Text 46] Pṛthu Mahārāja's Meeting with the Four Kumāras
951
are many bogus institutions which are collecting funds from the public for the purpose of giving food to starving people, but these funds are invariably misused. According to the Vedic instructions, the government should arrange things in such a way that there will be no question of starvation. In the  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  it is stated that a householder must see to it that even a lizard or a snake does not starve. They also must be given food. In actuality, however, there is no question of starvation because everything is the property of the Supreme Lord, and He sees to it that there is ample arrangement for feeding everyone. In the  Vedas  it is said:  eko bahūnām yo vidadhāti kāmān  ( Kaṭha Up. 2.2.13 ). The Supreme Lord supplies the necessities of life to everyone, and there is no question of starvation. If anyone starves, it is due to the mismanagement of the so-called ruler, governor or president.
It is clear therefore that a person who is not well versed in the Vedic injunctions ( veda-śāstra-vit ) should not run for election as president, governor, etc. Formerly kings were  rājarṣis , which meant that although they were serving as kings, they were as good as saintly persons because they would not transgress any of the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures and would rule under the direction of great saintly persons and  brāhmaṇas . According to this arrangement, modern presidents, governors and chief executive officers are all unworthy of their posts because they are not conversant with Vedic administrative knowledge and they do not take direction from great saintly persons and  brāhmaṇas . Because of his disobedience to the orders of the  Vedas  and the  brāhmaṇas , King Vena, Pṛthu Mahārāja's father, was killed by the  brāhmaṇas . Pṛthu Mahārāja therefore knew very well that it behooved him to rule the planet as the servant of saintly persons and  brāhmaṇas .
TEXT 46
स्वमेव ब्राह्मणो भुङ्क्ते स्वं वस्ते स्वं ददाति च । तस्यैवानुग्रहेणान्नं भुञ्जते क्षत्रियादयः ॥४६॥
svam eva brāhmaṇo bhuṅkte svam vaste svam dadāti ca tasyaivānugraheṇānnam bhuñjate kṣatriyādayaḥ
svam—own; eva—certainly; brāhmaṇaḥ—the brāhmaṇas; bhuṅkte—enjoy; svam—own; vaste—clothing; svam—own; dadāti—gives in charity; ca—and; tasya—his; eva—certainly; anugraheṇa—by the mercy of; annam—food