Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 05, Chapter 15, Text 07

SB 5.15.7

sa vai sva-dharmena praja-palana-posana-prinanopalalananusasana-laksanenejyadina ca bhagavati maha-puruse
paravare brahmani sarvatmanarpita-paramartha-laksanena brahmavic-carananusevayapadita-bhagavad-bhakti-
yogena cabhiksnasah paribhavitati-suddha-matir uparatanatmya atmani svayam upalabhyamana-
brahmatmanubhavo ’pi nirabhimana evavanim ajugupat.
 
Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada: 
 
King Gaya gave full protection and security to the citizens so that their personal property would not be disturbed by undesirable elements. He also saw that there was sufficient food to feed all the citizens. [This is called posana.] He would sometimes distribute gifts to the citizens to satisfy them. [This is called prinana.] He would sometimes call meetings and satisfy the citizens with sweet words. [This is called upalalana.] He would also give them good instructions on how to become first-class citizens. [This is called anusasana.] Such were the characteristics of King Gaya’s royal order. Besides all this, King Gaya was a householder who strictly observed the rules and regulations of household life. He performed sacrifices and was an unalloyed pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He was called Mahapurusa because as a king he gave the citizens all facilities, and as a householder he executed all his duties so that at the end he became a strict devotee of the Supreme Lord. As a devotee, he was always ready to give respect to other devotees and to engage in the devotional service of the Lord. This is the bhakti-yoga process. Due to all these transcendental activities, King Gaya was always free from the bodily conception. He was full in Brahman realization, and consequently he was always jubilant. He did not experience material lamentation. Although he was perfect in all respects, he was not proud, nor was he anxious to rule the kingdom.
 
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada: 
 
As Lord Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita, when He descends to the earth, He has two types of business — to give protection to the faithful and annihilate the demons (paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam). Since the king is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is sometimes called nara-deva, that is, the Lord as a human being. According to the Vedic injunctions, he is worshiped as God on the material platform. As a representative of the Supreme Lord, the king had the duty to protect the citizens in a perfect way so that they would not be anxious for food and protection and so that they would be jubilant. The king would supply everything for their benefit, and because of this he would levy taxes. If the king or government otherwise levies taxes on the citizens, he becomes responsible for the sinful activities of the citizens. In Kali-yuga, monarchy is abolished because the kings themselves are subjected to the influence of Kali-yuga. It is understood from the Ramayana that when Bibhisana became friends with Lord Ramacandra, he promised that if by chance or will he broke the laws of friendship with Lord Ramacandra, he would become a brahmana or a king in Kali-yuga. In this age, as Bibhisana indicated, both brahmanas and kings are in a wretched condition. Actually there are no kings or brahmanas in this age, and due to their absence the whole world is in a chaotic condition and is always in distress. Compared to present standards, Maharaja Gaya was a true representative of Lord Visnu; therefore he was known as Mahapurusa.

 

Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 05, Chapter 15, Text 06
Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 05, Chapter 15, Text 08