Expressions researched:
"exemplar"
|"exemplary"
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Twenty-one: "Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men will follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues (BG 3.21)."
Prabhupāda: This is very important. Therefore leaders must be very ideal men. Then automatically the country or the society becomes nicely situated.
Just try to understand how much a king was responsible for the happiness of the citizens. They were ideal king, and therefore the citizens also followed. They became Kṛṣṇa conscious, they became all devotees. And if the leader is a sinful man and doing all impious activities, then how you can expect the citizens to be all good and pious? It is not possible. Therefore here, it is a very important subject matter. "Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men will follow in his footprints." Therefore good leader wanted. You haven't got to educate individually every citizen. If you have got a good leader, then the citizens automatically become good. And whatever standard he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues."
The person who has lost or who has left that thing there, he would come and pick it up. You cannot touch. That was the law. And if one was caught, a thief, his hands will be cut off. In Kashmir state this was the rule. As soon as a thief is arrested and if he's proved that he has stolen, the only punishment is cut his throat, aḥ, cut his hands. Bas. Exemplary punishment so that nobody will dare to steal. So this is second class, administrators. And the third class are to produce money—businessmen, mercantile. Money is also required. So without money nothing can be done, so that is not... But that is the occupation of..., the third class take. And the fourth class, śūdra. They cannot take any post as intelligent class or administrator class or money-producing class. They are simply servant, help others, śūdra.
Sītā's name is Jānakī, daughter of Mahārāja Janaka. So he is also a great authority. Prahlādo janako bhīṣmaḥ, and Bhīṣma, you have heard the name of Bhīṣma, the grandfather of Arjuna. He is also one of the authorities. And, prahlādo janako bhīṣmo balir, Mahārāja Bali, a king. He was a grandson of this Prahlāda Mahārāja. He became mahājana. All these persons, they became authorities by their exemplary character for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore they are considered as authorities. So, balir vaiyāsakir vayam. Vaiyāsakiḥ means the son of Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He's also authority.
It was an example that we should be always very careful about offering respects to the Supreme Lord. He was sitting on the vyāsāsana. Vyāsāsana, one who is sitting on the vyāsāsana, if somebody comes, he does not require to offer respect. That is the rule. But that is not applicable when God enters. No. (laughter) That was his offense. So exemplary. He was killed not with any weapon. One straw. He was immediately... Balarāma had some straw. So all the sages said that "Sir, we allowed him to sit on the vyāsāsana, and he was speaking. Now what is to be done? He's killed." So then Balarāma said, "All right. If you want, I can make him immediately alive." So they also considered that "If we say that 'Make him alive,' then... Balarāma's decision was to kill him. Then we overrule Him." Just see how the behavior.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and patronization by the royal family is very old relationship. So I came especially in Indore to see your holinesses..., er, highnesses, that if you give us some shelter we can immediately open a branch of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. I have brought with me forty American, European, Canadian students, and they will be exemplary teachers. You can see from their faces how they are advanced in spiritual consciousness, how they have accepted these principles of Vaiṣṇavism. They are no longer meat-eaters. They don't touch meat, egg, or fish, nothing of the sort. They have given up drinking habit or any kind of intoxications. They do not accept even tea, coffee and cigarette, and they do not take part in gambling, neither they have any illicit sex life. And they are observing ekādaśī days and other Vaiṣṇava festivals like Janmāṣṭamī, Śrī Rāma-navamī, and every temple, they are following the same principles.
Prabhupāda: That is intelligence. (break) And we shall pollute the whole world with this nuisance.
Devotees: Jaya. Haribol. (breaks)
Prabhupāda: ...become an exemplary gosvāmī to give fight to the gosvāmīs here. You are, how many years you are in Vṛndāvana? Huh? How many years you are here?
Guru dāsa: Two and half years.
Prabhupāda: Two and a half years. Now you should represent Rūpa Gosvāmī, and you should challenge them, "You are not gosvāmī. I am gosvāmī." But you have to be exemplary. Do you know what is the definition of gosvāmī?
