View source for If one has to obey the state and go to war, how is that the same as obeying God?

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{{terms|"If one has to obey the state and go to war, how is that the same as obeying God"}}
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[[Category:If One]]
[[Category:One Has To]]
[[Category:Obey]]
[[Category:State]]
[[Category:Go To]]
[[Category:War]]
[[Category:How Is That?]]
[[Category:Same As]]
[[Category:God]]
[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1972]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="General_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="11" parent="Lectures" text="General Lectures"><h3>General Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureatChristianMonasteryMelbourneApril61972_0" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="107" link="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972" link_text="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972">
<div class="heading">Well, God consciousness does not prohibit war, but it must be for the right cause. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā we see that the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā was given to Arjuna in the battlefield.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972|Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Guest (8): Swamijī, something you said was the connection between the necessity for obedience to the state and necessity for their obedience to God. To take an example that occurs to many young man in this country, and I suppose in America, the question of military service arises where the state demands their absolute obedience, and many young people feels this clashes with their obedience to God. How do you advise people to resolve this sort of conflict?</p>
<p>Śyāmasundara: About the draft. If one has to obey the state and go to war, how is that the same as obeying God?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Well, God consciousness does not prohibit war, but it must be for the right cause. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā we see that the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā was given to Arjuna in the battlefield. And in the beginning Arjuna did not like to fight. He was a good, good man, religious man, devotee. Naturally, he was not inclined to fight with his relatives, kinsmen. He said, "Kṛṣṇa, the opposite side, they are all my brothers and nephews and fathers and grandfathers. So there is no use of fighting like this, to kill them and take the... Let... Let them enjoy." That was his conclusion. But Kṛṣṇa induced them, induced Arjuna, "No. This is the right cause. You must fight." So similarly, war is not always bad. Nothing is bad, nothing is good, unless it is used for God. That's it. Our philosophy is everything is good. God is all-good. So if He advises to fight, that is also good. But we shall depend on the discretion of God. If God wants us to fight, then we shall fight. If God wants us to stop fight, then we shall not fight. Because we are surrendered to God, so whatever God orders, we have to do. That's all. We don't say, "This is good; this is bad." Whatever God says, that is good. What God does not say, prohibit, that is bad. This is our conclusion.</p>
<p>Guest (8): The question remains of how is one to tell what God says, and many, many people have been brought up to believe that you find what God says by asking what does the state say. Now, as I understand the Christian tradition, it was quite different to that. The conscience coming from God can often bring you into conflict with the state, as Jesus himself found. Now, I think I understand what you are saying about the Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa can say a certain war is good because it's right. But in today's circumstances the question still remains of can you find what God thinks or God says by finding out what the state wants and...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: God says... For the time being you are not in direct touch with God, but you can follow the Biblical instruction. God's agent, Lord Jesus Christ, says—you follow that. The ten commandments are there. Lord Jesus Christ said, "Thou shall not kill." So you should not kill. Why should you kill? You follow this instruction, God's representative. Then you gradually develop your God consciousness.</p>
<p>Guest (8): But you haven't answered the question about the conflict between the state and God. You haven't taken that at all.</p>
<p>Upendra: He's giving an analogy that as one must follow... He wasn't saying that necessarily we have to follow all the dictates of the state. Prabhupāda was giving the analogy just as one follows the dictate of the state, one also must follow the dictates of God. I believe that was the analogy. It wasn't that he was supporting the dictates of the state or in accordance with... (break)</p>
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