bhṛgv-ādayas te munayo
bhṛgv-ādayas te munayo
lokānāṁ kṣema-darśinaḥ
goptary asati vai nṝṇāṁ
paśyantaḥ paśu-sāmyatām
Maitreya said: Bhṛgu and other sages, seers of the people’s welfare, saw that in the absence of a king men would become like animals.
In the Fourteenth Chapter, after being installed as King by the sages, the irreligious Vena is given instructions, killed and then has his leg churned by the sages.
The sages saw that the people were similar to animals. Sāmyatam has the same meaning as samatām, “being equal to.”[9] As wolves or jackals kill sheep, so criminals would kill the citizens.
|| 4.14.2 ||
vīra-mātaram āhūya
sunīthāṁ brahma-vādinaḥ
prakṛty-asammataṁ venam
abhyaṣiñcan patiṁ bhuvaḥ
Calling his mother Sunīthā, the sages made Vena the King of the world, though this was not approved by the ministers.
There are two other versions of the text with prakṛty-asammataṁ (not approved by the ministers, citizens or his mother) and prakṛtyāsammatam (not approved because of his nature).
|| 4.14.3 ||
śrutvā nṛpāsana-gataṁ
venam atyugra-śāsanam
nililyur dasyavaḥ sadyaḥ
sarpa-trastā ivākhavaḥ
Hearing that Vena, a terrible punisher, has assumed the throne, sinful men hid themselves immediately, like rats which are afraid of snakes.
|| 4.14.4 ||
sa ārūḍha-nṛpa-sthāna
unnaddho 'ṣṭa-vibhūtibhiḥ
avamene mahā-bhāgān
stabdhaḥ sambhāvitaḥ svataḥ
Vena, on ascending the throne, became proud because the eight powers, and proudly considered himself worthy of worship. Thus he disrespected exalted people.
“He became proud because of the eight powers” means “he became proud because of possessing wealth from the eight directions.” He ruled over the seven continents. Stabdhaḥ means proud. He boasted that he himself was a warrior and scholar.
|| 4.14.5 ||
evam mada-andhaḥ utsiktaḥ
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