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Yesterday marked the 128th anniversary of Shrila Prabhupada's divine appearance, and the B.L.I.S.S devotees celebrated by writing and reciting offerings to him. His Grace Purujit Dasa: Lord Krishna takes great pleasure in being addressed by names connected to his devotees such as Yasodanandana (the pleasure of Mother Yasoda), Devaki nandana (the pleasure of Mother Devaki) or Nandanandana (the pleasure of Nanda Maharaja). This means that glorification of Krishna's devotees is as good as glorifying Krishna Himself. This is confirmed in the Adi Purana, where Krishna says: "One who is My devotee is not My devotee. Only one who is a devotee of My devotee is My real devotee." No one can approach the Lord directly. Krishna is unattainable unless we approach Him through the mercy of His devotees. For this reason the first step in the practise of Krishna consciousnes is to approach a bona fide spiritual master and render service to him. As indicated in the Bhagavad-gita, without understanding Lord Krishna's transcendental nature, the mystery behind his birth and activities, it is not posible to transcend the material realm and achieve liberation by returing back to Godhead. The same can be applied to his pure devotees and especially the spiritual master. In the Shrimad Bhagavatam (11.17.27) it is stated by the Lord Himself: acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit na martya-buddhyasuyeta sarva-deva-mayo guruh "One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods." Shrila Prabhupada comments on this sloka as follows: "Influenced by an envious temperament and dissatisfied because of an attitude of sense gratification, mundaners criticize a real acarya. In fact, however, a bona fide acarya is nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead, and therefore to envy such an acarya is to envy the Personality of Godhead Himself. This will produce an effect subversive of transcendental realization."  (Adi 1.46) Shrila Prabhupada defines envy as: We should understand jealousy, what is jealousy. Jealousy means that you are rightful owner of something; I won't allow you to take it. This is jealousy. This is jealousy. Jealousy, try to understand. Suppose you are rightful owner of something, and I am trying that "You don't own it. I shall own it. Or somebody own it. I shall not allow it." This is jealousy. (Shrila Prabhupada from Bhagavad-gita lecture, 1.1 London, July 7, 1973) The root of our material existence is the envy towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So long the living entity envies the Lord's supreme position he must continuously take birth in this material world and undergo material suffering. This original envy towards the Lord covers his eyes and he is unable to understand the Lord's true nature, but instead sees Him as an ordinary man exemplifying the saying: Blind man thinks everyone else is blind. In the same way, so long one is envious of the spiritual master and his superior position, one cannot glorify him in a pure way. Actually such unauthorized materially tinged so-called glorification becomes a type of blasphemy. The spiritual master due to being situated in knowledge is always superior to the disciple, who must accept his authority without blind challenge and with utmost heartfelt respect. If one does not have faith in the spiritual master's supreme position, he should not accept the spiritual master falsely simply for name and fame. The best example of a guru-disciple relationship is shown in the case of Krishna and Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra where the Lord explained the sacred teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. Shrila Prabhupada notes in this connection: If Arjuna is on the same level with Krishna, and Krishna is not superior to Arjuna, then their relationship of instructor and instructed becomes meaningless. If both of them are deluded by the illusory energy (maya), then there is no need of one being the instructor and the other the instructed. Such instruction would be useless because, in the clutches of maya, no one can be an authoritative instructor. (Bg 2.13) Srila Prabhupada further explains this point in a letter to his disciples: It is the injunction of the Vedas that the Spiritual Master should not be treated as ordinary man even if sometimes the Spiritual Master behaves like ordinary man. It is the duty of the disciple to accept Him as Superhuman Man. In the beginning of your letter your comparison of the soldier and commander is very appropriate. We are on the battlefield of Kuruksetra -- one side Maya, the other side Krishna. So the regulative principles of a battlefield, namely to abide by the order of the commander, must be followed. Otherwise it is impossible to direct the fighting capacity of the soldiers and thus defeat the opposing elements. (Letter to: Brahmananda , Gargamuni -- Los Angeles 31 July, 1970) The transcendental nature of the spiritual master can be explained as follows. The conditioned souls receive various types of material bodies according to their material desires, but since a pure devotee is always absorbed in the thoughts of Krishna, there is no question of him being entangled in such material cycle, therefore a pure devotee does not undergo rebirths as conditioned souls in this material world. Shrila Prabhupada describes the nature of a pure devotee: “A pure devotee of the Lord does not live on any planet of the material sky, nor does he feel any contact with the material elements. His so-called material body does not exist, being surcharged with the spiritual current of the Lord’s identical interest, and thus he is permanently freed from all contaminations of the sum total of the mahat-tattva.” (S.B. 1.13.55) “Therefore, a devotee who engages in the service of the Supreme Lord, and who constantly thinks of Him, should never be considered to have a material body. It is, therefore, enjoined: gurusu naramati – One should stop thinking of the spiritual master as an ordinary human being with a material body.'” (S.B. 8.3.2) To say that the spiritual master died, struggled, was tired, suffered diseases, hunger, thirst, sadness, material distress, or have been betrayed, poisoned, cheated is a material conception of the spiritual master and should be avoided as it stems from the envy to the spiritual master. The spiritual master is always situated in transcendence and all activities seemingly appearing as material should be understood as transcendental lilas (pastimes). This is the proper authorized method of the acharya glorification.

