966 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 18
aho adharmah palanam
pivnam bali-bhujam iva
svaminy agham yad dasanam
dvara-panam sunam iva
aho—just look at; adharmah—irreligion; palanam—of the rulers; pivnam
—of one who is brought up;bali-bhujam— like the crows; iva—like; svamini
—unto the master; agham—sin; yat—what is; dasanam—of the servants;
dvara-panam—keeping watch at the door; sunam—of the dogs; iva—like.
TRANSLATION
[The brahmana’s son, Srrigi, said: ] O just look at the sins of the rulers
who, like crows and watchdogs at the door, perpetrate sins against their
masters, contrary to the principles governing servants.
PURPORT
The brahmanas are considered to be the head and brains of the social
body, and the ksatryas are considered to be the arms of the social body.
The arms are required to protect the body from all harms, but the arms
must act according to the directions of the head and brain. That is a
natural arrangement made by the supreme order, for it is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gita that four social orders or castes, namely the brahmanas, the
ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras are set up according to quality and
work done by them. Naturally the son of a brahmana has a good chance
to become a brahmana by the direction of his qualified father, as a son of a
medical practitioner has very good chance to become a qualified medical
practitioner. So the caste system is quite scientific. The son must take ad-
vantage of the father’s qualification and thus become a brahmana or
medical practitioner, and not otherwise. Without being qualified, one
cannot become a brahmana or medical practitioner, and that is the verdict
of all scriptures and social orders. Herein Srigi, a qualified son of a great
brahmana, attained the required brahminical power both by birth and
training, but he was lacking in culture because he was an inexperienced
boy. By the influence of Kali, the son of a brahmana became puffed
up with brahminical power and thus wrongly compared Maharaja Pariksit
to crows and watchdogs. The King is certainly the watchdog of the state
in the sense that he keeps vigilant eyes over the border of the state for its
protection and defense, but to address him as a watchdog is the sign of a
less cultured boy. Thus the downfall of the brahminical powers began as
