The person who has lost or who has left that thing there, he would come and pick it up. You cannot touch. That was the law. And if one was caught, a thief, his hands will be cut off. In Kashmir state this was the rule. As soon as a thief is arrested and if he's proved that he has stolen, the only punishment is cut his throat, ah, cut his hands. Bās. Exemplary punishment so that nobody will dare to steal. So this is second class, administrators. And the third class are to produce money—businessmen, mercantile. Money is also required. So without money nothing can be done, so that is not . . . but that is the business, that is the occupation of . . . the third class take. And the fourth class, śūdra. They cannot take any post as intelligent class or administrator class or money-producing class. They are simply servant, help others, śūdra. The śūdra was not meant for taking the political part.
Therefore it is said here, nṛpa-liṅga-dharaṁ śūdram. Nṛpa-liṅga-dharam. Liṅga means . . . real meaning is "gender." Just the masculine gender, feminine gender. And the other meaning is "sign." Just like there are signs, certain signs, we can understand here is a male, here is a female, by the signs. So liṅgam means "signs," "symptom." So nṛpa-liṅga-dharam śūdra. Actually he was a śūdra, but he dressed like a king. Just like if a woman dresses like a man, that is artificial. Or a man dresses like woman, that is also artificial. So everyone has his original dress and position. There, because a śūdra took the dress of a king, therefore it is called nṛpa-liṅga-dharam. Artificially he was dressed like a king. That is the position of Kali-yuga. Now the government men, they are elected by votes. People do not consider whether he's a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra. As he likes. People are śūdras. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. In the Kali-yuga everyone is a śūdra. Therefore naturally he will elect one śūdra. The śūdra is not fit for government management. As such, we find so many difficulties in the government because the head or the head man, they are all śūdras. They have dressed like administrator, but they are śūdras. This is the symptom of Kali-yuga. There is no brāhmaṇa, there is no kṣatriya, there is no vaiśya. Maybe a few vaiśyas, and all śūdras. A brāhmaṇa means the good quality, first-class quality. That is very, very rare to be found.
So it was the business of the king to see that things are going on. First of all, there is classification: intelligent class, or brāhmaṇa; and the administrator class of kṣatriya; and the mercantile class, money-producing class. So everyone is engaged, and he's doing his own business. But this division must be there. Without division the society will be in chaos. The example is given . . . I have several times mentioned that, that just like in this body, there is division: the head division, the arms division, the belly division and the leg division. They are all required. You cannot say that simply legs will do. What about the head and arms? "I don't require." That is not . . . that dead body. That is dead body. Any part of the body, you cannot miss. They must be all in order; then your body is fit. Similarly, in the human society, the social body, there must be these classes: the head class, the arm class, the belly class and the leg class. Very scientific. You cannot simply . . .
If you have got intelligent class of man, but nobody is helping him, then what . . . what will be the use of intelligence? The intelligent class must be there, but to help him the less intelligent class men also required. Just like if there are only intelligent class, that will be chaos. Nobody will care for anyone. Sometimes we'll find in our society, all intelligent class, and they fight each other. That's all. Everyone is thinking, "I am intelligent. I am boss. I must order you." And the other is thinking, "Why you shall be boss? I am also boss." So (laughs) fighting will go on. So this is going on. At the present moment there is no intelligent class of men. But kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ; therefore things are all in chaos. Everywhere you go, any part of the world, nobody is happy, either in family or community and society, nationwide, you take. Everyone is distrust, unhappiness, godlessness. Because the intelligent class of men is finished.
So the king, his duty was that if you are professing yourself as a brāhmaṇa, then it is the king's duty to see that you are acting as a brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa is not by birth but guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Guṇa means quality. And karma, and work also. Simply, "I have got now sacred thread, I have become brāhmaṇa, double initiated; now my business is finished. I can work, I can do whatever we like, like less than śūdra, caṇḍāla." No, sir. If you are initiated as a brāhmaṇa, you must act as a brāhmaṇa. Truthfulness, satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjava jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma (BG 18.42)—everything is there. A brāhmaṇa must be truthful. That is the first business of a brāhmaṇa—truthful. He will speak truth even before an enemy. Nobody speaks truth before an enemy, because he wants to hide something. But brāhmaṇa's business is to become truthful even before an enemy. That is stated.