740118SB.HAW Lectures | Srila Prabhupada | […] So here it is said, the enquiry, that kim ksatra-bandhun kalina upasrstan rastrani va tair avaropitani: “Are you very much anxious that, on account of this Kali-yuga, that ksatra-bandhun, the rulers, they have occupied the rastra position, the government position?”
So what is the symptom of such a rascal government? That is also stated. Itas tato vasana-pana-vasah-snana-vyavayonmukha-jiva-lokam. There will be no fixed position of these things. Just see. What are these? Asana, eating. Asana, pana, drinking; vasah, residence; snana, taking bath; and vyavaya, sexual intercourse. There is no rules and regulation.
Irresponsible government means, the Kali’s government means, that these things will be irregular, not regularized. Just see. This is Vedic civilization. Asana, eating–there must be regulative principle, not that like hogs and pigs you can eat everything, no.
There must be control. Control is there already. Just like in government, when you open a restaurant, immediately there is control. You have to take license, that “You have to supply food like this or like that. You cannot supply anything rubbish.” Is it not?
Control is there, but because it is controlled by another rascal, group of rascals, so they allow everything to eat. Everything eat. Control is there, but they do not know what kind of control should be there. The control should be, as we are prescribing, Krishna consciousness move…, “You cannot take anything without Krishna’s prasada.”
That is real control. Then you’ll be happy. Control is already there, but they do not know because they are being governed by ksatra-bandhun. Ksatra-bandhun means ksatriya. Ksatriya means the ruling class. Ksat, ksat means injure, and trayate, one who gives you protection from being injured. He’s ksatriya.
It is the duty of the government that every citizen, never mind whether human being or animal, he may not be injured by anyone. That is responsible government. It is not responsible government that one poor animal, because he does not know how to give him protection, although there is government, he is taken away to the slaughterhouse.
This is not government.
Here we see Maharaja Pariksit, as soon as he saw that a cow was being attempted to be killed, immediately he took his sword, “What are you, nonsense? You are killing my citizen.” This is good government. This is good government. Why the cow is not national? He’s also, she’s also born in the land; so she’s as important a national as you are.
Krishna has given her the grass to eat. She’s not interfere, interfering with your food. Why? What right you have got to kill? You have got your own food. The cow has got the grass for her food. You have got food grains. You have got… Cow is giving you milk, just to give her protection, that “You take my blood, turn into milk. Please do not kill me.”
So why these things are happening? Because there is rascal government. Kalina upasrstan. Rascal government. So one should lament that this, “We are under this rascal government, under the rascal guru, rascal father. But who are meant for giving protection, they are all rascals. This is our position.” This is called Kali-yuga. This is Kali-yuga.
We should always be enthusiastic to try for capturing the rhinoceros. That way, if we fail, everyone will say, “Never mind, nobody can catch a rhinoceros anyway,” and if we succeed, then everyone will say, “Just see what a wonderful thing they have done!”
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
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With Prabhupada in Vrindavan
By Shyamasundar Das
“We walk the golden mica sands that bank the Yamuna River, . . . led by our peerless Pied Piper.”
[Excerpted from Chasing Rhinos with the Swami, Volume 2. Copyright 2019 Samuel Paul Speerstra (Shyamasundar das). Volumes 1 and 2 are available from the Krishna.com Store and the author’s website: http://www.chasingrhinos.com.]
……Early on the second morning, fog burns off the Yamuna River in the first hazy sun. “Can we take bath here, Srila Prabhupada?” Prabhupada, sitting on the steps at Keshi Ghat next to his pal Dr. Kapoor watches our tentative entry into the freezing Yamuna water, then laughs as we splash and whoop and a few bold Americans swim out into the sacred current. Even the women overcome their shyness, strip to their slips, and jump in. Prabhupada squats on the steps, dhoti up around his knees, and smiles at Saraswati running back and forth at his feet. She badly wants to jump in the river, but she’s still coughing, so I tell her no. “Come on, Prabhupada, come on in!” He can’t resist any longer. He removes his marigold garlands, takes off his sweater, hands someone his watch, unbuttons and removes his kurta – and wades a few steps out until water is up to his waist. He pinches his nose, then – swppp! – ducks straight down and under the water. Splash! He reemerges straight-up, wiping water from his eyes. As Prabhupada dries off with a towel on the steps, we steal glances at his golden full-body beauty: he’s happy as a lark…..
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