sarvÄḥ samuddhared rÄjÄ
piteva vyasanÄt prajÄḥ
ÄtmÄnam ÄtmanÄ dhÄ«ro
yathÄ gaja-patir gajÄn

 sarvÄḥ - all; samuddharet - must uplift; rÄjÄ - the king; pitÄ - a father; iva - like; vyasanÄt - from difficulties; prajÄḥ - the citizens; ÄtmÄnam - himself; Ätmana - by himself; dhÄ«raḥ - fearless; yathÄ - just as; gaja-patiḥ - a bull elephant; gajÄn - the other elephants.


Text

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.