754 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 19

prthu-kirleh prthor bhiiyal
tarhy ekona-Sala-kratuh

alam le kratubhth svistair
yad bhavan mokgsa-dharma-vit

prthu-kirleh—ef wide renown; prihoh—of King Prthu; bhayat—let it be;
tarhi—therefore; ekona-sala-kratuh—he who performed ninety-nine yajiias;
alam—there is nothing to be gained; te—of you; kratubhih—by performing
sacrifices; su-istaih-well performed; yat—because; bhavan—yourself; moksa-
dharma-vit—the knower of the path of liberation.

TRANSLATION

“Let there be only ninety-nine sacrificial performances for Maharaja
Prthu,”’ Lord Brahma concluded. Lord Brahma then turned toward
Maharaja Prthu and informed him that since he was thoroughly aware of
the path of liberation, what was the use in performing more sacrifices?

PURPORT

Lord Brahma came down to pacify King Prthu regarding his continual
performance of one hundred sacrifices. King Prthu was determined to per-
form one hundred sacrifices, and King Indra took this very seriously be-
cause Indra himself was known as the performer of one hundred sacrifices.
Just as itis the nature of all living entities within this material world to be-
come envious of their competitors, King Indra, although King of heaven,
was also envious of King Prthu. Therefore, he wanted to stop him from per-
forming one hundred sacrifices. Actually there was great competition, and
King Indra, to satisfy his senses, began to invent so many irreligious sys-
tems to obstruct King Prthu. To stop these irreligious inventions, Lord
Brahma personally appeared in the sacrificial arena. As far as Maharaja
Prthu was concerned, he was a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; therefore it was not necessary for him to perform the prescribed
Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. Such ceremonies are known as karma, and
there is no need for a devotee in the transcendental position to execute
them. As the ideal king, however, it was King Prthu’s duty to perform sac-
rifices. A compromise was therefore to be worked out. By the blessings of
Lord Brahma, King Prthu would become more famous than King Indra. Thus
Prthu’s determination to perform one hundred sacrifices was indirectly
fulfilled by the blessings of Lord Brahma.
