PURPORT

As Lord Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita, when He descends on earth, He has two types of business-to give protection to the faithful and annihilate the demons (paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam). Since the king is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is sometimes called nara-deva, that is, the Lord as a human being. According to the Vedic injunctions, he is worshiped as God on the material platform. As a representative of the Supreme Lord, the king had the duty to protect the citizens in a perfect way so that they would not be anxious for food and protection and so that they would be jubilant. The king would supply everything for their benefit, and because of this he would levy taxes. If the king or government otherwise levies taxes on the citizens, he becomes responsible for the sinful activities of the citizens. In Kali-yuga, monarchy is abolished because the kings themselves are subjected to the influence of Kali-yuga. It is understood from the Ramayana that when Bibhisana became friends with Lord Ramacandra, he promised that if by chance or will he broke the laws of friendship with Lord Ramacandra, he would become a brahmana or a king in Kali-yuga. In this age, as Bibhisana indicated, both brahmanas and kings are in a wretched condition. Actually there are no kings or brahmanas in this age, and due to their absence the whole world is in a chaotic condition and is always in distress. Compared to present standards, Maharaja Gaya was a true representative of Lord Visnu; therefore he was known as Mahapurusa.