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ŚB 3.1.20

Devanagari

इत्थं व्रजन् भारतमेव वर्षं
कालेन यावद्‍गतवान् प्रभासम् ।
तावच्छशास क्षितिमेकचक्रा-
मेकातपत्रामजितेन पार्थ: ॥ २० ॥

Text

itthaṁ vrajan bhāratam eva varṣaṁ
kālena yāvad gatavān prabhāsam
tāvac chaśāsa kṣitim eka cakrām
ekātapatrām ajitena pārthaḥ

Synonyms

ittham — like this; vrajan — while traveling; bhāratam — India; eva — only; varṣam — the tract of land; kālena — in due course of time; yāvat — when; gatavān — visited; prabhāsam — the Prabhāsa pilgrimage site; tāvat — at that time; śaśāsa — ruled; kṣitim — the world; eka-cakrām — by one military force; eka — one; ātapatrām — flag; ajitena — by the mercy of the unconquerable Kṛṣṇa; pārthaḥ — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.

Translation

Thus, when he was in the land of Bhāratavarṣa traveling to all the places of pilgrimage, he visited Prabhāsakṣetra. At that time Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was the emperor and held the world under one military strength and one flag.

Purport

More than five thousand years ago, while Saint Vidura was traveling the earth as a pilgrim, India was known as Bhāratavarṣa, as it is known even today. The history of the world cannot give any systematic account for more than three thousand years into the past, but before that the whole world was under the flag and military strength of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, who was the emperor of the world. At present there are hundreds and thousands of flags flapping in the United Nations, but during the time of Vidura there was, by the grace of Ajita, Lord Kṛṣṇa, only one flag. The nations of the world are very eager to again have one state under one flag, but for this they must seek the favor of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who alone can help us become one worldwide nation.