Shloka 9
Pṛthu Pursues the Earth and the Earth Takes the Form of a Cow
Bhūmi as Gauḥ
मैत्रेय उवाच यदाभिषिक्त: पृथुरङ्ग विप्रै-रामन्त्रितो जनतायाश्च पाल: । प्रजा निरन्ने क्षितिपृष्ठ एत्यक्षुत्क्षामदेहा: पतिमभ्यवोचन् ॥ ९ ॥
maitreya uvāca yadābhiṣiktaḥ pṛthur aṅga viprair āmantrito janatāyāś ca pālaḥ prajā niranne kṣiti-pṛṣṭha etya kṣut-kṣāma-dehāḥ patim abhyavocan
Disse Maitreya: Meu querido Vidura, quando Pṛthu foi ungido pelos brāhmaṇas e sábios e proclamado protetor dos cidadãos, havia escassez de grãos na terra. Os súditos, emagrecidos pela fome, vieram diante do rei e lhe relataram sua real situação.
Information is given herein concerning the selection of the king by the brāhmaṇas. According to the varṇāśrama system, the brāhmaṇas are considered to be the head of the society and therefore to be situated in the topmost social position. The varṇāśrama-dharma, the institution of four varṇas and four āśramas, is very scientifically designed. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, varṇāśrama-dharma is not a man-made institution, but is God-made. In this narration it is clearly indicated that the brāhmaṇas used to control the royal power. When an evil king like Vena ruled, the brāhmaṇas would kill him through their brahminical powers and would select a proper ruler by testing his qualifications. In other words, the brāhmaṇas, the intelligent men or great sages, would control the monarchical powers. Here we have an indication of how the brāhmaṇas elected King Pṛthu to the throne as the protector of the citizens. The citizens, being skinny due to hunger, approached the King and informed him that necessary action should be taken. The structure of the varṇāśrama-dharma was so nice that the brāhmaṇas would guide the head of state. The head of state would then give protection to the citizens. The kṣatriyas would take charge of protecting the people in general, and under the protection of the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas would protect the cows, produce food grains and distribute them. Śūdras, the working class, would help the higher three classes by manual labor. This is the perfect social system.
FAQs
This verse shows that a king is accepted as “pālaḥ,” the protector; when citizens suffer (here, hunger), they naturally approach the king for relief, indicating his primary duty is to safeguard their welfare.
Because they were without food and their bodies were emaciated from hunger; after Pṛthu’s coronation as their protector, they appealed to him as their lord for help.
It highlights responsible leadership: those in authority should respond to people’s real needs, and society should expect accountability and protection from leaders entrusted with power.