Loyalty to Unworthy Masters

Do your duty
excerpt from morning walk conversation, Hyderabad, April 23, 1974

Holy War? NOT

Live and Let Die—War Fought for Whim A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

When there is real, righteous fight, for good cause, that fighting is all right. Just like the state gives punishment one person, "This man should be hanged. Kill him." So who is blaming the state, "Oh, the state is killing this man?" That is right. It is good for him. In Manu-samhita there is good background. So similarly, everything is good when it is done for the good. And God is good. That is Krishna conscious movement. And everything is bad when it is done for maya. That's all. So these wars are declared not for Krishna's sake; by the politicians' whims. So they must be responsible for this war. more

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Prabhupada: [cites an objection commonly given to the call to serve Krishna:] "This is my duty: to serve my country, to serve my land." This is maya [illusion]. The rascal, he is engaged to "Do your duty to your country," and what is the country? Suppose if I do my duty and I may be driven away from my country next life, because there is no guarantee that I will have to take my birth... Just like one astrologer has explained that Jawaharlal Nehru has become a dog in Scandinavia. [laughs] There is chance. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bhagavad-gita 2.13]. You will have to change your body. Now, where it will be changed, how it will be changed, what kind of body you will get—that is not in your hands. That is not in your hands. You cannot say, "Oh, I am Prime Minister. I must get such and such body." That is not going to be accepted. But these foolish rascal people, they do not understand it. Prakriteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvashah [Bg. 3.27]. I am acting under certain infection. So I am infecting, say, some venereal disease. So I must suffer for it.

Mahamsa: Mahatma Gandhi worked so hard for his country and his own countrymen shot him.

Prabhupada: Yes. Still, these fools, they do not know what is service, what is country, what is... They do not know this is maya.

By nature's mercy, they got this nice human form of body, civilized. There is sufficient food, supplied by nature. You eat and be Krishna conscious. Take advantage of the shastras, lessons left by Krishna and His devotees. Live peacefully, happily, and go back wherefrom you have come. But whole thing is spoiled by these misleaders. "Do your duty to your country." [laughs] What is that duty? I am working under the influence of material nature, and what is my duty? My only duty is to come to Krishna consciousness. That is my duty.

Prime Minister today, dog tomorrow?
excerpt from conversation in Hrishikesh, May 8, 1977

After this body you have to accept another body. If you do not know what kind of body you are going to accept... There is no question of acceptance. You'll be forced to accept. It is not that your choice. Karanam guna-sangah asya sad-asad-janma-yonishu. You have to accept one body according to your karma. If you have behaved like a human being, you can get the body of a human being. If you have behaved like a dog, you'll get the body of a dog. And if you have behaved like demigod, you'll get.

urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha
madhye tishthanti rajasah
jaghanya-guna-vritti-stha
adho gacchanti tamasah [Bg. 14.18]

This is going on. Therefore this life is preparation for the next life. These are simple truth. But people are in ignorance. They do not know anything. And they're keeping them in ignorance and bluffing them in so many ways. The whole duty, I am going... If I am going to accept another body, then where is the question of my nationalism? If I am eternal... Na hanyate hanyamane sharire [Bg. 2.20], na jayate na mriyate va. If I do not take my birth, if I do not die, and na hanyate hanyamane sharire [Bg. 2.20], and I'll have to accept another body, then, so long I have got this body, I may be big politician, big philanthropist, but next life, if I am going to be dog, then where is the value of this prime ministership, big, big...? And where is my nation? Where is my country? Where is my family? So things are going on in ignorance. And they are kept in ignorance. ...This is going on. And the Krishna consciousness movement is meant for reforming all these nonsense activities.

Where do you belong?
excerpt from Science of Self Realization, "Knowing the Purpose of Life"

The other day I was explaining that one who identifies with this bag of bones and skin is like an animal. So by chanting Hare Krishna this misunderstanding will be cleansed. Cleansing of the heart means that one will understand that he does not belong to this material world. Aham brahmasmi: I am spirit soul. As long as one identifies oneself with England, with India, or with America, this is ignorance. Today you are an Englishman because you were born in England, but in your next life you may not take your birth in England; it may be in China or Russia or some other country. Or you may not get this human form of body. Today you are a nationalist, you are a very great follower of your country, but tomorrow if you stay in your country you may be a cow being taken to the slaughterhouse.

So we have to thoroughly know our identity. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that the actual identity of every living creature is that he is the eternal servant of God. If one thinks like that—"I am no one else's servant; my business is to serve God"—then he is liberated. His heart is immediately cleansed, and he is liberated. And after one has reached that, then all one's cares and anxieties in this world are over because one knows, "I am a servant of God. God will give me protection. Why should I worry about anything?" It is just like a child. A child knows that his mother and father will take care of him. He is free. If he should go to touch fire, his mother will take care of him: "Oh, my dear child, don't touch." The mother is always looking after him. So why don't you put your trust in God? Actually, you are under the protection of God.