Text 10]
Dhruva Mahārāja Goes Back to Godhead
499
TRANSLATION
As long as he remained at home, Dhruva Mahārāja performed many great ceremonial sacrifices in order to please the enjoyer of all sacrifices, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prescribed ceremonial sacrifices are especially meant to please Lord Viṣṇu, who is the objective of all such sacrifices and who awards the resultant benedictions.
PURPORT
In  Bhagavad-gītā  (Bg.3.9) it is said,  yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ : one should act or work only in order to please the Supreme Lord, otherwise he becomes entangled in the resultant reactions. According to the four divisions of  varṇa  and  āśrama ,  kṣatriyas  and  vaiśyas  are especially advised to perform great ceremonial sacrifices and to distribute their accumulated money very liberally. Dhruva Mahārāja, as a king and ideal  kṣatriya , performed many such sacrifices, giving very liberally in charity.  Kṣatriyas  and  vaiśyas  are supposed to earn their money and accumulate great riches. Sometimes they do it by acting sinfully.  Kṣatriyas  are meant to rule over a country; Dhruva Mahārāja, for example, in the course of ruling, had to fight and kill many Yakṣas. Such action is necessary for  kṣatriyas . A  kṣatriya  should not be a coward, and he should not be nonviolent; to rule over the country he has to act violently.
Kṣatriyas  and the  vaiśyas  are therefore especially advised to give in charity at least fifty percent of their accumulated wealth. In  Bhagavad-gītā  it is recommended that even though one enters the renounced order of life, he still cannot give up the performance of  yajña ,  dāna , and  tapasya . They are never to be given up.  Tapasya  is meant for the renounced order of life; those who are retired from worldly activities should perform  tapasya , penances and austerities. Those who are in the material world, the  kṣatriyas  and the  vaiśyas , must give in charity.  Brahmacārīs , in the beginning of their lives, should perform different kinds of  yajñas .
Dhruva Mahārāja, as an ideal king, practically emptied his treasury by giving in charity. A king is not meant to simply realize taxes from the citizens and accumulate wealth to spend in sense gratification. World monarchy has failed ever since kings began to satisfy their personal senses with the taxes accumulated from the citizens. Of course, whether the system is monarchy or democracy, the same corruption is still going on. At the present moment there are different parties in the democratic government, but everyone is busy trying to keep their posts or trying to keep their political party in power. They have very little time to think of the welfare of the citizens, whom they oppress with heavy taxes in the form of