Vedic Secular State 76/12/13 Hyderabad, Bhagavad-gita 16.6

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada


Prabhupada:

dvau bhuta-sargau loke 'smin
daiva asura eva ca
daivo vistarasah prokta
asuram partha me srnu

There are two classes of men within this world, daiva asura eva ca. One class of men is called daiva, devata, or the demigod, and the other class asura. Sura means civilized, and asura means not civilized. Kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah. These are amongst the noncivilized men.

Formerly the kings of Bharatavarsa, India, they used to kill these uncivilized men. Bad example. They did not follow the Vedic civilization, so the king's order was that they should be killed. If they are too much prominent... Just like they are hunting in the forest. So these... There is history among, about King Bharata, King Bharata, under whose name this planet is called Bharatavarsa. No, not that Bharata. There are three Bharatas. One Bharata is the son of Rsabhadeva. Another Bharata is the son of Maharaja Dusyanta. Another Bharata is the younger brother of Lord Ramacandra. Out of these three Bharatas, the son of Rsabhadeva is the person after whose name this planet is called Bharatavarsa. So another Bharata was the son of Maharaja Dusyanta. He was very powerful, supposed to be or partial incarnation of God. So in his life he would not allow the uncivilized men to exist. He was king. He used to kill them. Why uncivilized men? Even the ksatriyas, if they are not ruling properly according to the ksatriyas... Ksatriyas are supposed to be the ruler of the world. But if they are deviating from their duties, Parasurama, the brahmana, would kill them. On the whole, in the Vedic civilization everyone should be in order. That was the set-up.

Nobody can act independently, killing the human civilization. That was not possible. Maharaja Prthu was personally checking whether people were following the varnasrama-dharma. A brahmana must follow the brahminical rules and regulation. Otherwise he would not be allowed to call himself a brahmana. Similarly, ksatriyas, vaisyas, sudras. This is called secular state. Secular state does not mean everyone is irresponsible. You must be responsible for your particular type of duty, and the government has to see it, that everyone is doing that. That is secular state. Lord Ramacandra, when He returned from the forest... In His absence Bharata was ruling, and when Bharata requested Lord Ramacandra to take charge of the kingdom, Lord Ramacandra was ready but He first of all examined whether the citizens were following the varnasrama-dharma. When He was satisfied that the citizens were following the varnasrama-dharma, then He took charge of the kingdom and began to maintain them just like father.

This is the relationship between the government and the citizens. The citizens must be law-abiding, and the government must rule over them just like father. Father is not unaffectionate. Father is affectionate, and even the father chastises the son, that is not out of affection; that is also affection. So that was the relationship. So the asuras, they do not know this. Only the devatas, they know. There are two kinds of men. Dvau bhuta-sargau loke asmin daiva asurah. So Krsna says, daivo vistarasah proktah. Krsna has already explained in the beginning which are the qualification of the devata, and what are the qualification of the asuras... So qualification of the devatas,

abhayam sattva-samsuddhir
jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih
danam damas ca yajnas ca
svadhyayas tapa arjavam

ahimsa satyam akrodhas
tyagah santir apaisunam
daya bhutesv aloluptvam
mardavam hrir acapalam

tejah ksama dhrtih saucam
adroho natimanita
bhavanti sampadam daivim
abhijatasya bharata

These are the qualification, daiva-sampada. Abhayam. One should be fearless. Who can become fearless? One of the qualification of conditioned soul is fearfulness. Only a person who is advanced in Krsna consciousness, he can become fearless. And sattva-samsuddhi. Sattva-samsuddhi. Our, this sattva, existentional position is impure, diseased. Therefore we die, again take birth. Asunti(?). So sattva-samsuddhi. One should try to purify his existence. For that purpose there is necessity of tapasya. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyet sattvam. Tapasya means austerity. If you want to cure your disease, then you must follow some austerities, rules and regulation. One man is suffering from diarrhea. If he is allowed to eat whatever he likes, then he will never be cured. He must observe fasting for few days; then it will be cured. So this is sattva-samsuddhi.

So we are put into this cycle of birth and death. If we don't correct it... Correct means we shall be less attached to the material enjoyment. So long we are attached to material enjoyment, we have to transmigrate from one type of body to another. So daivi-sampada means those who are devatas, their first business is how to rectify this diseased condition of life, repetition of birth and death. Everything is there. Sattva-samsuddhir jnana. This requires jnana, knowledge. Unless I know what is my position, why I am dying, what is death... This requires jnana. Jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam. That means you have to become a brahmana. Then you will have complete knowledge. Abhayam sattva-samsuddhir jnana, yoga, jnana-yoga. Vyavasthitih, danam. Those who are ksatriyas, vaisyas, they should give in charity. That is also one of the sattva-samsuddhih. Damas ca. To control over the mind and the senses. Yajnas ca: perform the yajna, hari-sankirtana in this age. Yajnas ca svadhyayah. Must read Vedic literature. Tapa arjavam. Tapasya, austerity, arjavam, very frank and no duplicity, arjavam. Danam ahimsa, not unnecessarily, not to become envious. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 16.6 -- Hyderabad, December 13, 1976