728 Stimad-Bhagavatam | Canto 4, Ch. 18
prak prthor tha naivaisa
pura-gramadi-kalpana
yatha-sukham vasanti sma
tatra tatrakutobhayah
prak—before; prlhoh—King Prthu; tha—on this planet; na—never; eva—
certainly; esa—this; pura—of towns; grama-adi—of villages, etc.; kalpana—
planned arrangement; yathad—as; sukham—convenient; vasanli sma—lived;
tatra tatra—here and there; akutobhayah—without hesitation.
TRANSLATION
Before the reign of King Prthu there was no planned arrangement for
different cities, villages, pasturing grounds, etc. Everything was scattered,
and everyone constructed his residential quarters according to his own
convenience. However, since King Prthu plans were made for towns and
villages.
PURPORT
From this statement it appears that town and city planning is not new
but has been coming down since the time of King Prthu. In India we can
see regular planning methods evident in very old cities. In  Srimad-
Bhagavatam there are many descriptions of such ancient cities. Even 5,000
years ago, Lord Krgna’s capital, Dvaraka, was well planned, and similar
other cities—Mathura, and Hastinapura (now New Delhi)—were also well
planned. Thus the planning of cities and towns is not a modern innovation
but was existing in bygone ages.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fourth Canto, Eighteenth
Chapter of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Prthu Maharaja Milks the
Earth Planet.”
