Text 41
kaccit tvaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ bālaṁ
gāṁ vṛddhaṁ rogiṇaṁ striyam
śaraṇopasṛtaṁ sattvaṁ
nātyākṣīḥ śaraṇa-pradaḥ
kaccit — whether; tvam — yourself; brāhmaṇam — the brāhmaṇas; bālam — the child; gām — the cow; vṛddham — old; rogiṇam — the diseased; striyam — the woman; śaraṇa-upasṛtam — having approached for protection; sattvam — any living being; na — whether; atyākṣīḥ — not given shelter; śaraṇa-pradaḥ — deserving protection.
You are always the protector of the deserving living beings, such as brāhmaṇas, children, cows, women and the diseased. Could you not give them protection when they approached you for shelter?
The brāhmaṇas, who are always engaged in researching knowledge for the society’s welfare work, both materially and spiritually, deserve the protection of the king in all respects. Similarly, the children of the state, the cow, the diseased person, the woman and the old man specifically require the protection of the state or a kṣatriya king. If such living beings do not get protection by the kṣatriya, or the royal order, or by the state, it is certainly shameful for the kṣatriya or the state. If such things had actually happened to Arjuna, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was anxious to know about these discrepancies.