Pṛthu Mahārāja instructs the citizens and is visited by the four Kumāras (Srimad Bhagavatam #59)

Maitreya narrates two other important pastimes of Pṛthu Maharaja: His instructions to the citizens and his meeting with the four Kumāras who came to Earth specifically to bless him.

May 03, 2025

Pṛthu Maharaja was away from his capital for a long time executing his 99 sacrifices. Although he was still managing the state from there, the citizens were deprived of his company. Chapter 21 describes the royal reception he received from the citizens on his return. We can see that many elements remind us of the entrance of Krsna in Dvārakā, which was described in the first canto. That's the way people used to receive great personalities in Vedic culture.

Despite all the respect he received, Pṛthu Maharaja was not at all proud. Apart from the power he demonstrated, the personal qualities of Pṛthu Maharaja are another central point in his pastimes. He gave the perfect example of the qualities of a leader. We can't imitate these qualities, but if by following his example we can develop even a small percentage of them, that will already be a great achievement.

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King Pṛthu returns to his capital (4.21.1-20)

"The great sage Maitreya told Vidura: When the King entered his city, it was very beautifully decorated to receive him with pearls, flower garlands, beautiful cloth and golden gates, and the entire city was perfumed with highly fragrant incense. Fragrant water distilled from sandalwood and aguru herb was sprinkled everywhere on the lanes, roads and small parks throughout the city, and everywhere were decorations of unbroken fruits, flowers, wetted grains, varied minerals, and lamps, all presented as auspicious paraphernalia.At the street crossings there were bunches of fruits and flowers, as well as pillars of banana trees and betel nut branches. All these combined decorations everywhere looked very attractive. As the King entered the gate of the city, all the citizens received him with many auspicious articles like lamps, flowers and yogurt. The King was also received by many beautiful unmarried girls whose bodies were bedecked with various ornaments, especially with earrings which collided with one another." (SB 4.21.1-4)

Prabhupada gives additional details in his purport to text four:

"Offerings of natural products such as betel nuts, bananas, newly grown wheat, paddy, yogurt and vermillion, carried by the citizens and scattered throughout the city, are all auspicious paraphernalia, according to Vedic civilization, for receiving a prominent guest like a bridegroom, king or spiritual master. Similarly, a welcome offered by unmarried girls who are internally and externally clean and are dressed in nice garments and ornaments is also auspicious. Kumārī, or unmarried girls untouched by the hand of any member of the opposite sex, are auspicious members of society."

In the reception, many auspicious ingredients were put on view for the pleasure of the king. When he finally entered the gates of the city, he was well received by all the citizens, who held different articles to offer to him. Young girls of pre-marriage age also took part in the reception, as an auspicious view. These young, pure girls are considered a very auspicious view, because they invoke a peaceful, protective attitude, like children, different from adult women who may inspire lust.

After being received by the citizens in this way, the King entered the palace, where he received another royal reception:

"When the King entered the palace, conchshells and kettledrums were sounded, priests chanted Vedic mantras, and professional reciters offered different prayers. But in spite of all this ceremony to welcome him, the King was not the least bit affected.Both the important citizens and the common citizens welcomed the King very heartily, and he also bestowed upon them their desired blessings. King Pṛthu was greater than the greatest soul and was therefore worshipable by everyone. He performed many glorious activities in ruling over the surface of the world and was always magnanimous. After achieving such great success and a reputation which spread throughout the universe, he at last obtained the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (SB 4.21.5-7)

After hearing this description, Vidura became eager to hear more about the activities of King Pṛthu and inquired from Maitreya:

"Pṛthu Mahārāja was so great in his activities and magnanimous in his method of ruling that all the kings and demigods on the various planets still follow in his footsteps. Who is there who will not try to hear about his glorious activities? I wish to hear more and more about Pṛthu Mahārāja because his activities are so pious and auspicious." (SB 4.21.10)

This gave Maitreya the opportunity of narrating three other important pastimes of Pṛthu Maharaja: His instructions to the citizens, his meeting with the four Kumāras, and his passing away, back home, back to Godhead.

