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Srila Prabhupada[Posted Nov 8, 2008]

They Voted for Change: yesterday's law scrapped today



A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Law of the land subject to voters' caprices
California capitol Welt Nov 6, 2008 - PETER HENDERSON and JIM CHRISTIE

California stops gay marriage after Prop 8 votes



California and two other states voted in Tuesday's elections to ban same-sex marriage, overturning a right given to gays and lesbians in the liberal, trend-setting state just months ago in state court.

California's Supreme Court had declared same-sex marriage a right in May, unleashing a flood of weddings. But the state's voters changed its constitution to rescind the right after one of the most expensive ballot campaigns in history in which both sides combined raised roughly $70 million.
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The Bhaktivedantas World Sankirtan Party and Inside Nam Hatta are hosted by Hansadutta das, a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada and trustee of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Participate or learn more about World Sankirtan Party.
Liberty and Freedom for All
Declaration of Independence A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

BTG: The founders of America said that another natural right is the right to liberty, or freedom—freedom in the sense that the government doesn't have the right to tell you what kind of job you have to do.

PRABHUPADA: If the government is not perfect, it should not be allowed to tell people what to do. But if the government is perfect, then it can.

BTG: The third natural right they mentioned was that every human being has the right to pursue happiness.

PRABHUPADA: Yes. But your standard of happiness may be different from my standard. You may like to eat meat; I hate it. How can your standard of happiness be equal to mine? more

Government by whim


excerpt from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.18.4, purport

The Vedic principles (mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 17.186]) urge us to follow in the footsteps of great liberated souls. In this way we can receive benefit in both this life and the next, and we can also improve our material life. By following the principles laid down by great sages and saints of the past, we can very easily understand the aim of all life. The word avarah, meaning "inexperienced," is very significant in this verse. Every conditioned soul is inexperienced. Everyone is abodha jata—born a fool and rascal. In democratic government at the present moment all kinds of fools and rascals are making decisions. But what can they do? What is the result of their legislation? They enact something today just to whimsically repeal it tomorrow. One political party utilizes a country for one purpose, and the next moment another political party forms a different type of government and nullifies all the laws and regulations. This process of chewing the chewed (punah punash charvita-charvananam [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.30]) will never make human society happy. In order to make all human society happy and prosperous, we should accept the standard methods given by liberated persons.


Guidance from the liberated souls


excerpt from Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.20.15, text & purport
Lord Vishnu continued: My dear King Prithu, if you continue to protect the citizens according to the instructions of the learned brahmana authorities, as they are received by the disciplic succession—by hearing—from master to disciple, and if you follow the religious principles laid down by them, without attachment to ideas manufactured by mental concoction, then every one of your citizens will be happy and will love you, and very soon you will be able to see such already liberated personalities as the four Kumaras [Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumara].

PURPORT
Lord Vishnu advised King Prithu that everyone should follow the principles of varnashram-dharma; then, in whatever capacity one remains within this material world, his salvation is guaranteed after death. In this age, however, since the system of varnashram-dharma is topsy-turvy, it is very difficult to strictly follow all the principles. The only method for becoming perfect in life is to develop Krishna consciousness. As varnashram-dharma is executed from different positions by different men, so the Krishna consciousness principles can be followed by everyone in every part of the world. There is a specific purpose in mentioning herein that one should follow the dvijagryas, the most prominent brahmanas, like Parashara and Manu. These great sages have already given us instructions on how to live according to the principles of varnashram-dharma. Similarly, Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami have given us rules and regulations for becoming pure devotees of the Lord. It is essential, therefore, to follow the instructions of the acharyas in the parampara system, who have received the knowledge as passed down from spiritual master to disciple. In this way, although living in our material condition of life, we can get out of the entanglement of material contamination without leaving our positions. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu advises, therefore, that one does not have to change his position. One simply has to hear from the perfect source (this is called parampara) and follow the principles for practical application in life; thus one can attain the highest perfection of life—liberation—and go back home, back to Godhead. In other words, the change required is a change in consciousness, not in the body. Unfortunately, in this fallen age, people are concerned with the body, not with the soul. They have invented so many "isms" pertaining to the body only, not to the soul.

In the modern age of democracy there are so many government representatives voting for legislation. Every day they bring out a new law. But because these laws are only mental concoctions manufactured by inexperienced conditioned souls, they cannot give relief to human society. Formerly, although the kings were autocrats, they strictly followed the principles laid down by great sages and saintly persons. There were no mistakes in ruling over the country, and everything went perfectly. The citizens were completely pious, the king levied taxes legitimately, and therefore the situation was very happy. At the present moment the so-called executive heads are more or less selected from materially ambitious persons who simply look after their own personal interests; they have no knowledge of the shastras. In other words, the executive heads are fools and rascals in the strict sense of the terms, and the people in general are shudras. This combination of fools and rascals and shudras cannot bring about peace and prosperity in this world. Therefore we find periodic upheavals in society in the forms of battles, communal riots and fratricidal quarrels. Under these circumstances, not only are the leaders unable to lead the people toward liberation, but they cannot even give them peace of mind. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated that anyone who lives on concocted ideas, without reference to the shastras, never becomes successful and does not attain happiness or liberation after death.


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