Dictatorship is good, provided the dictator is highly qualified spiritually. That is the Vedic verdict

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"dictatorship is good, provided the dictator is highly qualified spiritually. That is the Vedic verdict"

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1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

We have got another example in our country—Gandhi. When he was political leader, he was practically dictator, but because he was a man of very high moral character, people took him..., accepted him as the dictator. So dictatorship is good, provided the dictator is highly qualified spiritually. That is the Vedic verdict.

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Press Conference at Airport -- July 28, 1975, Dallas:

Prabhupāda: You may advance materially as far as possible, but if you don't take God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the value of all this material advancement is equal to zero. Nobody will be satisfied. So therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be taken very seriously. It is the finishing touch of American advancement of material comforts. Then people will be very happy. And America is already leader of the world. They will be first-class leader. The world will be benefited, and you will be benefited, and my endeavor will be also successful. Don't keep yourself in zero. Take the one. Then it will be very nice. Just like... You can understand very easily. This life, very important man, but if there is no spirit soul, it is zero. It has no value. However an important man may be, when the spirit soul is out of the body, it is a lump of matter; it has no value. Anything you take—this machine, that machine, any machine—if somebody, some spiritual being, some living being is not tackling it, what is the value? No value. Therefore, everywhere this spiritual consciousness must be there. Otherwise it is zero.

Woman reporter: I have a question. Would you comment on the political situation in India now? What do you think about Mrs. Gandhi's...?

Prabhupāda: Well, we are not very much concerned with political situation. But our proposition is—either political, social, economical or philosophical, anything—without Kṛṣṇa, it is all zero. So far Mrs. Gandhi is concerned, she is inclined to some spiritual understanding. So actually if she becomes very advanced spiritually, then this emergency situation will improve. Otherwise... And it is the public opinion against democracy. So democracy is not very much beneficial anywhere and everywhere. In your country also, you voted Mr. Nixon, democracy, but you were not satisfied with him. That means democracy, ordinary men they select somebody, and again they try to bring him down. Why? When he was selected, it means it was a mistake.

So according to Vedic civilization, there was no such thing as democracy. It was monarchy, but the monarchy means the king was very highly spiritually advanced. The king was called rājarṣi, means king, at the same time saintly person. We have got another example in our country—Gandhi. When he was political leader, he was practically dictator, but because he was a man of very high moral character, people took him..., accepted him as the dictator. So dictatorship is good, provided the dictator is highly qualified spiritually. That is the Vedic verdict. The battle of Kurukṣetra was there because Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted rājarṣi, Yudhiṣṭhira, should be on the head. So the king is supposed to be the representative of God. So he must be a godly person. Then it will be successful.