Yesterday marked the 128th anniversary of Shrila Prabhupada's divine appearance, and the B.L.I.S.S devotees celebrated by writing and reciting offerings to him. Daivi Shakti Devi Dasi: Dear Srila Prabhupāda, Today, Tuesday, August 27th, I can finally say that I have accepted you as my spiritual master. I remember very well the first contact I had with your transcendental person—first through your vibration so well explained by Allison and Jad, and then your form, on that image in their apartment with the famous quote where you instructed your disciples to distribute your books profusely. What struck me most during our first meeting was the way Allison described you and how she looked at you, with eyes full of love, constantly saying that you had saved her life. It was very inspiring, and I remember being deeply intrigued. At the beginning of my meeting with Allison and Jad, I wondered what you could have given them that was so precious—nothing less than God, the source of everything. I will remember for the rest of my life that fabulous day when I found you and Krishna. You are the two sole goals of my life, and I hope to cultivate this desire indefinitely. Especially today, I pray that you bless me with your lotus-like feet, your transcendental vibration, and that you allow me to always serve your pure devotees here at the Bliss temple. Without them, I certainly wouldn't be here today. You have made them so perfect—true gentlemen, pure servants of Krishna—and the closer I get to them, the closer I feel to you and Krishna. Is that the secret of our devotional life? Associating with pure devotees who strictly follow your divine instructions—it must be. Even though I've read it so many times, knowing that I have a very third-class intelligence, it's only recently that I've realized how much I need constant cooperation with my godbrothers. Recently, Krishna Prema and I have joined forces in your mission, and I believe I have never been so satisfied with any relationship, whether devotional or material. Together, we are so much stronger, each complementing the other in your devotional service and that of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Nothing pleases you more than when we wildly spread the Holy Names of Krishna. On this day, so important to me, I can finally consider myself one of your disciples, your servant, an insignificant soul desperately seeking to go back home, back to Godhead, clinging to your lotus-like feet. I would like to have the confidence that this is my only desire, but unfortunately, it's not the case. I understand that it is only by your infinite mercy that I am able to contribute anything to the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. I would like you to help me feel more and more incapable, to develop this sense of inadequacy in the service of Krishna. This is my ticket to going back home, so today I express this desire before you, and I know Krishna hears me, and I also know that you hear and listen to me. I can't wait to be pure. I know I can sometimes be impatient, and in the eyes of the śāstras, I know this is not a quality you appreciate. Each day, by associating with your transcendental vibration, I can get closer to you, and I wish for every conditioned soul in this material world to associate with you through your lectures, for example. What a balm for the heart... at the slightest problem caused by the mind, simply by hearing your voice, the way you speak—so direct and affectionate—the way you pause at such perfect moments, when you clear your throat during lectures or sniffle. Everything you do is so attractive. I would like to develop this vision of your purity more and more. You are so dear to Krishna, and you have decided in this life to guide me to Him, despite my contamination. Each day, I feel more and more encouraged, and I know it's only by your mercy. Faith in the words of the spiritual master should be considered our life and soul. Everything that emanates from your divine mouth is as pure as Krishna. Why gamble? If you say it is like this, it is like this. If you say we must act in this way, it must be done in this way. Why doubt? Why take even one piece of information from any source other than your transcendental books? It is so gratifying to read about Krishna. Association by vani (words) should be considered the most important thing in our lives. If one wants to become a pure devotee, one must constantly associate with a pure devotee. I am very fortunate; in this life, you have given me the immense fortune of serving under the instructions of Purujit Prabhu, your most sincere disciple. It is partly thanks to him that I am able to render even the slightest service to the mission of Lord Caitanya every day. The devotion and fidelity he has for you are beyond my understanding. My only wish, at least the only wish I desire, is to one day attain the devotion, fidelity, and love he has for you. Your direct association, your divine instructions—this is the goal of this miserable and useless human life. So I implore you always to bless me with transcendental vibration, to always serve your pure devotees, and to bring me back home. On this day, I promise never to engage in sinful activities again, to absorb myself in your divine books every day, to make your instructions my only meditation, and to focus my mind on preaching the message of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Without you, I am nothing, Shrila Prabhupāda, simply a sinful living entity. Thank you for saving me and continuing to save me. Now I understand why Allison looked at you with eyes full of love. All glories to you, Srila Prabhupāda.

