The politicians, they have made the minds of general people, general public, that they're very much interested what the politician says. Every day he's simply speaking all nonsense; still, they're interested.
[Posted
July 19, 2008]Who Keeps His Promises?
We all know better than to take politicians at their word, so why do we listen at all?
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Flip-Flop Flap
Obama, it turns out, is a politician. In this respect, he resembles the forty-three Presidents he hopes to succeed, from the Father of His Country to the wayward son, Alpha George to Omega George. Winning a Presidential election doesn't require being all things to all of the people all of the time, but it does require being some things to most of the people some of the time. It doesn't require saying one thing and also saying its opposite, but it does require saying more or less the same thing in ways that are understood in different ways. They're all politicians, yes—very much including Obama, as Ryan Lizza shows elsewhere in this issue. But that doesn't mean they're all the same.
It was inevitable that the boggier reaches of the blogosphere would eventually smell betrayal. In contrast, what bloggers call the MSM—the mainstream media—seldom trades in the currency of moral indignation. Although the better newspapers have regular features devoted to evaluating the candidates' proposals for workability, the MSM generally eschews value judgments about the merits. The MSM—especially the cable-news intravenous drip—prefers flip-flops.
Obama has been providing plenty of plastic for the flip-flop factories with the adjustments he's been making as he retools his campaign for the general election. Under headlines like "IN CAMPAIGN, ONE MAN'S PRAGMATISM IS ANOTHER'S FLIP-FLOPPING," the big papers have been assembling quite a list of matters on which the candidate has "changed his position," including Iraq, abortion rights, federal aid to faith-based social services, capital punishment, gun control, public financing of campaigns, and wiretapping. go to story
Sri Guru and Gauranga
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World Community - Government, Economy, PoliticsIn this world of duality, here in this material world, "This thing is very good, this thing is very bad," it is simply mental concoction. Everything here is bad. Nothing good. So this is our mental creation only—"This is good, this is bad." We are doing that. Just like in political field. "This party is nice. This party's bad." But any party goes in the power, your condition is the same. The commodities price are increasing. It has no decreasing, either you change this party or that party. So these are all concoctions. If you want really happy, happiness, if you want real goodness, then you try to become Krishna conscious. That will make you real happy. more
Lend your ears to Krishna
excerpt from lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.1, Los Angeles, May 19, 1972
shrinvatamsva-kathah krishnah
punya-shravana-kirtanah
hridy antah-stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrit satam
"Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted." [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.17]
Hridy antah-sthah: Krishna is within your heart. If you kindly continue to hear about Him, as you are doing, then Krishna will be very much pleased, "Oh, this person is now interested in me." Because nobody's interested in Krishna. So Krishna is also silent to them. But as soon as you become interested, oh, Krishna becomes very active, "Oh, he's trying to do something. I shall help him." In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, tesham satata-yuktanam [Bg. 10.10]. Tesham nityabhiyuktanam. What is that verse? Tesham satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam, buddhi-yogam dadami tam. Krishna says. He's silent for the nondevotees, but he speaks to the devotees. That is very natural. If some big man... He talks with men who are intelligent, who is businesslike. Why he wastes his time talking with some rascals and fools? So Krishna talks, but talks to the devotee. Who are devotees? Satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam. Those who are 24-hours engaged in rendering loving devotional service to the Lord. To such persons Krishna gives intelligence, not others.
So this process of hearing from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, must be continued. That is our life. Sravanam kirtanam vishnoh [SB 7.5.23]. Sravanam means hearing. Kirtanam means chanting about Lord Vishnu. Not for others. "Now I am hearing and chanting about Nixon." [chuckles)] That will not help. Because everyone is busy in newspaper—"What Nixon said? What he is doing...?" Everywhere. The politicians, they have made the minds of general people, general public, that they're very much interested what the politician says. Every day he's simply speaking all nonsense; still, they're interested. Punah punash charvita-charvananam [SB 7.5.30]. They are called, "chewing the chewed again and again." Matir na krishne paratah svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta griha-vratanam: "Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed."
