When Lord Mahavishnu appeared before King Prthu and
asked him what boon he craved for, Prthu said that he
sought nothing, for pleasures of this world do not last.
Moreover, to ask a boon related to life on this earth would be
like walking into a trap, that would keep one imprisoned in
samsara. Prthu told the Lord that as the father of all, the
Lord knew what His children needed, said P.T. Seshadri, in a
discourse.
But people lack the knowledge to understand that He is
resident in all, and that to ask Him for something is wrong.
The Lord was pleased with Prthu’s reply and said, “You
are a great bhakta. As long as you are king, protect your sub-
jects. As long as you are on this earth, do your duties. He
who follows the rules laid down by Me will always prosper.”
The Lord then left for Sri Vaikuntha. Prthu ruled well and in
accordance with dharma. But he yearned to go to Sri
Vaikuntha. The only way for that to happen was if a man ac-
cumulated neither merits (punya) nor demerits (papa). If he
remained in the palace, he would continue to give to those
who came to him asking for help. And these acts of charity
would count as punya, and would result in another birth.
His acts of merit would give him a happy life in the next
birth. But that was by no means the equal of liberation, for
liberation meant exiting the cycle of births and deaths per-
manently.
But what constitutes punya and what is sinful?
Kooratazhvan answered this question.
He said that pleasing the Lord was an act of punya and
displeasing Him was an act of sin. Doing our duties makes
God happy. Prthu listed four duties of a ruler. A ruler must
punish the wicked, protect his subjects, provide for the live-
lihood of his subjects and ensure that his subjects did their
duties.
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