Demoniac World Governments

 Photo: Donald Trump, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi holding a creepy glowing orb in a darkened room in Saudi Arabia

Donald Trump, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Abdel Fatah al-Sisi were pictured standing with their hands on the miniature globe at the opening summit for the new Global Centre for Combating Extremist Ideology in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

This startling photograph of Donald Trump, the Egyptian president and Saudi king placing their hands on a glowing orb at a summit in Riyadh has prompted comparisons between the US president and villains from comic books and film bent on world domination.

Some people on the internet have been rightly perturbed by the image, and have responded in the only way that they know how: by turning it into a meme. On Twitter there were various discussions on it, being a force of evil, the one-world government, a global shadow government, sinister illuminati, etc. Actually it is indeed strange: the greatest Ideology-Extrmist trying to Combat Extremist Ideology? Perhaps the should eliminate themselves first.

Srila Prabupada on Demoniac World Governments

Although the demons who take possession of the government are dressed like men of government, they do not know the duty of the government. Consequently, by the arrangement of God, such demons, who possess great military strength, fight with one another, and thus the great burden of demons on the surface of the earth is reduced. The demons increase their military power by the will of the Supreme, so that their numbers will be diminished and the devotees will have a chance to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (SB 9.24.59)

When people become very much disturbed by this demonic government and demons… So dharmasya glanih. Dharmasya glanih means discrepancies in the matter of executing religious principles. In Kamsa’s time… Just like in Russia, you cannot chant Hare Krsna mantra. What to speak of chanting in the street, you cannot chant even in private. That is their law. So that law is coming gradually everywhere, godless. In China, I’ve heard, anyone teaching about God, next life, he’ll be shot. Is it not? Somebody said me. Anyone teaching “Next life and God,” he’ll be shot down. So your country is still very nice because you are not shooting Krsna conscious people, but there is possibility. Demons are increasing. Demons are increasing. But don’t be afraid. Krsna is there. Just like Krsna’s mother and father were so much, I mean to say, harassed by Kamsa. But at the end, Kamsa was killed by Krsna.

So we may be harassed for the time being, but Krsna will save. This is saranagati. Avasya rakhibe krsna visvasa palana. The saranagati means, surrender means that “Krsna will save me. I, I’ll not do anything against the devotional service. Even there is torture…” Just like Prahlada Maharaja. He was tortured by his father. He had… Krsna’s mother was tortured by his brother. Not outsider. So the demons are so rascal, they don’t care for son, sister, mother. No. “As soon as it is against my personal sense gratification, I must finish this.” But be sure that Krsna will save. We have got so many instances. As Prahlada Maharaja was saved by Hiranyaka…, by Narasimhadeva from the hands of his father, Hiranyakasipu; Devaki was saved, Vasudeva was saved from the hands of Kamsa; so you will be also saved. Because there is promise in the Bhagavad-gita: kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. Krsna says, “Make it a declaration throughout the whole world that anyone who is My devotee, he’ll never be annihilated. He’ll be protected. I’ll give him protection.” Samo ‘ham sarva-bhutesu. Samo ‘ham sarva-bhutesu na me dvesyo ‘sti na priyah. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that “I am equal to everyone. Nobody is My enemy, nobody is My friend.” Ye tu bhajanti mam pritya. “But those who are devotees, engaged twenty-four hours, I give them special protection. I give them special protection.” So the demons will be there, and they will always give trouble to the demigods, or the devotees, but you don’t stop your function, devotional service. Don’t be afraid of the demons. Indrari-vyakulam lokam mrdayanti. This mrdayanti means “giving protection” Yes. Give protection.

So this sankirtana movement, Hare Krsna movement, is also incarnation of Krsna. Nama-rupe avatara. Krsna can become incarnation in sound form also. Not even a physical form. Physical form also there; everything is there. But especially this age, Krsna is incarnated in His name. The name of Krsna is not different from Krsna. So nama-rupe krsna-avatara. So Krsna is already there. The whole world is now demonic, anti govern…, anti-God, anti-matter or anti-God now. So the incarnation has already come. Those who will take shelter of this incarnation of Krsna’s name, they will be never annihilated. Take it for granted. [Prabhupada Lecture, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.28, Los Angeles, October 3, 1972]

So this is a fact, that they are defying the authority of God. They say that “What is the use of accepting God?” because foolish. They… Just like the communist class men, they say, “The religion is the cause of all falldown of the human society, religion.” Therefore they are very much against religion. When I was in Moscow, in the airport, my custom checking was being done. So they found out one Bhagavad-gita. So immediately the custom officer called police. So I thought, “Now my destiny is finished, because… (laughter) Because I know that these people send anyone to some unknown place. You cannot question.” In our country that is also coming very soon. Anyone government can send anywhere. So the policeman, two policemen came. So they saw the Bhagavad-gita. Of course, by Krishna’s grace, they said, “Oh, no, there is nothing dangerous. They can go.” This is the country, Moscow. I have got practical experience in going there. And always suspicious. And the people in general, they are very unhappy, very unhappy, because they have no freedom. A young man cannot go out of the country. So they may advertise so much, but so far I have got experience—the most wretched country. Everyone is fearful. And they are not very prosperous, not rich or… Comparing to the other cities of Europe or America, Moscow is a very poor city. [Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture 3.26.6 Bombay, December 18, 1974]

