Governments, Climate and Karma

Who's in Charge?

Incompetent Leaders A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

The foolish leaders of a godless civilization try to devise various plans to bring about peace and prosperity in the godless world under a patent trademark of materialism, and because such attempts are illusory only, the people elect incompetent, blind leaders, one after another, who are incapable of offering solutions. more

Prabhupada: So in the previous verse it has been described that nature was favorable. The river, the hills, the mountains, forests, vegetables, creepers, these are our natural surroundings. Animals... Everyone was complete. It is a cooperation. So many living entities, according to karma, we have got different bodies. Some has got the human form of body, some has got the body of an animal, some has got the body of a tree, creeper. Sometimes hills, mountains, also. Everyone. Their business is cooperation. We can study from our own body. There are different parts of the body, but it is a business of cooperation. Hand, legs, eyes, ears, nose, they are all cooperating for the upkeep of the body. Similarly, all living entities—may be in different types of bodies—they are meant for cooperating in the matter of serving the Supreme Lord, central point.

So if the government or the chief of the executive power, the king, is just to the point, dharmena, as it was said, "Abiding by the religious principles, ruling over the country," then everything, even natural elements, they become cooperative. They must become cooperative. What is nature? Nature is also another energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So the nature is also working under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

mayadhyakshena prakritih
suyate sa-characharam
hetunanena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate [Bhagavad-gita 9.10][1]

So Maharaja Yudhishthira's time, the cooperation was so complete that everyone was free from anxiety, disease, calamities, natural disturbance.

Everything's Under Control

In this material nature, or material world, we have got three kinds of sufferings, tri-tapa-yantana. Sri Sanatana Gosvami inquired, "Why these three kinds of miseries inflict pains upon me?" Ke ami kene amaya jare tapa-traya. Tapa-traya. Tapa means painful condition, tapa. Just like if you touch fire, it creates a painful condition by burning the part, similarly, this world is also a blazing fire, samsara-davanala. The rascals, they do not know. They are always out of the three kinds of miserable condition. Everyone is in some way or other under these conditions. These conditions means it is... These kleshah, painful conditions, they are created by three causes. What are those causes? Daiva-bhutatma-hetavah. Daiva means created by the demigods. Daiva. Devata. Just like this rain department, water department, is under the control of Indra. So Indra can supply water just to your requirement, or sometimes he does not supply, or sometimes he supplies over, over requirement. Ativrishti, anavrishti. Anavrishti means no rain, and ativrishti means excessive. So we don't want excessive or less. We want just proper. So this is under the control of the devata. You cannot say... You may be very great scientist [but] you cannot say that "It is under my control." When there is no rainfall, you cannot say, "All right, we are scientists. We are creating rain." You can theoretically say, "Now we are making progress. In future."

All these rascals say, "In future." And we also believe, that "In future these rascals will give us all happiness." Not now. Now you die. Just like a clever lawyer, his client was condemned to death, to be hanged. I have seen it in Allahabad high-court. And still, he is patting him, "Don't worry. I shall get you released by appeal. Now you can go to be hanged, and I shall get you released." Like that. I have seen it. One big European barrister... In those days European barristers were very valuable. Mr. Armstrong. I had also one case in high-court. So one man, one medical practitioner, he killed his servant in the operation room very mercilessly. The servant was implicated with his wife. To revenge, he called the servant in the operation room. The servant did not know that he was to be killed. And immediately he was captured, chloroform, and mercilessly killed with knife and then packed up in a box. He was taking the corpse in a different place to throw away. In the meantime a police officer was passing. He saw that drops of blood is coming out of the box. He immediately arrested. So this case was. Then the doctor was condemned to death. So Mr. Armstrong was appointed his lawyer. So he was solacing, "Don't worry, I shall get you released by appeal." So our so-called scientists, they also say like that: "In future we shall do this. In future. Now you go to hell. That's all." But in future they cannot do anything. Daivi hy esha gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14][2]. Nature's law is so strong. The so-called childish scientists, they cannot give any relief. That is not possible. That is not possible. It is simply false promise. And those who are fools and rascals, they believe that in future... Future, but what they have done in the past? They cannot do anything.

Three kinds of miseries

Therefore it is said, there are three kinds of miserable conditions: daiva, bhuta, atma. Daiva means adhidaivika, and bhuta means adhibhautika, and atma means adhyatmika. Three kinds of miseries. Adhyatmika, pertaining to your body and mind. Body, we have got, we have got experience, so many bodily troubles, anxieties. If not body, mental. These are called adhyatmika. Then adhibhautika. I am peaceful, but another neighbor, or another animal, will give me some trouble. I am peacefully sitting here, but these flies are giving me trouble unnecessarily. I have to take precaution. So there are flies, mosquitoes, at night so many other animals, they come. Besides that, my brother, my friend, they are also prepared to give me trouble. Some way or other, other living entities causing some painful condition. This is called adhibhautika. And adhidaivika. Daivika, painful condition created by the demigods. Just like there is hurricane all of a sudden. So many trees falls down, sometimes cottages devastated, overflood, excessive rain, overflood, famine, pestilence. You have no control. You cannot control. You can simply say, "In future." That's all. But there is no control.

So we are always in this painful condition. That is material life. But those who have got eyes, sense, they can see. Just like Sanatana Gosvami, he could see. He was prime minister, well situated materially. Learned scholar, very intelligent. Otherwise how they could become Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's personal associates? Very qualified. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu... When Sanatana Gosvami consulted Jagadananda, that "I want to do this. What is your advice?"... Sanatana Gosvami became infected with itches all over the body. And it was, what is called, bleeding itches. Itches are two kinds: dry and sometimes oozing water. What is called?

Devotee: Pus. Pus.

Prabhupada: Not pus. Weeping.

Devotee: Weeping.

Prabhupada: Yes. The technical name is weeping. Dry and weeping. So it was weeping itches. And whenever he would go to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, immediately Chaitanya Mahaprabhu embraced him, and the weeping secretion will touch the body of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So he thought that "I am suffering from this disease. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is embracing me. I shall kill myself. I shall commit suicide." So he consulted, not for suicide, but leaving the place. So when he was advised, "Yes, you can leave the place," so Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when He heard this news that Jagadananda has advised Sanatana Gosvami to leave the place, He became very angry, that "You have the audacity to advise Sanatana Gosvami? Nonsense." He was so respectful to Sanatana Gosvami. The same Sanatana Gosvami approached Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, asking Him the question: "What I am? Why I am put into these threefold miserable condition of life?"

So this is our position. We may be very great man in the estimation of our friends and countrymen, but everyone is subjected to the miserable condition of life. They cannot make any solution. That is not possible. They have made a solution, big, big learned scholars, just that Mr. Kotovsky said, "Swamiji, after death, there is no life. Everything is finished." Unless they think like that, then life becomes more horrible, full of anxieties. If they think of that there is another life and there is punishment and reward, according to our karma, then their life is very horrible. So just like the animals, poor animal, sometimes facing enemy, close the eyes, as if there is no enemy, so they do like that, close the eyes. Children, when there is danger, they close the eyes. They have no other means to escape. So these people, they close the eyes. "There is no life after death." Otherwise they cannot accommodate.

But there is life after death. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. Tatha dehantara-praptih. There is life after death, simply change of body. Now, there are so many bodies, 8,400,000's of bodies. I can become next life a fly, according to my karma. Or I can become next life Brahma. That is also according to karma. But there are varieties of life. So the so-called scientists, they do not know what is life after death, how it happens, how it is going on. This is a great science. That you can understand from the Vedic literature, not from your so-called scientific research. That is not possible.

Free from anxiety and disease

So how these people, during the time of Maharaja Yudhishthira, were free from all kinds of anxieties and diseases? Nadhayo vyadhayah kleshah. If you are in anxiety, then that will create a disease. Our this psychological condition, physiological condition, is working in so subtle way—little shocking, little disturbance will create another disturbance. The Ayurvedic medicine, they treat patients on this principle, how things are disturbed. They have got their calculation: kapha, pitta, vayu. Tri-dhatu. This body is a composition of these three dhatus. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.84.13]. Kunape. This is a bag created by the interaction of the three elements, namely, kapha, pitta, vayu: bile, mucus and air. This is kaviraja [Ayurvedic physician's] treatment. They can understand the position of these three elements by feeling the pulse. This is Ayurvedic science. If one kaviraja can learn to feel the pulse, he can say everything. He can say when this man will die, today or tomorrow or... Accurately he will say. The pulse beating is so scientifically described in Ayurvedic science. As soon as he fixes up the pulse beating, immediately the formulas are there: "Such kind of pulse beating will create such and such symptoms." So you feel the pulse and inquire the patient, "Are you feeling like this?" If he says, "Yes," then it is confirmed. The disease is confirmed. Then the medicine is there. Very simple thing. Now in allopathic treatment, first of all you have to sacrifice one chataka of blood, immediately. As soon as you go to the medical man, in your country, he will take so much blood. First of all you have to give your blood. Then fees. Then you have to purchase nonsense medicine. So here also there are nonsense kavirajas also. So unless one is expert in feeling the pulse, he is not kaviraja. That is the criterion.

Indian: It will take two years.

Prabhupada: Just see.

Indian: To pass education, takes two years' time.

Prabhupada: Yes. Two years' time. So this is the... This body is made of three dhatu, and misadjustment of these three things... If the mucus is increased, the other two decrease. In this way disturbance is created, and that is the cause of disease. Adhayo vyadhayah. So if people remain completely in hygienic principle, as they are prescribed in the shastras, just like rise early in the morning, take bath, evacuate and chant Hare Krishna mantra... If you follow the rules and regulation, then there will be no anxiety, no disease. People become crazy when he is full of anxieties or disease. If he is happy in every respect, then he does not become crazy, he does not become enemy. If everyone is satisfied, then where is the chance of becoming your enemy or my enemy? Everyone is satisfied.

Krishna conscious votes

So in Maharaja Yudhishthira's time, the government, the government was responsible also to keep people peaceful, without any anxiety. That is government. Without any anxiety. And now the government means full of anxieties. You do not know how to sleep peacefully at night. You have to keep watchmen, just see, enemies are coming or not, with torchlight. You see. This is our position, full of anxieties. Even we cannot sleep at night peacefully. This is government. And here you see, compare the government—no anxiety, no anxiety. Just compare. So what is the use of this rascal government? The rascal government must be there because we are rascals. You cannot complain against the government. Because we select. It is the days of democracy. We elect our representative. So why you should, I mean to say, blame the government? You have created the government. You have sent your representative, a rascal, another big rascal. You are rascal, and another big rascal, you have voted; so how you can expect good government? You send only big rascals. That's all.

So there cannot be. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that in the Kali-yuga, all the people will be rascals, shudras. Simply by manipulation, if one gets vote, he captures the governmental power. Shudra. He's a shudra. He is not a kshatriya like Maharaja Yudhishthira, trained up kshatriya. He is a rascal, third-class man, fourth-class man. He gets the vote and we give vote. So how we can be happy? How we can be carefree or anxiety-free or disease-free? It is not possible. Therefore if the people in general, they become Krishna conscious, they become trained up in Krishna consciousness, they understand the value of life, how to live, then they can send good representative. Krishna conscious man. Then the government will be nice. Without becoming... Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-gunah. If people are not Krishna conscious, their so-called qualification has no value. Kuto mahad-gunah. There cannot be value. There cannot be any good qualification of a person who is not Krishna conscious, who is not a devotee. This is our conclusion. We have got some test tubes. We can study man. He may become a very good scholar, very good politician, very big minister, but we test whether he has got any sense of Krishna consciousness. If he's not, immediately I understand that "Here is a rascal number one." That's all. We have got test tube, how much he is advanced in Krishna consciousness. If he's not, then he is grouped immediately in four groups: dushkritina, means constantly committing sinful activities; mudha, rascal; naradhama, lowest of the mankind; mayaya apahrita- jñana, although educated with high degrees, his knowledge has been taken away; asuram bhavam ashritah, and demon.

na mam dushkritino mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrita-jñana
asuram bhavam ashritah [Bg. 7.15][3]

Immediately we classify, "Here is a rascal number one, lowest of the mankind," or "always engaged in sinful activities," or "whatever education he has got, that is useless, because his real knowledge..." Just like Professor Kotovsky, such a big professor, he says, "There is no life after death." He's a rascal number one. What is the meaning of this education? He does not know that the soul is eternal, and therefore Bhagavad-gita teaches first, dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam... [Bg. 2.13][4]. Na hanyate hanyamane sharire [Bg. 2.20]: "First of all understand this: soul is eternal; you are eternal; you do not die, after the annihilation..." This is the first education. And these rascals, they say there is no life after death. So how much educated they are you can understand. They are all rascals. And you may open big, big colleges, institution, providing some rascal professor, rascal student, and beg the whole life, and sacrifice everything. It is useless. Shrama eva hi kevalam, simply wasting time.

dharmah svanushthitah pumsam
vishvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
shrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8][5]

Shrama eva hi kevalam. You can do your duties very nicely, very good, dharmah svanushthitah, but if you do not develop your, I mean to say, attachment for Krishna... Vasudeva-katha ruchih [SB 1.2.16]. "Oh, here krishna-katha is going on, topics on Krishna is going on. Let me hear it." Just like here. We are talking of Krishna; nobody is coming. Nobody is coming. Only few selected. Vasudeva-katha ruchih. There is no taste for hearing krishna-katha. So such kind of education, advancement of civilization, is shrama eva hi kevalam, simply wasting time. And if you waste your time in such foolish activity, then there will be anxiety, there will be disease, there will be enemies, there will be disturbance—everything, one after another, one after another. Natural disturbance, disturbance by other living creatures, disturbance by your body. So this world will become hell. This is the position.

So just compare the present governmental situation and the time... A king is supposed to be responsible for the citizen's peaceful life, no anxiety, no disease. Adhayo vyadhayah. That is king. Just like one brahmana approached Lord Ramachandra that "In the presence of father the son has died. You are responsible. There must be something wrong in Your kingdom." His son died. That is natural that son lives, father dies. This is natural death. "And what is this? The father is living and son is dying?" So king was so much responsible, even the death must be systematic. There should be no anxiety. There should be no disease. There should be no scarcity, no famine, no natural disturbance. This is government. This is government. Just try to understand the ideal government during Maharaja Yudhishthira's time. Not only Maharaja Yudhishthira, all the kings. Rajarshayah. Imam rajarshayo viduh. They were all great rishis [sages], although they were kshatriyas.

Ideal society

Brahmana and kshatriya, they used to guide the general people. The high caste means who would guide the people nicely. The brahmana by their Vedic knowledge, perfect knowledge, pathana-pathana yajana-yajana dana-pratigraha. By high learning, they would... They were not interested for capturing the government. No. They had no time. But there was consulting body. Even Yudhishthira Maharaja's time, there was consulting body, all the kings. The brahmanas and the rishis, they would form a consulting body and give advice to the king: "My dear king, do like this.' And they will abide. Just like head. Head. Head gives the instruction to the arms. Not the arm gives instruction to the head. Head. Brain. Mukha-bahuru-padebhyah.

So brahmana means this portion, head, brain. And kshatriya means this portion, arm. And vaishya means this portion, belly. And shudra means this, leg. So no part is unimportant. Every part is important for upkeep of the body. But comparative study, this part is more important. If my head is cut off, then all other parts may remain. It will not act. Similarly, at the present moment there is no brahmana. All shudras, simply legs. If you keep the legs of the body, what is the value of this body? There must be head. Everything must be there. Everything must be there. The head must be there, arms must be there, the abdomen must be there, the legs must be there. Then it is complete body. Similarly, this scientific division, chatur-varnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagashah [Bg. 4.13], the division of the human society according to quality, the brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra. Krishna says, maya srishtam: "This is My creation for upkeep of the social system."

So there is necessity of the shudras and there is necessity of the brahmana. There is necessity of the kshatriya. Everyone is required to do, to function, in his particular position. Then the society will be nadhayo vyadhayah kleshah. No more anxiety and no more disease. Everyone is peaceful, cool-minded, cool-brained. Then chant Hare Krishna without any disturbance and go back to home back, to Godhead.

1. "This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again." Back to Text

2. "This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it." Back to Text

3. "Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me." Back to Text

4. "As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." Back to Text

5. "The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead." Back to Text