pitrÄ cÄnumato rÄjÄ
vÄsudevÄnumoditaḥ
cakÄra rÄjyaá¹ dharmeṇa
pitá¹›-paitÄmahaá¹ vibhuḥ
pitrÄ - by his uncle, Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra; ca - and; anumataḥ - with his approval; rÄjÄ - King Yudhiá¹£á¹hira; vÄsudeva-anumoditaḥ - confirmed by Lord ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa; cakÄra - executed; rÄjyam - the kingdom; dharmeṇa - in compliance with the codes of royal principles; pitá¹› - father; paitÄmaham - forefather; vibhuḥ - as great as.
MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira was not a mere tax collector. He was always conscious of his duty as a king, which is no less than that of a father or spiritual master. The king is to see to the welfare of the citizens from all angles of social, political, economic and spiritual upliftment. The king must know that human life is meant for liberating the encaged soul from the bondage of material conditions, and therefore his duty is to see that the citizens are properly looked after to attain this highest stage of perfection.
MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira followed these principles strictly, as will be seen from the next chapter. Not only did he follow the principles, but he also got approval from his old uncle, who was experienced in political affairs, and that was also confirmed by Lord Kṛṣṇa, the speaker of the philosophy of Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ.
MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira is the ideal monarch, and monarchy under a trained king like MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira is by far the most superior form of government, superior to modern republics or governments of the people, by the people. The mass of people, especially in this Age of Kali, are all born śūdras, basically lowborn, ill-trained, unfortunate and badly associated. They themselves do not know the highest perfectional aim of life. Therefore, votes cast by them actually have no value, and thus persons elected by such irresponsible votes cannot be responsible representatives like MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Ninth Chapter, of the ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, entitled “The Passing Away of BhÄ«á¹£madeva in the Presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa.â€