So these rascals, the rascal guardians, you have to fight with them, but not with sword or any other weapon; the sankirtan movement.

For the People, By the People

Revolutionizing government from inside out

So here it is said, the enquiry, that kim kshatra-bandhun kalina upasrishtan rashtrani va tair avaropitani: "Are you very much anxious that, on account of this Kali-yuga, that the rulers, they have occupied the rashtra position, the government position?" So what is the symptom of such a rascal government? That is also stated. Itas tato vashana-pana-vasah-snana-vyavayonmukha-jiva-lokam. There will be no fixed position of these things. Just see. What are these? Eating, drinking, residence, taking bath, and sexual intercourse. There are no rules and regulation. Irresponsible government means, the Kali's government means, that these things will be irregular, not regularized. Just see.

This is Vedic civilization. Eating—there must be regulative principle, not that like hogs and pigs you can eat everything, no. There must be control. Control is there already. Just like in government, when you open a restaurant, immediately there is control. You have to take license, that you have to supply food like this or like that. You cannot supply anything rubbish. Is it not? Control is there, but because it is controlled by another rascal, group of rascals, so they allow everything to eat. Everything eat. Control is there, but they do not know what kind of control should be there. The control should be, as we are prescribing in our Krishna consciousness movement, "You cannot take anything without Krishna's prasada." That is real control. Then you'll be happy. Control is already there, but they do not know because they are being governed by kshatra-bandhun. Kshatra-bandhun means kshatriya. Kshatriya means the ruling class. Kshat means injure, and trayate, one who gives you protection from being injured. He's kshatriya. It is the duty of the government that every citizen, never mind whether human being or animal, he may not be injured by anyone. That is responsible government. It is not responsible government that one poor animal, because he does not know how to give him protection, although there is government, he is taken away to the slaughterhouse. This is not government.

Here we see Maharaja Parikshit, as soon as he saw that a cow was being attempted to be killed, immediately he took his sword, "What are you, nonsense? You are killing my citizen." This is good government. This is good government. Why the cow is not national? She's also born in the land; so she's as important a national as you are. Krishna has given her the grass to eat. She's not interfering with your food. Why? What right you have got to kill? You have got your own food. The cow has got the grass for her food. You have got food grains. You have got... Cow is giving you milk, just to give her protection, that "You take my blood, turn into milk. Please do not kill me." So why these things are happening? Because there is rascal government. Rascal government. So one should lament that this, "We are under this rascal government, under the rascal guru, rascal father. But who are meant for giving protection, they are all rascals. This is our position." This is called Kali-yuga. This is Kali-yuga.

So if you study Srimad-Bhagavatam, you'll be able to understand the whole material position and how you are situated in that material position, how to get out of it. Everything you'll understand, provided you have got the brain. If you have got a dull brain, filled up with cow dung, that is another thing. If there is brain substance, then you'll be able. Tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam. Alpa-medhasam and su-medhasam, they are two words in the Vedic language. Medha means brain substance. So one who has got su-medha, nice brain substance, he will understand something. And one who has got no brain substance but cow dung, he will understand something else. So we are selecting... or even if he is filled up with cow dung, by this Krishna consciousness education, we can make him su-medha, fine brain. That is the Krishna consciousness movement. Even if one is filled up with cow dung, he can develop su-medha.

Therefore, Bhagavata says,

krishna-varnam tvishakrishnam
sangopangastra-parshadam
yajñaih sankirtana-prayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah

"In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions." [SB 11.5.32]

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He's Krishna. [His] complexion golden, [not] blackish. But He's Krishna. Krishna has four colors. That is [described] in the shastra, shuklo raktas tatha pita idanim krishnatam gatah. So when the color of Krishna is yellow, golden, that is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. That Lord Krishna now, in the form of Lord Chaitanya, Sri Krishna Chaitanya, and associated with His personal expansions, Sri-Advaita, Gadadhara, Shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda... This is described. In the former incarnation, He was killing the demons directly with sword or the sudarshana-chakra, some way or other. Now, in this age, they're already dead. So if Krishna comes to kill them with sudarshana-chakra and sword, they will not be profited. Therefore, these are the astras, these are the swords: the devotees of Lord Krishna who are preaching Krishna consciousness. They are the Lord's weapon. And they're getting victory. So those who are intelligent, su-medhasah, they will worship this form of God in this Kali-yuga. And what is the process of worshiping? Yajñaih sankirtana-prayaih [by sacrifice consisting chiefly of congregational chanting of God's holy names].

So these rascals, the rascal guardians, you have to fight with them, but not with sword or any other weapon; the sankirtan movement, yajñaih sankirtana-prayaih. If you stick to this principle of chanting Hare Krishna mantra, if you have got good brain, then you will take this means, and by the help of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, you'll conquer all over the world. All over the world. You cannot take up any other means. That will not be successful because the shastra says, yajñaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah [SB 11.5.32: "In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna." ].

So at the present moment, our position is very precarious. We are in the darkness, ignorance, and so many other things, corollaries to these things. Just see. Five thousand years ago this Srimad-Bhagavatam was written, the symptoms of Kali-yuga. Now you see that everywhere, all over the world, the young boys and girls, they have no fixture where they'll live, where they'll take their bath, where they'll eat or how, or how they'll have sex. No. These are preliminary necessities of life. One must have a good place to live. One must have sufficient nice foodstuff to eat. Sleep. Eating, sleeping, mating—this is physical necessities. So in the Vedic civilization, these necessities are prescribed in a regulated way so that he can satisfy his physical necessities, at the same time, become Krishna conscious and go back to home, back to Godhead. So at the present moment there is no fixture even for the physical necessities. Physical necessities. No home. When I first came to America, when I saw in the Bowery Street, they're lying on the street, "And how is that?" I understood, "The Americans are very rich. Why they are lying on the street?" I was surprised. But see, even in such rich country like America, they're lying on the street, no fixture of sleeping, no fixture of sex life. Nobody knows with whom one has to satisfy his sex life. Nobody knows. In New York City I was, I saw, that one friend asking another friend, "Can I take my showers in your room?" Then I understand, "Oh, there is no fixity of even taking bath." There is no fixity of where to sleep. There is no fixity of where to satisfy sex. Everything, although such a rich country. Why? Because the leaders are rascals. The leaders are rascals. This is the first duty of the government to see that everyone is nicely situated, so far his physical necessities are concerned. But a sane man, when he sees this disturbance, or everything mismanaged, he becomes very unhappy and tries to set up by Krishna consciousness movement.

DEVOTEE: Srila Prabhupada, sometimes it is seen that even materialistic political power is successful in overthrowing government. So is it not possible in this age for devotees to overthrow government?

PRABHUPADA: Yes, if you become all devotees, it is very easy. Because nowadays, the "government of the people, by the people." So if the people are Krishna conscious, naturally the government will be Krishna conscious. And if you are fools and rascals, the government will be fools and rascals. Because government is the representative of the people. You have got the opportunity because nowadays, democracy, that "government for the people, by the people." Is not that? So if you are Krishna conscious, naturally the government will be, because government is by the people, for the people. So not that [violent] kind of revolution. If you make a revolution of this sankirtan movement, everyone chanting and dancing, the government will be changed immediately. So push this movement.