Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 12 - Chapter 1 - Verse 9-13
Sanskrit:
श्रीशुक उवाचपृथु: पुरूरवा गाधिर्नहुषो भरतोऽर्जुन: ।मान्धाता सगरो राम: खट्वाङ्गो धुन्धुहा रघु: ॥ ९ ॥तृणबिन्दुर्ययातिश्च शर्याति: शन्तनुर्गय: ।भगीरथ: कुवलयाश्व: ककुत्स्थो नैषधो नृग: ॥ १० ॥हिरण्यकशिपुर्वृत्रो रावणो लोकरावण: ।नमुचि: शम्बरो भौमो हिरण्याक्षोऽथ तारक: ॥ ११ ॥अन्ये च बहवो दैत्या राजानो ये महेश्वरा: ।सर्वे सर्वविद: शूरा: सर्वे सर्वजितोऽजिता: ॥ १२ ॥ममतां मय्यवर्तन्त कृत्वोच्चैर्मर्त्यधर्मिण: ।कथावशेषा: कालेन ह्यकृतार्था: कृता विभो ॥ १३ ॥
ITRANS:
pṛthuḥ purūravā gādhirnahuṣo bharato ’rjunaḥmāndhātā sagaro rāmaḥkhaṭvāṅgo dhundhuhā raghuḥ
Translation:
“Such kings as Pṛthu, Purūravā, Gādhi, Nahuṣa, Bharata, Kārtavīrya Arjuna, Māndhātā, Sagara, Rāma, Khaṭvāṅga, Dhundhuhā, Raghu, Tṛṇabindu, Yayāti, Śaryāti, Śantanu, Gaya, Bhagīratha, Kuvalayāśva, Kakutstha, Naiṣadha, Nṛga, Hiraṇyakaśipu, Vṛtra, Rāvaṇa, who made the whole world lament, Namuci, Śambara, Bhauma, Hiraṇyākṣa and Tāraka, as well as many other demons and kings who possessed great powers of control over others, were all full of knowledge, heroic, all-conquering and unconquerable. Nevertheless, O almighty Lord, although they lived their lives intensely trying to possess me, these kings were subject to the passage of time, which reduced them all to mere historical accounts. None of them could permanently establish their rule.”
Purport:
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, and as confirmed by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the King Rāma mentioned here is not the incarnation of Godhead Rāmacandra. Pṛthu Mahārāja is understood to be an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who completely exhibited the characteristics of an earthly king, claiming proprietorship over the entire earth. A saintly king like Pṛthu Mahārāja, however, controls the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas a demon such as Hiraṇyakaśipu or Rāvaṇa tries to exploit the earth for his personal sense gratification. Nevertheless, both saintly kings and demons must leave the earth. In this way their political supremacy is ultimately neutralized by the force of time. Modern political leaders cannot even temporarily control the entire earth, nor are their opulences and intelligence unlimited. Possessing hopelessly fragmented power, enjoying a minuscule life span, and lacking deep existential intelligence, modern leaders inevitably are symbols of frustration and misdirected ambition.