Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.18.20

sa vai patiḥ syād akutobhayaḥ svayaḿ

samantataḥ pāti bhayāturaḿ janam

sa eka evetarathā mitho bhayaḿ

naivātmalābhād adhi manyate param

SYNONYMS

saḥ — he; vai — indeed; patiḥ — a husband; syāt — would be; akutaḥ-bhayaḥ — who is not fearful of anyone; svayam — self-sufficient; samantataḥ — entirely; pāti — maintains; bhaya-āturam — who is very afraid; janam — a person; saḥ — therefore he; ekaḥ — one; eva — only; itarathā — otherwise; mithaḥ — from one another; bhayam — fear; na — not; eva — indeed; ātma-lābhāt — than the attainment of You; adhi — greater; manyate — is accepted; param — other thing.

TRANSLATION

He alone who is never afraid but who, on the contrary, gives complete shelter to all fearful persons can actually become a husband and protector. Therefore, my Lord, you are the only husband, and no one else can claim this position. If you were not the only husband, You would be afraid of others. Therefore persons learned in all Vedic literature accept only Your Lordship as everyone's master, and they think no one else a better husband and protector than You.

PURPORT

Here the meaning of husband or guardian is clearly explained. people want to become a husband, a guardian, a governor or a political leader without knowing the actual meaning of such a superior position. There are many people all over the world — indeed, throughout the universe — who claim for some time that they are husbands, political leaders or guardians, but in due course of time the Supreme Lord desires their removal from their posts, and their careers are immediately finished. Therefore those who are actually learned and advanced in spiritual life do not accept any leader, husband or maintainer other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lord Kṛṣṇa personally states in Bhagavad-gītā (18.66), ahaḿ tvāḿ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions." Kṛṣṇa is not afraid of anyone. On the contrary, everyone is afraid of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He can actually give protection to a subordinate living entity. Since so-called leaders or dictators are completely under the control of material nature, they can never give complete protection to others, although they claim this ability due to false prestige. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiḿ hi viṣṇum: [SB 7.5.31] people do not know that real advancement in life consists of accepting the Supreme Personality of Godhead as one's master. Instead of deceiving themselves and others by pretending to be all-powerful, all political leaders, husbands and guardians should spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement so that everyone can learn how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, the supreme husband.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness