CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Perfect Society: Four Social Classes
This chapter describes the general principles by following which a human being, and specifically one who is interested in advancing in spiritual life, can become perfect.
By hearing about the characteristics of Prahlāda Mahārāja, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira became extremely pleased. Now he inquired from Nārada Muni about the actual religion of a human being and about special characteristics of  varṇāśrama-dharma , which marks the highest status of human civilization. When Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira asked Nārada Muni about these matters, Nārada Muni stopped giving his own statements and quoted statements by Lord Nārāyaṇa, for He is the supreme authority for giving religious codes ( dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam ). Every human being is expected to acquire thirty qualities, such as truthfulness, mercy and austerity. The process of following the principles of religion is known as  sanātana-dharma , the eternal religious system.
The  varṇāśrama  system delineates the divisions of  brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya  and  śūdra . It also sets forth the system of  saṁskāras . The  garbhādhāna saṁskāra , the ceremony for begetting a child, must be observed by the higher section of people, namely the  dvijas . One who follows the  garbhādhāna saṁskāra  system is actually twiceborn, but those who do not, who deviate from the principles of  varṇāśrama-dharma , are called  dvija-bandhus . The principal occupations for a  brāhmaṇa  are worshiping the Deity, teaching others how to worship the Deity, studying the Vedic literatures, teaching the Vedic literatures, accepting charity from others and again giving charity to others. A  brāhmaṇa  should make his livelihood from these six occupational duties. The duty of a  kṣatriya  is to give protection to the citizens and levy taxes upon them, but he is forbidden to tax the  brāhmaṇas . The members of the  Kṛṣṇa  consciousness movement should therefore be exempt from government taxation.  Kṣatriyas  may tax everyone but the  brāhmaṇas .  Vaiśyas  should cultivate the land, produce food grains and protect the
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