836 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 21
by Prthu Maharaja, every man in his respective social order must have
proper employment for his livelihood. It is the duty of the king or the
government toinsure that the people observe the social order and that they
are also employed in their respective occupational duties. In modern
times, since the protection of the government or the king has been with-
drawn, social order has practically collapsed. No one knows who is a
brahmana, who is a ksatriya, who is a vaisya or who is a sudra, and people
claim to belong to a particular social order by birthright only. It is the
duty of the government to reestablish social order in terms of occupational
duties and the modes of material nature, for that will make the entire
world population actually civilized, If it does not observe the institutional
functions of the four social orders, human society is no better than animal
society in which there is never tranquility, peace and prosperity but only
chaos and confusion. Maharaja Prthu, as an ideal king, strictly observed the
maintenance of the Vedic social order.

Prajayate iti praja. The word praja refers to one who takes birth. There-
fore Prthu Maharaja guaranteed protection for prajanam—all living entities
who took birth in his kingdom. Praja refers not only to human beings but
also to animals, trees and every other living entity. It is the duty of the
king to give all living entities protection and food. The fools and rascals of
modern society have no knowledge of the extent of the responsibility of
the government. Animals are also citizens of the land in which they happen
to be born, and they also have the right to continue their existence at the
cost of the Supreme Lord. The disturbance of the animal population by
wholesale slaughter produces a catastrophic future reaction for the butcher,
his land and his government.

TEXT 23
wa FX aayamrenaaea: |
x
BUH TAs HATTA IT Tala SHU
tasya me tad-anusthanad
yan ahur brahma-vadinah
lokah syuh kama-sandoha
yasya tusyati dista-drk
tasya—his; me—mine; tat—that; anusthanat—by executing; yan—that
which; ahuh—is spoken; brahma-vadinah—by the experts in Vedic knowl-
edge; lokah—planets; syuh— become; kama-sandohah— fulfilling one’s de-
sirable objectives; yasya— whose; tusyati— becomes satisfied; dista-drk—the
seer of alldestiny. —
