Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 9
The Earth Laughs at World-Conquering Kings; Yuga-Dharma and the Remedy for Kali
श्रीशुक उवाच पृथु: पुरूरवा गाधिर्नहुषो भरतोऽर्जुन: । मान्धाता सगरो राम: खट्वाङ्गो धुन्धुहा रघु: ॥ ९ ॥ तृणबिन्दुर्ययातिश्च शर्याति: शन्तनुर्गय: । भगीरथ: कुवलयाश्व: ककुत्स्थो नैषधो नृग: ॥ १० ॥ हिरण्यकशिपुर्वृत्रो रावणो लोकरावण: । नमुचि: शम्बरो भौमो हिरण्याक्षोऽथ तारक: ॥ ११ ॥ अन्ये च बहवो दैत्या राजानो ये महेश्वरा: । सर्वे सर्वविद: शूरा: सर्वे सर्वजितोऽजिता: ॥ १२ ॥ ममतां मय्यवर्तन्त कृत्वोच्चैर्मर्त्यधर्मिण: । कथावशेषा: कालेन ह्यकृतार्था: कृता विभो ॥ १३ ॥
pṛthuḥ purūravā gādhir nahuṣo bharato ’rjunaḥ māndhātā sagaro rāmaḥ khaṭvāṅgo dhundhuhā raghuḥ
ພຣະສີສຸກະກ່າວວ່າ—ກະສັດເຊັ່ນ ປຣຶຖຸ, ປຸຣູຣະວາ, ຄາຘິ, ນະຫຸສ, ພະຣະຕະ, (ກາຣຕະວີຣຍະ) ອະຣຊຸນ, ມານຘາຕາ, ສະຄະຣະ, ຣາມະ, ຂັດວາງຄະ, ທຸນທຸຫາ, ຣະຄຸ; ຕຣຶນບິນດຸ, ຢະຢາຕິ, ຊະຣະຢາຕິ, ຊັນຕະນຸ, ຄະຢະ; ພະຄີຣະຖະ, ກຸວະລະຢາຊະວະ, ກະກຸດສະຖະ, ໄນສະຘະ, ນຶຣກ; ຮິຣັນຍະກະຊິປຸ, ວຶຣຕຣະ, ຣາວະນະຜູ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ໂລກຄຳຄວນ, ນະມຸຈິ, ຊັມບະຣະ, ພະອົມ, ຮິຣັນຍາກຊະ ແລະ ຕາຣະກະ—ພ້ອມດ້ວຍໄທຕະຍະ ແລະກະສັດຜູ້ມີອຳນາດອື່ນໆອີກຫຼາຍ—ລ້ວນຮູ້ຮອບ ກ້າຫານ ຊະນະທຸກຢ່າງ ແລະຍາກຈະພິຊິດ. ແຕ່ກໍຕາມ ໂອ ພຣະຜູ້ມີິດທານ, ແມ່ນແຕ່ພວກເຂົາຈະດຳລົງຊີວິດດ້ວຍມະມະຕາຢາກຄອບຄອງເຮົາ ການເວລາກໍເຮັດໃຫ້ເຫຼືອແຕ່ເລື່ອງເລົ່າ—ບໍ່ມີໃຜສ້າງອຳນາດໃຫ້ຍືນຍົງໄດ້.
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, and as confirmed by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the King Rāma mentioned here is not the incarnation of Godhead Rāmacandra. Pṛthu Mahārāja is understood to be an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who completely exhibited the characteristics of an earthly king, claiming proprietorship over the entire earth. A saintly king like Pṛthu Mahārāja, however, controls the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas a demon such as Hiraṇyakaśipu or Rāvaṇa tries to exploit the earth for his personal sense gratification. Nevertheless, both saintly kings and demons must leave the earth. In this way their political supremacy is ultimately neutralized by the force of time.