My Articles & Resources

“We, The People” and Krishna Consciousness

In his purport of Srimad Bhagavatam (SB) 4.14.41, Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the Krishna Consciousness Movement in the West, writes, “They (the Brahmanas / devotees) are generally unaware of the happenings within the material world because they are always busy in their activities for spiritual advancement. Nonetheless, when there is a calamity in human society, they cannot remain impartial. If they do not do something to relieve the distressed condition of human society, it is said that due to such neglect their spiritual knowledge diminishes.”

Even as devotees always focus on spiritual matters, they are also always thinking of the welfare of the people in general. In this respect, devotees engage socially, culturally, and politically to demonstrate that the Krishna Consciousness Movement is quite relevant to present day concerns.  Otherwise, why should the public be at all interested in the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and the Vedic literatures?

Back in the 1970s Prabhupada warned against the communist/ Marxist atheism and aggression as a  danger to godly culture, which he had directly experienced in India in the earlier half of the 20th century. In this election year,  the United States of America (and the Krishna Movement) is confronted with a similar danger in the form of Christian Nationalism. This pseudo religious movement, eager to envelop America with it’s Biblical notions, is militant in nature, and the result of over 40 years of germination beginning with  the Moral Majority.  To acknowledge this emerging danger to religious freedom is no more of a political statement than Prabhupada’s recognizing the danger of communism.

To promote Christian Nationalism, many political and religious voices  demand that the Bible be the supreme  authority in the USA. While offering superficial praise to the Founding Fathers, they uninhibitedly attack the First Amendment, that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” One Congresswomen declared, “The church is supposed to direct the government. . . . I’m tired of this separation of state and church junk. . .” And Senator Josh Hawley at a recent conference declared, “Some will say that I am advocating Christian Nationalism – and so I do.” Many of these people seriously believe they, America’s faithful, are the last hope for Christianity, laying the ground for the coming of Christ.

The View from Christian Leaders

Those Christian leaders who have a more mature understanding of Christ’s teachings have spoken out against Christian Nationalism. Russell Moore, Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today, spoke  about the church in America in an interview in the fall of 2023. Moore explained, “Our aims and objectives, and even our emotional temperature, is being driven by something other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. . . . In order to mobilize people there had to be this rhetoric of imminent threat. ‘Desperate times call for desperate measures.’ ‘You are about to lose everything.’  ‘The outside world is going to destroy you’. . . . We end up being driven from one fear and one crisis to another. . . .  One adds to that a social media atmosphere that’s able to very quickly give information, misinformation, disinformation to the point that people can’t sort through truth and falsehood, we end up in this place. . . .  If you can use religion you can give yourself an extra kind of authority that says ‘if you disagree with me you disagree with God.”

Foolish conclusions are reached by foolish politicians, blinded by their own self-interest, to contradict the intentions of the Constitution. Liberty Magazine’s editor Bettina Krause writes, “An elected official may have beliefs shaped by the Bible, the Qur’an, the Bhagavad Gita, or the writings of some secular philosopher. But the true litmus test for their fitness to serve is whether they abide by the restraints and duties imposed on them by the Constitution they’ve pledged to defend. For that we need to judge their actions, not their religious beliefs.” (Liberty describes itself as “the leading magazine on religious freedom.”)

Also, earlier this year several U.S. Catholic bishops declared that Catholic teachings were not compatible with the notion of Christian Nationalism. A February 29th article in The Jerusalem Post stated, “Donald Trump’s energetic embrace of Christian nationalism before a convention of religious broadcasters last week sent a clear message to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and every other religious minority: You don’t belong here.”

In an article entitled “The Cult of Christian Trumpism,” Christian author Michael Horton offers some observations: “Idolatry has taken precedence over theology.” Both Right and Left are “trying to make Jesus a mascot in the culture wars.” “As a minister of the Word, I am joining others in sounding the alarm that a line has been crossed into rank spiritual adultery.” He concludes his essay: “Though it has nothing to do with serious politics or serious Christianity, it’s the culmination of many decades of exploiting both. And the end result is a dangerous enthusiasm that opposes both.”

