Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.17.45

sarvāḥ samuddhared rājā

piteva vyasanāt prajāḥ

ātmānam ātmanā dhīro

yathā gaja-patir gajān

SYNONYMS

sarvāḥ — all; samuddharet — must uplift; rājā — the king; pitā — a father; iva — like; vyasanāt — from difficulties; prajāḥ — the citizens; ātmānam — himself; ātmana — by himself; dhīraḥ — fearless; yathā — just as; gaja-patiḥ — 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 Kṛṣṇa, 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.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
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