TRANSLATION: O my Lord, proprietor of all creation, You have now appeared in my house, desiring to protect this world. I am sure that You will kill all the armies that are moving all over the world under the leadership of politicians who are dressed as ksatriya rulers but who are factually demons. They must be killed by You for the protection of the innocent public.

PURPORT: Krsna appears in this world for two purposes, paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam: to protect the innocent, religious devotees of the Lord and to annihilate all the uneducated, uncultured asuras, who unnecessarily bark like dogs and fight among themselves for political power. It is said, kali-kale nama-rupe krsna avatara. The Hare Krsna movement is also an incarnation of Krsna in the form of the holy name (nama-rupe). Every one of us who is actually afraid of the asuric rulers and politicians must welcome this incarnation of Krsna: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Then we will surely be protected from the harassment of asuric rulers.

At the present moment these rulers are so powerful that by hook or by crook they capture the highest posts in government and harass countless numbers of people on the plea of national security or some emergency ((corona virus PSYOP)). Then again, one asura defeats another asura, but the public continues to suffer. Therefore the entire world is in a precarious condition, and the only hope is this Hare Krsna movement. Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared when Prahlada was excessively harassed by his asuric father. Because of such asuric fathers–that is, the ruling politicians–it is very difficult to press forward the Hare Krsna movement, but because Krsna has now appeared in His holy name through this movement, we can hope that these asuric fathers will be annihilated and the kingdom of God established all over the world. The entire world is now full of many asuras in the guise of politicians, gurus, sadhus, yogis and incarnations, and they are misleading the general public away from Krsna consciousness, which can offer true benefit to human society. [Prabhupada from Srimad Bhagavatam 10.3.21]

TRANSLATION: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had many, many arms, first uprooted Hiranyakasipu’s heart and then threw him aside and turned toward the demon’s soldiers. These soldiers had come in thousands to fight with Him with raised weapons and were very faithful followers of Hiranyakasipu, but Lord Nrsimhadeva killed all of them merely with the ends of His nails.

PURPORT: Since the creation of the material world, there have been two kinds of men–the devas and the asuras. The devas are always faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas the asuras are always atheists who defy the supremacy of the Lord. At the present moment, throughout the entire world, the atheists are extremely numerous. They are trying to prove that there is no God and that everything takes place due to combinations and permutations of material elements. Thus the material world is becoming more and more godless, and consequently everything is in a disturbed condition. If this continues, the Supreme personality of Godhead will certainly take action, as He did in the case of Hiranyakasipu. Within a second, Hiranyakasipu and his followers were destroyed, and similarly if this godless civilization continues, it will be destroyed in a second, simply by the movement of one finger of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The demons should therefore be careful and curtail their godless civilization. They should take advantage of the Krsna consciousness movement and become faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; otherwise they are doomed. As Hiranyakasipu was killed in a second, the godless civilization can be destroyed at any moment. [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.8.31]

I can understand your concern about the deterioration of the civilization. Yes, the city will be more dangerous place as Kali-yuga advances. It will be very deteriorating. The modern civilization is so corrupt and as sinful activities are more and more committed, the people will be forced to face more troubles, by nature’s order. Our business, however, is simply to take shelter of the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra and pray to the Holy Name to give us protection. We shall be unaffected by all that will happen. Krsna will provide us with working facilities. Be assured of this, that the devotees will be protected by the Holy Name. Others will have to suffer in the days that are coming. Prabhupada Letter to: Kurusrestha, Bhaktivedanta Manor, 23 July, 1973

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (4.8), paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. The sādhus, the devotees of the Lord, are always eager to advance the cause of Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that the conditioned souls may be released from the bondage of birth and death. But the asuras, the demons, impede the advancement of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and therefore Kṛṣṇa arranges occasional fights between different asuras who are very much interested in increasing their military power.

Demons may falsely accuse the preachers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, but Kṛṣṇa will arrange a fight between the demons in which all their military power will be engaged and both parties of demons will be annihilated. (SB 9.24.59)

The Lord’s activities of saving the devotees and killing the demons (paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8)) take place side by side. Kṛṣṇa actually appears for the deliverance of the sādhus, or bhaktas, but by killing the demons He shows them mercy also, for anyone killed by Kṛṣṇa is liberated. Whether the Lord kills or gives protection, He is kind to both the demons and the devotees. (SB 9.24.61 P)