There is a book, The Personalities of Mahābhārata. Bhagavad-gītā is part of Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means greater India. Mahā means greater, and bhārata means India. So this whole planet was Bhārata-varṣa. There was only one flag. The whole planet was being ruled by one king. That is the king of this Hastināpura. The fight is that, that who would be the king, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira or Duryodhana. But a king... It is not a democratic; it is monarchy. So Kṛṣṇa is deciding, "No, Duryodhana is unfit. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is fit." This is Kṛṣṇa's desire. Therefore this fight is there. Kurukṣetra. Kṛṣṇa wanted to wipe out all unwanted demons from the face of the world and enthrone Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira because he is the exact representative of Kṛṣṇa.
Ruler (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
These are from the same root. Śas-dhātu. Śas-dhātu means rule, ruling. So we can rule in various ways. We can be ruled, becoming a śiṣya of a proper guru. That is śas-dhātu. Or we can be ruled by śāstra, weapon. Just like king has got weapon. If you don't follow the king's instruction or government's instruction, then there is police force, military force. That is śāstra. And there is śāstra also. Śāstra means book, scripture. Just like Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there. So we must be ruled, either by śāstra, śāstra or guru. Or becoming śiṣya. Therefore it is said: śiṣyas te 'ham (BG 2.7). "I become voluntarily... I surrender unto You." "Now you become śiṣya. What is the proof that you have become My śiṣya?" Śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam. "Now I am fully surrender." Prapannam.
But some way or other, there is another division of Pakistan. So actually, long, long years ago there was no division of this planet. The planet is one, and the king was also one, and the culture was also one. The culture was Vedic culture, and the king was one. As I told you that the Kuru dynasty kings, they ruled over the world. It was monarchy. So there was a fight between two cousin brothers of the same family, and that is the theme of this Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā was spoken in the battlefield. In the battlefield, we have got very little time. This Bhagavad-gītā was spoken when the two parties met on the battlefield. And Arjuna, after seeing the other party, that the other party, all of them belonged to his family, all family members, because it was fight between cousin brothers, so he became compassionate.
That lesson, instruction, is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. And it is very easy to understand. The perplexity which Arjuna met at the Battle, in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra... The fight was between two sector of family members. They're cousin-brothers, one family, but there was some trouble, who would occupy the throne. From Mahābhārata we understand that the Pāṇḍavas, at least up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he ruled over the whole world. Bhāratavarṣa means the whole world, and the capital was here, Hastināpura. This information we get, Mahābhārata. Mahā means greater, and bhārata means India. Mahābhārata. So there was trouble, who will occupy the throne.
So many arguments. So Kṛṣṇa, when He saw that Arjuna is very much afflicted with the material ideas, so He wanted to teach him this Bhagavad-gītā. So first punishment... Not punishment, chastisement. Because Arjuna accepted that "The perplexities which I am facing is not possible to be solved except Yourself." He knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So he surrendered himself to Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam, kārpaṇya-doṣopahata svabhāvaḥ: (BG 2.7) "I am a kṣatriya. It is my duty to fight in right cases, and I am declining. This is my weakness. So kindly instruct me how I can give up this weakness. I am accepting You as my guru." Śiṣyas te 'ham. Śiṣya means who voluntarily accepts to be ruled by a person who is guru. He is called śiṣya.
For one thousand years the Mohammedans invaded India, from 1000 A.D. up to 1947, till the end of the British period. India was under subjugation by so many foreigners: Mohammedans, Greeks, and so many others. Lastly, the Mohammedans ruled for eight hundred years. And the Britishers ruled for two hundred years. So now they have got independence, India. So at that time the Bengal was being ruled by the Mohammedans, Pathans, and their entrusted ministers were these Rūpa and Sanātana. They were converted into practically Mohammedan. Hindu society was very strict at that time. Still they are very strict. Anyone serving a foreigner, he becomes at once ostracized. He is at once, I mean to say, rejected from the social intercourse. So these brothers, Rūpa and Sanātana, because they accepted Mohammedan rulers' service as minister, they were outcasted from the... They were actually brāhmaṇas by caste.
This was the system of Indian life. Hindus, Mohammedans, they used to live very peacefully. It is not a fact that Mohammedans were always aggressive. Otherwise, how they could rule over India for eight hundred years? The Britishers could not rule even two hundred years. But they ruled over India eight hundred years. Only due to Aurangzeb's policy, the Mogul empire dismantled.
That was the Muhammadan period. India was being governed by that time by the Pathans, and in Bengal there was a Pathan ruler whose name was Nawab Hussain Shah. This... But these gentlemen, Sakara Mallika and Dabir Khas, they were appointed minister in the service, in the governmental service of Nawab Hussain Shah. And, in those days, the Hindus were so strict that anyone accepting the service, especially the brāhmaṇas, if he accepts, if a brāhmaṇa accepts the service of anyone, especially who is not a Hindu, he is at once extricated from the society. So these two gentlemen, Sakara Mallika, they almost became... They changed their name also. They were actually brāhmaṇas, very intelligent, learned. They were very good scholars. In Parsee, er, Persian language, and Sanskrit language, they were very good scholars, but because they engaged themselves in the service of the Muhammadan ruler, they were, I mean to say, extricated from the brāhmaṇa society.
It is not easy to understand Bhagavān, or God. God is not the exact word of Bhagavān; therefore we use the word "Godhead." "Back to Godhead." Bhagavān means the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Being. God means the ruler, the controller. But when we come to the supreme controller, He is Bhagavān. You are controller, I am controller. I am controller of my disciples within the Kṛṣṇa conscious society, but I cannot control the whole world. I have got some... You are controller in your home, of your wife, children, servants. But you are also controlled. You are not absolute controller. Therefore Bhagavān means the absolute controller.
Śaraṇam. Śaraṇam means to take shelter of somebody. Especially in these days, however educated I may be, with an application I take shelter of a big man: "Please give me some employment." However great I may be... I may be very intelligent man to become the ruler of this country. Oh, I will have to, I mean to say, place flatters on the street: "Please vote for me. Please vote for me. Please reelect me." So I am taking śaraṇam. I am flattering. I am taking shelter in every moment. Why not God? Oh, when I say, "Oh, what do you say? Why do you say, Swamiji, about God?" So they will take shelter of dog but not God. You see? This is going on. Śaraṇaṁ suhṛt. Suhṛt means well-wisher. Who can become more well-wisher than God? Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29).
