[Posted November 18, 2007]

War Karma

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Why stopping the war might not be a cinch

Rolling Stone Magazine Nov 14, 2007 - TIM DICKINSON

Ron Paul: A Republican Takes the Lead Against the War

You talk about limiting the size of government. How much of the Pentagon's budget would you ax?

We are now spending close to a trillion dollars a year, when you add up every single thing we do overseas. You could start off easily cutting $100 billion. Bring the troops home, you could save $200 billion the next year. And maybe $250 billion the year after that.

Quit paying to blow up bridges in Iraq and then paying to rebuild them. Bring that money home. Our bridges are falling down. Our levees are falling down. The only way we can get enough money is by stopping this insane foreign policy of running this empire that we can't afford. Policing the world? It's impossible.

I say, just quit it. Let's come home. Bring the troops home. Quit spending the money. Get rid of selective service. Don't have the draft. And no more wars like this. It's a real tragedy and a real black mark on our record. go to story

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Who got us into this mess?

Nuclear Reaction - Collective Karma Hansadutta das

Everyone in this room, practically everyone on the face of the Earth — black or white, communist or capitalist, rich or poor — every single person is actually guilty in the creation of atomic weapons, and it is their daily activity unknown to themselves that will inevitably unleash the horror of global nuclear war. Why? Because the whole world at the present moment is steeped in darkness, the darkness of ignorance in regards to spiritual life. Everyone is an accomplice in the systematic, merciless and wholesale slaughter of millions upon millions of innocent animals. It is this one act alone that is ignorantly supported by the innocent citizens of every country of the word. By the fact that he eats meat, that has brought about the present state of affairs.

It is not simply that Ronald Reagan and Leonard Brezhnev or Colonel Qadafi are the heartless and thoughtless culprits, or the scientist in the laboratory who is daily researching and improving the potential for atomic destruction. They are in fact as innocent or ignorant as John Q. Public, the man in the street or the housewife who goes to the supermarket and purchases a pork chop or some hamburger meat or a steak or a chicken or a fish or a dozen eggs to take home and fry up or roast. The amount of meat consumed at the present moment is incalculable.more

War a reaction to killing of animals

excerpt from lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.24, Los Angeles, December 3, 1973

Now we have to learn that we have been frustrated by serving so many things. Now we have to turn that service attitude to Krishna. That is Krishna's mission. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja: [Bhagavad-gita 18.66] "You are serving already. You cannot be free from service. But your service is misplaced. Therefore you just turn your service unto Me. Then you become happy." That is Krishna consciousness movement.

Just like a greedy man, he is suffering by eating more. There are so many diseases, just like diabetes or dysentery. There are so many things. These are the diseases for eating more. That's all. So we are suffering; at the same time, we are eating more, because we are greedy, we are lusty. This is the cause. We are serving our lust, our greediness, and suffering. This is practical. If you have no hunger, if you eat... If you have no appetite, if you eat, then you suffer. If you infect some disease, you'll suffer. That is practical. So we are associating in, being infected by lust, greediness, illusion, fearfulness, so many things. If you steal, then you will be under fearfulness: "Oh, I may not be arrested; I may be arrested." Because you have done something wrong, therefore you are under the influence of fearfulness. It is very easy to understand.

beef cow So we are creating our situation and serving a different type of desire. That's all. And sometimes we are doing something which we should not do. Still, we are doing. But doing so, although we have done so much for to serve the lust, greediness, but they are not merciful. They are still dictating, "Go on doing this, go on doing this, go on doing." He is suffering; still, he is following the dictation of lust and desire. We are creating our own karma. Therefore any sane man will see that "I have served so long, so much, our desires, but I am not happy. I am not happy, neither the desire is happy." The desire is never satiated that "You have killed so many animals. Now you don't..." No, he will go on, go on killing, killing, killing, killing, killing, killing. He is never satisfied, "Now I have killed so many. No more, stop." No, there is no stoppage. That will go on. The injunction is "Thou shalt not kill," but he will kill and kill and kill and kill, and still, he wants to be satisfied. Just see. The Bible says, "Thou shalt not kill," and they are simply engaged in killing business, and still they want to be happy. Just see the fun.

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.

So we therefore must submit to Krishna. Sarva-dharman parityajya... [Bg. 18.66: "Just surrender unto Me; I will give you all protection."]. Because we cannot become free. We cannot go out of the laws of God. That is not possible. Therefore we must surrender that "Krishna, God, I have acted freely so many births. I did not become happy. Neither I am happy at the present moment. So now I surrender unto You. You say that 'I give you protection.' So kindly give me protection." This is Krishna consciousness movement.

Sri Guru and Gauranga