882
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 21]
levy taxes from them; businessmen or mercantile men, because they produce foodstuffs for the whole of society, can take a little profit from this, whereas the  śūdras , who cannot work as either  brāhmaṇas ,  kṣatriyas  or  vaiśyas , should give service to the higher classes of society and be provided by them with a supply of the necessities of life.
The symptom of a qualified king or political leader is mentioned herein—he must be very merciful and compassionate to the people and see to their prime interest, which is to become elevated devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Great souls are naturally inclined to do good to others, and a  Vaiṣṇava  especially is the most compassionate and merciful personality in society. Therefore we offer our respects to a  Vaiṣṇava  leader as follows:
vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānām pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
Only a  Vaiṣṇava  leader can fulfill all the desires of the people ( vāñchā-kalpataru ), and he is compassionate because he is the contributor of the greatest benefit to human society. He is  patita-pāvana , the deliverer of all fallen souls, because if the king or the head of the government follows in the footsteps of the  brāhmaṇas  and  Vaiṣṇavas , who are naturally leaders in missionary work, similarly the  vaiśyas  will also follow in the footsteps of the  Vaiṣṇavas  and  brāhmaṇas , and the  śūdras  will give them service. Thus the entire society becomes a perfect human institution for combined progress to the highest perfection of life.
TEXT 51
अद्य नस्तमसः पारस्त्वयोपासादितः प्रमो ।
आम्यतां नष्टदृष्टीनां कर्ममिदैवसंज्ञितैः ॥५१॥
adya nas tamasaḥ pāras tvayopāsāditaḥ prabho bhrāmyatām naṣṭa-dṛṣṭīnām karmabhir daiva-saṁjñitaiḥ
adya—today; naḥ—of us; tamasaḥ—of the darkness of material existence; pāraḥ—other side; tvayā—by you; upāsāditaḥ—increased; prabho—O lord; bhrāmyatām—who are wandering; naṣṭa-dṛṣṭīnām—who have lost their goal of life; karmabhiḥ—on account of past deeds; daiva-saṁjñitaiḥ—arranged by superior authority.