Text 18] Praise of King Prthu by the Professional Reciters 655

matr-bhaktih—respectful as one is to his mother; para-strisu—to other
women; patnyam—to his own wife; ardhah—half; iva—like; atmanah—of his
body; prajdsu—unto the citizens; pitr-vat—like a father; snigdhah—affec-
ltionate; kinkarah—servant; brahma-vadinam—of the devotees who preach
the glories of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

The King will respect all women as if they were his own mother, and he
will treat his own wife as the other half of his body. He will be just like an
affectionate father to his citizens, and he will treat himself as the most
obedient servant of the devotees who always preach the glories of the Lord.

PURPORT

A learned man treats all women except his wife as his mother, looks on
others’ property as garbage in the street, and treats others as he would treat
his own self. These are the symptoms of a learned person as described by
Canakya Pandita. This should be the standard for education. Education
does not mean having academic degrees only. One should execute what he
has learned in his personal life. These learned characteristics were verily
manifest in the life of King Prthu. Although he was king, he treated himself
as a servant of the Lord’s devotees. According to Vedic etiquette, if a
devotee came to a king’s palace, the king would immediately offer his own
seat to him. The word brahma-vadindm is very significant. Brahma-vadi
refers to the devotees of the Lord. Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan are
different terms for the Supreme Brahman, and the Supreme Brahman is
Lord Krsna. This is accepted in Bhagavad-gita by Arjuna (param brahma
param dhama, Bg. 10.12). Thus the word brahma-vadinam refers to the devo-
tees of the Lord. The state should always serve the devotees of the Lord,
and the ideal state should conduct itself according to the instructions of the
devotee. Because King Prthu followed this principle, he is highly praised.

TEXT 18
efeamemrae: gett aPeaea: |
yHaaRisd = - SaTfiATaT Uecll
dehinam atmavat-presthah
suhrdaém nandi-vardhanah

mukta-sariga-prasatigo ’yam
danda-panir asadhusu
