dṛṣṭvātmānaṁ pravayasam
ekadā vainya ātmavān
ātmanā vardhitāśeṣa-
svānusargaḥ prajāpatiḥ
jagatas tasthuṣaś cāpi
vṛttido dharma-bhṛt satām
niṣpāditeśvarādeśo
yad-artham iha jajṣivān
ātmajeṣv ātmajāṁ nyasya
virahād rudatīm iva
prajāsu vimanaḥsv ekaḥ
sa-dāro 'gāt tapo-vanam
maitreyaḥ uvāca-the sage Maitreya continued to speak; dṛṣṭvā-after seeing; ātmānam-of the body; pravayasam-old age; ekadā-once upon a time; vainyaḥ-King Pṛthu; ātma-vān-fully conversant in spiritual education; ātmanā-by oneself; vardhita-increased; aśeṣa-unlimitedly; sva-anusargaḥ-creation of material opulences; prajā-patiḥ-a protector of
citizens; jagataḥ-moving; tasthuṣaḥ-not moving; ca-also; api-certainly; vṛtti-daḥ-one who gives pensions; dharma-bhṛt-one who observes the religious principles; satām-of the devotees; niṣpādita-fully executed; īśvara-of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ādeśaḥ-order; yat-artham-in coordination with Him; iha-in this world; jajñivān-performed; ātma-jeṣu-unto his sons; ātma-jām-the earth; nyasya-indicating; virahāt-out of separation; rudatīm iva-just like lamenting; prajāsu-unto the citizens; vimanaḥsu-unto the aggrieved; ekaḥ-alone; sa-dāraḥ-with his wife; agāt-went; tapaḥ-vanam-in the forest where one can execute austerities.
At the last stage of his life, when Mahārāja Pṛthu saw himself getting old, that great soul, who was king of the world, divided whatever opulence he had accumulated amongst all kinds of living entities, moving and nonmoving. He arranged pensions for everyone according to religious principles, and after executing the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in complete coordination with Him, he dedicated his sons unto the earth, which was considered to be his daughter. Then Mahārāja Pṛthu left the presence of his citizens, who were almost lamenting and crying from feeling separation from the King, and went to the forest alone with his wife to perform austerities.
Mahārāja Pṛthu was one of the śaktyāveśa incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such he appeared on the surface of the earth to execute the orders of the Supreme. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of all planets, and He is always anxious to see that in each and every planet the living entities are happily living and executing their duties. As soon as there is some discrepancy in the execution of duties, the Lord appears on earth, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.7): yadā yadā hi