Here is a crisp, user friendly quotation from Chris Butler's own guru,
Srila Prabhupada -- the guy who taught Butler the guru business.
What Butler's teacher, Srila had to say about democracy.
[www.google.com]
Srila Prabhupada -- the guy who taught Butler the guru business.
What Butler's teacher, Srila had to say about democracy.
[www.google.com]
Quote
[harekrishnarevolution.wordpress.com]
(Corboy: Prabhupada accumulated tax exempt wealth thanks to democracies. He n benefited from democracies which allowed him
entry visas, residence visas, protected him while there and granted him something that Prabhupada would not permit in an ideal 'Vedic' kingdom -- free speech
which dissents from the values of the society granting him not just safety but hospitality.)
What is the value of this democracy? All fools and rascals!Quote
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktived?nta Swami Prabhup?da
hiranyakasipu-prahlad
The king’s duty is, as representative of Krishna, to make every citizen Krishna conscious. Then he is doing nice duty. And because the monarchs did not do so – therefore now monarchy is abolished everywhere. So again the monarchs, where there is monarchy, little, at least show of monarchy, just like here in England there is, actually if the monarch becomes Krishna conscious, actually becomes representative of Krishna, then the whole face of the kingdom will change. That is required.
Our Krishna consciousness movement is for that purpose. We don’t very much like this so-called democracy. What is the value of this democracy? All fools and rascals! They vote for another fool and rascal, and he becomes prime minister, or this or that. Just like in so many cases. That is not good for the people. We are not for this so-called democracy because they are not trained. If the king is trained… That was the system of monarchy. Just like Yudhisthira Maharaja or Arjuna or anyone. All the kings. were called r?jarshi.
Raja, king means, he is not only king. He is a great rishi, saintly person, just like Maharaja Yudhisthira or Arjuna. They’re saintly persons. They are not ordinary, like this drunkard king, that “I have got so much money. Let me drink and let there be dancing of the prostitute.” Not like that. They were rishi. Although they were king, they were rishis. That kind of king wanted, r?jarshi.
Then people will be happy.
In Bengali there is a proverb, r?j?ra p?pe r?ja nasta grhin? doshe grhastha bhrashta (?). In grhastha life, in household life, if the wife if the wife is not good, then nobody will be happy in that home. Similarly, in a kingdom, if the king is impious, then everyone will suffer. This is the problem.
[London July 24, 1973 Bg. 1.31]