Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.13.23
नावध्येय: प्रजापाल: प्रजाभिरघवानपि ।
यदसौ लोकपालानां बिभर्त्योज: स्वतेजसा ॥ २३ ॥
nāvadhyeyaḥ prajā-pālaḥ
[naavadhyeyah prajaa-paalah]
prajābhir aghavān api
[prajaabhir aghavaan api]
yad asau loka-pālānāṁ
[yad asau loka-paalaanaam]
bibharty ojaḥ sva-tejasā
[bibharty ojah sva-tejasaa]
Word-for-word
na
—
never
avadhyeyaḥ
—
to be insulted
prajā-pālaḥ
—
the king
prajābhiḥ
—
by the citizens
aghavān
—
ever sinful
api
—
even though
yat
—
because
asau
—
he
loka-pālānām
—
of many kings
bibharti
—
maintains
ojaḥ
—
prowess
sva-tejasā
—
by personal influence.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nāvadhyeyaḥ prajā-pālaḥ
na
never
avadhyeyaḥ
to be insulted
prajā-pālaḥ
the king
prajābhir aghavān api
prajābhiḥ
by the citizens
aghavān
ever sinful
api
even though
yad asau loka-pālānāṁ
yat
because
asau
he
loka-pālānām
of many kings
bibharty ojaḥ sva-tejasā
bibharti
maintains
ojaḥ
prowess
sva-tejasā
by personal influence.
It is the duty of all citizens in a state never to insult the king, even though he sometimes appears to have done something very sinful. Because of his prowess, the king is always more influential than all other ruling chiefs.
Purport
According to Vedic civilization the king is supposed to be the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is called nara-nārāyaṇa, indicating that Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears in human society as the king. It is etiquette that neither a brāhmaṇa nor a kṣatriya king is ever insulted by the citizens; even though a king appears to be sinful, the citizens should not insult him. But in the case of Vena it appears that he was cursed by the nara-devatās; therefore, it was concluded that his sinful activities were very grievous.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The King, even if sinful, should not be disregarded by the citizens because he maintains the effectiveness of the devatās by his power.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Citizens shouldn't insult the king even when he's sinned; his prowess makes him more influential than other chiefs. There are some critiques that are right but ineffective; the form of dissent matters.
Reflection Questions
- Where am I tempted to insult an authority I should be criticizing more carefully?
- What's the dignified form of dissent I haven't yet practiced?
My note
Source: vedabase.io