FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.13.23

నావధ్యేయ: ప్రజాపాల: ప్రజాభిరఘవానపి । యదసౌ లోకపాలానాం బిభర్త్యోజ: స్వతేజసా ॥ ౨౩ ॥
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]
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.

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
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.
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