966
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 22]
TEXT 57
दुर्धर्वस्तेजसेवाग्निर्महेन्द्र इव दुर्जयः । तितिक्षया धरिर्त्राव द्यौरिवभोष्टदो नृणाम् ॥५७॥
durdharṣas tejasevāgnir mahendra iva durjayaḥ titikṣayā dharitrīva dyaur ivābhīṣṭa-do nṛṇām
durdharṣaḥ—unconquerable; tejasā—by prowess; iva—like; agniḥ—fire; mahendraḥ—the king of heaven; iva—likened; durjayaḥ—insuperable; titikṣayā—by tolerance; dharitrī—the earth; iva—like; dyauḥ—the heavenly planets; iva—like; abhīṣṭa-daḥ—fulfilling desires; nṛṇām—of human society.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Pṛthu was so strong and powerful that no one could disobey his orders any more than one could conquer fire itself. He was so strong that he was compared to Indra, the king of heaven, whose power is insuperable. On the other hand, Mahārāja Pṛthu was also as tolerant as the earth, and in fulfilling various desires of human society, he was like heaven itself.
PURPORT
It is the duty of a king to give protection to the citizens and to fulfill their desires. At the same time, the citizens must obey the laws of the state. Mahārāja Pṛthu maintained all the standards of good government, and he was so invincible that no one could disobey his orders any more than a person could stop heat and light emanating from a fire. He was so strong and powerful that he was compared to the king of heaven, Indra. In this age modern scientists have been experimenting with nuclear weapons, and in a former age they used to release  brahmāstras , but all these  brahmāstras  and nuclear weapons are insignificant compared to the thunderbolt of the king of heaven. When Indra releases a thunderbolt, even the biggest hills and mountains crack. On the other hand, Mahārāja Pṛthu was as tolerant as the earth itself, and he fulfilled all the desires of his citizens, just as torrents of rain from the sky fulfill the need of the earth for water. Without rainfall, it is not possible to survive on this planet. As stated in  Bhagavad-gītā  ( parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ , Bg. 3.14), food grains are produced only because rain falls from the sky, and without