508 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 9

in her actions she was a great ascetic. Besides that, the shock which she
suffered because of the wholesale killing of her one hundred sons and
her grandsons also was certainly too much for a woman. But she
suffered all this just like an ascetic. Gandhari, although a woman, is no
less than Bhismadeva in character. They are both remarkable personalities
in the Mahabharata.

TEXT 49

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TER Ust wan faatamd fra: eel

pitra canumato raja
vasudevanu moditah

cakara rajyarh dharmena
pitr paitamahar vibhuh

pitra—by his uncle, Dhrtarastra; ca—and; anumatah—with his approval;
raja—King Yudhisthira; vasudeva-anumoditah—confirmed by Lord Sri Krsna;
cakdra—executed: rajyam—the kingdom; dharmena—in compliance with
the codes of royal principles; pitr—father: paitamaham—forefather;
vibhuh—as great as.

TRANSLATION

After this, the great religious King, Maharaja Yudhisthira, executed the
royal power in the kingdom strictly according to the codes and royal
principles which were approved by his uncle and confirmed by Lord Sri
Krsna.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira was not a mere tax collector. He was always con-
scious of his duty as a king, which is no less than that of a father or
spiritual master. The king is to see to the welfare of the citizens from all
angles of social, political, economic and spiritual upliftment. The king
must know that human life is meant for liberating the encaged soul from
the bondage of material conditions, and therefore his duty is to see that
the citizens are properly looked after to attain this highest stage of per-
fection.
