Devanagari
कच्चित्त्वं ब्राह्मणं बालं गां वृद्धं रोगिणं स्त्रियम् ।
शरणोपसृतं सत्त्वं नात्याक्षी: शरणप्रद: ॥ ४१ ॥
Verse text
kaccit tvaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ bālaṁ
gāṁ vṛddhaṁ rogiṇaṁ striyam
śaraṇopasṛtaṁ sattvaṁ
nātyākṣīḥ śaraṇa-pradaḥ
Synonyms
kaccit
—
whether
;
tvam
—
yourself
;
brāhmaṇam
—
the brāhmaṇas
;
bālam
—
the child
;
gām
—
the cow
;
vṛddham
—
old
;
rogiṇam
—
the diseased
;
striyam
—
the woman
;
śaraṇa
—
upasṛtam — having approached for protection
;
sattvam
—
any living being
;
na
—
whether
;
atyākṣīḥ
—
not given shelter
;
śaraṇa
—
pradaḥ — deserving protection .
Translation
You are always the protector of the deserving living beings, such as brāhmaṇas, children, cows, women and the diseased. Could you not give them protection when they approached you for shelter?
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Giver of shelter, did you perhaps reject brāhmaṇas, children, cows, elders, invalids and women, and other living beings, who took shelter of you?
Purport
The
brāhmaṇas,
who are always engaged in researching knowledge for the society’s welfare work, both materially and spiritually, deserve the protection of the king in all respects. Similarly, the children of the state, the cow, the diseased person, the woman and the old man specifically require the protection of the state or a
kṣatriya
king. If such living beings do not get protection by the
kṣatriya,
or the royal order, or by the state, it is certainly shameful for the
kṣatriya
or the state. If such things had actually happened to Arjuna, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was anxious to know about these discrepancies.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śaraṇopasṛtam means surrendered. Sattvam means living beings.