[Posted January 2, 2008]

Voting in the Dark

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

We could use a little light here...

BBC News Jan 1, 2008 - JUSTIN WEBB

The 'Nobody Knows' US election

This is the first US presidential election since 1928 in which neither the president nor the vice-president is standing in the primaries, seeking re-election.

It is the Nobody Knows election. Nobody knows which candidates will end up representing the two main parties, nobody knows exactly when the parties will choose them, and nobody knows which issues will decide the eventual contest. go to story

Sri Guru and Gauranga

Blind men following the blind

excerpt from lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.36 - Los Angeles, Dec 14, 1973

Lord Chaitanya said, ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 19.151]. The living entities are loitering like this, sometimes that body, sometimes this way, sometimes that way. He is simply loitering. He is not getting where to take shelter. Where permanent life, permanent happiness, he does not know. He does not know. He does not know. Simply changing. In the material world also, they are simply changing some form of government, electing one rascal, again rejecting, another rascal, another rascal. Because they are all rascals, they have no other alternative than to elect more rascal. But they are thinking that "By rejecting this rascal, we shall be happy." He does not know how to elect. He does not know how to elect. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanah [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.31]. They are themselves blind, and they are accepting a leader who is also blind. So what will be the profit? If you are led by... You are blind, and if you are led by another blind man, then what will be the profit? Both of you will fall down in the ditch. That is going on.

Therefore, if you want real happiness, you must take the leadership of a man who has got eyes to see. Then it will be all right. So whose eyes are open? And that is in the Vedic literature said:

ajñana-timirandhasya
jñanañjana-shalakaya
chakshur unmilitam yena
tasmai shri-gurave namah

It is the business of the guru... Because everyone is blind or in darkness, cannot see, so it is the guru's business to open his eyes, or to help him to see things as they are. That is guru's business.

Ajñana-timirandhasya. Everyone is covered by the darkness of ignorance. So how darkness can be moved? If there is light. Immediately, if you make the switch off of electricity, this room will be dark. And again you make the switch on, there will be light. Just like at night, we cannot see. Everything is dark because the light, sun, is not there. In the morning, as soon as the sun is there, again everything you can see. So things are there. Because we are in the darkness of ignorance, we cannot see them properly. I am there, you are there, God is there, everything is there. Simply we have to get the light or the proper situation to see things as they are. That is wanted. So Vedic literature therefore advises that if you want... First of all Vedas advise, "Don't keep yourself in the darkness." Tamasi ma jyotir gama: "Don't keep yourself in the darkness." This is human life. In the animal life you kept yourself in darkness because there was no possibility of come to the light. If I invite all the dogs and animals of Los Angeles city to come here to hear about Bhagavad-gita, it is not possible, because they are animals. But if I appeal to the human being, because he is human being, he may be interested. He should be interested, but the time is so bad that nobody is interested, but still, he may be interested. But that is not possible for the animals, cats and dogs. So in the human form of life, there is necessity of coming to the light and make a solution of the problems of life. Therefore Krishna comes. That is the statement of Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita: yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, tadatmanam srijamy aham, atma-mayaya [Bhagavad-gita 4.7].