Everything starts with King Pṛthu executing yet another sacrifice, attended not only by brāhmaṇas, sages, and kings, but also demigods coming from the higher planetary systems specifically to attend the function. Everything was performed in the view of the citizens who were all assembled there, anxious to see the performance.

After changing into the ceremonial dress for the sacrifice, Pṛthu Maharaja used the opportunity to address the assembly and all the citizens present with spiritual instructions.

"Just to encourage the members of the assembly and to enhance their pleasure, King Pṛthu glanced over them with eyes that seemed like stars in a sky wet with dew. He then spoke to them in a great voice. Mahārāja Pṛthu’s speech was very beautiful, full of metaphorical language, clearly understandable and very pleasing to hear. His words were all grave and certain. It appears that when he spoke, he expressed his personal realization of the Absolute Truth in order to benefit all who were present." (SB 4.21.19-20)

Pṛthu Mahārāja instructs the citizens (chapter 4.21.21-44)

The discourse of Pṛthu Maharaja before the sacrifice is recorded in texts 4.21.21 to 44. In these verses, he gives valuable instructions to the citizens. Just as everything else in the Srimad Bhagavatam, these are important points that tell us a great deal about the qualifications of a great leader. Although we can't be like Pṛthu Mahārāja, we can learn from his example and follow in his footsteps.

a) Pṛthu Maharaja had absolute power over the whole planetary system of Bhu-Mandala. Not even the demigods could challenge him. Being a pure devotee and an empowered incarnation, he was also above the four material defects. Still, he showed great humility in presenting his statements, addressing the great souls, sages, and saintly persons present there, and later asking for their consent (in text 26) and blessings (in text 43). Similarly, although Lord Rāma is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he used to consult His ministers like Sugrīva before making important decisions. Thus, both Pṛthu and Rāma gave the perfect example of proper leadership.

b) What is the duty of the king apart from protecting the citizens? He should engage them according to their natural propensities and qualifications, according to the Varṇāśrama system, teaching them to follow religious systems and serve the Lord by properly performing their duties according to the divisions of work.

All societies end up following the Varṇāśrama system to some degree, with some acting as intellectuals, others in the military and state management, others doing business, and the remaining working for others. The difference is that in the Varṇāśrama system, people are properly trained to perform these functions. This organization results in a progressive society where everyone can gradually advance in spiritual understanding.

c) Why should a king take the trouble of training the citizens and organizing society? Why not just enjoy his kingdom by levying taxes and enjoying the profits? A king who properly performs his duty of elevating the citizens shares all their pious activities and thus accumulates a colossal wealth of pious merits and satisfies the Lord. On the other hand, a king who neglects this essential duty has all his pious merits taken by the citizens and, in exchange, shares in all sinful activities they commit under his reign. The same applies to gurus, parents, and other types of authorities. Alongside privileges come also duties.

d) A pious leader like Pṛthu Maharaja is naturally loved by his citizens, who become propense to follow his instructions and follow the example set by him. As Krsna explains in the Gita, "Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues."

By living according to the instructions he is giving, a saintly leader imparts faith in the process to others. More than that, by giving shelter and a good example, he becomes dear to his followers, and this is another factor in making them serious about following the spiritual process. This, in turn, benefits both the followers themselves and the leader, who imperceptibly shares their merits.

e) In autocracies, the king or dictator is often considered above the law, doing whatever he wants without being questioned or punished. However, in Vedic culture, the king is subordinate to the precepts of dharma, just like everyone else. In other words, although the king is considered higher than the citizens, he is still under the authority of the Lord. In texts 27 to 30, Pṛthu Maharaja speaks about this supreme authority that is over him and must be accepted by all sane men.

