964 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 22
gopithaya—for the protection of; jagat-srsteh—of the supreme creator;
kale—in due course of time; sve sve—own; acyuta-atmakah—being Krsna
conscious; manah— mind; vak— words; vrttibhih—by occupation; saumyaih—
very gentle; gunaih—by qualification; samrafjayan—pleasing; prajah—the
citizens.
TRANSLATION

Since Maharaja Prthu was a perfect devotee of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, he wanted to protect the Lord’s creation by pleasing the
various citizens according to their various desires. Therefore Prthu Maharaja
used to please them in all respects by his words, mentality, works and
gentle behavior.

PURPORT

As will be explained in the next verse, Prthu Maharaja used to please all
kinds of citizens by his extraordinary capacity to understand the mentality
of others. Indeed, his dealings were so perfect that every one of the citizens
was very much satisfied and lived in complete peace. The word acyutatma-
kah is significant in this verse, for Maharaja Prthu used to rule this planet
as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He knew he
was the representative of the Lord and that the Lord’s creation must be
protected intelligently. Atheists cannot understand the purpose behind the
creation. Although this material world is condemned when it is compared
to the spiritual world, there is still some purpose behind it. Modern
scientists and philosophers cannot understand that purpose, nor do they
believe in the existence of a creator. They try to establish everything by
their so-called scientific research, but they do not center anything around
the supreme creator. A devotee, however, can understand the purpose of
creation, which is to give facilities to the individual living entities who
want to lord it over material nature. The ruler of this planet should there-
fore know that all the inhabitants, especially human beings, have come to
this material world for sense enjoyment. It is therefore the duty of the
ruler to satisfy them in their sense enjoyment as well as to elevate them to
Krsna consciousness so that they all can ultimately return home, back to
Godhead.

With this idea in mind, the king or government head should rule the
world. In this way, everyone will be satisfied. How can this be accom-
plished? There are many examples like Prthu Maharaja, and the history
of his regency on this planet iselaborately described in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
