अथैतानि न सेवेत बुभूषुः पुरुषः क्वचित् ।
विशेषतो धर्मशीलो राजा लोकपतिर्गुरुः ॥४१॥

athaitÄni na seveta
bubhūṣuḥ puruṣaḥ kvacit
viśeṣato dharma-śīlo
rÄjÄ loka-patir guruḥ

 atha - therefore; etÄni - all these; na - never; seveta - come in contact; bubhÅ«á¹£uḥ - those who desire well-being; puruá¹£aḥ - person; kvacit - in any circumstances; viÅ›eá¹£ataḥ - specifically; dharma-śīlaḥ - those who are on the progressive path of liberation; rÄjÄ - the king; loka-patiḥ - public leader; guruḥ - the brÄhmaṇas and the sannyÄsÄ«s.


Text

Therefore, whoever desires progressive well-being, especially kings, religionists, public leaders, brÄhmaṇas and sannyÄsÄ«s, should never come in contact with the four above-mentioned irreligious principles.

Purport

The brÄhmaṇas are the religious preceptors for all other castes, and the sannyÄsÄ«s are the spiritual masters for all the castes and orders of society. So also are the king and the public leaders who are responsible for the material welfare of all people. The progressive religionists and those who are responsible human beings or those who do not want to spoil their valuable human lives should refrain from all the principles of irreligiosity, especially illicit connection with women. If a brÄhmaṇa is not truthful, all his claims as a brÄhmaṇa at once become null and void. If a sannyÄsÄ« is illicitly connected with women, all his claims as a sannyÄsÄ« at once become false. Similarly, if the king and the public leader are unnecessarily proud or habituated to drinking and smoking, certainly they become disqualified to discharge public welfare activities. Truthfulness is the basic principle for all religions. The four leaders of the human society, namely the sannyÄsÄ«s, the brÄhmaṇa, the king and the public leader, must be tested crucially by their character and qualification. Before one can be accepted as a spiritual or material master of society, he must be tested by the above-mentioned criteria of character. Such public leaders may be less qualified in academic qualifications, but it is necessary primarily that they be free from the contamination of the four disqualifications, namely gambling, drinking, prostitution and animal slaughter.