Yesterday marked the 128th anniversary of Shrila Prabhupada's divine appearance, and the B.L.I.S.S devotees celebrated by writing and reciting offerings to him. Nityananda Dasa: So few know of your glories so vast, reaching tops of mountains and past. You arrived here in the west, alone, equipped with your spiritual master's quest. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta's desire lives through your grace, preaching and teaching Lord Krishna's truth in every place. Let Krishna's name be heard you demand, and your desire is our command, O dear spiritual master of all the land. The land of Bengal is where you chose to appear, and having no fear, you carry Lord Caitanya's preaching spear. Here to reclaim all His Disciples, you're the commander-in-chief, guiding souls back to Krishna, granting solace and relief. O dear spiritual master of all the land, grant us your transcendentally beautiful hand, guiding us back to the spiritual land. Goloka Vrindavan, from where you truly are from, kindly guide us back there, to our eternal home. With your mercy and wisdom, we follow your path, Leading us back to Krishna, in pure, loving devotion at last.

There are different orders of life in the Vedic system; some are single monks, and some are householders (family men). Each division and subdivision has a particular role to play especially for the general spiritual upliftment of the society, and the life of a family man is no different. It is not that only the monks spread spiritual knowledge, as will be explained in the following purport by Shrila Prabhupada. To award fearlessness to the common man is the greatest act of charity. A sannyasi, or one who is in the renounced order of life, should wander from door to door, from village to village, from town to town and from country to country, all over the world as far as he is able to travel, and enlighten the householders about Krishna consciousness. A person who is a householder but is initiated by a sannyasi has the duty to spread Krishna consciousness at home; as far as possible, he should call his friends and neighbors to his house and hold classes in Krishna consciousness. Holding a class means chanting the holy name of Krishna and speaking from Bhagavad-gita or Shrimad-Bhagavatam. There are immense literatures for spreading Krishna consciousness, and it is the duty of each and every householder to learn about Krishna from his sannyasi spiritual master. There is a division of labor in the Lord's service. The householder's duty is to earn money because a sannyasi is not supposed to earn money but is completely dependent on the householder. The householder should earn money by business or by profession and spend at least fifty percent of his income to spread Krishna consciousness; twenty-five percent he can spend for his family, and twenty-five percent he should save to meet emergencies. This example was shown by Rupa Gosvami, so devotees should follow it. Krishna Consciousness

How does love between humans differ or relate to love for Krishna? Is there a sense of ‘oneness’ underlying pure love? Claudia (Canada) Response by His Grace Purujit Dasa: Dear Claudia. Thank you for asking these nice questions. How does love between humans differ from love for Krishna? Well, first of all we must understand who loves. It is the soul. My body changes from childhood, to youth to old age, but I, the person in that body remain the same. That person is the eternal soul. I am the eternal soul in the body. I am not the body. In its original state the soul is eternal, full of knowledge and full of blissfulness, but when illusioned by the attitude of overlordship or controlship (the opposite of love) we lose our eternal spiritual consciousness and we identify with the body which is temporary, full of ignorance and full of misery. We assume temporary bodily designations such as man, woman etc., while in reality we are all one in the sense of being of the same spiritual nature. Theoretically, this seems simple, but actually the full realization of our spiritual identity requires that we take up the process of bhakti yoga (primarily chanting of the holy name of Krsna: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare) in order to have an actual experience of pure unconditioned consciousness. Being conditioned by the material body, mind and material identity we try to love people in this world but we end only loving their body or utmost their mind and this makes our love conditional and therefore not real love. Love by definition must be unconditional. In other words, real love cannot be invested only in one person of this material world at the expense of others. In our experience, we see people love their lovers, family, societies, nations and thus they necessarily must discriminate against other people, families, societies and nations. In order to express our love to someone we sometimes harm someone else. A boy invites his girlfriend to a restaurant where a steak is served from a cow who has been brutally killed. A soldier in order to show love for his country bombs people of other countries. A thief in order to provide for his family steals and creates misery for another family. Also, our family circumstance, marital or sexual status