Brāhmin means the head. Therefore brāhmin is offered so much respect. Because head, without head . . . in the head, in the brain, you conceive something, and the hands and legs, they execute the order. Similarly, the head of the society, they should be the brāhmins. They are not interested in capturing political power. No. Brāhmin is to give instruction. We find from Vedic literature, there were committees, privy council committees of great sages and brāhmins. They would give the king advice that, "You rule in this way." And if the king is disobedient, sometimes the brāhmins would dethrone them or kill them. That was Vedic system.
We find from the life and ruling of Mahārāja Pṛthu, how he was ruling over the world, how he was observing that every community, either brāhmin or kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra, they were properly employed. There was no unemployment question. It was the duty of the king to see that not a single man is unemployed. He must be engaged. So they made arrangement like that.
So what is the idea? The idea is to elevate everyone gradually to the position of brāhmin and Vaiṣṇava, and thus make their life perfect. That is the scheme of Vedic civilization. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Not that "Keep the śūdras or the mlecchas in the downtrodden position, and let me advance." No. Everyone should cooperate. Why the śūdras or mlecchas and yavanas should remain as such? Actually, India's falldown is meant by that process. Nobody cared. So many Muslims, they converted, but the higher caste, they did not care: "Oh, they have become Muslims. Reject them." Why reject? Kṛṣṇa says:
- māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
- ye pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
- striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
- te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim
- (BG 9.32)
Why these Muslims were neglected? Why they were not turned into Vaiṣṇavas, just like we are doing? This is the fault of the leaders. Therefore India is now divided, Pakistan and Hindustan.
So if we actually try to understand Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is solution for all the problems of society, of government and everything. It is not a sentimental movement. Vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ. One must increase the taste for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa came. He came not only to dance with the gopīs. He took part in politics. He killed so many demons. He established good government. He showed how householders' life.
Kṛṣṇa . . . it is all described in our Kṛṣṇa Book, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He was lying with His beautiful queens, and as soon as there is cock crow, immediately He would rise, early in the morning, three o'clock. The queens will be disgusted: "Now it is early in the morning. Kṛṣṇa will go away." But Kṛṣṇa immediately gave up the company of the wife and immediately rise and immediately take bath and do the needful, as it is enjoined in the Vedic performance. He's ideal gṛhastha.
He will give in charity every day thirteen thousands of cows to the brāhmins. Read all these things. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is simply dugdughi. Not dugdughi. It includes everything, all-pervasive. Kṛṣṇa is ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Kṛṣṇa is the root of everything. Therefore anything you conceive of—politics, sociology, philosophy, religion, anything—there is adjustment if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). Therefore we want some leading personalities to become Kṛṣṇa conscious so that others will follow. So that others will follow. But if we go some leading personality, minister or prime minister, "Oh, we are secular. We have rejected Kṛṣṇa, that's all." Nonsense, what is your value, rejecting your Kṛṣṇa? Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ (SB 5.18.12). You are rejected.
You have no good qualification. You have rejected Kṛṣṇa; therefore we reject you. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he has no value. We don't give any value, however he may pose himself as a very great man. No. We say, harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Mano-rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ. "Because you are not Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you are hovering on the mental plane. Therefore you must fall down." This is the conclusion of śāstra.
So here it is, śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya (SB 1.2.16). Just like you all people have gathered, there is śraddhā, that "Let us hear something about Kṛṣṇa, what Swāmījī's spoke, speaking." This is called śraddhā. This śraddhā has to be increased. Then when you come to the point of ruci, vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ, that is the beginning of our perfection.
At the present moment, there is no ruci, no taste. Vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ. There are so many exalted persons, but they have no ruci, they have no taste. They have lost all taste. Vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ. There are two faults. Either people could not preach properly so that they could not create taste of the people in general . . . it is not the fault of the people in general; it is the fault of the so-called preachers also. Because they could not create taste, they wanted to take the place of Kṛṣṇa. That was their purpose. Imitation Kṛṣṇa. Imitation God. That will not do.
You have to create taste, just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu did. Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, when he first met Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he offered this prayer: namo mahā-vadānyāya, "You are the most munificent incarnation because You are giving Kṛṣṇa. You are giving Kṛṣṇa. You are . . . you are greater than Kṛṣṇa." Mahā-vadānyāya. Because Kṛṣṇa asked everybody to surrender. He did not give Himself immediately. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He's also Kṛṣṇa, in the form of devotee, He's giving Himself, "Take Me," without any price.