athapi prcche tvam vira

 yad-artham tvam ihagatah

tad vayam nirvyalikena

 pratipadyamahe hrda

 

Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada: 

 

In spite of all this, I ask you, O valiant King, the purpose for which you have come here. Whatever it may be, we shall carry it out without reservation.

 

Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada: 

 

When a guest comes to a friend’s house, it is understood that there is some special purpose. Kardama Muni could understand that such a great king as Svayambhuva, although traveling to inspect the condition of his kingdom, must have had some special purpose to come to his hermitage. Thus he prepared himself to fulfill the King’s desire. Formerly it was customary that the sages used to go to the kings and the kings used to visit the sages in their hermitages; each was glad to fulfill the other’s purpose. This reciprocal relationship is called bhakti-karya. There is a nice verse describing the relationship of mutual beneficial interest between the brahmana and the ksatriya (ksatram dvijatvam). Ksatram means “the royal order,” and dvijatvam means “the brahminical order.” The two were meant for mutual interest. The royal order would give protection to the brahmanas for the cultivation of spiritual advancement in society, and the brahmanas would give their valuable instruction to the royal order on how the state and the citizens can gradually be elevated in spiritual perfection.

 

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Twenty-first Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Conversation Between Manu and Kardama.”