might change and then we give our love to someone else completely rejecting the persons we so-called love just a while ago. The main motivation in this material love is that we always hanker for reciprocation of our love. The girl loves a boy because he has money. A boy loves a girl because she is beautiful. A charitable man helps poor children in Africa for the feeling of doing good deeds. So this is not real love. The real love means that by loving we give our love not only to all humans, but all living entities without expecting any return. This is possible to accomplish very easily by loving Krishna. Just like by pouring water on the root of a tree, all the branches and leaves are nourished, similarly by loving Krishna through the process of bhakti-yoga, we can satisfy our lover, country, society, animals, etc. It is not necessary to directly give love to all living entities, just like it is not necessary to water all the branches and leaves of the tree separately. By intelligently applying the water on the root, the branches and leaves are automatically nourished. Similarly by developing pure and unconditional love for Krishna, all living entities are loved. By foolishly trying to water the branches and leaves of the tree, the water actually does not reach the inside of the branches but stays on the surface, nor will we be able to water all the branches since the tree is so big. Similarly, by trying to love humans, animals, society etc without Krsna, our love stays on the surface and only serves their bodies, which are mere coverings on their souls. Imagine a man who is drowning in a river and another man jumping into the water to save him. However, when he reaches the man, he only pulls his clothes and lets the man drown and he comes out of the water with clothes only. Administering service and love to the bodies of others while neglecting their souls is like that. Since the soul is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss, it does not need any sort of bodily love as experienced in this material world. The soul is satisfied when it connects with Krishna, who is the eternal reservoir of bliss. Therefore our love for one another in this world is to give each other enlightment about Krishna. Even if others do not appreciate such love, simply by loving Krishna, the very act benefits all living entities even without their knowledge. When they become awakened to their spiritual nature, they are able to see how the devotees are serving and loving everyone by the simple act of serving Krishna. A good example of unconditional love of Krishna is given by Lord Caitanya. In his famous poem He says: aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va. This means: “I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me broken-hearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally." The culmination of all love is to love Krishna and love Him without expecting anything material or spiritual from Him. A real devotee never asks anything from Krishna. He simply loves Him and in His love, He praises Him in the ecstasy of love. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Sometimes we see paintings and pictures of Radharani without her eternal lover, Krishna. However, Krishna is never without Radharani. They are the eternal, divine couple. We are Krishna's parts and parcels and have been created to give pleasure to Krishna. The chief pleasure potency is Radharani, and so Radha-Krishna are always together. EK 5: Knowing Krishna's Energies The mentality of separating Sita from Rama, or Radha from Krishna, is actually a Ravana mentality, an enjoyer-ship mentality. We are not of the mentality of Ravana who took Laksmi from Narayana and became ruined. Keep Laksmi and Narayana always together and you will become as powerful as Hanuman. He is always worshiped along with Lord Rama and Lakshmi-Sita. There are many temples of Hanuman in India. Letter to: Karandhara -- Honolulu 18 June, 1975 Ravana-class man wants only Sita, not Rama. Rama, they are condemning, these rascals, Suniti Chatterjee and others. But our mission is to keep Rama and Sita together. We are not satisfied that Rama should remain alone and Sita should be under the custody of Ravana. We can't... I don't want. Sita must be released from the custody of Ravana. Morning Walk, February 29, 1976, Mayapur As Vaishnavas we worship the energy always with the energetic. they are inseparable. that's why we chant 'Hare' before 'Krishna.' daivi prakrti means the Lord's spiritual potency. Therefore the vaisnavas worship Sita-Rama together, the Lord's spiritual potency and Ramacandra, Radharani -- Radha-Govinda, Laksmi-Narayana together. First the Lord's energy or sakti is worshiped and then the Lord or saktiman is worshiped. This is how the devotees worship the Lord. Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.7, March 22, 1975, Calcutta

