The Exemplary Behavior of King Yudhistira

A concise summary of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 10

Yudhistira, the eldest among the Pandavas ascended to the throne after the Mahabharatha war between the Pandavas and the Kaurava coalition. Lord Krishna personally performed the coronation ceremony of Yudhistira. The Lord bowed down to the feet of the King and the King embraced him. The Lord set an example of how a King should be treated by the citizens and how a King should embrace the interests of his citizens.

One of the prime attributes of “Bhagavan” is complete detachment from pride, status, and supremacy. This allows the Lord to do incomprehensible things just to please his devotees such as bowing down to the feet of the King, becoming the chariot driver of Arjuna, wash the feet of Vidura, appear like a simple cow-herd boy, eating the remnants of Shabari, etc. In fact, the Lord takes pleasure in serving his devotees because there is sweetness in loving exchanges.

In response to the questions regarding the recommended behavior of a King, Sage Suta discusses the exemplary nature of Yudhistira, who ruled the Earth:

• He draws leadership knowledge from various sources such as discourses of saints, advice of ministers, and Vedic scriptures

• He facilitates preaching the glories of the Lord

• He understood the feeling of separation of the ladies of Hastinapur and encouraged them to personally bid farewell to the Lord

• He facilitated the ladies to shower flowers on the Lord as the Lord moved through the streets

• He wanted his brother Arjuna to accompany Krishna knowing their relationship of friendship

• He encouraged the ladies to express their feelings for the Lord without hesitation. The words of the ladies sounded like Vedic hymns. The ladies said the following about Lord Krishna:

  • He is the Supreme Soul who existed before the creation and will be present when the creation is dissolved

  • He is the same Lord who the Yogi’s meditated in their hearts to purify their mind and intellect

  • He is verily the same Lord who has described the goal in all the Vedas and Upanishads

  • He is the same Lord who incarnates from time to time to establish righteousness

  • How lucky are the ladies who he married and who relished the nectar of his lips from kissing!

• He paid attention to the security arrangements for the farewell by engaging four divisions of defense. The Lord doesn’t need security but it is the duty of the King to provide security to the visitors

Sage Suta also explained the quality of nature and the quality of life of people on the Earth during Yudhistira’s rule:

• It rained at proper times

• The land was fertile

• Cows were giving excessive milk

• The rivers were an abundance of water

• The mountains and forests provided quality medicinal plants and food and there was no scarcity

• The people were free from mental anguish, physical pain, and miseries caused by nature, body, and mind