78
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 5, Ch. 2]
śrī-śuka uvāca
evaṁ pitari sampravṛtte tad-anuśāsane vartamāna āgnīdhro jambūdvīpaukasaḥ prajā aurasavad dharmāvekṣamāṇaḥ paryagopāyat.
śrī-śukaḥ—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī; uvāca—said; evam—thus; pitari—when his father; sampravṛtte—took to the path of liberation; tat-anuśāsane—according to his order; vartamānaḥ—situated; āgnīdhraḥ—King Āgnīdhra; jambū-dvīpa-okasaḥ—the inhabitants of Jambūdvīpa; prajāḥ—citizens; aurasa-vat—as if they were his sons; dharma—religious principles; avekṣamāṇaḥ—strictly observing; paryagopāyat—completely protected.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: After his father, Mahārāja Priyavrata, departed to follow the path of spiritual life by undergoing austerities, King Āgnīdhra completely obeyed his order. Strictly observing the principles of religion, he gave full protection to the inhabitants of Jambūdvīpa as if they were his own begotten sons.
PURPORT
Following the instruction of his father, Mahārāja Priyavrata, Mahārāja Āgnīdhra ruled the inhabitants of Jambūdvīpa according to religious principles. These principles are exactly contrary to the modern principles of faithlessness. As clearly stated here, the King protected the citizens the way a father protects his begotten children. How he ruled the citizens is also described here— dharmāvekṣamāṇaḥ , strictly according to religious principles. It is the duty of the executive head of a state to see that the citizens strictly follow religious principles. The Vedic religious principles begin with  varṇāśrama-dharma , the duties of the four  varṇas  and four  āśramas .  Dharma  refers to principles given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The first principle of  dharma , or religion, is to observe the duties of the four orders as enjoined by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. According to people's qualities and activities, society should be divided into  brāhmaṇas ,  kṣatriyas ,  vaiśyas  and  śūdras  and then again into  brahmacārīs ,  gṛhasthas ,  vānaprasthas  and  sannyāsīs . These are religious principles, and it is the duty of the head of