Viṣṇu. The ultimate aim is worship Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And it is the king's duty to see that citizens are executing this varṇāśrama-dharma very nicely. That was king's duty. It is stated in the Bhāgavata that unless a king or government can give protection to the citizens from exploitation by dishonest ministers and thieves and rogues, then he cannot collect tax. He is unworthy of taking tax from the citizen. The primary duty is that the citizen must be protected from the dishonest ministers. Asādhu-amātya (SB 4.14.17), this very word is used. Amātya means "ministers," and corādibhyaḥ, "thieves and rogues." This is one of the duties.
And then again, he should see that people are executing the system of varṇāśrama-dharma: that the brahmin is doing his duty, the kṣatriya is doing his duty and the vaiśya is doing his duty and the śūdra is doing his duty. And the symptoms and duties and occupation is also mentioned in the śāstras. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā, the brahminical duties are mentioned there: satya, śama, dama, titikṣā ārjava:
- jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ
- brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
- (BG 18.42)
Similarly, kṣatriya's duty:
- śauryaṁ tejo dākṣyaṁ
- yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam
- (BG 18.43)
A kṣatriya challenge cannot refuse. If somebody comes forward that, "I want to fight with you," he cannot say: "No, I don't want to fight." No, he will have to fight.
- yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam
- dānam īśvara-bhāvaś ca
- (BG 18.43)
Kṣatriyas would give in charity; gṛhastas would give in charity. Brahmacārī, vānaprastha, they would perform austerities—yajña dāna tapaḥ kriyā. The human society should accept yajña, dāna, tapasya. That is human society: yajña dāna tapaḥ kriyā. One has to elevate himself to the highest platform by tapasā brahmacaryeṇa, śamena, damena, tyāgena, śaucena (SB 6.1.13). These are the śāstric injunctions.
But . . . and Ṛṣabhadeva says the very same thing, because this is Vedic culture. So He is instructing His one hundred sons, "My dear sons":
- nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke
- kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye
- (SB 5.5.1)
"My dear sons, this particular body, human body," nāyaṁ deho nṛloke, "in the human society, is not meant for kaṣṭān kāmān." In order to sense-gratify, one has to accept very, very hard work. Na arhate: "This is not human civilization." Kaṣṭān kāmān. Kāmān . . . kāmān means we have got to satisfy our senses, but not by kaṣṭān, taking too much trouble.
Because the human life is very, very important. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: after many, many evolutionary process, jala-jā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati (Padma Purāṇa) . . . you have to pass through nine lakhs of species in the water. You know this is the water; there are so many aquatics. Then gradually they become plants, trees; then gradually insect, reptiles, then birds, pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam. There are ten lakhs species of birds. Paśavaḥ triṁśal-lakṣāṇi: then beast., thirty lakhs of beast. In Africa there are so many beasts. So this is the information we understand from Vedic literature.
Long, long ago, when I was householder, one Jewish doctor—I was doing medical business—so he asked me that, "Mr. Such-and-such, how is that so particularly it is mentioned that there are nine lakhs species of aquatics, twenty lakhs species of the trees and plants? How it is ascertained?" This is very intelligent question, and that is Vedic knowledge. Therefore we take it, Vedas, as authority. Those who are followers of Vedas, they do not argue. They take Vedic injunction as final: śruti-pramāṇa. If it is written in the Vedas, the evidence is there, then it is accepted: śruti-pramāṇa.
According to our Vedic culture, the learned scholars would accept śruti-pramāṇa. Just like the law book. If it is mentioned in the law book and one can give evidence from the law book under such and such and such, it is accepted by the judge. There is no need of inquiry further; that is authority. So we accept authority of the Vedas in such a way that whatever is mentioned there, it should be accepted. Otherwise what is the meaning of authority? If you inquire, if you bring to examination to your defective knowledge, then what is the meaning of authority?
Every conditioned soul is defective in four ways. What is that? He is sure to commit mistake . . . he is sure to commit mistake, he is sure to be illusioned, he has a propensity for cheating, and his senses are imperfect. These are the four defects of conditioned souls, every one of us. Therefore our knowledge by speculation, because my senses are imperfect . . .
Just like I have got my eyes, but it is conditioned. Unless there is a light suitable for my seeing, I cannot see. So what is the use of these eyes? My eyes cannot be authority, that whatever I say, it is all right. No. I have to see. Therefore Vedic injunction is śāstra-cakṣusā: your eyes should be through the vision of the śāstras, not that by your personal experience. No.
For example we can give you, those who are followers of Vedic injunction, just like Vedas say that the bone of an animal is impure. If you touch the bone of an animal, you have to take bath. So we actually follow. Those who are Hindus, followers of Vedic culture, if they, by chance, touches one hāḍi (bone), then he will go home and change his clothes and take bath. Similarly, when we pass stool, evacuate, even my own stool, still I take bath to become pure.
But the Veda says the stool of cow, cow dung, is pure, and we accept that. When there is impure place, we'll bring cow dung and smear over it. Now you can say: "It is contradictory. You say stool is impure, and again you say cow dung, that is also another animal's stool, you say it is pure. Oh, it is contradictory." But no. Because it is authority, even there is contradiction, we follow.
Similarly, the conchshell. The conchshell is the bone of an animal, but the injunction is that if you touch the bone of a dead animal you become impure. But conchshell is kept in the Deity room, it is so pure. So even if you find so many contradictions, they are not contradictions; they are actually fact.
One medical man in Calcutta, he analyzed this cow dung and he found all the antiseptic properties are there. So Vedic injunction is so authoritative word, because whatever it says, it is fact. If you take the knowledge from the Vedas, then you save so much time for researching. If you challenge, then you can go on researching, but you come to the same conclusion, but later on.
So our this, I mean to say, varṇāśrama-dharma culture is based on the injunction of the Vedas. Apparently we may take it as contradictory, but we still we, for practical purposes, we take it into use. So the Bhagavad-gītā or any śāstra, Vedic literature, is in that position, in authoritative position. We cannot argue in our own way or we cannot interpret in my own way. We have to take it as it is. Therefore we are publishing Bhagavad-gītā as it is, not interpreting in our own way. Just like Bhagavad-gītā, Bhagavān says:
- imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ
- proktavān aham avyayam
- (BG 4.1)
"I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā formerly to the sun-god,"
- vivasvān manave prāha
- manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt
- (BG 4.1)
"And the sun-god explained this to his son, Manu, Vaivasvata Manu," whose age is going on at the present moment, and Manu explained this philosophy to his son Ikṣvāku, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku. Mahārāja Ikṣvāku was the original forefather of the dynasty in which Lord Rāmacandra took His birth, Ikṣvāku-vaṁśa or Raghu-vaṁśa. And Kṛṣṇa says:
- evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
- imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
- (BG 4.2)
Formerly, the kings were as good as great sages. They were trained up in such a way. They were guided by high-class brahmins and sages. And if the king would prove useless, they will dethrone him. That was the monarchical system. Therefore they were called rājarṣi. And people are very happy.
The rājarṣi, the king, should see that exactly the varṇāśrama-dharma is being executed by the subjects, and the citizens are protected from the hands of dishonest ministers and thieves and rogues. That is good government. Not only that, the purpose of human life was being executed under the guidance of the government: to elevate everyone to the platform of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu.
- viṣṇur ārādhyate puṁsāṁ
- nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam
- (CC Madhya 8.58)
So this is Vedic culture. This is Vedic culture means that the aim of human civilization should be to understand the original proprietor of everything. We read in the Īśopaniṣad, īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ (ISO 1). Everything is owned by the Supreme Personality of God, īśa.