SB 5.4.18 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

भगवतर्षभेण परिरक्ष्यमाण एतस्मिन् वर्षे न कश्चन पुरुषो वाञ्छत्यविद्यमानमिवात्मनोऽन्यस्मात्कथञ्चन किमपि कर्हिचिदवेक्षते भर्तर्यनुसवनं विजृम्भितस्‍नेहातिशयमन्तरेण ॥ १८ ॥

Verse text

bhagavatarṣabheṇa parirakṣyamāṇa etasmin varṣe na kaścana puruṣo vāṣchaty avidyamānam ivātmano ’nyasmāt kathaṣcana kimapi karhicid avekṣate bhartary anusavanaṁ vijṛmbhita-snehātiśayam antareṇa.

Synonyms

bhagavatā — by the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; ṛṣabheṇa — King Ṛṣabha ; parirakṣyamāṇe — being protected ; etasmin — on this ; varṣe — planet ; na — not ; kaścana — anyone ; puruṣaḥ — even a common man ; vāṣchati — desires ; avidyamānam — not existing in reality ; iva — as if ; ātmanaḥ — for himself ; anyasmāt — from anyone else ; kathaṣcana — by any means ; kimapi — anything ; karhicit — at any time ; avekṣate — does care to see ; bhartari — toward the master ; anusavanam — always ; vijṛmbhita — expanding ; sneha — atiśayam — very great affection ; antareṇa — within one’s self .

Translation

No one likes to possess anything that is like a will-o’-the-wisp or a flower in the sky, for everyone knows very well that such things do not exist. When Lord Ṛṣabhadeva ruled this planet of Bhāratavarṣa, even common men did not want to ask for anything, at any time or by any means. No one ever asks for a will-o’-the-wisp. In other words, everyone was completely satisfied, and therefore there was no chance of anyone’s asking for anything. The people were absorbed in great affection for the King. Since this affection was always expanding, they were not inclined to ask for anything.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When Ṛṣabhadeva ruled the planet no one ever desired false objects by taking from others. Everyone constantly accepted Ṛṣabhadeva as the greatest object of affection with their whole self. While the planet was protected by Ṛṣabhadeva, no one had any desire for anything non-existent (avidyamānam) like a flower in the sky of himself, by taking from others. Everyone had only great affection with their total selves (antarena) for Ṛṣabhadeva. According to Amara-koṣa the word antara means opportunity, space, period, cloth, disappearance, difference, in reference to, an opening, one’s own, except, outside, occasion, within and the inner soul.

Purport

In Bengal the word ghoḍā-ḍimba is used, which means “the egg of a horse.” Since a horse never lays an egg, the word ghoḍā-ḍimba actually has no meaning. In Sanskrit there is a word kha-puṣpa, which means “the flower in the sky.” No flower grows in the sky; therefore no one is interested in asking for kha-puṣpa or ghoḍā-ḍimba. During the reign of Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva, people were so well equipped that they did not want to ask for anything. They were immensely supplied with all necessities for life due to King Ṛṣabhadeva’s good government. Consequently everyone felt full satisfaction and did not want anything. This is the perfection of government. If the citizens are unhappy due to bad government, the heads of government are condemned. During these democratic days, monarchy is disliked by the people, but here is an example of how an emperor of the whole world kept all the citizens fully satisfied by supplying the necessities of life and following the Vedic principles. Thus everyone was happy during the reign of Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.