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Mahārāja Parīkṣit Cursed by a Brāhmaṇa Boy
973
अहो नतांहो महद्य ते कृत- मन्वीयसि द्रोह उरुदमो भूतः ॥४१॥
niśamya śaptam atadarham narendram sa brāhmaṇo nātmajam abhyanandat aho batāmho mahad adya te kṛtam alpīyasi droha urur damo dhṛtaḥ
niśamya —after hearing;  śaptam —cursed;  atadarham —never to be condemned;  nara-indram —unto the King, best of humankind;  saḥ —that;  brāhmaṇaḥ — brāhmaṇa ṛṣi ;  na —not;  ātma-jam —his own son;  abhyanandat —congratulated;  aho —alas;  bata —distressing;  amhaḥ —sins;  mahat —great;  adya —today;  te —yourself;  kṛtam —performed;  alpīyasi —insignificant;  drohe —offense;  uruḥ —very great;  damaḥ —punishment;  dhṛtaḥ —awarded.
TRANSLATION
The father heard from his son that the King had been cursed, although he should never have been condemned for he was the best amongst all human beings. The ṛṣi did not congratulate his son but, on the contrary, began to repent, saying: Alas! What a great sinful act was performed by my son. He has awarded heavy punishment for an insignificant offense.
PURPORT
The king is the best of all human beings. He is the representative of God, and he is never to be condemned for any of his actions. In other words, the king can do no wrong. The king may order hanging of a culprit son of a  brāhmaṇa , but he does not become sinful for killing a  brāhmaṇa . Even if there is something wrong with the king, he is never to be condemned. A medical practitioner may kill a patient by mistaken treatment, but such a killer is never condemned to death. So what to speak of a good and pious king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit? In the Vedic way of life, the king is trained to become a  rājarṣi , or a great saint, although he is ruling as king. It is the king only by whose good government the citizens can live peacefully and without any fear. The  rājarṣis  would manage their kingdom so nicely and piously that their subjects would respect them as if they were the Lord. That is the instruction of the  Vedas . The king is called  narendra , or the best amongst the human beings. How then could a king like Mahā-