SB 1.16.4

The purpose of a king's going out to conquer the world is not for self-aggrandizement. Maharaja Pariksit went out to conquer the world after his ascendance on the throne, but this was not for the purpose of aggression on other states. He was the Emperor of the world, and all small states were already under his regime. His purpose in going out was to see how things were going on in terms of the godly state. The king, being the representative of the Lord, has to execute the will of the Lord duly. There is no question of self-aggrandizement. Thus as soon as Maharaja Pariksit saw that a lower class man in the dress of a king was hurting the legs of a cow and a bull, at once he arrested and punished him. The king cannot tolerate insults to the most important animal, the cow, nor can he tolerate disrespect for the most important man, the brahmana. Human civilization means to advance the cause of brahminical culture, and to maintain it, cow protection is essential. There is a miracle in milk, for it contains all the necessary vitamins to sustain human physiological conditions for higher achievements. Brahminical culture can only be advanced when man is educated to develop the quality of goodness, and for this there is prime necessity of food prepared with milk, fruits and grains. Maharaja Pariksit was astonished to see that a black sūdra, dressed like a ruler, was mistreating a cow, the most important animal in human society.

The age of Kali means mismanagement and quarrel. And the root cause of all mismanagement and quarrel is that worthless men with the modes of lower class men, who have no higher ambition in life, come to the helm of the state management. Such men at the post of a king are sure to hurt first the cow and the brahminical culture and thereby to push all society towards hell. Maharaja Pariksit, trained as he was, got the scent of this root cause of all quarrel in the world. Thus he wanted to stop it in the very beginning.