A pious king ruling by Krishna's principles creates a kingdom of universal prosperity and peace.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.10.4 — June 19, 1973, Māyāpur 730619SB-MAYAPUR [43:19 Minutes] SB-01.10.04_730619SB-MAYAPUR Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ sarva-kāma-dughā mahī siṣicuḥ sma vrajān gāvaḥ payasodhasvatīr mudā [SB 1.10.4] kāmam—everything needed; vavarṣa—was showered; parjanyaḥ—rains; sarva—everything; kāma—necessities; dughā—producer; mahī—the land; siṣicuḥ sma—moisten; vrajān—pasturing grounds; gāvaḥ—the cow; payasā udhasvatīḥ—due to swollen milk bags; mudā—because of a joyful attitude. [01:19] Translation: "During the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the clouds showered all the water that people needed, and the earth produced all the necessities of man in profusion. Due to its fatty milk bag and cheerful attitude, the cow used to moisten the grazing ground with milk." Prabhupāda: So due to good king, in... There is a maxim in Bengali: rājera doṣe rāja naṣṭa, rājya naṣṭa, gṛhiṇī doṣe gṛhastha bhraṣṭa[?].
This is very important instruction. If the king of the state is an impious man, sinful man, that kingdom will never be happy. Bhraṣṭa. Everything is spoiled.
As much as in a family, if the housewife is not good—contaminated—then there is no good life in the family. In Western countries especially, and in this country also nowadays, there is no peace between husband and wife, and there is no, practically, no family life. In Western countries there is divorce. Here also the divorce law is introduced.
And no family is happy. Gṛhiṇī doṣe gṛhastha naṣṭa. So king must be very pious. So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira... We have studied a few verses about Mahārāja...
So the beginning is dharmeṇa. Here it is: pitrā cānumato rājā vāsudevānumoditaḥ cakāra rājyaṁ dharmeṇa pitṛ-paitāmahaṁ vibhuḥ [SB 1.9.49] So he was Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira. He was ruling dharmeṇa. Dharmeṇa means just according to the desire of the Supreme Lord.
This is dharma. Dharmam. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharmeṇa means, religious principle means to act according to the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
This is religious principle. It is not that you manufacture some dharma: "We are Hindus," "We are Muslims," "We are Christians." These are not dharmas. Nobody cares for God. Nobody carries out the order of God.