Shloka 66
वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्
Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth
तं प्रजाः पृथिवीनाथम् उपतस्थुः क्षुधार्दिताः ओषधीषु प्रणष्टासु तस्मिन् काले ह्य् अराजके तम् ऊचुस् तेन ताः पृष्टास् तत्रागमनकारणम्
taṃ prajāḥ pṛthivīnātham upatasthuḥ kṣudhārditāḥ oṣadhīṣu praṇaṣṭāsu tasmin kāle hy arājake tam ūcus tena tāḥ pṛṣṭās tatrāgamanakāraṇam
When herbs and plants had vanished and the lawless time without a king had come upon the world, the hunger-stricken people approached the lord of the earth. They spoke to him, and he asked the reason for their coming.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Concept: In the absence of rightful rule, scarcity and suffering spread, driving people to seek a protector who can restore order and sustenance.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Recognize the social cost of leaderless disorder and cultivate institutions and personal responsibility that protect the vulnerable.
Vishishtadvaita: Social order (dharma) is portrayed as a necessary support for beings to live and pursue higher aims within the Lord-governed cosmos.
FAQs
This verse treats arājaka as a breakdown of dharma where society loses protection and provision, leading to famine and collective suffering that compels the people to seek rightful sovereignty.
Parāśara presents it as a crisis of sustenance and order: the people, driven by hunger after vegetation fails, approach the earth-lord, initiating a dialogue that centers on restoring stability.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s preservation theme is implicit: rightful kingship and the reestablishment of order reflect the sustaining principle associated with Vishnu’s cosmic guardianship.