FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.13.12

स त्वमस्यामपत्यानि सद‍ृशान्यात्मनो गुणै: । उत्पाद्य शास धर्मेण गां यज्ञै: पुरुषं यज ॥ ११ ॥
paraṁ śuśrūṣaṇaṁ mahyaṁ
[param shushrooshanam mahyam]
syāt prajā-rakṣayā nṛpa
[syaat prajaa-rakshayaa nripa]
bhagavāṁs te prajā-bhartur
[bhagavaams te prajaa-bhartur]
hṛṣīkeśo ’nutuṣyati
[hrisheekesho ’nutushyati]
param — the greatest śuśrūṣaṇam — devotional service mahyam — unto me syāt — should be prajā — the living entities born in the material world rakṣayā — by saving them from being spoiled nṛpa — O King bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead te — with you prajā-bhartuḥ — with the protector of the living beings hṛṣīkeśaḥ — the Lord of the senses anutuṣyati — is satisfied.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
paraṁ śuśrūṣaṇaṁ mahyaṁ
param
the greatest
śuśrūṣaṇam
devotional service
mahyam
unto me
syāt prajā-rakṣayā nṛpa
syāt
should be
prajā
the living entities born in the material world
rakṣayā
by saving them from being spoiled
nṛpa
O King
bhagavāṁs te prajā-bhartur
bhagavān
the Personality of Godhead
te
with you
prajā-bhartuḥ
with the protector of the living beings
hṛṣīkeśo ’nutuṣyati
hṛṣīkeśaḥ
the Lord of the senses
anutuṣyati
is satisfied.
O King, if you can give proper protection to the living beings in the material world, that will be the best service for me. When the Supreme Lord sees you to be a good protector of the conditioned souls, certainly the master of the senses will be very pleased with you.

The whole administrative system is arranged for the purpose of going back home, back to Godhead. Brahmā is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Manu is the representative of Brahmā. Similarly, all other kings on different planets of the universe are representatives of Manu. The lawbook for the entire human society is the Manu-saṁhitā, which directs all activities towards the transcendental service of the Lord. Every king, therefore, must know that his responsibility in administration is not merely to exact taxes from the citizens but to see personally that the citizens under him are being trained in Viṣṇu worship. Everyone must be educated in Viṣṇu worship and engaged in the devotional service of Hṛṣīkeśa, the owner of the senses. The conditioned souls are meant not to satisfy their material senses but to satisfy the senses of Hṛṣīkeśa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the purpose of the complete administrative system. One who knows this secret, as disclosed here in the version of Brahmā, is the perfect administrative head. One who does not know this is a show-bottle administrator. By training the citizens in the devotional service of the Lord, the head of a state can be free in his responsibility; otherwise he will fail in the onerous duty entrusted to him and thus be punishable by the supreme authority. There is no other alternative in the discharge of administrative duty.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
By protecting the population you will perform the highest service to me. The Supreme Lord will be satisfied with you as the protector of the population. You will perform the highest service for me, or this will be the greatest service form pleasing me.
The verse describes a universe that is not a random stage but an arrangement with a purpose. Our work is not to engineer that purpose but to find our seat within it. The pivot here is Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Reflection Questions
  • Where have you been demanding outcomes from a system you did not design?
  • How could awe of the creation become a daily practice and not just a Sunday feeling?
📝 My note

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