The principle is evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). This is stated in the fourth chapter, that this Bhagavad-gītā is coming by disciplic succession from sun-god. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "I first of all instructed this yoga system of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god." The sun planet, the Vivasvān... The present ruler of the sun planet is known as Vivasvān. So Vivasvān, his son was Manu, and Manu, the father of the mankind, his son was the king, Ikṣvāku, and King Ikṣvāku was the king of this earthly planet and, from him, this paramparā system or disciplic succession is coming down. But it has broken down. Lord said to Arjuna, sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. "In course of time, that disciplic succession has now broken. Therefore I make again you as My disciple."
Just like we have a manager, a head, on this planet. Now we have divided. Formerly this planet was one unit, and there one head, the emperor. Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was the emperor of the whole world. Parīkṣit Mahārāja. All kings formerly, whoever became king, emperor, he ruled over the whole planet. In each and every planet there was a ruler, but now, in the days of democracy, there are so many rulers, practically each and every one of us is a ruler. This is democracy.
But actually the arrangement is that ruler should be one, and the supreme ruler is Kṛṣṇa. Ruler means īśvara. So there are so many īśvaras. Īśvara means that actually there must be one īśvara, one ruler, but because here in this material world every one of us is trying to become īśvara, therefore the Māyāvādī philosophy is that everyone is īśvara. That's all right. But that īśvara is not sublime. I may become īśvara amongst my disciples, but I am not the supreme, I'm not īśvara of everyone. So īśvara is actually Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1), the śāstra says. There are īśvaras, rulers. That's all right. But the supreme ruler is Kṛṣṇa.
Out of these three Bharatas, the son of Ṛṣabhadeva is the person after whose name this planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. So another Bharata was the son of Mahārāja Duṣyanta. He was very powerful, supposed to be or partial incarnation of God. So in his life he would not allow the uncivilized men to exist. He was king. He used to kill them. Why uncivilized men? Even the kṣatriyas, if they are not ruling properly according to the kṣatriyas... Kṣatriyas are supposed to be the ruler of the world. But if they are deviating from their duties, Paraśurāma, the brāhmaṇa, would kill them. On the whole, in the Vedic civilization everyone should be in order. That was the set-up.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So many they manufacture. But you cannot do so, because the reference is there. Very old Purāṇas. Some rascal philosopher says Bhāgavata Purāṇa was compiled recently. How there is a reference within the Purāṇas? So this rascaldom has spoiled the whole Vedic culture. The so-called Westernized scholars... Because the real purpose was that the rulers(?), they did not want to present Indian culture as very old, because then their Darwin's theory will be spoiled. That was their nonsense proposition, that they are proposing that human brain is being developed. But if they accept that millions of years ago the brain was already there, then their rascals theory of Darwin will be spoiled.
Translation: "Thereafter, at the conjunction of two yugas, the Lord of the creation will take His birth as the Kalki incarnation and become the son of Viṣṇu Yaśā. At this time the rulers of the earth will have degenerated into plunderers."
Prabhupāda: So there are some remarkable points in this verse. Dasyu-prāyeṣu rājasu. Rājasu means government. Rāja, king, or government. So monarchy is now abolished practically all over the world. Now it is democratic government. So this so-called democratic government or Communist government, as they are going on, they will become rogues and thieves, dasyu-prāyeṣu. All the rogues, thieves, plunderers, they will capture. Because it is by vote. So dasyu... Just like plunderers, rogues, they on the point of revolver, they take away your money, so they will take vote on the point of revolver.
What was the business of the fifth-grade men, that has become the business of the so-called politicians. You see. So if you are ruled by the fifth-grade men, then how you can be happy? That is not possible. How there can be any social tranquillity? That is not possible. But even the fifth-grade man, he can be purified by Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Therefore there is great need of this movement. Because at the present moment there is no first-class men, no first-grade men, no second-grade men. Maybe third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth grade, like that. But they can be purified. That is... The only process is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Anyone can be purified. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). They are called pāpa-yoni, born in low-grade, sinful family.
Kṣatriya—how to become strong, stout, brave, no going away when there is challenge, not to go away from fighting, to possess land, to rule over, īśvara-bhāvaś ca, and charity. These are the kṣatriya qualifications. The charity was given by the kṣatriyas. Even there are instances that Muhammadan rulers in this country, they also gave in charity land and temple in Vṛndāvana. There are many instances. Aurangzeb gave some land, Jahangir gave some land. There is still one temple, it was constructed by Jahangir, and the other side of the Yamunā there is a village called Jahangir-pura. That village was given to the brāhmaṇas for maintaining the temple. So charity, that is kṣatriya's business, and perform yajñas, give in charity, to rule, not to go away from fighting, challenge, very strong, stout—these are kṣatriya qualification.
In every planet there is a person, representative of Kṛṣṇa, who is ruling over the planet. Just like the sun planet. The sun planet is being ruled by the sun-god. His name is Vivasvān. He was also instructed by Kṛṣṇa, and that is explained in the Fourth Chapter: imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā..." Just like He spoke to Arjuna, similarly He spoke also. And who can know? He spoke to all the rulers of different planets-Indra, Candra, Varuṇa, sun-god, moon-god, that... So many. Thirty-three millions of planets and thirty-three millions of rulers. So He wants His representative.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa gives His instruction. He's the supreme ruler. He gives this order: annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "You require food grains." This is practical. Who will disagree with Kṛṣṇa, that "We don't require food grains; we require bolts and nuts in the factory"? Who will say? This is practical. So they do not... Just like we see here that, that they do not grow food grains. They are growing jute because they will get some money, more money. But the rascal does not know that "I will get more money, and it will be taken away next by the food grain seller." So similarly, we are interested in industry, in plan-making, this, that, so many things. But Kṛṣṇa does not say that "You open slaughterhouse and industries and brothels and cinema." No.
So this monarchy is different. People now, they have taken to democracy. Democracy is also mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in the Kali-yuga there will be no more monarchy or the kingdom ruled by the kṣatriyas, but amongst the people who will be tricky, some way or other get the votes of the people, he will be seated on the throne. That is stated. Some way or other. So therefore, people are in trouble because so many rascals, they somehow or other manage to get some vote and become the president and minister and... So what they know? They do not know how to govern, how to bring peace in the country. But this monarchy, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, just see. Because for the sake of his personal interest so many have been killed, he was sorry.
