SB 4.17.11 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

वयं राजञ्जाठरेणाभितप्तायथाग्निना कोटरस्थेन वृक्षा: त्वामद्य याता: शरणं शरण्यंय: साधितो वृत्तिकर: पतिर्न: ॥ १० ॥ तन्नो भवानीहतु रातवेऽन्नंक्षुधार्दितानां नरदेवदेव यावन्न नङ्‍क्ष्यामह उज्झितोर्जावार्तापतिस्त्वं किल लोकपाल: ॥ ११ ॥

Verse text

vayaṁ rājaṣ jāṭhareṇābhitaptā yathāgninā koṭara-sthena vṛkṣāḥ tvām adya yātāḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ yaḥ sādhito vṛtti-karaḥ patir naḥ tan no bhavān īhatu rātave ’nnaṁ kṣudhārditānāṁ naradeva-deva yāvan na naṅkṣyāmaha ujjhitorjā vārtā-patis tvaṁ kila loka-pālaḥ

Synonyms

vayam — we ; rājan — O King ; jāṭhareṇa — by the fire of hunger ; abhitaptāḥ — very much aggrieved ; yathā — just as ; agninā — by the fire ; koṭara — sthena — in the hollow of a tree ; vṛkṣāḥ — trees ; tvām — unto you ; adya — today ; yātāḥ — we have come ; śaraṇam — shelter ; śaraṇyam — worth taking shelter of ; yaḥ — who ; sādhitaḥ — appointed ; vṛtti — karaḥ — one who gives employment ; patiḥ — master ; naḥ — our ; tat — therefore ; naḥ — to us ; bhavān — Your Majesty ; īhatu — please try ; rātave — to give ; annam — food grains ; kṣudhā — with hunger ; arditānām — suffering ; nara — deva — deva — O supreme master of all kings ; yāvat na — lest ; naṅkṣyāmahe — we will perish ; ujjhita — being bereft of ; ūrjāḥ — food grains ; vārtā — of occupational engagements ; patiḥ — bestower ; tvam — you ; kila — indeed ; loka — pālaḥ — the protector of the citizens .

Translation

Dear King, just as a tree with a fire burning in the hollow of the trunk gradually dries up, we are drying up due to the fire of hunger in our stomachs. You are the protector of surrendered souls, and you have been appointed to give employment to us. Therefore we have all come to you for protection. You are not only a king, but the incarnation of God as well. Indeed, you are the king of all kings. You can give us all kinds of occupational engagements, for you are the master of our livelihood. Therefore, O king of all kings, please arrange to satisfy our hunger by the proper distribution of food grains. Please take care of us, lest we soon die for want of food.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O King! We are suffering from the digestive fire like trees burning inside. Today we have taken shelter of you, worthy as a shelter, who have been created as our master and are our means of livelihood. O King! Therefore try to give food to us, since we are suffering from hunger, so that we do not die from lack of food. You are the protector of the people, the giver of livelihood. You have been created (sādhitaḥ) by the churning of the brāhmaṇas. Therefore (tat) try (īhatu) to give (rātave) food to us. And you should not delay. Give us food so we do not die. Ujjhita ūrjāḥ means “without food.” You give us the means of livelihood (vārtā-patiḥ).

Purport

It is the duty of the king to see that everyone in the social orders — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — is fully employed in the state. Just as it is the duty of the brāhmaṇas to elect a proper king, it is the duty of the king to see that all the varṇas — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — are fully engaged in their respective occupational duties. It is here indicated that although the people were allowed to perform their duties, they were still unemployed. Although they were not lazy, they still could not produce sufficient food to satisfy their hunger. When the people are perplexed in this way, they should approach the head of government, and the president or king should take immediate action to mitigate the distress of the people.