Krishna Consciousness

Although professing democracy, they want to be kings themselves. Thus they compete for votes by bad propaganda.

LoB 44   In the autumn season all the reservoirs of water are full of lotus flowers. There are also flowers that resemble the lotus but are of a different class. Among them is a flower called kumuda. When the sun rises, all the flowers but the kumuda blossom beautifully. Similarly, lotuslike men take pleasure in the advent of a responsible king, but men who are like the kumuda do not like the existence of a king.

  In this age of Kali the people want their own government, because the kings have become corrupt. Formerly it was not like that. The sons of kings were trained under the guidance of a good brahmana-acarya just as the Pandavas and the Kauravas were put under the instruction of the qualified brahmana professor Sri Dronacarya. Princes were rigidly trained in politics, economics, the military arts, ethics and morality, the sciences, and, above all, devotional service to the Lord. Only after such good training were the princes allowed to be enthroned. When such a prince became king, then too he was guided by the advice of good brahmanas. Even in the Middle Ages, Maharaja Candragupta was guided by the learned brahmana Canakya Pandita.
   In a monarchy, one man sufficiently trained was competent enough to conduct alone the business of the state. But in a democracy no one is trained like a prince; instead, politicians are voted to responsible posts of administration by diplomatic arrangements. In place of one king or supreme executive officer, in a democracy there are so many quasi-kings: the president, the ministers, the deputy ministers, the secretaries, the assistant secretaries, the private secretaries, and the undersecretaries. There are a number of parties--political, social, and communal--and there are party whips, party whims, and so on. But no one is well enough trained to look after the factual interests of the governed. In a so-called democratic government, corruption is even more rampant than in an autocracy or monarchy.
   Men who want to flourish in the guise of servants of the people do not want a good king at the head of the state. They are like the kumuda flowers, which do not take pleasure in the sunrise. The word ku means "bad," and mud means "pleasure." Persons who want to exploit the administrative power for their own self-interest do not like the presence of a good king. Although professing democracy, they want to be kings themselves. Thus they compete for votes by bad propaganda and take pleasure in having politics but no king. Thieves and dacoits also take no pleasure in the presence of a good king, but it is in the interest of the people to have a well-trained king as the head of the state.

At the present moment there are different parties in the democratic government, but everyone is busy trying to keep his post or trying to keep his political party in power. The politicians have very little time to think of the welfare of the citizens.

SB 4.12.10 P   Dhruva Maharaja Goes Back to Godhead                             

                                  TEXT

                       athayajata yajnesam
                       kratubhir bhuri-daksinaih
                       dravya-kriya-devatanam
                       karma karma-phala-pradam

                             SYNONYMS

   atha--thereafter; ayajata--he worshiped; yajna-isam--the master of sacrifices; kratubhih--by sacrificial ceremonies; bhuri--great; daksinaih--by charities; dravya-kriya-devatanam--of (sacrifices including various) paraphernalia, activities and demigods; karma--the objective; karma-phala--the result of activities; pradam--who awards.

                           TRANSLATION

   As long as he remained at home, Dhruva Maharaja performed many great ceremonial sacrifices in order to please the enjoyer of all sacrifices, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prescribed ceremonial sacrifices are especially meant to please Lord Visnu, who is the objective of all such sacrifices and who awards the resultant benedictions.

                             PURPORT

   In Bhagavad-gita (3.9) it is said, yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah: one should act or work only in order to please the Supreme Lord, otherwise one becomes entangled in the resultant reactions. According to the four divisions of varna and asrama, ksatriyas and vaisyas are especially advised to perform great ceremonial sacrifices and to distribute their accumulated money very liberally. Dhruva Maharaja, as a king and ideal ksatriya, performed many such sacrifices, giving very liberally in charity. Ksatriyas and vaisyas are supposed to earn their money and accumulate great riches. Sometimes they do it by acting sinfully. Ksatriyas are meant to rule over a country; Dhruva Maharaja, for example, in the course of ruling, had to fight and kill many Yaksas. Such action is necessary for ksatriyas. A ksatriya should not be a coward, and he should not be nonviolent; to rule over the country he has to act violently.
   Ksatriyas and vaisyas are therefore especially advised to give in charity at least fifty percent of their accumulated wealth. In Bhagavad-gita it is recommended that even though one enters the renounced order of life, he still cannot give up the performance of yajna, dana and tapasya. They are never to be given up. Tapasya is meant for the renounced order of life; those who are retired from worldly activities should perform tapasya, penances and austerities. Those who are in the material world, the ksatriyas and vaisyas, must give charity. Brahmacaris, in the beginning of their lives, should perform different kinds of yajnas.
Dhruva Maharaja, as an ideal king, practically emptied his treasury by giving charity. A king is not meant simply to realize taxes from the citizens and accumulate wealth to spend in sense gratification. World monarchy has failed ever since kings began to satisfy their personal senses with the taxes accumulated from the citizens. Of course, whether the system is monarchy or democracy, the same corruption is still going on. At the present moment there are different parties in the democratic government, but everyone is busy trying to keep his post or trying to keep his political party in power. The politicians have very little time to think of the welfare of the citizens, whom they oppress with heavy taxes in the form of income tax, sales tax and many other taxes--people sometimes have eighty to ninety percent of their income taken away, and these taxes are lavishly spent for the high salaries drawn by the officers and rulers. Formerly, the taxes accumulated from the citizens were spent for performing great sacrifices as enjoined in the Vedic literature. At the present moment, however, almost all forms of sacrifice are not at all possible; therefore, it is recommended in the sastras that people should perform sankirtana-yajna. Any householder, regardless of his position, can perform this sankirtana-yajna without expenditure. All the family members can sit down together and simply clap their hands and chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Somehow or other, everyone can manage to perform such a yajna and distribute prasada to the people in general. That is quite sufficient for this age of Kali. The Krsna consciousness movement is based on this principle: chant the Hare Krsna mantra at every moment, as much as possible, both inside and outside of the temples, and, as far as possible, distribute prasada. This process can be accelerated with the cooperation of state administrators and those who are producing the country's wealth. Simply by liberal distribution of prasada and sankirtana, the whole world can become peaceful and prosperous.
   Generally in all the material sacrifices recommended in the Vedic literature there are offerings to the demigods. This demigod worship is especially meant for less intelligent men. Actually, the result of such sacrifice goes to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana. Lord Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (5.29), bhoktaram yajna-tapasam: He is actually the enjoyer of all sacrifices. His name, therefore, is Yajna-purusa.
   Although Dhruva Maharaja was a great devotee and had nothing to do with these sacrifices, to set an example to his people he performed many sacrifices and gave all his wealth in charity. For as long as he lived as a householder, he never spent a farthing for his sense gratification. In this verse the word karma-phala-pradam is very significant. The Lord awards everyone different kinds of karma as the individual living entities desire; He is the Supersoul present within the heart of everyone, and He is so kind and liberal that He gives everyone full facilities to perform whatever acts one wants. Then the result of the action is also enjoyed by the living entity. If anyone wants to enjoy or lord it over material nature, the Lord gives him full facilities, but he becomes entangled in the resultant reactions. Similarly, if anyone wants to engage himself fully in devotional service, the Lord gives him full facilities, and the devotee enjoys the results. The Lord is therefore known as karma-phala-prada.

No one retires from political life unless forced to do so. How can such low-grade men do good to the people? The result is corruption, intrigue and hypocrisy.

SB 1.12.18 P         Birth of Emperor Pariksit                             

                                 TEXT

                           sri-rajovaca
                           apy esa vamsyan rajarsin
                           punya-slokan mahatmanah
                           anuvartita svid yasasa
                           sadhu-vadena sattamah

                                                   SYNONYMS

   sri-raja--the all-good king (Maharaja Yudhisthira); uvaca--said; api--whether; esah--this; vamsyan--family; raja-rsin--of saintly kings; punya-slokan--pious by the very name; maha-atmanah--all great souls; anuvartita--follower; svit--will it be; yasasa--by achievements; sadhu-vadena--by glorification; sat-tamah--O great souls.

                                                TRANSLATION

   The good King [Yudhisthira] inquired: O great souls, will he become as saintly a king, as pious in his very name and as famous and glorified in his achievements, as others who appeared in this great royal family?

                                                     PURPORT

   The forefathers of King Yudhisthira were all great saintly kings, pious and glorified by their great achievements. They were all saints on the royal throne. And therefore all the members of the state were happy, pious, well behaved, prosperous and spiritually enlightened. Under strict guidance of the great souls and spiritual injunctions, such great saintly kings were trained up, and as a result the kingdom was full of saintly persons and was a happy land of spiritual life. Maharaja Yudhisthira was himself a replica of his ancestors, and he desired that the next king after him become exactly like his great forefathers. He was happy to learn from the learned brahmanas that by astrological calculations the child would be born a first-grade devotee of the Lord, and more confidentially he wanted to know whether the child was going to follow in the footsteps of his great forefathers. That is the way of the monarchical state. The reigning king should be a pious, chivalrous devotee of the Lord and fear personified for the upstarts. He must also leave an heir apparent equally qualified to rule over the innocent citizens. In the modern setup of the democratic states, the people themselves are fallen to the qualities of the sudras or less, and the government is run by their representative, who is ignorant of the scriptural mode of administrative education. Thus the whole atmosphere is surcharged with sudra qualities, manifested by lust and avarice. Such administrators quarrel every day among themselves. The cabinet of ministers changes often due to party and group selfishness. Everyone wants to exploit the state resources till he dies. No one retires from political life unless forced to do so. How can such low-grade men do good to the people? The result is corruption, intrigue and hypocrisy. They should learn from the Srimad-Bhagavatam how ideal the administrators must be before they can be given charge of different posts.

The mass of people in general are tools in the hands of the modern politicians and leaders of the people.

SB 1.5.11 P Narada' s Instructions on Srimad-Bhagavatam for Vyasadeva                             

                                   TEXT

                tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo
               yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api
                namany anantasya yaso 'nkitani yat
                srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah

                             SYNONYMS

   tat--that; vak--vocabulary; visargah--creation; janata--the people in general; agha--sins; viplavah--revolutionary; yasmin--in which; prati-slokam--each and every stanza; abaddhavati--irregularly composed; api--in spite of; namani--transcendental names, etc.; anantasya--of the unlimited Lord; yasah--glories; ankitani--depicted; yat--what; srnvanti--do hear; gayanti--do sing; grnanti--do accept; sadhavah--the purified men who are honest.

                           TRANSLATION

   On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.

                             PURPORT

   It is a qualification of the great thinkers to pick up the best even from the worst. It is said that the intelligent man should pick up nectar from a stock of poison, should accept gold even from a filthy place, should accept a good and qualified wife even from an obscure family and should accept a good lesson even from a man or from a teacher who comes from the untouchables. These are some of the ethical instructions for everyone in every place without exception. But a saint is far above the level of an ordinary man. He is always absorbed in glorifying the Supreme Lord because by broadcasting the holy name and fame of the Supreme Lord, the polluted atmosphere of the world will change, and as a result of propagating the transcendental literatures like Srimad-Bhagavatam, people will become sane in their transactions. While preparing this commentation on this particular stanza of Srimad-Bhagavatam we have a crisis before us. Our neighboring friend China has attacked the border of India with a militaristic spirit. We have practically no business in the political field, yet we see that previously there were both China and India, and they both lived peacefully for centuries without ill feeling. The reason is that they lived those days in an atmosphere of God consciousness, and every country, over the surface of the world, was God-fearing, pure-hearted and simple, and there was no question of political diplomacy. There is no cause of quarrel between the two countries China and India over land which is not very suitable for habitation, and certainly there is no cause for fighting on this issue. But due to the age of quarrel, Kali, which we have discussed, there is always a chance of quarrel on slight provocation. This is due not to the issue in question, but to the polluted atmosphere of this age: systematically there is propaganda by a section of people to stop glorification of the name and fame of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, there is a great need for disseminating the message of Srimad-Bhagavatam all over the world. It is the duty of every responsible Indian to broadcast the transcendental message of Srimad-Bhagavatam throughout the world to do all the supermost good as well as to bring about the desired peace in the world. Because India has failed in her duty by neglecting this responsible work, there is so much quarrel and trouble all over the world. We are confident that if the transcendental message of Srimad-Bhagavatam is received only by the leading men of the world, certainly there will be a change of heart, and naturally the people in general will follow them. The mass of people in general are tools in the hands of the modern politicians and leaders of the people. If there is a change of heart of the leaders only, certainly there will be a radical change in the atmosphere of the world. We know that our honest attempt to present this great literature conveying transcendental messages for reviving the God consciousness of the people in general and respiritualizing the world atmosphere is fraught with many difficulties. Our presenting this matter in adequate language, especially a foreign language, will certainly fail, and there will be so many literary discrepancies despite our honest attempt to present it in the proper way. But we are sure that with all our faults in this connection the seriousness of the subject matter will be taken into consideration, and the leaders of society will still accept this due to its being an honest attempt to glorify the Almighty God. When there is fire in a house, the inmates of the house go out to get help from the neighbors who may be foreigners, and yet without knowing the language the victims of the fire express themselves, and the neighbors understand the need, even though not expressed in the same language. The same spirit of cooperation is needed to broadcast this transcendental message of the Srimad-Bhagavatam throughout the polluted atmosphere of the world. After all, it is a technical science of spiritual values, and thus we are concerned with the techniques and not with the language. If the techniques of this great literature are understood by the people of the world, there will be success.
   When there are too many materialistic activities by the people in general all over the world, there is no wonder that a person or a nation attacks another person or nation on slight provocation. That is the rule of this age of Kali or quarrel. The atmosphere is already polluted with corruption of all description, and everyone knows it well. There are so many unwanted literatures full of materialistic ideas of sense gratification. In many countries there are bodies appointed by the state to detect and censor obscene literature. This means that neither the government nor the responsible leaders of the public want such literature, yet it is in the marketplace because the people want it for sense gratification. The people in general want to read (that is a natural instinct), but because their minds are polluted they want such literatures. Under the circumstances, transcendental literature like Srimad-Bhagavatam will not only diminish the activities of the corrupt mind of the people in general, but also it will supply food for their hankering after reading some interesting literature. In the beginning they may not like it because one suffering from jaundice is reluctant to take sugar candy, but we should know that sugar candy is the only remedy for jaundice. Similarly, let there be systematic propaganda for popularizing reading of the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam, which will act like sugar candy for the jaundicelike condition of sense gratification. When men have a taste for this literature, the other literatures, which are catering poison to society, will then automatically cease.
   We are sure, therefore, that everyone in human society will welcome Srimad-Bhagavatam, even though it is now presented with so many faults, for it is recommended by Sri Narada, who has very kindly appeared in this chapter.

So people will be very much embarrassed by two things: one thing is taxation, and another thing will be scarcity of food.

760708ed.wdc              Conversations
Prabhupada: How there can be, because the democracy? You are corrupt, therefore your government is corrupt. You correct yourself, the government will be automatically corrected. If you are rascals, the government will be rascals. The government means elected. So if you are not rascal, you'll not elect another rascal to take charge of the government affairs. But because you are rascal, you'll send another rascal. So how can you expect good government? You do not know whom to select. And besides that, the whole population is rascal, sudra. So anyone you elect, if he's by qualification he's a sudra, worker, he's not intelligent person, he's not brahmana, he's not ksatriya. Actually, the legislative assembly, or in your country, Senate? They should be all brahmanas. They give advice. Formerly this was the system. Although it was monarchy, even Lord Ramacandra or similar kings, they were not ruling independently--they were taking advice from learned brahmanas, sages. So the legislative assembly should be composition of intellectual brahmanas. Then the other administrators, the President or the minister, they should be ksatriyas. In this way, if social organization is made, then there will be perfect peace. If sudras are allowed to rule over, what they know? Their only aim is that so long he is in the office, "Let me collect some money," that's all. And that will be the latest atmosphere, dasyu-dharmabhih. Rajanyair dasyu-dharmabhih. All the government men will become thieves and rogues. Dasyu, dasyu means thieves and rogues. So as the thieves and rogues capture you on the street and ask "Whatever you have got, give, otherwise I shall kill you," so this will be the position in the Kali-yuga. It is happening now. You cannot have any private property; everything you have to declare. Otherwise, it will be taken by force. So people will be very much embarrassed by two things: one thing is taxation, and another thing will be scarcity of food. In this way, all the people all over the world will be embarrassed, so much so that they will leave their home, hearth and home, acchinna-dara-dravina yasyanti giri-kananam. Being separated from family and property, they will take shelter in the hilly ranges or in the forest to get relief. This will be the position. Harassment, so much harassment, by nature, by government. So therefore for complete happy society, this Krsna consciousness movement is essential. All intelligent persons, they should join this movement and reform the present social, political, religious. All field of activities, they should reform. Then people will be happy. Not only happy in this life, but also next life. Unfortunately, the present education does not provide knowledge of next life. There is no such education. They are kept in darkness like cats and dogs. They do not know that there is life after death, and we get our next life according to our present activities--karmana daiva-netrena. These things are unknown. Very risky life. If I am prime minister in this life or president, and if I am going to become a dog next life, then what is the benefit of becoming prime minister or president? And nature's law is that you get your next life according to the mentality at the time of death. So if I have acted like cats and dogs throughout whole life, naturally I shall think like cats and dogs at the time of death. Then next life is cats and dogs. So I may be worshiped here in a statue, that "Here is our beloved prime minister," and next life, I'm barking as a dog. Then what is the benefit?

Now we shall begin to educate the politicians gradually. But they are so much corrupted by their sense gratification that we shall find it a difficult task.

72-10-24.Rup

New York

My dear Rupanuga,
   Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated nil, and with great pleasure I have read also the enclosed brochure "Who Will lead Us?" That is a new chapter for Krishna Consciousness movement. Now we shall begin to educate the politicians gradually. But they are so much corrupted by their sense gratification that we shall find it a difficult task. But if gradually we may present our philosophy in public places as you are doing in Atlanta, that will be appreciated by the intelligent class of men, and it will become well known that our philosophy of political leadership is of the highest standard and morality, and if anyone wants to advertise himself that he has made programme for the welfare of the people, he must be forced to compare his programme with ours so the citizens may judge which is better. Continue increasing this political activity, it is very pleasing to me.
   But so far recommendation of the Indian government is concerned, they will not help us, that is to be expected. They are the most corrupt of all, simply levying taxes, living nicely at the public expense, plotting how to get votes, and if anyone approaches "please help us spread God-consciousness" they say "No" and make some excuse, that's all.Never mind, we do not rely upon Indian government or any government, we shall take our strength from Lord Caitanya and He has said that His Name shall be heard in every town and village, and He is God and we are doing His business, so what some government officials can do? But because we want to engage everyone in the service of Lord Caitanya, therefore we approach these rascals, just to engage them. So you may continue in this way to canvass government leaders, the Indian Tourist __ Kenneth Keating, and anyone and everyone to help us, there is no harm.

Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

In the name of democracy, rogues and thieves fool the innocent populace into electing them to the most important posts in the government.

SC 14                   Betrayed by Leaders  
Whatever the heads of society do, people generally follow. The government or king is like a father to the citizens. A father will never tolerate the killing or injuring of his children. He will give up his own life trying to attack the person threatening his children. Yet today crime is rampant. The government spends billions of dollars, but the citizens have no security in their lives. The government is answerable to the citizens because it must protect and provide for them. If the government is incapable or corrupt, then what is the position of the citizens?
   The king, or in modern times the government, should act as the guardian of the citizens by teaching them the proper goal of life. The human form of life is especially meant for attaining self-realization, realization of one's relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The duty of the government, therefore, is to take charge of training all the citizens in such a way that they will gradually be elevated to the spiritual platform and realize their relationship with God. This principle was followed by kings like Maharaja Yudhisthira, Maharaja Pariksit, Lord Ramacandra, Maharaja Ambarisa, and Prahlada Maharaja.
Unfortunately, today's government leaders are generally dishonest and irreligious, and thus all the affairs of the state suffer. In the name of democracy, rogues and thieves fool the innocent populace into electing them to the most important posts in the government. Recently this has been proven in America, and as a result the citizens condemned the President and dragged him down from his post. This is only one case out of many.
   In Kali-yuga, people have no shelter. Due to corrupt government, they are uncertain of their lives and property. The mass of people should always feel secure because of the government's protection. Therefore, how regrettable it is for the government itself to cause a breach of trust and put the citizens in difficulty for political reasons. We saw during the partition days in India that although Hindus and Muslims had been living together peacefully, manipulation by politicians suddenly aroused feelings of hatred between them, and thus the Hindus and Muslims killed one another over politics. This is a sign of Kali-yuga.
Another symptom of Kali-yuga is the abominable practice of animal slaughter. In this age animals are kept nicely sheltered, completely confident that their masters will protect them, but unfortunately as soon as the animals are fat, they are immediately sent for slaughter. Such cruelty is condemned by Vaisnavas like the Visnudutas. Indeed, hellish conditions of extreme suffering await the sinful men responsible for such cruelty. One who betrays the confidence of a living entity who takes shelter of him in good faith, whether that living entity be a human being or an animal, is extremely sinful. Because such betrayals now go unpunished by the government, all of human society is terribly contaminated. The people of this age are therefore described as mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah. As a consequence of such sinfulness, men are condemned (mandah), their intelligence is unclear (sumanda-matayah), they are unfortunate (manda-bhagyah), and therefore they are always disturbed by many problems (upadrutah). This is their situation in this life, and after death they are punished in hellish conditions.

When disobedient leaders lead the disobedient people, the whole atmosphere of the administration becomes polluted and full of dangers, as when a blind man leads several other blind men.

LoB 2    The scorching heat of the sun evaporates water from the seas, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, and there is little water anywhere. The people become thirsty and always look overhead for rain, but in despair. Yet just at the right moment, torrents of rain begin to fall everywhere in the land, even on the hard stones, and the land becomes overflooded.

  The welfare state imposes upon its citizens scorching taxes in various forms--income tax, sales tax, land tax, terminal tax, excise tax, customs tax, and so many other taxes. But in due course, when the taxes accumulate into a large sum of money, they are utilized for the welfare of the citizens in various ways. Nonetheless, sometimes it happens that the benefits of the taxes fall like rains on stone-hearted men in the state who are unable to utilize the money properly and who squander it for sense gratification.
   The common man supposes the unequal distribution of rain to represent nature's wrath for our sinful acts. There is truth in this. Thus to have an equal distribution of state-raised taxes, the citizens need to be scrupulously honest and virtuous. They should be honest in the payment of taxes to the state and should have honest representatives to look over the administration. In the modern setup of democratic states the citizens can have no cause for grievances, because the whole administration is conducted by the people themselves. If the people themselves are dishonest, the administrative machinery must be corrupt. Although a damned government of the people may be given a good or fancy name, if the people are not good they cannot have good government, regardless of which party governs the administration. Therefore good character in the consciousness of the mass of people is the first principle necessary for a good government and equal distribution of wealth.
   In ancient days the kings were taught lessons in political philosophy by ideal teachers, and the citizens from village to village were taught the principles of self-realization according to the Vedic codes for both the material and the spiritual upliftment of society. Therefore the citizens were God conscious and honest in their dealings, and the kings were responsible for the welfare of the state. The same basic principles are accepted in the democratic governments of the present day, for the irresponsible party of the people is always voted out of power and must yield to the responsible party for a better government. In the cosmic administration there is only one party, which consists of the servants of God, and the responsible deities of the various planets maintain the cosmic laws in terms of the orders of the Supreme Lord. But the people suffer on account of their own folly. And what is that folly?
   In Bhagavad-gita it is said (annad bhavanti bhutani parjanyad anna-sambhavah yajnad bhavati parjanyo yajnah karma-samudbhavah) that people should perform yajnas, or sacrifices for the satisfaction of the Supreme. The Supreme is all-pervading. Therefore people must learn to perform yajnas to satisfy the all-pervading Supreme Truth. There are different yajnas prescribed for different ages, and in the present age of iron industry the yajna that enlightens the mind of the masses for God consciousness is recommended. This process of yajna is called the sankirtana-yajna, or mass agitation for invoking man's lost spiritual consciousness. As soon as this movement is taken up through spiritual singing, dancing, and feasting, the people will automatically become obedient and honest.
   Obedience is the first law of discipline. The people have become disobedient to the laws of God, and therefore neither rain nor wealth is equally distributed. A man who is ultimately disobedient cannot have any good qualifications. When disobedient leaders lead the disobedient people, the whole atmosphere of the administration becomes polluted and full of dangers, as when a blind man leads several other blind men. The state taxes, therefore, should be spent to build the character of the people in general. That will bring happiness to the citizens of the state.

Actually the so-called scientists, philosophers and other leaders in the Western countries have no brains at all

SB 10.1.40 P  The Advent of Lord Krsna: Introduction                             

                                  TEXT

                    vrajams tisthan padaikena
                      yathaivaikena gacchati
                      yatha trna-jalaukaivam
                      dehi karma-gatim gatah

                             SYNONYMS

   vrajan--a person, while traveling on the road; tisthan--while standing; pada ekena--on one foot; yatha--as; eva--indeed; ekena--by another foot; gacchati--goes; yatha--as; trna-jalauka--a worm on a vegetable; evam--in this way; dehi--the living entity; karma-gatim--the reactions of fruitive activities; gatah--undergoes.

                           TRANSLATION

   Just as a person traveling on the road rests one foot on the ground and then lifts the other, or as a worm on a vegetable transfers itself to one leaf and then gives up the previous one, the conditioned soul takes shelter of another body and then gives up the one he had before.

                             PURPORT

   This is the process of the soul's transmigration from one body to another. At the time of death, according to his mental condition, the living being is carried by the subtle body, consisting of mind, intelligence and ego, to another gross body. When higher authorities have decided what kind of gross body the living entity will have, he is forced to enter such a body, and thus he automatically gives up his previous body. Dull-minded persons who do not have the intelligence to understand this process of transmigration take for granted that when the gross body is finished, one's life is finished forever. Such persons have no brains with which to understand the process of transmigration. At the present moment there is great opposition to the Hare Krsna movement, which is being called a "brainwashing" movement. But actually the so-called scientists, philosophers and other leaders in the Western countries have no brains at all. The Hare Krsna movement is trying to elevate such foolish persons by enlightening their intelligence so that they will take advantage of the human body. Unfortunately, because of gross ignorance, they regard the Hare Krsna movement as a brainwashing movement. They do not know that without God consciousness one is forced to continue transmigrating from one body to another. Because of their devilish brains, they will next be forced to accept an abominable life and practically never be able to liberate themselves from the conditional life of material existence. How this transmigration of the soul takes place is very clearly explained in this verse.

Krsna will arrange a fight between the demons in which all their military power will be engaged and both parties will be annihilated

SB 9.24.59 P Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead                             

                                  TEXT

                      aksauhininam patibhir
                     asurair nrpa-lanchanaih
                       bhuva akramyamanaya
                       abharaya krtodyamah

                             SYNONYMS

   aksauhininam--of kings possessing great military power; patibhih--by such kings or government; asuraih--actually demons (because they do not need such military power but create it unnecessarily); nrpa-lanchanaih--who are actually unfit to be kings (although they have somehow taken possession of the government); bhuvah--on the surface of the earth; akramyamanayah--aiming at attacking one another; abharaya--paving the way for diminishing the number of demons on the surface of the earth; krta-udyamah--enthusiastic (they spend all the revenue of the state to increase military power).

                           TRANSLATION

   Although the demons who take possession of the government are dressed like men of government, they do not know the duty of the government. Consequently, by the arrangement of God, such demons, who possess great military strength, fight with one another, and thus the great burden of demons on the surface of the earth is reduced. The demons increase their military power by the will of the Supreme, so that their numbers will be diminished and the devotees will have a chance to advance in Krsna consciousness.

                             PURPORT

   As stated in Bhagavad-gita (4.8), paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam. The sadhus, the devotees of the Lord, are always eager to advance the cause of Krsna consciousness so that the conditioned souls may be released from the bondage of birth and death. But the asuras, the demons, impede the advancement of the Krsna consciousness movement, and therefore Krsna arranges occasional fights between different asuras who are very much interested in increasing their military power. The duty of the government or king is not to increase military power unnecessarily; the real duty of the government is to see that the people of the state advance in Krsna consciousness. For this purpose, Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (4.13), catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah: "According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me." There should be an ideal class of men who are bona fide brahmanas, and they should be given all protection. Namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. Krsna is very fond of brahmanas and cows, The brahmanas promulgate the cause of advancement in Krsna consciousness, and the cows give enough milk to maintain the body in the mode of goodness. The ksatriyas and the government should be advised by the brahmanas. Next, the vaisyas should produce enough foodstuffs, and the sudras, who cannot do anything beneficial on their own, should serve the three higher classes (the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas). This is the arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead so that the conditioned souls will be released from the material condition and return home, back to Godhead. This is the purpose of Krsna's descent on the surface of the earth (paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam).
   Everyone must understand Krsna's activities (janma karma ca me divyam). If one understands the purpose of Krsna's coming to this earth and performing His activities, one is immediately liberated. This liberation is the purpose of the creation and Krsna's descent upon the surface of the earth.Demons are very much interested in advancing a plan by which people will labor hard like cats, dogs and hogs, but Krsna's devotees want to teach Krsna consciousness so that people will be satisfied with plain living and Krsna conscious advancement. Although demons have created many plans for industry and hard labor so that people will work day and night like animals, this is not the purpose of civilization. Such endeavors are jagato'hitah; that is, they are meant for the misfortune of the people in general. Ksayaya: such activities lead to annihilation. One who understands the purpose of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, should seriously understand the importance of the Krsna consciousness movement and seriously take part in it. One should not endeavor for ugra-karma, or unnecessary work for sense gratification. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti (Bhag. 5.5.4). Simply for sense gratification, people make plans for material happiness. Maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan (Bhag. 7.9.43). They do this because they are all vimudhas, rascals. For flickering happiness, people waste their human energy, not understanding the importance of the Krsna consciousness movement but instead accusing the simple devotees of brainwashing. Demons may falsely accuse the preachers of the Krsna consciousness movement, but Krsna will arrange a fight between the demons in which all their military power will be engaged and both parties of demons will be annihilated.