894 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 17
PURPORT

The denizens of the heavenly kingdom are called amaras, or deathless,
due to their possessing a long span of life, far greater than that of the
human beings. For a human being, who has only a maximum one hundred
year duration of life, a span of life spreading over millions of years is
certainly considered to be deathless. For example, from the Bhagavad-gita
we learn that on the Brahmaloka planet, the duration of one day is calcu-
lated to be 4,300,000 x 1,000 solar years. Similarly, in other heavenly
planets one day is calculated to be six months of this planet, and they
get a life of ten million of their years. Therefore, in all higher planets,
since the span of life is far greater than that of the human being, the
denizens are called deathless by imagination, although actually no one
within the material universe is deathless.

Maharaja Panksit challenges even such denizens of heaven if they tor-
ture the offenseless. This means that the state executive head must be as
strong as Maharaja Panksit so that he may be determined to punish the
strongest offenders. It should be the principle of a state executive head
that the offender of the codes of God is always punished.

TEXT 16

Tet & wat ww: @ererqNey |
MANSY TAMAAATIT TTA 12

rajiio hi paramo dharmah
sva-dharma-sthanupalanam

Sasato ‘nyan yatha-sastram
anapady utpathan iha

rajiah—of the king or the executive head; hi—certainly; paramah—
supreme; dharmah—occupational duty; sva-dharma-stha—one who is faith-
ful to his prescribed duty; anupalanam-— giving protection always; sasatah—
while ruling over; anyan—others; yatha—accordingly ; sastram—rulings of
scriptures; anapadi—without danger; utpathan—persons going astray; tha—
as a matter of fact.

TRANSLATION
It is the supreme duty of the ruling king to give all protection to

law-abiding persons and to chastise those who stray from the ordinances
of the scriptures in ordinary times, when there is no emergency.
