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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.5.11

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 5: The ṛṣis appeal for protection. Tapasvins display the victims of rākṣasa attacks, Rāma promises to defend them and gives his exile a purpose

In the sequence: they argue that a ruler who takes taxes must protect his people, while a ruler who protects tapasvins receives a share of their merit

3.5.11

yuñjānaḥ svān iva prāṇān prāṇair iṣṭān sutān iva
nityayuktaḥ sadā rakṣan sarvān viṣayavāsinaḥ

But (the king) who, ever diligent, cherishing them with his own life-breaths as though they were his own life, dear as sons, always guards all the dwellers of his realm —

Words: yuñjānaḥ — engaging himself, applying; svān — his own; iva — as if; prāṇān — life-breaths; prāṇair — with life-breaths; iṣṭān — cherished, dear; sutān — sons; iva — like; nityayuktaḥ — ever diligent; sadā — always; rakṣan — guarding; sarvān — all; viṣayavāsinaḥ — the dwellers of the realm

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.