Shloka 16
वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्
Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth
भो भो राजञ् छृणुष्व त्वं यद् वदामस् तव प्रभो राज्यदेहोपकाराय प्रजानां च हितं परम्
bho bho rājañ chṛṇuṣva tvaṃ yad vadāmas tava prabho rājyadehopakārāya prajānāṃ ca hitaṃ param
O King—yes, O King—listen, O lord, to what we are about to say: it is for the strengthening of your sovereignty and for the highest welfare of your subjects.
Royal advisers/counsellors addressing a king (within Parasara’s narration to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How sages counsel a king for rājyopacāra and prajā-hita, setting up the ritual/theological teaching that follows.
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Royal power is legitimate when oriented to prajānāṃ hita—governance as dharmic service rather than private enjoyment.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Measure leadership by public welfare; align policy and personal discipline toward protecting the vulnerable and sustaining dharma.
Vishishtadvaita: Prajā and ruler are limbs of the Lord’s embodied cosmos; serving subjects becomes indirect service to Nārāyaṇa who indwells all.
Bhakti Type: dasya
FAQs
This verse frames royal counsel as ultimately aimed at the “highest welfare” of the people, presenting kingship as a dharmic trust rather than mere power.
By linking the stability of the kingdom (“rajya-deha”) with the well-being of the subjects, it implies that righteous rule sustains social order, a practical expression of dharma.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana’s worldview treats dharma-governance as aligned with the Supreme Lord’s cosmic order—good rule mirrors the sustaining principle associated with Vishnu.