Undermining the Law

A Right Response panel of so-called Christian leaders revealed that when they take over the country,  the laws will be such that if you’re not a Christian, you’ll have to “pretend” to be a Christian. In this estranged climate, people have already been attacked and killed by nationalist fanatics, including the Atlanta Olympics bombing, a North Carolina Black church, a Pittsburgh synagogue, and an El Paso, Texas Walmart last year.

There are other important factors that come to play as well, starting with the brazen Heritage Foundation conspiracy of Project 2025. Then Oklahoma’s defiant mandate that the Bible be taught in the public schools. And the eagerness of one party to give heightened power to the President so they could take control of  the country.  And the Supreme Court’s recent immunity decision that allows the President to avoid any legal repercussions for his actions.

To protect their new, fragile country against exploiters and cheaters, the Founding Fathers established three government branches (executive, legislative, judicial) to serve as a check and balance. However, their intentions have now been clearly undermined by the Supreme Court of the land. In reality, no one is above the law. And likewise, everyone is subject to law of karma, wherein we must accept responsibility for our actions, good and bad. Especially, a king,  president, or leader are responsible for everything that happens under their watch.

The Hare Krishna Perspective

The Vedic scriptures explain that in this age, the Kali-yuga, low-class men without any training will come to occupy public offices by popular votes. But instead of protecting the citizens, Srila Prabhupada explains that  such men will only exploit their authority, and the situation will become  “intolerable for everyone.” He goes on to say “Such rulers illegally gratify themselves at the cost of all comforts of the citizens, and thus the chaste Mother Earth cries to see the pitiable condition of her sons, both men and animals. That is the future of the world in the Age of Kali, when irreligiosity prevails. . . .  and educating the people systematically in the teaching of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will clear up the hazy atmosphere of corruption, bribery, blackmail, etc.”  (SB 1.17.27)

On a morning walk (Dec 12, 1973) Srila Prabhupada stated,  “Therefore the public must know whom to elect and how to elect. That should be our propaganda. Because nowadays it is democratic government, teach people how to select the real leader.”

The devotees of Krishna are thus not interested in endorsing any particular candidate. But more importantly, they want to help people understand the principles of Dharma and the qualities of good leadership.  In this way people can make educated choices, rather than listening to the ramblings of those who have no understanding of Dharma nor even the history of their own country.

But now, many years later, the religious leaders on the Right are increasingly catering to Christian Nationalism whose ultimate goal is to fuse government and religion. The rhetoric of the Right and Left  are equally disruptive.  But at this point the Right, seeking to cripple  constitutional rule of law and impose Biblical mandates, is far more dangerous to everyone’s religious freedoms.

Srila Prabhupada explains that a king or leader should represent and protect  all living beings, not only the child within the womb, but even the trees, birds, and animals. He continues, “Every one of them is a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and the king, being the representative of the Supreme Lord, is duty-bound to give proper protection to every one of them. This is not the case with the presidents and dictators of this demoralized system of administration. . . . But this is a great science which can be learned only by one who knows the science of Kṛishna.”  (SB 1/12/4)

In this flawed age, the Kali-yuga, we will always be surrounded by men with ill intentions and their misled  followers. Srila Prabhupada explains “Any man from any social status becomes a well-known man in human society within a very short time if he is simply glorified truly or falsely in the daily newspapers. Sometimes political leaders of a particular party are also advertised by newspaper propaganda, and by such a method of glorification an insignificant man becomes an important man — within no time. But such propaganda by false glorification of an unqualified person cannot bring about any good, either for the particular man or for the society.”  (SB 1.2.14)

Srila Prabhupada saw that when unscrupulous leaders are voted into public office democracy turns into “demon-crazy.” He proposed to India’s ambassador  in Sweden (September 5, 1973)  that the government should be neutral and not to favor any one religion, but to make sure religious leaders were actually following their own religious principles. So the oversight on professionals such as lawyers and doctors should be extended to religious leaders as well.