If there is no God in control, how is it that some people are unusually beautiful and powerful? Why is it that people obtain different results both in life and after death according to their actions? Vena refused to bow down to the authority of the Lord and faced a tragic end. Similarly, all materialists face death as the inevitable result of their sinful activities. Conversely, great personalities such as Manu, Uttānapāda, Dhruva, Priyavrata, Aṅga, Prahlāda, and Bali agree that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the source of everything and the only bestower of the benedictions. They thus follow the religious principles dictated by him. Everyone thus should perform their prescribed duties, not merely to attain material prosperity, but as an offering to the Lord. While we engage in different occupational duties, we must try to satisfy the Supreme Lord through the execution of such duties. This is the path to perfection. Just as Pṛthu personally follows these principles, he argues that all citizens should do the same, following the footsteps of such great personalities.

f) Service to the Lord starts by executing material duties as an offering to Him in the path of karma-yoga and culminates in pure devotional service. Regardless of which stage we are in, the process of serving the Lord cleanses our minds from all garbage accumulated over millions of births, and as the mind is cleansed, or Krsna consciousness increases, and when one finally comes to the stage of surrendering unto the Lord, all sinful reactions cease. Pṛthu Mahārāja recommends that everyone should take shelter of the Lord and become purified.

g) Devotional service is the ultimate goal of all other processes offered in the Vedas. The only reason karma, jñāna, yoga, and even the varṇāśrama system in itself are offered is to create a path by which one may come one day to the platform of devotional service. When disconnected from bhakti, however, both karma and jñāna are very limited processes that lead to misunderstandings. Karma without bhakti leads to petty materialism, while jñāna without bhakti leads to simple mental speculation, culminating with impersonalism. Only when combined with bhakti do these processes lead to genuine spiritual realization and ultimate liberation.

The practice of bhakti-yoga leads one to become free from all mental contaminations and misunderstandings. Disgusted with the shortcomings of materialistic life, one develops vijñāna, scientific knowledge of his eternal relationship with the Lord, which in turn leads to vairāgya, renunciation. This type of renunciation is, however, different from the dry renunciation of the impersonalist, being based on a higher taste. If one refuses to eat bread just out of asceticism, his renunciation will be very troublesome, but if one gets a pizza, renouncing the bread is natural. When a devotee comes in contact with the spiritual platform, he automatically loses interest in stale material things. Situated in this platform of true spiritual realization, a devotee attains the personal association of Krsna and never returns to this material world.

The ultimate goal of the varṇāśrama system

Previously, Pṛthu Maharaja had recommended that the citizens perform their duties in the varṇāśrama system. Now he reveals the ultimate goal of this instruction: to gradually develop pure devotional service to the Lord. The rules of the varṇāśrama system are not an end in themselves, but a way to create a suitable platform for the development of devotional service. Pṛthu Maharaja thus urged the citizens:

"Engaging your minds, your words, your bodies and the results of your occupational duties, and being always open-minded, you should all render devotional service to the Lord. According to your abilities and the occupations in which you are situated, you should engage your service at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full confidence and without reservation. Then you will surely be successful in achieving the final objective in your lives." (SB 4.21.33)

Different persons may manifest different natures and different capacities to perform activities, but the beauty of the process of Krsna consciousness is that this ultimately doesn't matter. Any sincere person can become successful in devotional service by serving the Lord according to his or her capacity. One just needs to the frank and open-minded, serving the Lord without reservation (amāyinaḥ).

h) Having explained the process of devotional service, starting from text 34, Pṛthu Maharaja describes the glories of the Lord.

The Lord is completely transcendental to this material world, but He manifests here to accept the offerings of different classes of devotees. He personally accepts the offerings of pure devotees, and He accepts the offerings of karmis performing fruitive sacrifices through the demigods. He is also present in all bodies, which are developed by the combination of material energy and time, with the desires of the conditioned souls. Everybody has thus a certain nature, which should be engaged through the appropriate occupational duties. In this way, although the soul is always the same, the consciousness manifests in different forms, just as fire manifests according to the size and dimensions of the firewood.

i) How is the Lord served? The best way is through service to the brāhmaṇas and Vaishnavas. Service to the brāhmaṇas is superior to any kind of fruitive performances, and service to Vaishnavas is even better, since becoming a Vaishnava is the ultimate goal of the brāhminical platform. By regularly serving them, one can clean all the dirt accumulated in the heart. The Lord can eat through the fire in Vedic yajñas, but He is much more satisfied in eating through the mouths of great sages and devotees. Offering food and gifts to them is the best form of sacrifice.