So it is not that kind of kingdom. Here it is said, cakāra rājyaṁ dharmeṇa. Cakāra rājyaṁ dharmeṇa pitṛ-paitāmahaṁ vibhuḥ. He was so great, powerful. According to the tradition of the pitṛ-paitāmaham, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, recognized by his uncle, recognized by Kṛṣṇa, took up the reigns of the government, and dharmeṇa, according to the..., strictly to the shastric principle, he ruled over. This is king. So in the Bhāgavata you will find everything, politics, sociology, religion, culture, philosophy, science, everything you will find. It is not that simply dogmatic, something saying, some miracles.
So dharmeṇa rājyaṁ cakāra. Not whimsically, not by the high-court decision, no. No. There was no need of high-court decision if it is confirmed by the superiors. Just like Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra confirmed, "Yes, my dear boy, you can become king." Kṛṣṇa confirmed, "You can become king." So he became king. Fighting was also there. The fighting also, they came out victorious. But still, it was confirmed by Yudhiṣṭhira and Kṛṣṇa. Then he took over the charge of the government and he ruled the citizens, dharmeṇa, as it was done by his predecessor forefathers.
The whole world was called Bhārata-varṣa. Formerly it was called Ilāvṛta-varṣa. Since the reign of Mahārāja Bharata, this planet is called Bhārata-varṣa. So the Pāṇḍavas or the Kurus, they were the rulers of the world. As such, when there was fight between the two section of cousin-brothers, from all parts of the world, somebody joined this side, somebody joined that side. So I think in the Mahābhārata it is stated that sixty-four crores of men were killed, and many disappeared. Nobody knows about their whereabouts. So actually, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, dharma-bhṛtāṁ variṣṭhaḥ, he was so great, stalwart, foremost followers of religious principle. He was very, very sorry that "For my sake so many people let down their life." So he was not happy.
Translation: "Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, after being enlightened by what was spoken by Bhīṣmadeva and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the infallible, engaged himself in matters of perfect knowledge because all his misgivings were eradicated. Thus he ruled over the earth and seas and was followed by his younger brothers."
Prabhupāda: So here is a responsible monarch, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. It is not that some rascal gets some votes and some way or other he sits on the president's chair and secretly doing all nonsense. Just like your President Nixon is now detected, so many things. The monarchy was not like that. Here it is clearly said, pravṛtta-vijñāna-vidhūta-vibhramaḥ. Vijñāna-vidhūta. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was thinking that "For me, so many people have been killed. So I have become very, very much sinful. I am not fit for sitting on the throne, such responsible throne." But his misgivings were dissipated by the words of Bhīṣma.
So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira ruled over the earth. Now, it is clearly stated, paridhyupāntām, "up to the limit of the seas." That means all the seas—the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, the biggest oceans, the Indian Ocean. That means the whole world. Here is the proof, that formerly the emperors in Hastināpura, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he ruled over the whole world. There was only one flag. That is also stated. Up to the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, there was no division. The whole world was Bhārata-varṣa, and the emperor of Hastināpura, they ruled over, paridhyupāntām. Anujānuvartitaḥ. He was not alone. His brothers, Arjuna, Bhīma, Nakula, Sahadeva, great fighters, great commander-in-chiefs, generals, they were at his command. Anujānuvartitaḥ.
Śaśāsa gām indra ivājitāśrayaḥ. Gām indra iva ajitāśrayaḥ. Indra, the king of heaven, he ruled over this planet as perfectly as the heavenly king Indra does. How? Ajitāśrayaḥ, completely being devotee. So the king can rule over the country... Why country? The world, world over. If he takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, Ajitā means Kṛṣṇa conscious, God conscious, such person, as they are advised in the śāstra, then they can rule over the any part of the world or the whole world exactly like Indra, the king of heaven. He is ruling over perfectly. Paridhyupāntām anujānuvartitaḥ. So in this way Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira... (reading:) "Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, after being enlightened by what was spoken by Bhīṣmadeva and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the infallible, engaged himself in matters of perfect knowledge because all his misgivings were eradicated. Thus he ruled over the earth and seas and was followed by his younger brothers."
So an ideal king like Yudhiṣṭhira, he can rule over not only over the land, over the seas, all over the planet. This is the ideal. (reading:) "The modern English law of primogeniture, or the law of inheritance by the firstborn, was also prevalent in those days when Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira ruled the earth and the seas." That means whole planet, including the seas. (reading:) "In those days the king of Hastināpura, now part of New Delhi, was the emperor of the world, including the seas, up to the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the grandson of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. His younger brothers were acting as his minister and commanders of state, and there was full cooperation between the perfectly religious brothers of the King. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was the ideal king or representative of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa..." The king should be the representative of Kṛṣṇa. (reading:) "...to rule over the kingdom of earth and was comparable to King Indra, the representative ruler of the heavenly planet.
So here Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja ruled over this planet, Bhāratavarṣa, dharmeṇa. Here it is said, cakāra rājyaṁ dharmeṇa. Exactly... And here also it is confirmed, that bhīṣmoktam acyutoktam. Niśamya bhīṣmoktam atha acyutoktam. So if such kind of king is there, then everything is all right. Everything. And establishing such pious king... Here it is stated, yudhiṣṭhiraṁ prīta-manā babhūva, īśvara, īśvara, niveśayitvā nija-rājya īśvaro yudhiṣṭhiraṁ prīta-manā babhūva. And Kṛṣṇa, why He took part in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra? He wanted that these rascals should be removed, the Duryodhana and company. And Yudhiṣṭhira must be there.
Mahīm. Mahīm means this earthly planet. Up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, five thousand years ago, the whole world was being ruled over by one king, one emperor. There were no so many nations or no so many presidents or... No. Simply one king. Mahīm, this world. Mahīm means the earthly planet. This is the history. From Mahā-bhāgavata, er, Mahābhārata we understand that, that the whole world was under one flag, these Pāṇḍavas. Now United Nations means three thousand flags, three thousand nations. So that is not democracy, or that is not good ruling. The best ruling is monarchy, and monarch means he must be a perfectly trained-up person by the best brāhmaṇas. That is perfect government. Not that this democracy, some rascals and fools they are voting another rascal and fool, and by hook and crook he comes to the post. He does not like to give it up, and makes things very miserable.
