Since the population is fallen in these democratic days, they can only elect a person in their category, but a government cannot run very well when it is run by shudras.

Out of Order - State of the Nation

Towards Real Peace and Prosperity

TEXT 16, PURPORT
Formerly, in practically all parts of the world, there were monarchies, but gradually as monarchy declined from the ideal life of religion to the godless life of sense gratification, monarchies all over the world were abolished. However, simply abolishing monarchy and replacing it with democracy is not sufficient unless the government men are religious and follow in the footsteps of great religious personalities.

TEXT 17
The saintly persons continued: When the king protects the citizens from the disturbances of mischievous ministers as well as from thieves and rogues, he can, by virtue of such pious activities, accept taxes given by his subjects. Thus a pious king can certainly enjoy himself in this world as well as in the life after death.

PURPORT
The duty of a pious king is described very nicely in this verse. His first and foremost duty is to give protection to the citizens from thieves and rogues as well as from ministers who are no better than thieves and rogues. Formerly, ministers were appointed by the king and were not elected. Consequently, if the king was not very pious or strict, the ministers would become thieves and rogues and exploit the innocent citizens. It is the king's duty to see that there is no increase of thieves and rogues either in the government secretariat or in the departments of public affairs. If a king cannot give protection to citizens from thieves and rogues both in the government service and in public affairs, he has no right to exact taxes from them. In other words, the king or the government that taxes can levy taxes from the citizens only if the king or government is able to give protection to the citizens from thieves and rogues.

In the Twelfth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.1.40) there is a description of these thieves and rogues in government service. As stated, prajas te bhakshayishyanti mleccha rajanya-rupinah: "These proud mlecchas [persons who are less than shudras], representing themselves as kings, will tyrannize their subjects, and their subjects, on the other hand, will cultivate the most vicious practices. Thus practicing evil habits and behaving foolishly, the subjects will be like their rulers." The idea is that in the democratic days of Kali-yuga, the general population will fall down to the standard of shudras.

As stated (kalau shudra-sambhavah), practically the whole population of the world will be shudra. A shudra is a fourth-class man who is only fit to work for the three higher social castes. Being fourth-class men, shudras are not very intelligent. Since the population is fallen in these democratic days, they can only elect a person in their category, but a government cannot run very well when it is run by shudras.

The second class of men, known as kshatriyas, are especially meant for governing a country under the direction of saintly persons (brahmanas), who are supposed to be very intelligent.

In other ages — in Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga and Dvapara-yuga — the general populace was not so degraded, and the head of government was never elected. The king was the supreme executive personality, and if he caught any ministers stealing like thieves and rogues, he would at once have them killed or dismissed from service. As it was the duty of the king to kill thieves and rogues, it was similarly his duty to immediately kill dishonest ministers in government service. By such strict vigilance, the king could run the government very well, and the citizens would be happy to have such a king. The conclusion is that unless the king is perfectly able to give protection to the citizens from rogues and thieves, he has no right to levy taxes from the citizens for his own sense gratification. However, if he gives all protection to the citizens and levies taxes on them, he can live very happily and peacefully in this life, and at the end of this life be elevated to the heavenly kingdom or even to the Vaikunthas, where he will be happy in all respects.

TEXT 18
The king is supposed to be pious in whose state and cities the general populace strictly observes the system of eight social orders of varna and ashrama, and where all citizens engage in worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead by their particular occupations.

PURPORT
The state's duty and the citizen's duty are very nicely explained in this verse. The activities of the government head, or king, as well as the activities of the citizens, should be so directed that ultimately everyone engages in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The king, or government head, is supposed to be the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and is therefore supposed to see that things go on nicely and that the citizens are situated in the scientific social order comprised of four varnas and four ashramas.

In the Vishnu Purana it is stated that unless people are educated or situated in the scientific social order comprised of four varnas (brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra) and four ashramas (brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa), society can never be considered real human society, nor can it make any advancement towards the ultimate goal of human life. It is the duty of the government to see that things go on in terms of varna and ashrama.

As stated herein, bhagavan yajña-purushah — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the yajña-purusha. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (5.29): bhoktaram yajña-tapasam. Krishna is the ultimate purpose of all sacrifice. He is also the enjoyer of all sacrifices; therefore He is known as yajña-purusha. The word yajña-purusha indicates Lord Vishnu or Lord Krishna, or any Personality of Godhead in the category of vishnu-tattva. In perfect human society, people are situated in the orders of varna and ashrama and are engaged in worshiping Lord Vishnu by their respective activities. Every citizen engaged in an occupation renders service by the resultant actions of his activities. That is the perfection of life. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.46):

yatah pravrittir bhutanam
yena sarvam idam tatam
sva-karmana tam abhyarcya
siddhim vindati manavah

"By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain perfection."

Thus the brahmanas, kshatriyas, shudras and vaishyas must execute their prescribed duties as these duties are stated in the shastras [Vedic literatures]. In this way everyone can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. The king, or government head, has to see that the citizens are thus engaged. In other words, the state or the government must not deviate from its duty by declaring that the state is a secular one, which has no interest in whether or not the people advance in varnashrama-dharma. Today people engaged in government service and people who rule over the citizens have no respect for the varnashrama-dharma. They complacently feel that the state is secular. In such a government, no one can be happy. The people must follow the varnashrama-dharma, and the king must see that they are following it nicely.

TEXT 19
O noble one, if the king sees that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original cause of the cosmic manifestation and the Supersoul within everyone, is worshiped, the Lord will be satisfied.

PURPORT
It is a fact that the government's duty is to see that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied by the activities of the people as well as by the activities of the government. There is no possibility of happiness if the government or citizenry have no idea of Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the original cause of the cosmic manifestation, or if they have no knowledge of bhuta-bhavana, who is vishvatma, or the Supersoul, the soul of everyone's soul. The conclusion is that without engaging in devotional service, neither the citizens nor the government can be happy in any way.

At the present moment neither the king nor the governing body is interested in seeing that the people are engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rather, they are more interested in advancing the machinery of sense gratification. Consequently they are becoming more and more implicated in the complex machinery of the stringent laws of nature. People should be freed from the entanglement of the three modes of material nature, and the only process by which this is possible is surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is advised in Bhagavad-gita. Unfortunately neither the government nor the people in general have any idea of this; they are simply interested in sense gratification and in being happy in this life. The word nija-shasane ("in his own governmental duty") indicates that both the government and the citizens are responsible for the execution of varnashrama-dharma. Once the populace is situated in the varnashrama-dharma, there is every possibility of real life and prosperity both in this world and in the next.