Shloka 67
वेन-पृथु-प्रादुर्भावः, राजधर्मः, पृथिवीदोहनम्
Vena–Pṛthu Episode and the Milking of Earth
अराजके नृपश्रेष्ठ धरित्र्या सकलौषधीः ग्रस्तास् ततः क्षयं यान्ति प्रजाः सर्वाः प्रजेश्वर
arājake nṛpaśreṣṭha dharitryā sakalauṣadhīḥ grastās tataḥ kṣayaṃ yānti prajāḥ sarvāḥ prajeśvara
ഹേ നൃപശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! രാജാവില്ലാത്ത അराजകാവസ്ഥയിൽ ധരിത്രി സകല ഔഷധികളെയും വിഴുങ്ങുന്നതുപോലെ ആകുന്നു; അപ്പോൾ, ഹേ പ്രജേശ്വരാ, എല്ലാ പ്രജകളും ക്ഷയത്തിലേക്കും നാശത്തിലേക്കും പോകുന്നു।
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya, describing the dharma and necessity of kingship)
Concept: Without kingship, the Earth (Bhūmi) withholds medicinal and nourishing plants, and society collapses toward ruin.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Sustain collective well-being by upholding just governance, accountability, and stewardship of resources.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhūmi is treated as responsive to dharma; nature’s support is linked to rightful order within the divinely integrated world.
Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi
FAQs
The verse presents kingship as a pillar of worldly dharma: without a ruler, even nature’s supports (herbs/medicine) seem to fail, and society collapses into ruin.
He frames the kingless condition as a cosmic-social disorder: the Earth ‘swallowing’ herbs is a poetic way to say that nourishment and healing resources vanish when protection and regulation disappear.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching aligns with Vaishnava theology: Vishnu as the Supreme Preserver is mirrored in righteous rule, whose purpose is to sustain beings and uphold dharma.