Any society where the injunctions of the scriptures are respected will flourish due to respect for the brāhmaṇas and Vaishnavas. From them, the other members can learn the transcendental science, which can illuminate the path for the ultimate goal of life, just as one's face is reflected by a clear mirror.

Pṛthu Maharaja is himself a pure devotee, but in sign of humility, and also to give the proper example, he asks for blessings to perpetually carry on his crown the dust of the lotus feet of the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas until the end of his life. Why does he desire to do so? Because one who can carry such dust on his head is very soon relieved of all the reactions which arise from sinful life, and eventually develops all good and desirable qualities.

Pṛthu Maharaja is glorified for his instructions

What was the reaction of the audience to the speech of Pṛthu Maharaja? All the demigods, brāhmaṇas, and saintly persons, joined by the inhabitants of Pitṛloka, congratulated him by exclaiming: sādhu, sādhu. Yet again, they declared the saintliness of Pṛthu Maharaja, declaring that he was confirming the Vedic conclusion that one can be saved from hell and elevated to the heavenly planets by the actions of a putra, or son. Vena was extremely sinful, but he had been saved by his son, Pṛthu, just like Prahlāda Maharaja delivered his father Hiraṇyakaśipu. They wholeheartedly blessed him with a long life and devotion to the Supreme Lord.

In his purport to text 2.7.9, Srila Prabhupada gives more details:

"Long life, obedience, good reputation, righteousness, prospects of being promoted to higher planets, and blessings of great personalities are all vanquished simply by disobedience to a great soul. One should strictly try to follow in the footsteps of great souls. Mahārāja Vena became a king, undoubtedly due to his past deeds of righteousness, but because he willfully neglected the great souls, he was punished by the loss of all the above-mentioned acquisitions. In the Vāmana Purāṇa the history of Mahārāja Vena and his degradation are fully described. When Mahārāja Pṛthu heard about the hellish condition of his father, Vena, who was suffering from leprosy in the family of a mleccha, he at once brought the former king to Kurukṣetra for his purification and relieved him of all sufferings. Mahārāja Pṛthu, the incarnation of God, descended by the prayer of the brāhmaṇas to rectify the disorders on earth. He produced all kinds of crops. But, at the same time, he performed the duty of a son who delivers his father from hellish conditions. The word putra means one who delivers from hell, called put. That is a worthy son." (SB 2.7.9)

Pṛthu Maharaja was also glorified by his citizens, who accepted him as the purest, the direct representative of the Lord, and considered themselves fortunate to live under the rule of such a qualified and merciful king. They tanked him for delivering such important spiritual instructions, understanding that they had been entangled for a very long time in the material ignorance, but now, under his instructions, they had the opportunity of getting out.

One may question why Hiraṇyakaśipu is mentioned in text 47 in the middle of the prayers addressed to Pṛthu Maharaja, since this is an event that happened only much later, in the 6th manvantara. The answer is that text 47 is not part of the prayers, but spoken by Maitreya as commentary to the two previous verses. Pṛthu Maharaja appeared in the 1st Manvantara, Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa in the 6th Manvantara, and Maitreya spoke to Vidura in recent times, in the 7th manvantara. The pastime of Hiraṇyakaśipu was past to him.

The visit of the four Kumāras (chapter 4.22)

Previously in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the four Kumāras were briefly described in the chapters dealing with the creation of Brahma, and they became the protagonists of the curse of Jaya and Vijaya, which led to the appearance of Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu. Now, another pastime involving the four Kumāras is described: their appearance in the assembly of Pṛthu Maharaja and the deep spiritual instructions they gave to him.