Guru dāsa: One who works hard for Kṛṣṇa day and night and one who controls his senses.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the first thing. Vāco vegaṁ krodha-vegam udara-vegam upastha-vegaṁ manasa-vegam, etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt (NOI 1). One who can control these kinds of urges, vāco vegam, talking nonsense—that is called vāco vegam. Krodha-vegam, anger.
Prabhupāda: The next province. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...speaking all the words that he has learned from him. Very good. Very nicely he's presenting.
Mahāṁśa: He's an elderly gentleman?
Prabhupāda: No, no, only twenty-five. (break) ...all these culprits, the burglars, the thieves, they should be punished exemplary. (chuckles) Yes, that should be done. (break) One telegram: "Come immediately Bombay. Everything is all right, Kṛṣṇa has blessed you." (break) I mean to say intelligent in their part, they'll at least give a chance to him. Yes. (break) ...doing all right.
Just like in America, the president Nixon is charged with so many offenses. So... This is not good. He is the head of the state, and he has been charged with so many pollutions. Then how people will follow exemplary character?
Prabhupāda: Māyā. Māyā. Yes, we are fighting with this Māyic civilization.
Bhagavān: Because they can fight with guns, but afterwards neither one of them knows how to set an exemplary life. So they just keep fighting with guns.
Prabhupāda: With gun or without, gun, you will die. The fascist will die and the other party also will die. Gun or without gun, he cannot exist. But our fight is to stop death. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Our fight is for this purpose, no more death. This is real fight. Your, what is your fight? You may save yourself for two years or three years or ten years, but you have to die. You have no such program not to die. But here is a program, no more death.
Prabhupāda: This should be exemplary, that our community shall live in this way and save time for spiritual advancement of life. This example should be shown to the whole world, that "Here is a community. They have no problem, and they are simply interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." This will be the idea. Is it possible?
Prabhupāda: My first step will be to capture all the hoarders and distribute the grains free. Immediately public will be obliged to... There are immense food grains; they are simply hoarded. They are not selling without good price. This is going on. Immediately she can capture the public. And some of the hoarders should be hanged, yes, so that in future nobody will hoard. People are hungry. And she says she has got some program, garivi hatta(?), "Drive away the poverty." This is the point. If she can supply all consumer goods for the time being free to the poor, then immediately the whole population will be after her. And the hoarders should be exemplary punished. Shoot them, that's all. Then nobody will hoard. But to remain the dictator she requires spiritual knowledge. Otherwise it will be another disaster. If she wants to remain the dictator, then she must be a spiritual man. She must become a Vaiṣṇavī.
Satsvarūpa: But Śrīla Prabhupāda, in The Nectar of Devotion it says devotional service is so pure that there's no prāyaścitta necessary. Just again engage in your service.
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is not prāyaścitta. This is exemplary punishment. He was not liable to be punished, but they played that "This is the.... This should be done."
Guru-kṛpā: He did not kill himself immediately. He waited for a year.
Prabhupāda: He must do it because He's God. You do not... You have no conception. You explain that if there is no such things, then wherefrom it has come? God is the origin. In the Bible also it is said, "God said 'Let there be creation.' " So in the creation there are so many things. So therefore everything comes from God. That is Vedānta philosophy. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So why do you say, "Your God is like this"? God has everything. Otherwise how He's God? There is no meaning of God if He is deficient in something. But you do not know.
Satsvarūpa: They say He should be exemplary. God should be exemplary.
Prabhupāda: No. God is not bound to prove His example character to you. You are a rascal.
Prabhupāda: Bhagavad-gītā is not a sectarian. It is full of... Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). So it is practically proved, how they are taking Bhagavad-gītā. So it is science. It is actually life. So why not practice in India? It is not that everyone will be able, but there must be an exemplary sect. People may see that there is ideal. That we can do. India it is easier, because those who are born in India, constitutionally they have got that tendency. Simply we have to channelize. Then everything will be... So there is a good chance. Now the government has changed. They are after something very good, and the direction is there. If you take it seriously, there will be no difficulty.
| Page Title: | Exemplary (Lectures and Conv) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Serene |
| Created: | 20 of Oct, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=7, Con=9, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 16 |