36 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 6, Ch. 7
TRANSLATION

If a person says, ‘One who is situated on the exalted throne of a
king should not stand up to show respect to another king or a
brahmana,”’ it is to be understood that he does not know the
superior religious principles.

PURPORT

Srila Vigvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says in this regard that when a
president or king is sitting on his throne, he does not need to show
respect to everyone who comes within his assembly, but he must show
respect to superiors like his spiritual master, brahmanas and Vaisnavas.
There are many examples of how he should act. When Lord Krsna was
sitting on His throne and Narada fortunately entered His assembly, even
Lord Krsna immediately stood up with His officers and ministers to offer
respectful obeisances to Narada. Narada knew that Krsna is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and Krsna knew that Narada was His devotee,
but although Krsna is the Supreme Lord and Narada is the Lord’s devo-
tee, the Lord observed the religious etiquette. Since Narada was a
brahmacari, a brahmana and an exalted devotee, even Krsna, while act-
ing as a king, offered His respectful obeisances unto Narada. Such is the
conduct visible in the Vedic civilization. A civilization in which the
people do not know how the representative of Narada and Krsna should
be respected, how society should be formed and how one should advance
in Krsna consciousness—a society concerned only with manufacturing
new cars and new skyscrapers every year and then breaking them to
pieces and making new ones—may be technologically advanced, but it is
not a human civilization. A human civilization is advanced when its
people follow the cdtur-varnya system, the system of four orders of life.
There must be ideal, first-class men to act as advisors, second-class men
to act as administrators, third-class men to produce food and protect
cows, and fourth-class men who obey the three higher classes of society.
One who does not follow the standard system of society should be con-
sidered a fifth-class man. A society without Vedic laws and regulations
will not be very helpful to humanity. As stated in this verse, dharmam te
na param viduh: such a society does not know the aim of life and the
highest principle of religion.