Just as Nārada Muni, the four Kumāras are empowered by the Lord to transmit transcendental knowledge. At the beginning of their lives, they were Brahmavādīs. They had received instructions on the jñāna-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas from Brahma and were more attracted to the impersonal aspect of the absolute truth. However, when they went to the Vaikuṇṭha-lokas, they were immediately attracted by the aroma of the Tulasī offered to the Lord and became perfect Vaishnavas.

The four Kumāras live in the planetary system of Tapoloka, the planetary system immediately under Brahmaloka, inhabited by great mystics. Just like Lord Brahma, the four Kumāras have very refined bodies, practically without any trace of material elements. They are so exalted that they can't even be seen by human beings or ordinary demigods, but on some special occasions, they become visible to give spiritual instructions. They are described as siddheśvaras, masters of all mystic power due to their perfection in yoga-practice, and as naiṣṭhika-brahmacārīs, because they never got involved with women. When they were born, Brahma asked them to get married and help to increase the population, but the Kumāras refused to do so, preferring to remain as young children who are never affected by sexual desires. This incident led to the appearance of Lord Shiva from between the eyebrows of Brahma when he became angry at their response.

In the Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, Gopa Kumāra eventually reached Tapoloka, where he met with the Kumāras. Initially, being fully absorbed in meditation, they ignored him, but eventually, they became compassionate and showed him the forms of the Lord they were meditating on inside their hearts.

The four Kumāras appeared in the assembly exactly as Pṛthu Maharaja was finalizing his instructions to the citizens. He had spoken about the glories of devotional service to the Lord and the importance of association with saintly persons, and the Kumāras appeared at the exact moment when the citizens were most eager to receive them. The whole incident happened in the view of the citizens. Everyone could see the four Kumāras coming from the sky, just like four suns descending to the Earth, and hear their enlightening dialogue with Pṛthu Maharaja.

Just like Nārada Muni, the four Kumāras can travel in outer space by their own powers, without the need for any vehicle. Because their bodies are so pure and subtle, they travel invisibly to most of the inhabitants of the universe until they decide to make themselves visible to fulfill some purpose. They never desire to visit any place that is sinful, and therefore, they rarely come to Earth, apart from visiting Lord Shiva in Kailāsa. However, Pṛthu was such a pious ruler that the whole planet became sinless, and thus the Kumāras decided to come and see the King, and Pṛthu Maharaja was naturally very eager to see them.

"Seeing the four Kumāras, Pṛthu Mahārāja was greatly anxious to receive them. Therefore the King, with all his officers, very hastily got up, as anxiously as a conditioned soul whose senses are immediately attracted by the modes of material nature." (SB 4.22.3)

As Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport, "Birds of a feather flock together." One of the symptoms of a saintly person is that he is eager to associate with other saintly persons. Being a wise and saintly King, Pṛthu Maharaja surrounded himself with ministers and officers of the same nature, and they were also very eager to receive and serve the Kumāras.

King Pṛthu acted exemplarily by respectfully receiving the sages, sitting them, bowing down in all humility, and worshiping them. He personally washed their feet and sprinkled the water over his hair.

The Kumāras are the ācāryas of the Kumāra sampradāya, which, together with the Brahma sampradāya, Śrī sampradāya, and Rudra sampradāya, form the four bona fide Vaishnava sampradāyas. The four Kumāras are thus extremely exalted personalities, and King Pṛthu received them in the most exemplary way.

King Pṛthu offers prayers

After they were comfortably seated on a golden throne, Pṛthu Maharaja offered heartfelt prayers to the great sages, which go from verse 4.22.7 to 16.

