Devanagari
भवन्त एतद् विज्ञाय देहाद्युत्पाद्यमन्तवत् ।
मां यजन्तोऽध्वरैर्युक्ता: प्रजा धर्मेण रक्ष्यथ ॥ २१ ॥
Verse text
bhavanta etad vijṣāya
dehādy utpādyam anta-vat
māṁ yajanto ’dhvarair yuktāḥ
prajā dharmeṇa rakṣyatha
Synonyms
bhavantaḥ
—
you
;
etat
—
this
;
vijṣāya
—
understanding
;
deha
—
ādi — the material body and so forth
;
utpādyam
—
subject to birth
;
anta
—
vat — having an end
;
mām
—
Me
;
yajantaḥ
—
worshiping
;
adhvaraiḥ
—
with Vedic sacrifices
;
yuktāḥ
—
having clear intelligence
;
prajāḥ
—
your citizens
;
dharmeṇa
—
according to religious principles
;
rakṣyatha
—
you should protect .
Translation
Understanding that this material body and everything connected with it have a beginning and an end, worship Me by Vedic sacrifices, and with clear intelligence protect your subjects in accordance with the principles of religion.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Understanding that this material body and everything connected with it have a beginning and an end, worship Me by Vedic sacrifices, and with clear intelligence protect your subjects in accordance with the principles of religion.
KB 10.73.21-22
“Every one of you must understand that anything material has its starting point, growth, maintenance, expansion, deterioration and, finally, disappearance. All material bodies are subject to these six conditions, and any relative acquisitions accumulated by this body are definitely subject to final destruction. Therefore, no one should be attached to perishable things. As long as one is within this material body, he should be very cautious in worldly dealings. The most perfect way of life in this material world is simply to be devoted to My transcendental loving service and to execute honestly the prescribed duties of one’s particular position. As far as you are concerned, you all belong to kṣatriya families. Therefore, you should live honestly, according to the prescribed duties befitting the royal order, and make your citizens happy in all respects. Keep to the standard of kṣatriya life. Do not beget children out of sense gratification, but simply take charge of the welfare of the people in general. Everyone takes birth in this material world in continuation of his previous life, and thus he is subject to the stringent laws of nature, such as birth and death, distress and happiness, profit and loss. One should not be disturbed by duality but should always be fixed in My devotional service and thus remain balanced in mind and satisfied in all circumstances, considering all things to be given by Me. Thus one can live a very happy and peaceful life, even within this material condition.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
But by my instruction you should do this, according to the customs.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
On their attaining bhakti to him, he instructed them to protect everyone as they would themselves on his order, since he desired that they protect the people and dharma in order to please him, in two and a half verses. Being dedicated to me (yuktāḥ), worshiping me with sacrifices in order to teach the people, protect the population by instituting dharma. Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary gives the form rakṣita. This is probably a mistake of the transcriber, or bhavantaḥ can be a vocative, with the rakṣata as an imperative, second person plural.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Now the Lord teaches the method of remembrance. Understand that there is some beginning (utpādyam) and end of the body, or understand that the body, sons, wealth etc. accepted as yours has beginning and end. Being absorbed in me (yuktāḥ), or being engaged, being successful by dharma which protects my bhakti, accept a kingdom to spread my bhakti while practicing household dharma. Rakṣatha should be rakṣantu.