Mahā-bhāgavata. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that "People, you become devotees, bhāgavata, and you select one mahā-bhāgavata to be your ruler. Then you will be happy. Not only bhāgavata. Not of your caliber, but still further." There are bhāgavata... There are three kinds of devotees. Three kinds of devotees means neophyte, middle class and mahā-bhāgavata. Mahā-bhāgavata. Mahā-bhāgavata means one who can see God in everything and everything in God. That is mahā-bhāgavata. That is explained in Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed ātmā: "He does not see anything except God, everything in God and God in everything." That is the qualification of mahā-bhāgavata. So just see how elevated Mahārāja Parīkṣit, that he was mahā-bhāgavata. In another place, he has written... I forget that word. That is also mahā-bhāgavata.
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was not an ordinary person. He was mahā-bhāgavata. Mahīṁ mahā-bhāgavataḥ śaśāsa, ruled over, a great devotee. It does not mean a great devotee is simply engaged in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. No. A great devotee may be the chief of the executive function of the state. He can become. That is required. Not that only mahā-bhāgavata required in church or temples. No. Mahā-bhāgavata required also as the head of the chief executive function. That is also required. Otherwise how people will be happy? Every field, there must be mahā-bhāgavata. So my Guru Mahārāja used to say that when we shall see that the high-court judges are devotees of Kṛṣṇa, then our preaching will be somewhat forward. So that is the aim of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that everyone, at least those who are ruling, those who are on the executive function, they must be all mahā-bhāgavata. Under them everything should be ruled.
Pradyumna: "Mahārāja Parīkṣit then conquered all parts of the earthly planet—Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Bhārata, the northern portion of Kuru-jāṅgala, Kimpuruṣa, etc.—and exacted tributes from their respective rulers." (SB 1.16.12)
Prabhupāda: So in this verse it is descriptive, different parts of the world. So the important word is here, vijitya jagṛhe balim. Balim, I do not know how it is said, "strength." Tax, tributes. The king, the emperor, would conquer a country and levy tax. Must give at least token. Doesn't matter even one pound or one dollar per year, but he must pay something, token. That means he agrees to become subordinate. Just like according to rent act, a poor man must pay something. It may be... In our country it is so... So that the landlord has the claim. Without rent, after some years it becomes his property.
So these descendants of the Bhārata dynasty, especially... Not especially. All of them. When Parīkṣit Mahārāja was born, so... I have told you already. Learned scholars in astrology, they were calculating the horoscope of the newly born child. So he was being described that "This child, this baby now born, he will be hero like this. He will be devotee like this. He'll be..." This horoscope made, in future what he will be. So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was anxious and he informed the learned brāhmaṇas that "This is all right. I thank you for your calculation. First of all, I want to know whether he will follow his forefathers. I want to know." That was the question. Because that Bhārata dynasty, they were rulers of the world, emperors and great devotees at the same time. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). They were not emperors and kings, simply tax collector. No. They were rājarṣayaḥ, rājarṣi. Rājarṣi means royal majesty. But in their behavior, they exactly like great saintly persons. Rāja and ṛṣi. That is called rājarṣi. Rāja means royal king and ṛṣi means saintly person.
So here it is said, the enquiry, that kiṁ kṣatra-bandhūn kalinā upasṛṣṭān rāṣṭrāṇi vā tair avaropitāni: "Are you very much anxious that, on account of this Kali-yuga, that kṣatra-bandhūn, the rulers, they have occupied the rāṣṭra position, the government position?" So what is the symptom of such a rascal government? That is also stated. Itas tato vāśana-pāna-vāsaḥ-snāna-vyavāyonmukha-jīva-lokam. There will be no fixed position of these things. Just see. What are these? Aśana, eating. Aśana, pāna, drinking; vāsaḥ, residence; snāna, taking bath; and vyavāya, sexual intercourse. There is no rules and regulation. Irresponsible government means, the Kali's government means, that these things will be irregular, not regularized. Just see.
Tayor evaṁ kathayatoḥ: while the Dharmarāja and the earthly planet was talking between themselves, pṛthivī... Pṛthivī. Tayor evaṁ kathayatoḥ, pṛthivī, the earthly planet and dharmayos tadā. Tadā: "that time," parīkṣin nāma rājarṣiḥ. Parīkṣin nāma rājarṣiḥ. There were many rājarṣis. Rājarṣi means although they're occupying the royal position... Rāja. Rāja and prajā. Rāja means king or the ruler. Here is also regulative principle. Why a king is accepted? Why a governor is accepted? Why a president is...? Even in this day of democracy—we have abolished the system of monarchy—but still, they select somebody to become a monarch, a king, or to occupy the post of the king.
The brāhmaṇa means the most intelligent class of men in the society. Kṣatriya means the administrators, the politicians, the rulers of the society. Vaiśya means the productive class, traders, industrialists, those who are producing money or food, vaiśya. And śūdra means ordinary workers. That is the Vedic social system. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), "The social order, the brāhmaṇa, the kṣatriya, the vaiśya, and the śūdra, they are created by Me." So anything created by God is present everywhere within the universe. So point is that don't think that the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, these divisions of society are in India only, no. Everywhere. Everywhere there are men who are very intelligent. They are supposed to be brāhmaṇa class. Then less, the politicians, the rulers, kṣatriya class. Then less, the traders, industrialists, they are vaiśyas. And the ordinary workers, they are śūdras.
Bhārata means he is the descendant of King Bharata Mahārāja, under whose name this whole planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. This is Bhāratavarṣa. This planet is called Bhāratavarṣa because formerly it was ruled by Mahārāja Bharata, the son of Ṛṣabhadeva. Therefore it is called Bhārata-varṣa. So this Mahārāja Parīkṣit belonged to that dynasty, Bhārata dynasty, and he is addressed as Bhārata. Sometimes you will find Arjuna is also addressed as Bhārata, Vidura is addressed as Bhārata, because they belongs to the same family, Bhārata family. So tasmād bhārata: "My dear king, Parīkṣit Mahārāja..." Tasmād bhārata sarvātmā, sarvātmā. Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa is only in Goloka Vṛndāvana.
King Bharata, from whose name the Bhāratavarṣa, the word Bhāratavarṣa has come. This planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. This planet, earthly planet, is called Bhāratavarṣa because it was ruled over by the King Bharata. Gradually, the original Vedic culture lost, Aryan, Aryan family... You French people, you are also Aryan family, but the culture is lost now. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is actually reviving the original Aryan culture. Bhārata. We are all inhabitants of Bhāratavarṣa, but as we lost our culture, it became divided. Now it is divided into so many countries: "This is India," "This is France," "This is Germany," "This is this," "This is this." But formerly, the whole planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa.
