Text 32]
Creation of the Universal Form
247
simply born a  kṣatriya . The conception of the caste system is always based on quality and not on the qualification of birth. Birth is an extraneous consideration; it is not the main feature of the orders and divisions. In  Bhagavad-gītā  the qualifications of the  brāhmaṇas ,  kṣatriyas ,  vaiśyas  and  śūdras  are specifically mentioned, and it is understood that all such qualifications are needed before one can be designated as belonging to a particular group (Bg. 18.41).
Lord Viṣṇu is always mentioned as the  puruṣa  in all Vedic scriptures. Sometimes the living entities are also mentioned as  puruṣas , although they are essentially  puruṣa-śakti  ( parā-śakti  or  parā-prakṛti ), the superior energy of the  puruṣa . Illusioned by the external potency of the  puruṣa  (the Lord), the living entities falsely think of themselves as the  puruṣa  although they actually have no qualifications. The Lord has the power to protect. Of the three deities Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara, the first has the power to create, the second has the power to protect, and the third has the power to destroy. The word  puruṣa  is significant in this verse because the  kṣatriyas  are expected to represent the  puruṣa . Lord in giving protection to the  prajās , or all those who are born in the land and water. Protection is therefore meant for both man and the animals. In modern society the  prajās  are not protected from the hands of thieves and miscreants. The modern democratic state, which has no  kṣatriyas , is a government of the  vaiśyas  and  śūdras , and not of  brāhmaṇas  and  kṣatriyas  as formerly. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and his grandson Mahārāja Parīkṣit were typical  kṣatriya  kings, for they gave protection to all men and animals. When the personification of Kali attempted to kill a cow, Mahārāja Parīkṣit at once prepared himself to kill the miscreant, and the personification of Kali was banished from his kingdom. That is the sign of  puruṣa , or the representative of Lord Viṣṇu. According to Vedic civilization, a qualified  kṣatriya  monarch is given the respect of the Lord because he represents the Lord by giving protection to the  prajās . Modern elected presidents cannot even give protection from theft cases, and therefore one has to take protection from an insurance company. The problems of modern human society are due to the lack of qualified  brāhmaṇas  and  kṣatriyas  and the over-influence of the  vaiśyas  and  śūdras  by so-called general franchise.
TEXT 32
विशोऽवर्तन्त तस्योर्वोलोकरृत्तिकरोर्विमोः । वैश्यस्तदुद्धवो वातां नृणां यः समवर्तयत् ॥३२॥