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
اے اے راجَن، سنو—اے آقا—ہم جو کہنے والے ہیں؛ یہ تمہاری سلطنت کی قوت کے لیے مفید اور رعایا کی اعلیٰ ترین بھلائی کے لیے ہے۔
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.