Although King Prthu, descendant of Dhruva, tells people not to praise him, they continue to list out his admirable traits, said Akkarakkani Srinidhi in a discourse. This is how they praise him: “The Sun causes the moisture on the earth to evaporate, but it returns the moisture as rains. Likewise, Prthu collects tax from his people, but spends it for their welfare. He forgives creatures that treat him carelessly. In this respect, he is patient like the Earth. In times of drought, he causes it to rain, and so in this sense he is like Indra, the god of rains. Prthu is none but an avatara of Vishnu. With his smile, he makes people happy. His actions are not easily understood by others. He does not squander wealth, but safeguards it. He has the capacity to fathom the actions of all living things.”
“If the son of an enemy is virtuous, he will not punish him, but treat him kindly. If his own son were to sin, he will not hesitate to punish him. So, he is impartial in dispensing justice. In this respect he is like Yama. He carries out whatever he wants to, and his thoughts are always pure, and his intentions always good. He is respectful towards jnanis.”
“He treats his wife as if she were half of his body. In other words, he treats her as his equal. He sees all other women as his mothers. He thinks of himself as father to all his subjects. Even animals love him. He has great regard for those who are detached from worldly concerns. He is terrible like Yama towards those who are wicked. Seeing him armed with his bow, his enemies are fearful. This king is going to be praised as the one who sought jnana from Sanathkumara, and was successful in this. He is going to be praised in future, by the eminent among the devas and asuras. His story will be an amazing one.”
