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Srila Prabhupada[Posted September 10, 2008]

In the Guise of Protectors



A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

The burden of empire expansion
military bases Alternet Sep 8, 2008 - TOM ENGELHARDT, Tomdispatch.com

The US Has 761 Military Bases Across the Planet, and We Simply Never Talk About It



At the height of the Roman Empire, the Romans had an estimated 37 major military bases scattered around their dominions. At the height of the British Empire, the British had 36 of them planetwide. Depending on just who you listen to and how you count, we have hundreds of bases. According to Pentagon records, in fact, there are 761 active military "sites" abroad.

The fact is: We garrison the planet north to south, east to west, and even on the seven seas, thanks to our various fleets and our massive aircraft carriers which, with 5,000-6,000 personnel aboard -- that is, the population of an American town -- are functionally floating bases.
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Tit for Tat
War Karma A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Therefore Krishna says, "Yes, you be killed by occasional world war. You must be killed. You have created this situation. You must be killed. You may be American or Englishman or German or this or that. You may be very proud of your nationality. But you must be killed." This is the position. "You have killed so many animals. Now wholesale killing, one bomb. One atom bomb. Be killed." So these rascals they do not know how things are going on. Ishvarasya vicheshtitam. "Tit for tat." There must be. If in ordinary laws, in the state laws, that if you have killed somebody you must be hanged, so do you think you can simply bluff the Supreme Authority, Krishna, that you are going, killing, killing, killing, and you will be saved? No. You will be killed in pestilence, in famine. Even within your mother's womb, you will be killed, where it is supposed to be good protection, there also you will be killed. The human nation being degenerated in such a way, the killing business is increasing daily, daily, daily. Ishvarasya viceshtitam. more

Preoccupation with military strength


purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam 101.17

When the world is overburdened by unnecessary military arrangements and when various demoniac kings are the executive heads of state, this burden causes the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (4.7):

yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srijamy aham


"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I appear Myself."

When the residents of this earth become atheistic and godless, they descend to the status of animals like dogs and hogs, and thus their only business is to bark among themselves. This is dharmasya glani, deviation from the goal of life. Human life is meant for attaining the highest perfection of Krishna consciousness, but when people are godless and the presidents or kings are unnecessarily puffed up with military power, their business is to fight and increase the military strength of their different states. Nowadays, therefore, it appears that every state is busy manufacturing atomic weapons to prepare for a third world war. Such preparations are certainly unnecessary; they reflect the false pride of the heads of state. The real business of a chief executive is to see to the happiness of the mass of people by training them in Krishna consciousness in different divisions of life. Chatur-varnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagashah (Bg. 4.13). A leader should train the people as brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras and engage them in various occupational duties, thus helping them progress toward Krishna consciousness. Instead, however, rogues and thieves in the guise of protectors arrange for a voting system, and in the name of democracy they come to power by hook or crook and exploit the citizens. Even long, long ago, asuras, persons devoid of God consciousness, became the heads of state, and now this is happening again. The various states of the world are preoccupied with arranging for military strength. Sometimes they spend sixty-five percent of the government's revenue for this purpose. But why should people's hard-earned money be spent in this way? Because of the present world situation, Krishna has descended in the form of the Krishna consciousness movement. This is quite natural, for without the Krishna consciousness movement the world cannot be peaceful and happy.


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