explained is now gradually described in detail. The success achieved by those performing pure bhakti to the Lord is not achieved those practicing austerities, what to speak of persons practicing karma. This is explained in two verses. Those doing austerities cannot remove the contamination in their intelligence. Immediately, when there arises taste for serving the feet of the Lord by the mercy of great devotees, purification takes place. That taste increases day by day. That taste is śuddha-sattva and eternal (satī). An example is given to show the greatness of the Lords feet. The sentence continues till verse 33.
One who takes shelter of the Lords feet, with mind cleansed of unlimited dirty, and who is strong in detachment from enjoyment and realization of the beauty of the Lords form, does not surrender again to material life full of suffering.
He is strong in detachment and realization of the Lords beauty (vijñāna-viśeṣa-vīryavān). He takes shelter of the Lords feet (kṛta-ketanaḥ). This shows his pure bhakti.
You who are sincere and who have determined the goal to be achieved according to your varṇa and āśrama should worship that Lord, whose lotus feet fulfill all desires, by means of your occupational duties, your livelihood, and devotional activities involving the mind voice and body.
Since we have drowned in household karma-yoga, how can we worship with pure bhakti? Pṛthu then advised to do karma-miśra-bhakti. Worship the Lord by the actions of the varṇas--sacrifice, protection, agriculture and service (sva-karmabhiḥ). Along with these occupations (ātma-vṛttibhiḥ) worship with the qualities of the mind, voice and body--remembering the Lord, chanting and offering obeisances. Or worship with actions (sva-karmabhiḥ) of mind, voice and body, and with your occupational duties for livelihood. If ones work is engaged for the Lords service, or at least some portion is engaged, on a steady basis, then that becomes bhakti. Those who have determined the object of perfection (avasitārtha-siddhayaḥ), without surpassing their varṇa (yathādhikāra) should worship him in this way. Or, those who by doing their prescribed occupation for the pleasure of the Lord make it perfect should worship the Lord in this way. By taking the meaning to be worship the Lord along with prescribed duties of varṇāśrama (sva-karmabhiḥ) which are ones livelihood (ātma-vṛttibhiḥ) bhakti becomes predominant.
This sacrifice has many material qualities, such as various ingredients, colors, rituals, mantras, embellishments, saḍkalpas, śaktis and names, but it becomes devoid of material qualities in the end, having a nature of pure, condensed knowledge, Brahman.
Karma by its very nature is impure, material, and rajasic. But if it is offered to the Lord, it ultimately becomes viśuddha-sattva, spiritual, by the minor portion of bhakti within it. In two verses Pṛthu teaches bhakti-miśra-karma. Pṛthu points with his index finger at the sacrifice being prepared. This (asau) sacrifice, though it has many qualities in rajas, becomes without guṇas, beyond the guṇas, in its final state, because of the power of bhakti present when the sacrifice is offered to the Lord. It becomes pure knowledge; it becomes endowed with the form of the bliss of Brahman, since karma matures finally into liberation (through jñāna). From the beginning however, simply hearing and chanting the Lords name are full of pure knowledge. They are devoid of the guṇas from the beginning. Thus they are in all ways superior to karma. Or, the Lord (asau), by his very nature beyond the guṇas, full of pure knowledge, on the path of karma, becomes sacrifice endowed with many guṇas.
What are the many qualities? There are many types of materials such as rice, with colors such as white, with actions such as threshing the grains, with mantras (uktibhiḥ), with preparations to complete each section of the sacrifice (artha), with saḍkalpa (āśayaḥ), with śakti in the objects (liḍgam), and with names such as jyotiṣṭoma sacrifice.
Supplying the intelligence in the body made of prakṛti, time, impressions, and fate so that the person offers karmas to the Lord, the Lord himself appears as the various results of those actions, just as fire appears in various types of woods with the qualities of those woods.
