Real leader
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Devotee: "Smoking is hazardous to your health."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Still the rascal will take. Still... The things will be advertised. The government is writing on the packet, "It is dangerous," but they are not closing the factory of the cigarette. That will... Because they want income. (laughter) You see. This is going on. Cheating. And if you don't like it, why don't you stop this? But that they will not do. Simply a show-bottle. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that we want to stop this show-bottle business. Everyone must be a real leader, then people will be happy.He's canvassing, "Please do it." He again comes as a devotee, Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is teaching how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference between Lord Caitanya's teachings and Kṛṣṇa's teaching. The same thing. In one form, Kṛṣṇa is saying that "You surrender unto Me." And Lord Caitanya says that "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." The fact is the same. So we are following Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We are canvassing, "Please surrender to Kṛṣṇa." So our business is not very difficult. If we follow ourselves, if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa fully and teach others also the same thing... Not that something adulteration. No. Exactly what Kṛṣṇa says. Then you become spiritual master, guru. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa [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 yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. "Whomever you meet, you simply speak what Kṛṣṇa has said, or what is spoken about Kṛṣṇa."Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: He wants to become leader.
Hayagrīva: Yes.
Prabhupāda: That is the idea.
Hayagrīva: The man who's setting up the community.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. He is suggesting that "You make me leader." That is the...
Hayagrīva: This sounds very familiar.
Prabhupāda: Everyone says, "Don't accept leader. Accept me as leader, that's all." But our proposal is that the, without leader nothing can be done. And the supreme leader is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His representative should become leader. Then the society will be perfect. The supreme leader is God. So He gives instruction, and real leader takes the instruction by disciplic succession, and for the benefit of the total human society they spread the message of God. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Without leader nothing can be done. Even if he says that without leader, he is, that preaching is also leadership. So why people should accept his leadership if there is no need of leader?1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Paramahaṁsa: Do you know Professor Kotofsky?
Professor: Kotofsky? No.
Paramahaṁsa: In Moscow. He's a Sanskrit... Head of the oriental studies.
Professor: Kotofsky?
Paramahaṁsa: Yes. He's uh... Śrīla Prabhupāda, also met him one time in Moscow.
Haṁsadūta: But he's not a devotee.
Paramahaṁsa: No.
Professor: No, but that's...
Prabhupāda: Now, I, when we were talking, I asked him one question, that "Professor Kotofsky, you are communist, I am Kṛṣṇite. So where is the difference of philosophy? Because you have to accept one authority, leader. So you have accepted Lenin as leader; we have accepted Kṛṣṇa as leader. So where is the difference on the principle?" So he could not answer. But he very much appreciated this, that "Where is the difference between these two principles." But now we have to consider whether the leadership of Lenin is good, or the leadership of Kṛṣṇa is good. That is another thing. But you have to accept one leader. You cannot do without leader. That is not possible.
Professor: Well, well, to some extent it's possible.
Prabhupāda: No, every extent. Anyone, anyone calling... So many philosophy or ism, he has got leader. That you cannot avoid. The Buddhists, they are following Lord Buddha. Christians, they are following Lord Jesus Christ. Mohammedans, they are following Mohammed. Similarly the communists, they are following Lenin, or Max. What is?
Devotees: Marx.
Paramahaṁsa: Karl Marx.
Prabhupāda: Karl Marx.
Professor: But, of course, in Sweden, most people, they don't, they don't follow anybody. So it's... I mean...
Prabhupāda: No, they follow. At least, one follows himself. Is it not? "Don't follow anyone" means he follows himself. He has got a particular philosophy, and he's the leader.
Professor: Well, naturally, everybody has some kind of ideas, I mean, how to lead his life.
Prabhupāda: But that will not help us.
Professor: But, uh...
Prabhupāda: Unless we accept the real leader, a perfect personality who can give us perfect knowledge, there is no success. That is our philosophy. tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet, samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham [MU 1.2.12] tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ [Bg. 4.34]
We have to approach a person who has seen the truth in reality. Then our life is success. That is the Vedic injunction. And that is fact. Unless we are... Just like you are teacher, a professor. So therefore people are coming to you to learn. How can you say that he can follow his own philosophy? He's coming to school, college. He's taking lesson from the teacher. One has to follow. The selection may be right or wrong; that is another thing. But one has to select.Yaśomatīnandana: Is it all right to blame the government in public, Prabhupāda, in India?
Prabhupāda: No, what is that government? Government is elected by the public. If public is polluted, the government must be polluted. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Public votes somebody, "Take charge of government." So if the public selects somebody nonsense, the government must be nonsense.
Yaśomatīnandana: Yes. In other words, to tell the public that "You should elect God-conscious leaders to have a better society."