Provide Inspiration, Not Legislation

Genuine spiritual life is about community. Of course, every spiritual community has its rules and regulations. But spiritual life means to inspire, not to dictate. The great spiritual leaders inspire us to improve ourselves and do good, not impose their beliefs on others. Srila Prabhupada never considered that Christians should become Hindus, nor that he was in competition with any religion.

So Christian Nationalists and the formers of Project 2025 should think carefully before trying to usurp the Constitution and the governing system the Founding Fathers have so painstakingly established. On one hand they give great credit to the Founding Founders, and in the next instance they conspire to undermine the Constitution and impose their selected biblical teachings upon the entire country? Why don’t these Christian leaders develop an actual community to provide an inspiring example for us all? What would governance, education, and health care look like? What will they do for entertainment? And those serving in Congress should work to provide the country with the same type of health care benefits they have created for themselves.

When he arrived in the USA, Srila Prabhupada was very appreciative that the government and the public gave facility to the Krishna Movement, and later on even provided a court decision which  declared ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness) as a bona-fide tradition. In a December 18, 1974 letter Srila Prabhupada writes, “In your country there is very good system of democracy.” But with the growth of this Christian Nationalist mentality over the last 20 years, the atmosphere in American is changing. Today, even the idea of “yoga” has become a threat for many on the far Right.  Fear is an essential component in their doctrine. Anything that would attract their youth to “strange practices” could possibly be a threat. The Krishna Movement can actually sympathize with some of their concerns, especially on abortion, but there is certainly a more mature and more constructive way to approach the issues.

The Way Forward

Being aware of a problem is only the first step.  The next is to be proactive to safeguard the Constitution. It is a challenging time,  and  the Vaishnava devotees have to step up, along with the many others who have already done so. For any sober person, the present circumstances pose a threat to religious freedom.

My intention is not to be negative or fearful. But the writing is on the wall, and it’s time for devotees to take the opportunity now to create genuine alliances and present Krishna Consciousness in a thoughtful, rational and inclusive manner. In Light of the Bhagavata, verse 6, Prabhupada calls for alliances with “responsible leaders of religious sects.” He encourages, “responsible leaders of religious sects must meet together and form a common platform of a league of devotees of the Lord.” Prabhupada understands the potential danger in this age and calls for compassionate devotees to speak out, “even at the risk of death.”

It’s a time to work together on many levels and on various projects – perhaps even as Jimmy Carter did in Habitat for Humanity. Who does not see his example as that of an ideal Christian? For Krishna Consciousness to make an impact in the West there has to be a radical change. Devotees and the Krishna leaders have to be more proactive – to become more involved in current events, and especially in their local communities, to offer a Krishna Conscious perspective. This will certainly help introduce the teachings of Bhagavad Gita to the public.  And of course, to come together in prayer with local community leaders, including the chanting of the great prayer for peace – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

In our daily lives we are constantly engaged in hearing about something or someone, praising someone, remembering someone or some past event, and engaging in  pray or meditation. Srila Prabhupada explains, these human activities are perfected when we engage them in the service of the Supreme Lord, the Lord Within the Heart.  Ultimately, we must learn to serve the Lord in any situation that arises. It’s not about election results, but about deepening our relationship with our Dear-most Friend, Lord Krishna.

Video Discussions with Andy Fraenkel

*Mahabharat and Leadership  with Vaishali Shah at HinduScriptures:

*Mahabharata, Justice and My Personal Journey  with Dr. Christopher Fici at Engaged Bhakti: —  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBccYXmtCUQ&t=1552s

*Panel Discussion: Word Power at Namaste 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Z0rVs-Plc

*Katha: Leadership in the Mahabharatha at Namaste 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWyBvjIfBBs&t=2223s

Hanuman’s Quest (CD) Wins Storytelling World Resource Award:

https://iskconnews.org/hanumans-quest-cd-wins-international-award/

Other Resources:

First complete English translation – by Kisari Mohna Ganguli (circa 1896)  http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/maha/index.htm

The Mahabharata and the Sindhu-Sarasvati Tradition by Subhash Kak  –http://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/MahabharataII.pdf