Prabhupāda: Intoxication also. Just like Balarāma, He was drinking madhu. Yes. You have not seen it? He was also enjoying in the company of women. Because He is kṣatriya. The kṣatriyas are allowed polygamy, drinking, intoxication, because they are king. They must have facility. At the same time they are ruling over the country. They take consulting great sages, saintly persons. And if he is not in order, these saintly persons would dethrone him. Pṛthu Mahārāja's father was killed, Veṇa. He was not according to the system. He was killed.
Pradyumna: I don't understand how sometimes we..., how the intoxication of some type of wine would go along with the ruling of a country.
Prabhupāda: Well, for rulers is a pleasure. They must have some pleasure. Just like ordinary men, they drink with woman, dancing, it is a recreation. So this is material recreation, to be little intoxicated and several nice young girls around. That gives him some encouragement. You see? They have to take so much risk, so much responsibility. For recreation they require it. They should be given little facility.
And that knowledge was taken by the kṣatriyas, and they were distributing. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Vedic knowledge was first of all taken up by the kṣatriyas. Brāhmaṇas, they used to cultivate knowledge and they used to advise the kṣatriyas, rulers, and they took it and they distributed to the general mass of people for the elevation of the spiritual platform. This is civilization. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). This is creation of God, cātur-varṇyaṁ: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. This is called varṇa, and as spiritual cultivation, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. So our civilization, Vedic civilization, means varṇāśrama-dharma, following the four principles of varṇas and four principles of āśrama. The ultimate goal is God realization.
Many thousands of years before, Ṛṣabhadeva... He is accepted as the incarnation of Godhead, king or emperor of the world. He instructed His sons. He had one hundred sons, and He was... Before retiring from His family life, He wanted to install His eldest son, Mahārāja Bharata, on the throne. And before retiring He was instructing His other sons as follows. Mahārāja Bharata was a great king, and after his name, India is called Bhāratavarṣa. This planet is..., was known before that as Ilāvṛtavarṣa, and after Mahārāja Bharata ruled, this planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa. Gradually, the planet was divided into so many other states. Now Bhāratavarṣa means a small piece of land known as India.
So there are two kinds of ruler or controller. One is the government, and the other is the teacher. Or guru means spiritual master. Spiritual master can control. The disciples obey the order of the spiritual master out of love. Guror-hitam. This is brahmacārī. Brahmacārī guru-gṛhe vasan dānto guror hitam. What guru wants, the brahmacārī has to do, not for his hitam. Just like Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa: śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). So Arjuna, for his personal benefit he did not want to fight, but for Kṛṣṇa's sahitam, hitam, for benefit of Kṛṣṇa, he fought. This is the example. He did not like to kill his kinsmen for his hitam. "Oh, if I kill my kinsmen I'll go to hell, I'll be responsible, this, that..." So many arguments he put forward. That means he was considering his hitam, not Kṛṣṇa's hitam.
Therefore either the government or the spiritual master, they should not give program, big, big program, plans. Nowadays in material world... In material world this is always. The plan is... There is planning commission by the government. Why? To engage them to work very hard. That is going on. So when you are ruling, controlling, there may be some disobedience. Therefore it is the duty of the spiritual master not to be angry because the disciples or the followers, they are fools. Sometimes they commit mistake; they do not obey. But the ruler, the spiritual master, the government, has to tolerate. And still, vimanyava, sādhava. That is sādhu, vimanyava.
The Mahārāja Parīkṣit said, "One may know that sinful activity is injurious for him because he actually sees that a criminal is punished by the government and rebuked by people in general, and because he hears from the scriptures and learned scholars that one is thrown into hellish condition in the next life for committing sinful act. Nevertheless, in spite of such knowledge one is forced to commit sins again and again, even after performing acts of atonement. Therefore what is the value of such atonement?" (break) Parīkṣit Mahārāja was ruler, the king. He knew everything practically, that so many citizens committing criminal act were imprisoned and punished. Still, they, after coming back from the jail, prisonhouse, again committed. So on the whole, Parīkṣit Mahārāja did not like, the process of prāyaścitta is ultimately beneficial to the people.
And where drinking, intoxication, is encouraged, you can stay there. And where gambling is there, you can stay there." So he could not find any place throughout the whole world where these things were going on. That is the kingdom of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. There was no chance. So it is the government's duty to see that people are very nicely ruled so that they become all pious. That is the duty of the government. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Because if the king, monarch, is properly instructed, and if he orders that "My subject, my citizens, should follow this order," then it will be automatically followed out. By king's order... So in the Kali-yuga, this age, there is no such king. There is no such government.
But formerly it was not so small. Greater India means India and outside also. And so far we collect records from the Mahābhārata, part of Europe, also India. Up to Greek and Rome. Therefore it is called Mahābhārata. And when there was the Battle of Kurukṣetra, all kings and rulers from different parts of the world, they joined either this party or that party. The Kaurava, the dynasty of the Kurus, they were ruling all over the world. The capital was Hastināpura, which is now known as New Delhi. It is very old. And the emperor, up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, they were ruling all over the world. There was one flag, not many flags. Therefore it is called Mahābhārata.
Then kṣatriya, next, second-class man. So what is his livelihood? His livelihood: to take tax. The kṣatriyas were entrusted certain villages, that "You look after these villages, that the people are becoming well behaved." So kṣatriya's business was to see whether brāhmaṇa is actually acting as brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya actually acting as kṣatriya. This was the ruler's business to see. And to see that nobody is unemployed, nobody is a devil's workshop. Because if you have no business, no occupation, then your brain will plan something. This plan is cauryam and cheating. They had no opportunity to plan all these things. So kṣatriya's income is to take some tax. What is that tax? Not in money. But people are engaged in agricultural work, so whatever he has produced, he gives twenty-five percent to the ruler. That's all. That includes income tax, this tax, that tax. No more tax. "Take. Whatever I have got, you take twenty-five percent." So this is kṣatriya's occupation, second class.
Dharma-rājasya śāsanam. There is a ruling all over the universe under the jurisdiction of Dharmarāja, or the supreme judge, for considering sinful and pious activities. There is a big government within this universe. But those who are thinking very poorly, without any advanced knowledge, atheist, they think that everything is coming automatically. Anīśva, anīśvara rahuḥ.(?) They say there is no īśvara, supreme ruler, and everything is happening by nature. But they cannot explain what is nature. At least, they have to admit nature is a power which is controlling him. We are not independent of the laws of nature. That is not possible. Even if you accept nature, then you are under the control of nature.