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. That is our propaganda, that "This is the standard of leadership. So if you elect first-class leader, then your government will be first-class. But if you elect some rogues and thieves, drunkards, then how you can expect good government?" This is natural. After all, democracy means the public elect. The public does not know how to distinguish the rogues and thieves. Therefore the rogues and thieves take the advantage of it and, somehow or other, and take vote and sit on the presidential chair. That is difficulty. Just like our propaganda is... We are not making any propaganda in the beginning, that "Stop this cow slaughter." We are educating people, "Don't eat meat." If people become educated, automatically the slaughterhouse will be closed. This is our propaganda. "Don't drink." So if people give up drinking, automatically the drinking business will be closed.
Prajāpati: You have given us this instruction, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to confront these leaders. We understand that this is your very much wish and we shall do everything we can to try to fulfill your desire.
Prabhupāda: Yes, do it. Do it.
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (Prabhupāda gets in the car)
Prabhupāda: If you can educate the people. "Don't vote for the rascals. Just try to understand who is the real man, who is the real leader."
Hṛdayānanda: So political program is very important.
Prabhupāda: Yes. If public is educated to select right type of leader, then automatically... And it is very easy thing that "Leader must be faithful. A leader must know what is God and how to trust in Him. And he must be free from all sinful activities. The pillars of sinful activities are these." This is our propaganda.Prabhupāda: Ah, avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam. [break] ...is correct. We can face any so-called philosopher, any. Any so-called scientist. Any so-called politicians. You must be strong enough to have your firm conviction, that "We can face anyone rascal and defeat him." [break] ...and logic, argumentum vaculum. You know that? In logic there is a thesis or argumentum vaculum. Means no argument, but with stick and gun, you see. "If you don't believe, then here is stick and gun." That is called argumentum vaculum. So we have to make our position so strong that anyone who does not believe in God, he should be finished.
Umāpati: We had a president that used to believe in that. He is finished.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) No, but don't think like that. But there are two kinds of business: paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām [Bg. 4.8]. To give protection to the devotees and killing the unbeliever. These are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. [break] Yes. Government has got two departments: law and order department, military department. Why? Two things must... [break] This is their business, śūdra business. Śūdra business. Śūdras, they have no knowledge. They commit mistake over and over. Therefore brāhmaṇa required to guide the kṣatriya, the vaiśya and the śūdra. Therefore they are guru. Otherwise, they will commit mistake, more or less. It is practical. Just in your country, you have all elected Mr. Nixon as president, and again you are protesting. Why you are protesting? You have already elected him. What is the reasons?
Karandhara: Well, he's a rascal.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) That's all. This kind of election is rascal election. It has no meaning. Therefore the public must know whom to elect and how to elect. That should be our propaganda. Because nowadays it is democratic government, teach people how to select the real leader. Real leader means who does not commit mistake, who is not illusioned, who does not cheat and who has no imperfect senses, who has, or, other words, one who has got perfect senses. So if you say, "How it is possible for the conditioned soul?" "Yes, it is possible if you follow the perfect." Just like we are doing. We are following Kṛṣṇa. He does not commit mistake, He is not illusioned, His senses are not imperfect, and He does not cheat. We are following. Therefore, although we are imperfect, because we are following the perfect, our proposition is perfect. A child may be illiterate, but when he's taught, "Write A like this," and he follows that, he becomes literate. This is the policy.1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: ...for one day's advertisement. And advertise this poster in every paper. You see...
Bali Mardana: I want to do that.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bali Mardana: Also I was thinking to have a large scale propaganda in all the college newspapers.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bali Mardana: Specifically. To attract...
Prabhupāda: The same, one advertisement. What is the...?
Karandhara: "Real leaders of human society."
Prabhupāda: Yes. That... You have seen that design I have given?
Karandhara: No, I haven't seen it.
Prabhupāda: Oh, it is not yet done?
Karandhara: No, it's being worked on.
Prabhupāda: Hm. You can give him the rough idea. That will be very nice propaganda, to select real leaders of the society. The... We are misled by rascal leaders. That is the difficulty, all rascals. If the society is led by real, learned scholars, then it will be nice. Qualified leaders. That is wanted. Leader means better qualified man to lead others. That is leader. Leader does not mean he is himself a fool and leading other fools. [break]
Bali Mardana: ...the poster could have a coupon for Bhagavad-gītā to find the real solution...
Prabhupāda: No, no.
Bali Mardana: So they can purchase?
Prabhupāda: Bhagavad-gītā there are so many. They'll purchase another rascal's Bhagavad-gītā. Simply you make propaganda that what is real leadership. Then they will inquire and we shall reply. [break] ...so many things. So we may not create any disruption amongst our solidarity. Then things will not make progress. In a big machine, even one screw is slack, the machine stops. You know that? So we should not commit such mistake. "Don't care. It is a small screw." No. Even that small screw can stop the whole machine. [break] ...that we are on the platform of deathlessness. Then we can be careful about falling down. And this is a fact.Guest (4): I was having discussions with Pāñcajanya Prabhu regarding these things. Even to have them locally printed.
Bhavānanda: Anyway, we can work that out.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bhavānanda: Yes, it's all taken care of. [break]
Prabhupāda: "Waves in the ocean. Let it, let it be stopped. Then I shall start my boat." It will never come.