na te viduh svartha-gatimhi vishnum
durashaya ye bahir-artha-maninah
andha yathandhair upaniyamanas
te 'pisha-tantryam uru-damni baddhah
"Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead and engage in the service of Lord Vishnu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries." [SB 7.5.31]
Isha-tantryam, by the laws of material nature, one who is bound up tight, hands and legs... we are all. We cannot, I mean to say, neglect the laws of nature. If you eat little more, then you have to fast for three days. That we actually know. If you expose little to cold, then you have to pay ten dollars to the doctor, fine. So they are so much bound up by the laws of nature; still, they are thinking, "I am free. I am independent. Where is God? I am God." Just see. Such foolish persons, that every moment he's being kicked on his face by the boot of material nature, and still he's saying, "I am God, I am independent." You see? So andha yathandhair upaniyamanah [SB 7.5.31]. Just like one blind man is speaking other blind men, "Please follow me. I shall lead you to the right path." "But you are blind yourself, and we are also blind. What will be the help?" But no, they will follow.
In our country, Gandhi promised that "I shall give you independence in one year, if you follow me—non-violence, non-cooperation." People followed, but it took thirty years. But actually, that is not independence. So these politicians especially, they mislead us. Not only politicians, the so-called yogis, so-called... So many things.
Real leader is Krishna. So if we surrender to Krishna as Krishna says... sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja [Bg. 18.66], "Give up all other occupation, duties. Simply just surrender unto Me." Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayishyami ma shuchah. "Don't hesitate. Do it." Krishna is personally canvassing. He's so kind. He comes personally. He speaks the whole truth in the Bhagavad-gita.
He's canvassing, "Please do it." He again comes as a devotee, Lord Chaitanya. Lord Chaitanya is teaching how to surrender to Krishna. There is no difference between Lord Chaitanya's teachings and Krishna's teaching. The same thing. In one form, Krishna is saying that "You surrender unto Me." And Lord Chaitanya says that "You surrender to Krishna." The fact is the same. So we are following Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. We are canvassing, "Please surrender to Krishna." So our business is not very difficult. If we follow ourselves, if we surrender to Krishna fully and teach others also the same thing... Not that something adulteration. No. Exactly what Krishna says. Then you become spiritual master, guru. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says,
yare dekha tare kaha 'krishna'-upadesha
amara ajñaya guru haña tara' ei desha [Cc. Madhya 7.128]
"Under My order, you become a spiritual master and deliver the people of your country." And what is that order? That yare dekha tare kaha krishna-upadesha. "Whomever you meet, you simply speak what Krishna has said, or what is spoken about Krishna." That is Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.
So every one of you follow the instruction, as you have received. Chant sixteen rounds regularly, without fail, and follow the regulative principles, and hear about Krishna, and preach about Krishna. Every one of you become a spiritual master. Simple thing. No education required. Because we are hearing about Krishna, so we can speak the same thing. What is the difficulty? If I hear from my spiritual master or from any learned man that "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," so if I say by hearing that "Krishna is Supreme Personality of Godhead," so I haven't got to search out whether Krishna is Personality of Godhead or not, but if I accept the authority, then I speak the real truth. This is our Krishna consciousness movement.
Therefore sometimes, when people say in India, "Swamiji, you have done wonderful." And yes, I do not know. I'm not a magician. But, so far I am confident that I did not adulterate the words of Krishna. That's all. That's my credit. I did not like to take the position of Krishna. I remained a servant of Krishna, and I spoke what Krishna said. That's all. This is my secret. So everyone can do that.
There is nothing magic. The magic will act as soon as you become a pure devotee of Krishna. The magic will be done by Krishna, not by me or you. He will do it. Just like a small child. Nobody can hurt him. The father will take care. He does not know. He's simply depending on father. "My father, mother." That's all. Krishna says that "You surrender unto Me, I give you protection." He's not a liar. He's not inefficient. He's strong. He's sufficiently opulent. He can do that. So believe in Krishna's word and surrender unto Him, and don't spoil this human form of life. Death is sure. Before death, we must prepare to go back to home, back to Godhead. Thank you very much.