So anyway, we are dependent on the laws of nature. That nobody can deny, even the greatest scientist, he cannot also deny. And because we are under the control of the laws of nature, we must admit, if we are sane man, that there is a system of ruling. If we deny the supreme ruler, we may do it madly, but there must be a systematic action, reaction. So here is Dharmarāja. Just like we have got magistrate. So magistrate's duty is, when a criminal is brought before him, to judge what kind of punishment he should be allowed. Justice there is. Similarly, this Dharmarāja means the criminals are brought before him.
Just like we have here a small place. In Hawaii you have got so many government officers, rulers. And do you think such a vast (indistinct) is manifested and there is no ruling? Just see how poor thought. There is ruling. Don't think all of a sudden that... Any sane man can understand that things are being carried systematically—the seasonal changes, the seasonal fruits and flowers, the sunrise, the moonrise, the birds, death, old age, disease, everything systematically. And is that happening by chance? Why by chance one does not live forever? There is no such chance, sir. There is ruling. You cannot say, "Now here is a chance the man has not died." Where is that chance? Why do you speak of nonsense chance? It is not chance. It is ruling. You must die. However, utopianly says, "Now we shall live." Oh, that is not. There is ruler.
If you don't behave yourself as an ideal man, you cannot preach. Your preaching will not be successful. Āpani ācari prabhu jīveri śikṣāya. Because the nature's law is that ordinary men, they follow the ideal. If there is rājarṣi, kṣatriya, ruler, king, just like saintly person, like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Parīkṣit, Lord Rāmacandra—there are many—Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, then people will be happy. Just like it is described, during the reign of Mahārāja Parīkṣit there was no trouble at all of the citizens. They were free from even ordinary minor diseases. It is said there, in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. And so far production is concerned, it is said that the land was producing all the necessities.
So they protested to the magistrate, Muhammadan magistrate, Chand Kazi, that "This Caitanya, the Nimāi Paṇḍit, He has inaugurated one movement that 'Simply by chanting one will become liberated.' This is not according to our Hindu scripture. So you may be Muhammadan, but you are our ruler. You should give us some protection. Otherwise this Nimāi Paṇḍit will ruin our Hindu religion." This was the complaint. So after all, he is the magistrate. He took some action, and he forbade through the constables that "You cannot chant." Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was informed by His followers that "We have been ordered by the magistrate to stop..." Just like in foreign countries we are being very occasionally arrested by the police, taken to the jail.
Prabhupāda: What he has written? "In this age government is ruled by...?"
Guest: The lowest class.
Prabhupāda: "Lowest class of men." He is bold enough to declare like that. One of my, our students, he has written an article in which he has said that "At the present moment, everywhere, the government is ruled by lowest class of men." And he's right in this sense because this is the verdict of the Vedas. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad guṇā (SB 5.18.12). Unless one is a devotee of the Personality of Godhead, he cannot have any good qualification. That's a fact. And one who is a devotee, all good qualifications automatically develop. (noise) What is this? Hm?
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there are twelve cantos, out of which we are just trying to explain in the Fifth Canto..., not Fifth Canto, Seventh Canto, Fifth Chapter, Prahlāda Mahārāja's upākhyāna. So Prahlāda Mahārāja, his father Hiraṇyakaśipu was so powerful king that he became by force, demonic force, he became practically the ruler of the all planets. There are different planetary system within this universe. So this demon Hiraṇyakaśipu, some way or other, he achieved great prowess and he conquered over all the planets. Even the demigods, they were under the subjugation of Hiraṇyakaśipu.
I thank our Bhūrijana Prabhu for this work. But this is the aim for training them in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, brahmacārī. If one becomes very solid in Kṛṣṇa consciousness then his further progress of life. Just like I was quoting the instance of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja was a devotee from the very birth, but he was a great king, he was a great ruler. Dhruva Mahārāja, he was also a devotee from the very beginning of his life, but he was a great ruler, a great king. So do not misunderstand that by accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness everything will be stopped. No. Nothing will be stopped. Simply one has to change the consciousness. That's all. Just like Arjuna did. Arjuna was a fighter in the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. He remained a fighter after hearing Bhagavad-gītā. He did not change his position as a fighter, as a kṣatriya.
That also we cannot do very properly because we are meant for different purpose in India. In India, one who has taken birth in India, it is understood that in his previous birth he tried to cultivate spiritual culture; therefore he has been given the opportunity to take birth in India. India is so fortunate. But as soon as he takes birth, the rascal leader spoils him, the rascal father spoils him, the rascal teacher spoils him. So what can they do, the poor younger generation? They are being taught that "The spiritual culture is useless. Because we are so much spiritually inclined, the foreigners came and they ruled over us. Now give up all this nonsense. Become technologist." This is going on.
This is a conversation between Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, five thousand years ago he was the emperor of the whole world. Formerly, up to five thousand years ago, the whole world was being controlled and ruled over by kings whose capital was Hastināpura, New Delhi. There was only one flag, only one ruler, one scripture, Vedic scripture, and the Aryans, Arya, they were the civilized persons. You Europeans, Americans, you are also Aryans. Indo-European stock. Mahārāja Yayāti, grandson of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he gave to his two sons the portion of eastern Europe, Greek and Roman. That is the history, Mahābhārata.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Do not misunderstand that we are trying to spread Hinduism. Hinduism is a fictitious term. Because there is no fixed-up conclusion. Somebody's accepting this, somebody... Even the Jains and the Sikhs and many other sub-religions, they are also ruled by the Hindu rules, Hindu law. So actually this word Hindu is given by the Muhammadans. We don't find this word in the Vedic literature, Hindu. It is later, I mean to say, prakṛta. Or in Bhagavad-gītā you won't find the word Hindu. Or in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Or any other Vedic literature. This is the convention of latest age. Actually, we, the followers or Vedic principles, our system is varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. This is, this can be applicable. But varṇāśrama-dharma is applicable in any, in anywhere. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13).
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Then whole world, the people, will suffer. That is the position now. There is no standard ruler. A ruler must be representative of Kṛṣṇa. Then... Then everything will be... Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was representative of Kṛṣṇa. Or Lord Rāmacandra, He was God Himself. Such executive head needed, not these rascals. Then you'll never be happy. Simply by hook and crook you select some rascal president; you'll never be happy. He must be Kṛṣṇa Himself or Kṛṣṇa's representative. Then people will be happy. Imaṁ rājarṣayoḥ viduḥ. They are thinking that "The Bhagavad-gītā is meant for some parasites. They are doing nothing, and they are indulging in reading Bhagavad-gītā and living at the cost of others." They are thinking like that. But actually the ruler should be the well-conversant student of Bhagavad-gītā. That is the statement in the Bhagavad-gītā. Imaṁ rājarṣayoḥ viduḥ.
