ततोऽप्यासीद्भयं त्वद्य कथं स्यात्स्वस्ति देहिनाम् ॥९॥
arÄjaka-bhayÄd eá¹£a
ká¹›to rÄjÄtad-arhaṇaḥ
tato 'py ÄsÄ«d bhayaá¹ tv adya
kathaá¹ syÄt svasti dehinÄm
1 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: TLKS(1)
arÄjaka - being without a king; bhayÄt - out of fear; eá¹£aḥ - this Vena; ká¹›taḥ - was made; rÄjÄ - the king; a-tat-arhaṇaḥ - though not qualified for it; tataḥ - from him; api - also; ÄsÄ«t - there was; bhayam - danger; tu - then; adya - now; katham - how; syÄt - can there be; svasti - happiness; dehinÄm - of the people in general.
Thinking to save the state from irregularity, the sages began to consider that it was due to a political crisis that they made Vena king although he was not qualified. But alas, now the people were being disturbed by the king himself. Under such circumstances, how could the people be happy?
In Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (18.5) it is stated that even in the renounced order one should not give up sacrifice, charity and penance. The brahmacÄrÄ«s must perform sacrifices, the gá¹›hasthas must give in charity, and those in the renounced order of life (the vÄnaprasthas and sannyÄsÄ«s) must practice penance and austerities. These are the procedures by which everyone can be elevated to the spiritual platform. When the sages and saintly persons saw that King Vena had stopped all these functions, they became concerned about the people’s progress. Saintly people preach God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because they are anxious to save the general populace from the dangers of animalistic life. There must be a good government to see that the citizens are actually executing their religious rituals, and thieves and rogues must be curbed. When this is done, the people can advance peacefully in spiritual consciousness and make their lives successful.
