| Canto 11: General History | Chapter 17: Lord Krishna's Description of the Varnāśrama System |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.17.45
SYNONYMS
sarvāh — all; samuddharet — must uplift; rājā — the king; pitā — a father; iva — like; vyasanāt — from difficulties; prajāh — the citizens; ātmānam — himself; ātmana — by himself; dhīrah — fearless; yathā — just as; gaja-patih — a bull elephant; gajān — the other elephants.
TRANSLATION
Just as the chief bull elephant protects all other elephants in his herd and defends himself as well, similarly, a fearless king, just like a father, must save all of the citizens from difficulty and also protect himself.
PURPORT
Lord Krishna, having concluded His discussion of brahminical duties, now describes the character and activities of a king. Protecting all of the citizens from difficulty is an essential duty for the king.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari