[Posted Nov 5, 2008]

Vote of Confidence

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

New Commander in Chief up against impossible odds to not disappoint

Lew Rockwell Nov 4, 2008 - ANTHONY GREGORY

The Insanity of Mass Democracy

Consider the hysteria we have witnessed over the last couple weeks. Despite the nearly identical programs of both Obama and McCain – the continuation of the empire, the police state, the corporatist regulatory machine and entitlements, with some superficial differences here and there – millions of Americans are convinced this is "the most important election" in decades, if not since the birth of the American republic.

What’s more, when we are talking about mass democracy, we are not even talking about true democracy. The two choices presented, unlike the zillions of choices available in the marketplace, were picked by establishment handlers and have been vetted to ensure they will continue business as usual. Meanwhile, the illusion of democracy tricks the populace into thinking the state is an extension of themselves, only bolstering the state’s capacity to commit oppression. Far from being a check on despotism, elections provide democratic states the social legitimacy to conduct all manners of mayhem. go to story

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Fool's Paradise

Fools Elected by Fools Hansadutta das

And then the Americans came. How did they come? “Oh, you should have democracy. You can vote.” Vote for what? [laughing] Two men are running for office, and ten million people are voting. So what is the big choice? Both of them are rogues. [laughter] Fool’s paradise. The people are foolish, and they are given the right to vote. “You vote.” So amongst all the fools, they select one grand fool. [laughter] And he will lead them. It’s a fool’s paradise. That’s what it is. Democracy means fool’s paradise. more

Accepting perfect leadership over imperfect

excerpt from lecture on Bhagavad-gita 4.11, New York, July 27, 1966

ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manushyah partha sarvashah [Bg. 4.11]

Lord Krishna says that "every man is following My path, indirectly or directly." The supreme position of the Lord is that He is in the supreme absolute position, and every other living being, they are all subordinate. In the Vedic Upanishad it is clearly stated, nityo nityanam chetanash chetananam eko bahunam vidadhati kaman (Katha Upanishad 2.2.13). This is the natural law in any society, in any community, in any country, even in the animal society.

If you go to the forest there are societies of different animals—elephant society, tiger society, deer society, jackal society, wolf society. Even in the birds, you'll find that the birds of the same feather flock together. This is the natural way. You'll find that all the pigeons, they flock together, not the crows and the pigeons flock together. The ducks, they flock together. Similarly, this is the natural way, and there... In every group there is a leader.

So the Supreme Lord, He is called in the Vedic literature that He is the supreme leader. Nityo nityanam chetanash chetananam. Nitya means eternal, and nityanam, that means many other eternals. We are many other eternals. Eka, that one eternal... Eko bahunam vidadhati kaman. There are two kinds of eternals. We living entities, we are also eternal, and the Supreme Lord, He is also eternal. So far eternity is concerned, both of us equal on the qualitative nature. He is eternal, and we are eternal. Sach-chid-ananda-vigraha [Brahma-samhita 5.1]. He is also all pleasure, and we are also all pleasure because we are all parts and parcel of the same quality. But He is the leader.

Eko bahunam vidadhati kaman: "That one is maintaining all these many." We, the living entities, we are many. So our position is always subordinate. That is our natural constitutional position. Now, the Supreme Lord's position is the leadership, and our position is subordinate. Then what is our duty? Our duty is to follow the leader. And actually we are doing so. We have forgotten that the supreme leader is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but still, for our daily activities we create a leader. We accept some leader and follow his principles. Just like you have elected your leader as President Johnson, the president of your state. He is supposed to be the leader of your nation, and he is asking you to go to the Vietnam and sacrifice your life. So you are following. So this is the natural position. Even if we do not accept God, if we do not accept the leadership of God, we have to select another leader. We cannot get rid of this principle, that we can live without leader. That is our constitutional position.

So the difficulty is that... Our difficulty is that instead of following the supreme leader, we are creating by mental concoction some leader according to our material conception of life, and we are following. That is our position. So Lord Krishna said,

ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manushyah partha sarvashah [Bg. 4.11]

People are actually following the same principle, but the difficulty is that in our this position of lower nature we are following in the manner which will not make us happy and satisfied. Because we are not following the supreme leader, the difficulty... By constitutional position we are to follow a leader, but because we are misled, because we are deluded to follow a leader which is not perfect, therefore our position is always unhappy in spite of following the leadership of a concocted nature.

Therefore the best thing will be to get rid of this concocted position and follow the supreme leader. That is the highest perfection. Just try to understand that I cannot avoid following someone's leadership. That is not possible. Can anyone say that "we can avoid this"? No. We cannot avoid. Even if we don't accept the leadership of God, we have to accept some other leader. That is our position. We cannot avoid it.

So there is a very nice verse in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. A brahmana, he was a family man, just like worldly man, as we are. Now, brahmanas are generally expected to be highly learned, and he was very learned man in Vedic literature. And when he came to his consciousness by reading all this Vedic literature, that "Although I am following the leadership, why I am not happy? Why I am not happy?"... This question should arise in the sane human mind. One should think that "I am following the leadership of somebody, according to my position and according to my circumstances. But still, I am not happy. Why?"

Why we select one leader? The leader should be such a leader that they shall, he shall make happy and prosperous persons who follow him. That is the question of leadership. But actually, if we think in sober mind and cool head, we can understand that although we are following leadership, may be whatever he may be, still, we are not happy. Now, the brahmana concluded that "This following leadership is the following leadership of my lust." I select one leader according to my lust.

Just like in political parties there are many leaders, but I like some particular type of political pursuit. Someone likes Democratic political pursuit; someone likes Congress political pursuit; someone likes Communist political pursuit. So we have got different desires. So practically, if we study very minutely, then we are not following the leadership but we are following our particular lust. I have got a particular lust within me, and when I find somebody corroborating with that particular lust, oh, I accept him, that leader. That is my position. Therefore I do not follow anyone's leadership, but I follow my own leadership. That is the lust. I want to do, I like to do something, and if somebody says, "Oh, yes, it is very nice," "Oh, you are my leader. If you confirm my lust, then you are my leader." That is the material leadership.

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