"King Pṛthu spoke: My dear great sages, auspiciousness personified, it is very difficult for even the mystic yogīs to see you. Indeed, you are very rarely seen. I do not know what kind of pious activity I performed for you to grace me by appearing before me without difficulty.
Any person upon whom the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are pleased can achieve anything which is very rare to obtain in this world as well as after death. Not only that, but one also receives the favor of the auspicious Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu, who accompany the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas." (SB 4.22.7-8)

"Mahārāja Pṛthu offered his welcome to the four Kumāras, addressing them as the best of the brāhmaṇas. He welcomed them, saying: From the beginning of your birth you strictly observed the vows of celibacy, and although you are experienced in the path of liberation, you are keeping yourselves just like small children." (SB 4.22.12)

It's customary etiquette that when we receive a person, we ask about their welfare. In the case of the Kumāras, however, there was no question of any misery or sorrow, since they are fully situated in the transcendental platform. As Krsna explains on the Gītā (18.54), as soon as one attains the platform of liberation, he becomes completely joyful, and never laments or desires anything. This platform of liberation, however, is just the beginning of a higher stage, where one gradually develops pure devotional service to the Lord. This is the stage of turīya, described in the Māṇḍūkya Upanisad. The four Kumāras are extremely high in this ultimate platform, and therefore, we can imagine how much beyond ordinary material lamentation they are. King Pṛthu thus avoided wasting time asking about their welfare, concentrating instead on inquiring about how to become free from materialistic life.

In his purport to text 4.22.14, Prabhupada expands this idea, making the point that in reality all souls exist eternally in a platform of spiritual bliss, and the material conditioning is just like a hallucination or a dream:

"We think ourselves created by material nature exactly as we think ourselves experiencing so many things in a dream. The spirit soul, however, is always transcendental. There is no question of becoming materially covered. This covering is simply something like a hallucination or a dream. In Bhagavad-gītā (2.62) it is also said, saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ: simply by association we create artificial material necessities. Dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate: when we forget our real constitutional position and wish to enjoy the material resources, our material desires manifest, and we associate with varieties of material enjoyment. As soon as the concoctions of material enjoyment are there, because of our association we create a sort of lust or eagerness to enjoy them, and when that false enjoyment does not actually make us happy, we create another illusion, known as anger, and by the manifestation of anger, the illusion becomes stronger. When we are illusioned in this way, forgetfulness of our relationship with Kṛṣṇa follows, and by thus losing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, our real intelligence is defeated. In this way we become entangled in this material world."

In other words, Prabhupada makes the point that our stay in this material world is not factual, and happens only due to material illusion. As soon as this material illusion is removed by realized transcendental knowledge, we immediately see ourselves again as pure souls engaged in the eternal service of the Lord. This idea is strongly supported in the teachings of Lord Kapila in the 3rd canto, where he describes how the original consciousness of the soul is reflected in the false ego, mind, intelligence and senses, and from there permeates the material body, without directly coming in contact with it, just like the light of the sun entering a dark room through a small orifice, being reflected in a vessel of water and from there reflected again in the walls of the room, illuminating the whole place.

Why did the King enquire from the sages?

"Pṛthu Mahārāja inquired from the sages about persons entangled in this dangerous material existence because of their previous actions. Could such persons, whose only aim is sense gratification, be blessed with any good fortune?
"Pṛthu Mahārāja continued: My dear sirs, there is no need to ask about your good and bad fortune because you are always absorbed in spiritual bliss. The mental concoction of the auspicious and inauspicious does not exist in you. I am completely assured that personalities like you are the only friends for persons who are blazing in the fire of material existence. I therefore ask you how in this material world we can very soon achieve the ultimate goal of life." (SB 4.22.13-15)

The King asked two questions, one in text 13 and another in text 15:

1- How can materialistic persons interested only in sense gratification be blessed with any good fortune?

2- How can a soul entangled in this material world quickly achieve the ultimate goal of life?

There are many different processes of self-realization, such as the cultivation of knowledge, penances, and meditation, which were familiar to the people living at the time. However, these processes are not quick, and can't be practiced by people too much engaged in sense gratification. Therefore, anxious for the welfare of all his citizens, Pṛthu Maharaja inquired about the existence of a quicker and more powerful process that could help even ordinary people.

In the next part, we will study the answers of Sanat-kumāra to the inquiries of the King.