Shloka 12
Nimi’s Disembodied Liberation and the Rise of the Mithilā (Videha) Dynasty
अराजकभयं नृणां मन्यमाना महर्षय: । देहं ममन्थु: स्म निमे: कुमार: समजायत ॥ १२ ॥
arājaka-bhayaṁ nṝṇāṁ manyamānā maharṣayaḥ dehaṁ mamanthuḥ sma nimeḥ kumāraḥ samajāyata
Thereafter, fearing the people’s danger from lawless rule, the great sages churned Mahārāja Nimi’s material body, and from it a son was born.
Arājaka-bhayam. If the government is unsteady and unregulated, there is danger of fear for the people. At the present moment this danger always exists because of government by the people. Here we can see that the great sages got a son from Nimi’s material body to guide the citizens properly, for such guidance is the duty of a kṣatriya king. A kṣatriya is one who saves the citizens from being injured. In the so-called people’s government there is no trained kṣatriya king; as soon as someone strong accumulates votes, he becomes the minister or president, without training from the learned brāhmaṇas expert in the śāstras. Indeed, we see that in some countries the government changes from party to party, and therefore the men in charge of the government are more eager to protect their position than to see that the citizens are happy. The Vedic civilization prefers monarchy. People liked the government of Lord Rāmacandra, the government of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and the governments of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa and Mahārāja Prahlāda. There are many instances of excellent government under a monarch. Gradually the democratic government is becoming unfit for the needs of the people, and therefore some parties are trying to elect a dictator. A dictatorship is the same as a monarchy, but without a trained leader. Actually people will be happy when a trained leader, whether a monarch or a dictator, takes control of the government and rules the people according to the standard regulations of the authorized scriptures.
FAQs
This verse says the sages feared a lawless condition without a ruler, so they acted to ensure succession—showing that stable, dharmic leadership protects society.
Because they believed the people would be endangered without a king, they performed a mystic act—churning Nimi’s body—to produce an heir and preserve orderly rule.
It highlights the need for responsible leadership and governance—whether in a family, community, or institution—so that duty, order, and protection of others are maintained.