Text 7] The Descendants of King Priyavrata 79

observed the rules and regulations of household life. He per-
formed sacrifices and was an unalloyed pure devotee of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. He was called Mahapurusa
because as a king he gave the citizens all facilities, and as a house-
holder he executed all his duties so that at the end he became a
strict devotee of the Supreme Lord. As a devotee, he was always
ready to give respect to other devotees and to engage in the devo-
tional service of the Lord. This is the bhakti-yoga process. Due to
all these transcendental acitivites, King Gaya was always free from
the bodily conception. He was full in Brahman realization, and
consequently he was always jubilant. He did not experience
material lamentation. Although he was perfect in all respects, he
was not proud, nor was he anxious to rule the kingdom.

PURPORT

As Lord Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita, when He descends on earth,
He has two types of business—to give protection to the faithful and an-
nihilate the demons (paritranaéya sadhiinam vindsaya ca duskrtam).
Since the king is the representative of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, he is sometimes called nara-deva, that is, the Lord as a human
being. According to the Vedic injunctions, he is worshiped as God on the
material platform. As a representative of the Supreme Lord, the king had
the duty to protect the citizens in a perfect way so that they would not be
anxious for food and protection and so that they would be jubilant. The
king would supply everything for their benefit, and because of this he
would levy taxes. If the king or government otherwise levies taxes on the
citizens, he becomes responsible for the sinful activities of the citizens.
In Kali-yuga, monarchy is abolished because the kings themselves are
subjected to the influence of Kali-yuga. It is understood from the
Ramayana that when Bibhisana became friends with Lord Ramacandra.
he promised that if by chance or will he broke the laws of friendship
with Lord Ramacandra, he would become a brahmana or a king in Kali-
yuga. In this age, as Bibhisana indicated, both brahmanas and kings are
in a wretched condition. Actually there are no kings or brahmanas in this
age, and due to their absence the whole world is in a chaotic condition
and is always in distress. Compared to present standards, Maharaja Gaya
