Vaiṣṇava means para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. They are simple-thinking. There are so many politicians and humanitarians and so many, but nobody knows how to do good to others. Nobody knows. They do not know. The real fact is, as Kṛṣṇa explains Himself, that,
- aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā
- dharmasyāsya parantapa
- mām aprāpya nivartante
- mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani
- (BG 9.3)
This is the real suffering of the humanity. I especially speak on humanity, because in the human form of life one can actually understand what is the position, what is the value of life. The value of life . . . One should understand that we are in the cycle of birth and death. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Once we take birth, and again we die. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam (BG 13.9). So one should be intelligent to understand that "I am eternal." I learn from Bhagavad-gītā and Vedic literature that ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am eternal. Why I am dying?" This is intelligence. This is intelligence. Otherwise cats and dogs. A dog, a cat, does not know why he is dying. Neither he knows that he is eternal. But a human being can take information from the śāstra that he is eternal, and he does not die on the destruction of the body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Kṛṣṇa is giving this information. Tathā dehāntara. This is our real unhappiness, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. But if we are kept in darkness about this and simply we become busy with some superficial things, bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇu durāśayā. It is durāśayā.
So all these leaders, the political leaders, they do not know what is the value of life. The durāśayā, with some hope which will never be fulfilled, they are busy with that. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. He knows what is the real suffering of humanity, and he tries to estab . . . Sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau. Real sad-dharma. Dharma means occupation. Dharma does not mean that you believe in something. That is the description in the, "a faith." Faith is different thing. But real dharma means the occupational duty. Just like government law. Government law, if you go on the street, you'll find "Keep to the left." There is no question of faith. You must keep on the left; otherwise you are criminal, you'll be punished. That is dharma. The real meaning is this, that dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). The laws given by God, that is the simple definition of dharma.
So if we don't accept the dharma, then we'll be punished. That is stated in the Bhāgavata. Dharmasya asya parantapa. Aśraddadhānāḥ. If you have no faith in the words of God . . . Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Kṛṣṇa is saying, "If you do not become devotee, if you do not think of Kṛṣṇa, then you will not get Kṛṣṇa." If you remain continuously, birth after birth, forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, and that is very dangerous. What is that danger? Nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani: again you'll be in the cycle of birth and death, birth and death, birth and death. Not that today you are Indian; you shall get the birth again as Indian. No. Today you may be Indian, prime minister; tomorrow you may be a dog in some other country. They do not know these laws.