From Shrimad-Bhagavatam and Shrila Prabhupada. Shrila Prabhupada is known for being completely spot on in his descriptions of just about everything, from the science of Krishna (God) to modern politics and medicine. Here is one excerpt from a class where he exposes the nature of today's so-called leaders. Therefore, if you want real government who can lead you back to home, back to Godhead . . . that is perfect government. That is the duty of the government: to see the citizens happy in this life. They have no grievance for their living condition. They are happy. At the same time, they are preparing for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is good government. And the government who simply levies taxes somehow or other . . . every year, the budget is increasing tax. "You give us tax, and you go to hell. It doesn't matter. You give us tax." And the tax is divided amongst themselves. That is government. Whatever . . . we know in India, the tax collected, eighty percent is spent among the government servant. That's all. So this is the position of Kali-yuga. Mleccha rajanya-rupino bhaksayisyanti prajas te (SB 12.1.40). That is predicted in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that in Kali-yuga the mlecchas, means the rejected from human society, such persons, rogues and fools and rascals, they will take the post of king. Rajanya-rupinah. They are unworthy to be kicked, but they will take the post of government. Rajanya-rupinah. And what will be their business? Bhaksayisyanti prajas te. They will eat the citizens. That's all. Vital force. Vital force, blood-sucking, tax. Durbhiksa-kara-piditah (SB 12.2.9). In one side there will be scarcity of supply. In other side they will be perplexed with taxes. These are going to be happen. Kara-piditah gacchanti giri-kananam. And they will give up their homely life and will go to the forest, to the hills. Just like every year you hear. Now it is going on, just like in Vietnam: the poor people, they are sometimes evacuating this place and evacuating . . . vacating this place, vacating that place. They are troubled. The politicians, they are making their own plan, and the poor people . . . we have seen. When partition was made in India, all poor Hindus and Muslims, they were in trouble. And the leaders, they were in happy mood in their apartment, ordering and eating very nicely, butter and bread. That's all. This is going on. Therefore the only opportunity of becoming happy is that you preach this Krishna consciousness movement amongst the people, so if the people become educated in Krsna consciousness, and if they decide that, "We shall vote for Krishna conscious leader," then there will be happiness. Just like Prthu Maharaja, the king, we are discussing.

Shrila Prabhupada explains the difference between pure devotional service and tinged service in the following quote taken from a book “Renunciation Through Wisdom” Lord Krishna never accepts any offering bereft of love and devotion. A person who is not hungry cannot suddenly develop an appetite, even if he is given delectable food. Similarly, the Lord has no attraction for opulent offerings made without love and devotion. We have already discussed that unauthorized worship of the Supreme Lord stems from the absence of devotion and the presence of material desire. One who is full of devotion aims to satisfy the Supreme Lord's senses, while one who is full of material desire aims to gratify his own senses. Those who carry in their hearts the desire to gratify themselves but make a show of serving the Supreme Lord will never experience the joys of being a real devotee. The scriptures have aptly described them as mercenaries. Devotion's prime objective is the attainment of God. Therefore, one must offer the Lord everything in one's possession, including the results of karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, mystic yoga, austerity, meditation, and so on. This perfect process of surrender will lead to the attainment of God. Thus, Lord Krishna openly proclaims in the Bhagavad-gita (9.27), yat karosi yad asnasi yaj juhosi dadasi yat yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurusva mad-arpanam “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerity you perform-do that, O son of Kunti, as an offering to Me.” If a person follows this injunction and, with love, offers the Lord everything he has - wife, house, family, intelligence, learning, business, religiosity, labor, food, water, whatever is required to maintain the body, and even lust, greed, and anger - then the Lord accepts these offerings and completely satisfies the offerer. And at the time of death the Lord takes such a surrendered soul to His Supreme abode. The demigods are empowered to accept only certain types of offerings, whereas Lord Krishna can accept the karma-phala, or fruitive results, of everyone. The Supreme Lord alone is powerful enough to accept conflicting fruitive results and moods of worship. This indicates Krishna's supreme lordship and absolute position. It is unlikely that all of humanity will be able to understand the science of pure devotional service, yet everyone always has the ability to attain the Lord's lotus feet, even in the face of striking odds. Therefore the best course is to offer everything to the Supreme Lord. (RTW 2.11: Offering a Leaf, a Flower, a Fruit, or a Little Water.)

Without knowledge and philosophy, blind, sentimental following turns into deviation from the teachings of God. Here is His Grace Purujit dasa explaining how to have firm faith in one's guru to this young Indian Christian gentleman.