The result of karmas offered to the Lord, along with some bhakti, is attainment of the Lord. The body is composed of avyakta (pradhāna), time, which is the agitator of avyakta, impressions (āśaya), and fate or karma (dharma). The Lord himself, producing (pratipadya-having a causative senses) the intelligence (cetanām), situated in the body, so that one offers karmas to the Lord, appears (vibhāvyate) as the results of action. The verb is reflexive, being the performer of action and the object of action.
yad atra kriyate karma bhagavat-paritoṣaṇam |
jñānaṁ yat tad adhīnaṁ hi bhakti-yoga-samanvitam ||
That jñāna which arises from karma, pleasing to the Lord because of being offered to him, is endowed with bhakti. SB 1.5.35
According to this verse, karma offered to the Lord, by becoming jñāna mixed with bhakti, gives one attainment of the Lord. However, according to the amount of bhakti and faith in offering the karmas, there will be corresponding appearance of jñāna, and corresponding attainment of the Lord. Just as the fire situated in sandalwood, aguru, dhava or khadira wood takes on the qualities of those woods respectively, so the Lord gives results to action according to the type of worship done by the worshipper. For the person doing niṣkāma-karma with some bhakti, there is liberation. For the person doing karma-miśra-bhakti, there is śānta-rati. According to the amount of bhakti, the Lord gives sālokya and other benedictions. Thus the importance of the quality present in a person has been shown.
The citizens under my care on this earth are merciful to me. With great determination they constantly worship the Supreme Lord, the enjoyer of sacrifice and the supreme guru, by their occupational duties.
O King! O master! We have become successful by your instructions. We will always worship the Lord. When Pṛthu hears the citizens speaking in this way, he speaks.
Because of being in a royal family, because of great wealth, one should not exert power over the Vaiṣṇavas and brāhmaṇas who are shining with tolerance, austerity and knowledge.
In order to firmly establish bhakti, Pṛthu now forbids neglecting the Vaiṣṇavas and brāhmaṇas. One should not exert (prabhavet) his powers as a king, because of his great wealth, over the families of Vaiṣṇavas (ajita-devatānām) and brāhmaṇas, who are shining spontaneously with good qualities like tolerancebut who do not have great wealth and power.
By worshipping their feet, the Supreme Lord, the greatest, the oldest and the foremost person, the protector of the brāhmaṇas, obtained eternal, undying, splendorous fame which purifies the whole universe.
In seven verses Pṛthu recommends devotion to brāhmaṇas for making bhakti strong. These verses are repeating what the Lord has already said in SB 3.16.7-12 in order to teach the people.
By service to them, the unlimited Lord, dwelling in the heart, dear to the brāhmaṇas, satisfies all desires. Therefore those who are following dharma and good conduct should serve the brāhmaṇas with all the heart.
Tad eva means therefore.
By constant service to the brāhmaṇas a person quickly and spontaneously achieves liberation, because of a satisfied mind. What better mouth of the devatās exists?
If we serve the brāhmaṇas, there will be no sacrifices to Agni, the mouth of the devatās. We will not become purified in the heart, and thus cannot get liberation. Two verses reply to this fear. By constant service to the brāhmaṇas, the mind becomes content. From that, spontaneously, one quickly achieves liberation (atyanta-śamam). Is there a better mouth of the devatās? By service to brāhmaṇas all the results of sacrifices and cultivating knowledge appear.
The Lord, whose words are realized by those qualified as devotees and jñānīs, eats what is offered to the mouth of the brāhmaṇas, given with faith and mantras by the learned and does not accept to the same extent what is offered to the fire, which is devoid of consciousness.
The brāhmaṇas mouth is preferred by the Lord. The Lord eats what is given with faith and mantras to the brāhmaṇaṣ mouth. Just as one utters mantras with names of devatās such indrāya svāha when offering ghee into fire, one can offer cooked rice into the brāhmaṇas mouth with the same names. The Lord accepts that offering. When the Lord has eaten, all the devatās are fully satisfied and pleased. The same cannot be said of fire, which is devoid of consciousness. Pāramahaṁsya-paryaguḥ means the Lord whose words as the Vedas or whose bodily effulgence is realized by persons qualified as devotees or jñānīs.
teṣām ahaṁ pāda-saroja-reṇum āryā vaheyādhi-kirīṭam āyuḥ yaṁ nityadā bibhrata āśu pāpaṁ naśyaty amuṁ sarva-guṇā bhajanti
Honorable people! Since the brāhmaṇa, by faith, austerity, proper conduct, silence, and senses control, continually supports the eternal, pure Veda in which this universe is reflected as in a mirror, in order to obtain knowledge of the truth about objects, for my whole life I pray to carry on my crown the dust from the lotus feet of the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, which quickly destroys sin and awards all good qualities to the bearer.
