Text 18]
Questions by King Parīkṣit
441
energy without any obligation to the laws of material nature, and thus His activities are also uncommon. The specific activities of the Lord are mentioned, and one should know that the activities of the Lord and the Lord are identical due to being on the absolute plane. Thus to hear the activities of the Lord means to associate with the Lord directly, and association of the Lord directly means purification from material contamination. We have already discussed this point in the First Volume.
TEXT 18
नृणां साधारणो धर्मः सविशेषश्च यादृशः । 
  श्रेणीनां राजर्षीणां च धर्मः कृच्छ्रेषु जीवताम् ॥१८॥
nṛṇām sādhāraṇo dharmaḥ 
  saviśeṣaś ca yādṛśaḥ 
  śreṇīnām rājarṣīṇām ca 
  dharmaḥ kṛcchreṣu jīvatām
nṛṇām —of human society;  sādhāraṇaḥ —general;  dharmaḥ —religious affiliation;  sa-viśeṣaḥ —specific;  ca —also;  yādṛśaḥ —as they are;  śreṇīnām —of the particular three classes;  rājarṣīṇām —of the saintly royal order;  ca —also;  dharmaḥ —occupational duty;  kṛcchreṣu —in the matter of distressed conditions;  jīvatām —of the living beings.
TRANSLATION
Please also explain what may generally be the common religious affiliations of human society, as well as their specific occupational duties in religion, the classification of the social orders as well as the administrative royal orders, and the religious principles for one who may be in the distressed condition of life.
PURPORT
The common religion of all classes of human beings, regardless of whoever and whatsoever one may be, is devotional service. Even the animals may be included in devotional service to the Lord, and the best example