Bhagvatam: There must be ideal, first-class men to act as advisors (brahmana), second-class men to act as administrators (Kshatriya), third-class men to produce food and protect cows (Vaisyas), and fourth-class men (Shudras) who obey the three higher classes of society. One who does not follow the standard system of society should be considered a fifth-class man.
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 brähmana," it is to be understood that he does not know the superior religious principles.
PURPORT
Srila Vishvanätha Chakravarti Thäkura 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, brähmanas and Vaishnavas.
There are many examples of how he should act.
When Lord Krshna was sitting on His throne and Närada fortunately entered His assembly, even Lord Krshna immediately stood up with His officers and ministers to offer respectful obeisances to Närada.
Närada knew that Krshna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Krshna knew that Närada was His devotee, but although Krshna is the Supreme Lord and Närada is the Lord's devotee, the Lord observed the religious etiquette.
Since Närada was a brahmachäri, a brähmana and an exalted devotee, even Krshna, while acting as a king, offered His respectful obeisances unto Närada.
Such is the conduct visible in the Vedic civilization.
A civilization in which the people do not know how the representative of Närada and Krshna should be respected, how society should be formed and how one should advance in Krshna 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 chätur-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 considered 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 vidum: such a society does not know the aim of life and the highest principle of religion.
