SB 11.17.45 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

सर्वा: समुद्धरेद् राजा पितेव व्यसनात् प्रजा: ।

आत्मानमात्मना धीरो यथा गजपतिर्गजान् ॥ ४५ ॥

Verse text

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.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Just as the chief bull elephant protects all other elephants in his herd and defends himself as well, similarly, a determined king, just like a father, must save all of the citizens from difficulty and also protect himself. The actions of the kṣatriyas are described. Dhīraḥ here means a king who has determination.

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.