950
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 22]
TRANSLATION
Since only a person who is completely educated according to the principles of Vedic knowledge deserves to be commander-in-chief, ruler of the state, the first to chastise and the proprietor of the whole planet, Pṛthu Mahārāja offered everything to the Kumāras.
PURPORT
In this verse it is very clearly stated that a kingdom, state or empire must be governed under the instructions of saintly persons and  brāhmaṇas  like the Kumāras. When monarchy ruled throughout the world, the monarch was actually directed by a board of  brāhmaṇas  and saintly persons. The king, as the administrator of the state, executed his duties as a servant of the  brāhmaṇas . It was not that the kings or  brāhmaṇas  were dictators, nor did they consider themselves proprietors of the state. The kings were also well versed in Vedic literatures and thus were familiar with the injunction of Śrī  Īśopaniṣad :  īśāvāsyam idam sarvam —everything that exists belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In  Bhagavad-gītā  Lord Kṛṣṇa also claims that He is the proprietor of all planetary systems ( sarva-loka-maheśvaram ). Since this is the case, no one can claim to be proprietor of the state. The king, president or head of the state should always remember that he is not the proprietor but the servant.
In the present age, the king or president forgets that he is the servant of God and thinks of himself as servant of the people. The present democratic government is proclaimed to be a people's government, a government by the people and for the people, but this type of government is not sanctioned by the  Vedas . The  Vedas  maintain that a kingdom should be governed for the purpose of satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead and should therefore be ruled by a representative of the Lord. The head of a state should not be appointed if he is bereft of all Vedic knowledge. In this verse it is clearly stated ( veda-śāstra-vid arhati ) that all high government posts are especially meant for persons who are well conversant with the teachings of the  Vedas . In the  Vedas  there are definite instructions defining how a king, commander-in-chief, soldier and citizen should behave. Unfortunately there are many so-called philosophers in the present age who give instruction without citing authority, and many leaders follow their unauthorized instruction. Consequently people are not happy.
The modern theory of dialectic communism, set forth by Karl Marx and followed by communist governments, is not perfect. According to Vedic communism, no one in the state should ever starve. Presently there