There are two kṣatriya families, and still they claim, one from the sun-god, and one from the moon-god. Candra-vaṁśa, sūrya-vaṁśa. In this material world, there are two kṣatriya families. Kṣatriyas are meant for ruling over. So everything is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. So you have to select ruler from these two dynasties. Actually. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). You have seen the picture drawn by our artists, that Kṛṣṇa is instructing the sun-god. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). So Vaikuṇṭha-loka is there. There is no problem. But you can make this māyā-loka also Vaikuṇṭha-loka by spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same quality. Just like iron is iron, but you can make it fire.
So Mahāprabhu is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. He's Kṛṣṇa. As it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvara means ruler or controller. So all of us more or less a little controller or ruler, but not the absolute ruler. The absolute ruler is Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, the absolute prabhu, master, is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So, tāṅhāra caraṇāśrita: The prabhu... Everyone is prabhu—that's all right—but if that prabhu takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Mahāprabhu, sei baḍa dhanya, he becomes glorified. Not to remain satisfied becoming a prabhu of your wife, children, family, country, or this or that, but you should try to become the servant of Mahāprabhu. Tāṅhāra caraṇāśrita (CC Adi 7.2). He's glorified because he receives... To become under the lotus feet of Śrī. If you take shelter of the Supreme Prabhu, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then your life is successful.
So as it is stated in all Vedic literature and spoken by Kṛṣṇa, we are all individual, all individual. Svayaṁ bhagavān ekale īśvara. But the difference is that He is the supreme ruler, īśvara. Īśvara. Īśvara means ruler. Actually He is ruler, and we are also ruler, but we are subordinate ruler . Therefore He is ekale īśvara, one ruler. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇa, in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Ekale īśvara. Īśvara cannot be many. That is not īśvara. The Māyāvāda philosophy that everyone is God, that is not very right conclusion. That is rascaldom. Kṛṣṇa says, mūḍha. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). One who does not submit to the supreme īśvara, the Supreme Lord, you should know it perfectly well that "Here is a mūḍha, rascal," because it is not that everyone, we can become īśvara. That is not possible. There is then no meaning of īśvara. Īśvara means the ruler. Suppose we are in a group, this, our International Society. If everyone becomes ruler or ācārya, then how it can be managed? No. There must be some head. That is the principle in our practical life. We follow our political leaders. We cannot say that "I belong to this party" unless I follow a leader. That is natural.
This nityānām is plural number, and nitya is singular number. So God is nitya, one, singular number, and we, we are being ruled. We are plural number. This is the difference. And how He is ruling the plural number? Because eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He's supplying all the necessities of life of all these plural number; therefore He's īśvara, He's Kṛṣṇa, He's God. One who provides all the necessities of life, He's īśvara, He's Kṛṣṇa, He's God. So we can very well understand that we are being maintained by Kṛṣṇa, and why we should not be ruled by Him? This is a fact. Now, you can see in this country, in this village, Māyāpur, their so many food grains are growing, but who is supplying? That is Kṛṣṇa.
So God cannot be dead. If we are not ever dead—na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20)—how God can be dead? That is another foolishness. God cannot be dead. Nitya. Then there is no meaning of nitya. So this is the position of Kṛṣṇa; He is the Supreme Person, supreme ruler without any competitor. Advitīya, no competition. Here we have got competition, but Kṛṣṇa there is no competition. There cannot be any competition. You cannot say that Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā or any other demigods, they are also as good as Kṛṣṇa, equally. No. That is not possible. Then he would not have used this word advitīya. There cannot be any competition. If somebody puts any competitor before Kṛṣṇa, he's a pāṣaṇḍī.
So the śāstra says that controller or ruler is the same, and the Sanskrit synonym is īśvara. Īśvara means controller or ruler. So there are different kinds of controllers according to time, sphere. Just like in your country, the President is the controller. In other country somebody is controller. So there are many hundreds and thousands of planets within this universe, and each and every planet there is a controller. The sun planet, there is a controller. His name is Vivasvān. That we find. Similarly, the moon planet, there is a controller. Every planet, there is controller.
Kṛṣṇa was his friend, but he accepted Him guru. Accepting guru means if you accept somebody guru, then whatever he will say, you have to accept. Śiṣya. Śiṣya means one who is ruled. So if you voluntarily accept somebody, that "I shall be ruled by you," that is guru. Not that "I shall rule over you by giving some money." Then it is not accepting guru. Guru means in all circumstances. Guror hitam. Brahmacārī guru-kule vasan dānto guror hitam (SB 7.12.1). Therefore the first training is to live in gurukula, to learn how to respect guru, how to abide by the orders of guru. So Kṛṣṇa is guru. So Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as guru. Śiṣyas te 'ham (BG 2.7). "I am Your now disciple. Now give, teach me." Then Bhagavad-gītā was begun. Not before that.
Festival Lectures
Prabhupāda: He has to do everything under the instruction of the spiritual master. That is his duty. Śiṣya. Śiṣya means who voluntarily accepts disciplinary measures from the spiritual master. He's ruled by the spiritual master.
Indian lady: Can the death of a spiritual master take to us, or I can get... Is that spiritual master still guiding after the death? (?)
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Just like Kṛṣṇa is guiding us, similarly, spiritual master will guide. We are being guided by Kṛṣṇa, by the Bhagavad-gītā. Although Kṛṣṇa is not physically present, so-called... Kṛṣṇa is present always. But even if we say that Kṛṣṇa is not physically present as He was present before Arjuna, still, His book, Bhagavad-gītā, is there. And that Bhagavad-gītā is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's teaching, the same, absolute.
Initiation Lectures
Puru dāsa. There was a very powerful king. His name was Puru. He was a devotee. The same thing, to become ruler of the senses. Come on. We are all ruled by the senses. Senses dictate and we follow. This is the general condition, and we have to become ruler of the senses. Then it is successful. Generally people are ruled by the senses. My sense says, "Please take me to the cinema," the eyes. I immediately go and stand there three hours for the ticket. You see? So I am ruled by the senses. And when you will be strong enough, the eyes will say, "Please take me to the cinema," and you will say, "No, you cannot go to the cinema." Then you are ruler. So one is go-dāsa. Go-dāsa means servant of the senses. And one is gosvāmī, master of the senses. That is the difference between gosvāmī and go-dāsa. Go means senses. When we are servant of the senses, then we are in the material world. And when we are master of the senses, then we are in the spiritual world. Come on. Hare Kṛṣṇa. You have got. All right.
Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means the same thing, master of the senses. Hṛṣīka means senses, and hṛṣīka-īśa..., īśa means ruler or master. So actually hṛṣīkeśa means Kṛṣṇa. He is the master of the senses. And bhakti means hṛṣīka..., hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Our hṛṣīkeśa means if we be under the control of Hṛṣīkeśa, then these senses now being used for other purposes, upādhi, designations... Just like one is very busy in his national work. Means he is giving service to a designation, falsely thinking that "I am this body," "This body is American," "This body is Indian," "This body is this." So under this false impression he is giving service. This is one stage. And when we are freed from this, all these false impressions, and give service to Kṛṣṇa, that is our perfect stage. So Hṛṣīkeśa means Hṛṣīkeśa dāsa, to become the servant of the Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṇa is Hṛṣīkeśa, so your name is Hṛṣīkeśa dāsa. Come on. Hare Kṛṣṇa. All right.
In the dictionary, English dictionary, God means Supreme Being. So Supreme Being, He's also living being. He's not a dead stone. The difference is that He is the maintainer, and we are maintained. He is the ruler; we are ruled. This difference we have to understand. And He is the proprietor; we are servants. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy is this. That is a fact. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). So this consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is being spread all over the world for the peace of the world, for the peace of the mind, for the peace of the society.
General Lectures
There are many instances. So when you accept this material world in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you'll taste that love of Godhead, even in this material world. Actually, material world means completely in forgetfulness of God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is material world. Otherwise, if you are in full consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, you'll find only spiritual world, even in this material world. Consciousness—it is all consciousness. The same example. Just like the king and the bug is sitting on the same throne, but the bug knows that "My business is simply to get some blood." That's all. The king knows that "I have to rule. I am the ruler of this country." So sitting on the same place, but the consciousness is different. Similarly, if you change your consciousness to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, wherever you are, you are in Vaikuṇṭha. Wherever, it doesn't matter.
We cannot interpret on the words of God because religion means the words of God. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). The principles of religion cannot be made by any human being as much as law cannot be made by the citizens. Law is made by the government. That law is accepted. That is obligatory. Similarly, religion means the words of God. Man-made religion has no value. The Bhāgavata says, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo atra: (SB 1.1.2) "Such cheating process or pseudo religion process is completely eradicated from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." Religion means obedience to the Supreme Lord. And the ruler and the king or the chief of the government is also accepted as representative of Nārāyaṇa.
So the Vedic civilization accepts the king or the ruler as representative of God, and he is given the... Not only in India. In other countries also, so far we know, in England also the royal family, the king and the queen is given respect as good as to the God. In every country, in Japan also. That was the system all over the world, the relationship between the citizen and the king. Gradually, with the progress of the Kali-yuga, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was the last kṣatriya king to give protection all over the world. And when he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy, his father regretted that "My dear boy, you have brought a scar amongst the brāhmaṇa society by cursing a king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit."
There was one God, Kṛṣṇa; one scripture, Bhagavad-gītā; one consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and one work, service of the Lord. From Mahābhārata, the great history of India, we can understand that up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the whole world was ruled by one flag, this Vedic culture. Gradually it deteriorated, as we have practical experience. Twenty years ago there was no Pakistan, but now Pakistan is existing. Similarly, the whole planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa. This Bhārata-varṣa name was after the king Mahārāja Bhārata, the son of Ṛṣabhadeva. Before that, this planet was known as Ilāvṛta-varṣa.
Then their next qualification, next engagement was nana-śāstra-vicaraṇaika-nipunau. Śāstra, all kinds of Vedic literature. Śāstra means which governs. The Vedic literature governs. There is a verbal root which is called śāst. Śāst means to rule. The ruling, there are three kinds of ruling. One ruling is śāstra, law codes. Just like every civilized country is ruled by the laws of the state, and the statute book which contains all the rules, that is called law books. That is also śāstra. That is śāstra. And then another śāsdhātu is śastra. Śastra means weapons, that like guns, swords. Śāstra and śastra. So there are two sections of people: those who are civilized, they are ruled by the śāstra, by the law codes, and those who are law-breakers, they are ruled by the śastra, weapons.
These are mentioned already in the Vedic literature. So it is not that the world was not known to Vedic culture. It was fully known. And one king—he was that Mahārāja Pṛthu—he was the only one ruler all over the world, and he was ruling over these seven islands—that is mentioned-although his residential quarter was in the Brahmāvarta, the piece of land between the rivers Yamunā and Ganges. That tract of land is still considered a very sanctified land. Practically all the Vedic culture is there still. So the example is that as there is a chief man or king... He is also supposed to be God's representative. God gives power to somebody to look after the interest of the inhabitants of that particular planet. Similarly, there is a king in the sun planet.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, that's a fact, very good. But the best thing is monarchy, because if the monarch is rājarṣi, he is not only king... That is necessary. Kṛṣṇa wants that, that the government should be ruled; therefore we praise, offer so much respect to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Lord Rāmacandra, how to become an ideal king. He is Personality of Godhead. He showed how to become Rāma-rājya. So this is very good because it is not expensive. One man is maintained by the state very nicely, and nowadays these democracies' mob rule means instead of one king there are 300,000 kings in a state, and they are looting the hard-earned money by income tax, and everything is so polluted. So the condemnation of democracy is supported by us. It is mob rule. It has no value.
Prabhupāda: But they do not know what is good. They encroach upon others' property for their personal sense gratification. Otherwise, if for the good of the local people somebody, some (indistinct), just like the Aryans, they conquered over many islands or places, but that was for the good of them. Just like the Pāṇḍavas, they also ruled over, but the Pāṇḍavas were God conscious devotees and they made everyone enlightened in God consciousness. That kind of encroachment. Just like Lord Rāmacandra went to Ceylon, or Lanka, and conquered over it, because Rāvaṇa was a demon. So He conquered, Lord Rāmacandra conquered over the property of Rāvaṇa, and gave it to Vibhīṣaṇa, but He did not take anything. Just like Kṛṣṇa conducted, managed this Kurukṣetra war personally, but the kingdom was given to Yudhiṣṭhira. He did not encroach.
| Page Title: | Ruler (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Matea |
| Created: | 19 of Oct, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=78, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 78 |