How to transform mundane anger. Learn in this class by Purujit Dasa on the Shrimad Bhagavatam 1.7.34. anger

Despite a government being changed regularly through the democratic elections, we see that prices in shops are increasing faster than our salaries. At the same time, modern economics has become extremely complicated for a common man to understand. His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, explains in detail the flaws of modern economy in this enlivening conversation with his disciples. politics Prabhupada: The capitalist will take, hold it for some time naturally the price will increase and they will sell it. That system is still going on but it is very dangerously made. People do not bring out the commodity they simply speculate, “I purchased it from you, you purchase it from me,” so the goods are there and transaction is going on. I sell to you, you sell to him, you sell and so on and people do not get the goods. There is scarcity and it is lying somewhere and the speculation is going on. Syamasundara: Somewhere else. Prabhupada: Yes. And because the goods are not coming the market is increasing, you see. This rogueism is going on and there are so many banks although I have no money. Suppose I want to purchase one lakh worth of grains. Somehow or other if I have Rs.20,000 the bank will give me 80,000. So the market is increasing, I’m not selling and when it is to my full satisfaction I sell, I pay the banks money and take a large huge profit. This is going on, in every commodity. Things are not coming out it has become gold exchange. But they will sell just at the beginning of the next season. Syamasundara: Hm. Prabhupada: Otherwise they will be put into knots. [break] Syamasundara: No, no as long as you are here I’m not afraid. Prabhupada: Ah, the population has decreased. Syamasundara: They have driven them away. Or killed them. Prabhupada: When there is… Just like you do not go to the forest [indistinct] infested with many animals. Similarly they also do not come to the human society and the bigger population. Syamasundara: Hm. Prabhupada: This is the safe, bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syad [SB 11.2.37], for forgetting Krishna all the living entities they are afraid of one another. Syamasundara: Hm. Prabhupada: That’s all. They have forgotten that Krishna is the centre He is our father. So there is no fear but that they have forgotten. Now, isad apetasya viparyayo 'smrtih, they have forgotten that we are brothers. Therefore fight, we have got equal rights to enjoy the father’s property but no, I am taking more you are starving. And this is going on. Krishna consciousness will solve all these questions. If everyone has got the right to enjoy father’s property why one should take more? This is the best idea of communism, these things are there in Bhagavata. Bhagavata says whatever is there in the sky, whatever there is on the land and whatever there is on the water they belong to the Supreme Lord. So every living entity has the right to enjoy it as it is allotted by the Lord. This is Bhagavata’s contribution. Syamasundara: Hm. In other words if a man is born a King he is allowed to enjoy like a King? Prabhupada: Yes King is to manage these affairs. Syamasundara: Hm. Prabhupada: If everything is property of God, you are all sons of God. So King’s business is to see that nobody is encroaching upon other’s property. Nobody is fighting and he equally distributes the produce, that is the king’s duty. He has to see that whether brahmanas are executing their duty, ksatriya’s, vaisyas according to their division, this is King’s duty. To make him Krishna conscious but King is simply interested with the tax. No education, so-called King, and the king is finished, now the people have taken in the name of people’s government but it is an oligarch. It is for the interests of a few men and all of them rogues and thieves just like Gandhi started indigenous manufacture. Buy sell car, by manufacturing one’s own cloth, now that became a show and the government started big big factories owned by capitalists. So Britishers were taking one rupee and eight annas per pair and they are now taking twenty-one rupees eight annas. Twenty times increase, government does not say anything because they are getting tax in different ways, excise tax, sales tax, income tax and the tax is distributed amongst the government servants. People do not get any benefit. Syamasundara: Hm. Prabhupada: 20% of the tax collected, they distribute for the people’s welfare and 80% divided, divided by the governors, rajputies, secretaries and government servants—this is the position. One side the capitalist is exploiting and the government is taking tax from them and the government means a few men they are enjoying, that’s it. This is all over the world I can see, and they want that the people should be engaged in fighting in the name of nationalism and they will enjoy that’s all. They have no good idea for the betterment of the position of the citizens. What we are doing every government should have done it—Krishna consciousness but the rascals they simply plunder the citizens and enjoy. Wine women and flesh—this is the position. [break] [indistinct], they are mlecchas and taking the dress of the king, killing the whole world. Talk with Lalita Prasad – March 2, 1972, Birnagar

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