952
Śrimad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 22]
grains;  bhuñjate —eats;  kṣatriya-ādayaḥ —other divisions of the society, headed by the  kṣatriyas .
TRANSLATION
The  kṣatriyas ,  vaiśyas  and  śūdras  eat their food by virtue of the  brāhmaṇas ' mercy. It is the  brāhmaṇas  who enjoy their own property, clothe themselves with their own property and give charity with their own property.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped with the words  namo brahmaṇya-devāya , which indicate that the Supreme Lord accepts the  brāhmaṇas  as worshipable gods. The Supreme Lord is worshiped by everyone, yet to teach others He worships the  brāhmaṇas . Everyone should follow the instructions of the  brāhmaṇas , for their only business is to spread  śabda-brahma  or Vedic knowledge all over the world. Whenever there is a scarcity of  brāhmaṇas  to spread Vedic knowledge, chaos throughout human society results. Since  brāhmaṇas  and  Vaiṣṇavas  are direct servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they do not depend on others. In actuality, everything in the world belongs to the  brāhmaṇas , and out of their humility the  brāhmaṇas  accept charity from the  kṣatriyas , or kings, and the  vaiśyas , or merchants. Although everything belongs to the  brāhmaṇas , the  kṣatriyas  and  vaiśyas  keep everything in custody, and whenever the  brāhmaṇas  need money, they supply it. It is like a savings account with money which the depositor can draw out at his will. The  brāhmaṇas , being engaged in the service of the Lord, have very little time to handle the finances of the world, and therefore the riches are kept by the  kṣatriyas  or the kings, who are to produce money upon the  brāhmaṇas ' demand. Actually the  brāhmaṇas  or  Vaiṣṇavas  do not live at others' cost; they live by spending their own money, although it appears that they are collecting this money from others.  Kṣatriyas  and  vaiśyas  have no right to give charity because whatever they possess belongs to the  brāhmaṇas . Therefore charity should be given by the  kṣatriyas  and  vaiśyas  under the instructions of the  brāhmaṇas . Unfortunately at the present moment there is a scarcity of  brāhmaṇas , and since there is no one to advise the  kṣatriyas  and  vaiśyas , the world is in a chaotic condition.
The second line of this verse indicates that the  kṣatriyas ,  vaiśyas  and  śūdras  eat only by virtue of the  brāhmaṇas 's mercy; in other words, they should not eat anything which is forbidden by the  brāhmaṇas . The  brāhmaṇas  and  Vaiṣṇavas  know what to eat, and by their personal example they do not eat anything which is not offered first to the Supreme Person-