Guest (4): Then this is not my intention.
Prabhupāda: It will never come.
Guest (4): It is not my intention.
Prabhupāda: Start boat immediately, in whatever condition.
Guest (4): Any circumstance.
Prabhupāda: Any circumstance. That is required.
Guest (2): We should take it very seriously.
Prabhupāda: Yes. [break] "First of all let us become economically fit. Then we shall consider our spiritual." This is nonsense.
Guest (1): That will never come.
Prabhupāda: All the big, big leaders, they wanted to keep themselves economically fit, but when death came, they had to surrender. "Yes sir, (Bengali)"
Guest (4): Many leaders are economically...
Prabhupāda: They do not... They're not leaders. I say they're rascals.
Guest (4): They do not live here, and they must...
Prabhupāda: All these leaders, I must say clearly, they're all rascals, misleaders. Not only in our country, all over the world. Therefore we have started this movement, who is real leader?1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: You are unfortunate because you are now following misleaders. You do not follow the real leader.
Guest (1): We have only 2.4 percent of the land area and we support 16% of the human population. You see this land...
Prabhupāda: That is due to your ignorance. You have followed the so-called rascal politicians. You have not followed Kṛṣṇa. Therefore this misfortune is there. Misguided. Now...
Guest (1): Everything comes from the mother earth. We are in very short supply of things.
Prabhupāda: No, no. No shortage. That is everything supply. You have got the Vedic knowledge. You don't take care of that. You now manufacture your own knowledge. Now there is knowledge, this Bhagavad-gītā is perfect knowledge, but even a political leader like Gandhi, he says that I don't believe that there was anybody like Kṛṣṇa living. This is your leader. All the ācāryas, previous ācāryas, big, big ācāryas, Śaṅkarācārya, big, big, stalwart, learned, they have accepted Kṛṣṇa. Now Gandhi says, "I don't believe." Now you are guided by Gandhi, you are not guided by the ācāryas. That is your misfortune. You are not guided by Kṛṣṇa. You are guided by Dr. Radhakrishnan. That is the misfortune. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ [SB 7.5.31], one blind man is being, is following another blind man. That is going on. That is going on all over the world, not only in India.1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What... Śrīla Prabhupāda, what are the qualifications of a perfect leader?
Prabhupāda: No mistake, no illusion, no cheating, no imperfection. Anyone who commits mistake, he's illusioned, he's a cheater and imperfect—he cannot lead. So bring any leader of these rascal groups and test with these four principles; he is misleader.
Trivikrama: They're all servants of their senses.
Madhudviṣa: They will also say that within our movement the so-called leaders also have imperfections.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Madhudviṣa: They will say, within our movement, that the leaders also have imperfection.
Prabhupāda: No imperfection.
Trivikrama: No imperfection.
Madhudviṣa: They will say, "Yes, we can give you examples."
Prabhupāda: No. No, no. Why? Why you shall accept? They will say. Because therefore they are saying, we shall accept?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Here's Prabhupāda. Here's Prabhupāda
Trivikrama: The so-called leaders, maybe they are imperfect, but the real leader, He is perfect.
Prabhupāda: Yes, this is test of.
Madhudviṣa: They will say, "He is also makes mistakes."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Where is that mistake?
Prabhupāda: No, there is no mistake.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We have not seen any mistakes.
Gurudāsa: Where is the mistake?
Prabhupāda: There is no mistake.
Gurudāsa: Jaya.1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Hṛdayānanda: Last night you were preaching that.
Prabhupāda: Yes. My lecture was very nice.
Hṛdayānanda: It seemed that you were answering all the points that man had made.
Prabhupāda: Ha.
Hṛdayānanda: All his mistakes.
Gargamuni: Who spoke? What man?
Hṛdayānanda: The education minister.
Hari-śauri: Mr. Bannerjee. He was talking about Vivekananda and how our movement is spreading because of our moral strength.
Hṛdayānanda: Prabhupāda answered each of his points.
Hari-śauri: Prabhupāda said afterwards that he smashed him. (laughter)
Yaśomatī-nandana(?): One is Vivekananda. Another is Gandhi.
Prabhupāda: They have spoiled India's culture. All these... Rabindranath Tagore. All misleaders. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the real leader, and Kṛṣṇa.
Yaśomatī-nandana: And Prabhupāda.
Gargamuni: In the Book Fair there's other... Ramakrishna is there, Aurobindo. They have their books, but no one is going. (Prabhupāda chuckles) They have booths, Ramakrishna Mission, Aurobindo, Yogananda.
Prabhupāda: I don't think they have so many books also.
Gargamuni: No, very few books. The stalls are also very small. Our stall is three times as big as theirs. And their books are these cheap paperbacks.
Prabhupāda: Their days are finished.Correspondence
1972 Correspondence
1974 Correspondence
Page Title: | Real leader |
Compiler: | Haya, Suan |
Created: | 10 of Dec, 2008 |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=1, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=4, Con=9, Let=3 |
No. of Quotes: | 17 |