The brāhmaṇa is not superior to the fire just because he is conscious, but because he has knowledge. The brāhmaṇa supports the Veda (brahma) by faith, austerity, proper conduct (maḍgala), silence and sense control. The definition of maḍgala is given as follows:
praśastācaraṇaṁ nityam apraśastasya varjanam
yat tad dhi maḍgalaṁ proktam ṛṣibhis tattva-darśibhiḥ
The wise sages have said that maḍgala means proper conduct at all times, while being devoid of bad conduct.
Silence means avoiding that talking which is contrary to studying the Vedas. Samādhinā means with steadiness of mind. Why? They support the Vedas for knowledge of real things (artha-dṛṣtaye). How do the Vedas do this? In the Vedas (yatra) everything in this world becomes its subject. (The Vedas reveal everything about the world.) The Vedas are like a mirror. O honorable people (āryāḥ)! For my whole life (ā āyuḥ) I shall carry (vaheya) on (adhi) my crown their foot dust. Potential case is used to express a wish. For the person carrying that dust (yam), it destroys sin, and all good qualities come to that person who carries that dust (amum).
All wealth accrues to the person with good qualities, a wealth of good conduct, and gratitude, who takes shelter of the elders. May the Lord, along with his followers, the brāhmaṇas, and cows, be pleased with me!
The result of a person having good qualities is stated. Wealth, like a woman who chooses a husband on her own, chooses spontaneously (saṁvṛṇate) that person.
Maitreya said: The Pitṛs, devatās, brāhmaṇas, and devotees, with joyful hearts, with kind words, praised the King who had spoken.
Vedas speak the truth when they say The father attains the highest planets through the son since the sinful Vena, killed by the curse of brāhmaṇas, was delivered from hell by his son.
Hiraṇyakaśipu also, who entered hell because of criticizing the Lord, was delivered because of his son Prahlāda.
Tamah means hell.
O father of the earth! Best of warriors! Live for eternal years! You have such devotion to the Supreme Lord, the one maintainer of all planets.
Pitaḥ pṛthvāh means O father of the earth!
Most glorious Pṛthu! Today we have become the possessors of a master, because you have taken the role of our master. You have explained all about the most praised Supreme Lord, affectionate to the brāhmaṇas.
Pṛthu is addressed as Mukunda, because he is the Lord, in the sense of giving bhakti to Mukunda. Yah refers to Pṛthu.
Instructing your servants is not so astonishing for you because the nature of great, merciful persons is to have affection for the citizens.
Ājīvinām means of the servants, those who have given their whole (ā) life. Affection for the citizens is the nature (prakṛtiḥ) of merciful persons.
O Lord! Forced to wander around blindly by our prārabdha-karmas, we have been delivered from ignorance by you today.
We offer respects to that great Lord possessing śuddha-sattva, who, by entering the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas, maintains this world with his powers.
Seeing Pṛthu as the Lord, the brāhmaṇas offer him respects. Entering into the brāhmaṇa caste, the Lord supports the kṣatriyas. Entering into the kṣatriyas, the Lord supports the brāhmaṇas. Entering into both, the Lord supports the universe.
Thus ends the commentary on the Twenty-first Chapter of the Fourth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Twenty-first Chapter, Pṛthu, decorated with all beauty, an ocean of humility, gives instructions to the citizens during a great sacrifice. The previous chapter stated that Pṛthu returned to his city. That city is described in three verses. The sentence continues from the last chapter.