FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.18.32

ప్రాక్పృథోరిహ నైవైషా పురగ్రామాదికల్పనా । యథాసుఖం వసన్తి స్మ తత్ర తత్రాకుతోభయా: ॥ ౩౨ ॥
prāk pṛthor iha naivaiṣā
[praak prithor iha naivaishaa]
pura-grāmādi-kalpanā
[pura-graamaadi-kalpanaa]
yathā-sukhaṁ vasanti sma
[yathaa-sukham vasanti sma]
tatra tatrākutobhayāḥ
[tatra tatraakutobhayaah]
prāk — before pṛthoḥ — King Pṛthu iha — on this planet na — never eva — certainly eṣā — this pura — of towns grāma-ādi — of villages, etc. kalpanā — planned arrangement yathā — as sukham — convenient vasanti sma — lived tatra tatra — here and there akutaḥ-bhayāḥ — without hesitation.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
prāk pṛthor iha naivaiṣā
prāk
before
pṛthoḥ
King Pṛthu
iha
on this planet
na
never
eva
certainly
eṣā
this
pura-grāmādi-kalpanā
pura
of towns
grāma-ādi
of villages, etc.
kalpanā
planned arrangement
yathā-sukhaṁ vasanti sma
yathā
as
sukham
convenient
vasanti sma
lived
tatra tatrākutobhayāḥ
tatra tatra
here and there
akutaḥ-bhayāḥ
without hesitation.
Before the reign of King Pṛthu 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, from the time of King Pṛthu, plans were made for towns and villages.

From this statement it appears that town and city planning is not new but has been coming down since the time of King Pṛthu. In India we can see regular planning methods evident in very old cities. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are many descriptions of such ancient cities. Even five thousand years ago, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s capital, Dvārakā, was well planned, and similar other cities — Mathurā and Hastināpura (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 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Pṛthu Mahārāja Milks the Earth Planet.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Before the time of Pṛthu there was no arrangement of town and villages. People lived here and there as they liked without fear. Thus ends the commentary on the Eighteenth Chapter of the Fourth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Nineteen Indra Disturbs Pṛthu’s Sacrifice
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