But unless people are Krishna conscious like Dhruva Maharaja, there will be no appreciable changes in government because people who hanker to attain political position by hook or by crook cannot think of the welfare of the people.

Democracy: the problem and the solution

Democracy not all it's cracked up to be

HAYAGRIVA: He [Plato] believed that the best form of government is an enlightened monarchy, enlightened monarchy.

PRABHUPADA: Yes, yes. That is we say, rajarshi, rajarshi. Imam rajarshayo viduh [Bhagavad-gita 4.2]. Rajarshi means king, at the same time saintly.

HAYAGRIVA: Saintly.

PRABHUPADA: That is idea. He has taken these ideas from the Vedic literature.

HAYAGRIVA: When this form degenerates, it becomes a tyranny.

PRABHUPADA: Yes.

HAYAGRIVA: When it degenerates.

PRABHUPADA: Yes.

HAYAGRIVA: The second best form is an aristocracy, and when it deteriorates it becomes an oligarchy, rule of corrupt men. And he considered democracy to be one of the worst forms of government...

PRABHUPADA: Yes, that is my, I have said...

HAYAGRIVA: ...for when it deteriorates, it degenerates into mob rule.

PRABHUPADA: Yes, yes, that's a fact, very good. But the best thing is monarchy, because if the monarch is rajarshi, he is not only king... That is necessary. Krishna wants that, that the government should be ruled; therefore we praise, offer so much respect to Maharaja Yudhishthira, Maharaja Parikshit and Lord Ramachandra, how to become an ideal king. He is Personality of Godhead. He showed how to become Rama-rajya.

So this is very good because it is not expensive. One man is maintained by the state very nicely, and nowadays these democracies' mob rule means instead of one king there are 300,000 kings in a state, and they are looting the hard-earned money by income tax, and everything is so polluted. So the condemnation of democracy is supported by us. It is mob rule. It has no value.

HAYAGRIVA: Socrates and Plato.

PRABHUPADA: That's all right.

HAYAGRIVA: They had city states that were, uh...

PRABHUPADA: Mini-states.

HAYAGRIVA: ...democracy. They were, they were so small that everyone could get together.

PRABHUPADA: Pañchayat, in India it was pañchayat. So each man of the village, it is to reduce the responsibility of the state if that small cases, the pañchayat, some of the important men of the village they would sit together, and whatever they will decide, that the state will accept, court will accept. So minimize the responsibility of the court in deciding several cases. So in the India the pañchayat system is there.

HAYAGRIVA: The what?

PRABHUPADA: Pañchayat means...

HAYAGRIVA: Pañchat?

PRABHUPADA: Pañcha.

HAYAGRIVA: Pañcha.

PRABHUPADA: Pañcha means five. Five selected men from the village sit down and decide the case. That will be accepted by the government.

HAYAGRIVA: Greece, Greece was not a country as such; it was composed of small towns or cities, and Athens was the biggest, and everyone got together and the wisest men spoke, and they voted on their decisions.

PRABHUPADA: That is the beginning of Parliament.

HAYAGRIVA: Parliament.

PRABHUPADA: So in monarchy also there was council of learned men, brahmanas, great saintly persons. Even Maharaja Yudhishthira was guided like that. Lord Ramachandra was guided. That is the system. Even monarchy was there, still he was advised by learned scholars and brahmanas and saintly persons, and he would do according to their decision.

...So-called democracy is ludicrous, that's a fact. All fools and rascals bribing, and this way and that way they have taken post, and when they go to the post, simply squander money, that's all. Just they take bribes from big, big men, that "I will give you, repay you ten times, you give me money."

HARI-SAURI: The system of continuously changing the government every four years means that...

PRABHUPADA: Every four days!

DEVOTEE: For four years that "I'll take advantage as much as possible for my personal gain, and then retire rich."

PRABHUPADA: It is very, a very dangerous position, this so-called democracy. Nobody cares for it. So sometimes this emergency is required, but if it is used again for personal aggrandizement, then it is also. Actually, the perfection of government is monarchy, and the monarchy, monarch should be ideal rajarshi. That is the Indian's, Vedic system. The Vedic system was there everywhere; therefore still there are monarchs. But they are simply maintaining the monarchy, and actually monarch has no power.

HAYAGRIVA: I think in the history of the West all the monarchs have been ogres except maybe with the exception of Constantine, who was a Christian monarch, and I think that was the only one.

PRABHUPADA: Yes.

HAYAGRIVA: But it was not...

PRABHUPADA: Monarch, that is the idea, rajarshi. Raja [king] and rishi [sage]. He is in the position of raja, but he is actually a great sage. That is required. Then everything will be perfect. Rajarshayo viduh, Krishna says. And if the monarch, the chief man in the state, he understands Bhagavad-gita, then everything will be immediately perfect. Everything, immediate. Formerly the kings were devotees, [representatives of God on Earth]. Imam rajarshayo viduh [Bg. 4.2], it clearly stated. But at the present there is no monarchy, and all loafer class they are taking charge of government. They do not know. Why they will know it? They have gone there for getting some money. "I am now in position, get that much money." They know, "After five years I will be nowhere, so let me accumulate some money while I am on the ministerial post." This is going on. Who cares for the good of the citizen? If we discuss these things, it will be great criticism, but this is the position.

Vote on the basis of character, not promises

Although it is misconceived that formerly the monarchial government was autocratic, from the description of this verse it appears that not only was King Uttanapada a rajarshi, but before installing his beloved son Dhruva on the throne of the empire of the world, he consulted his ministerial officers, considered the opinion of the public, and also personally examined Dhruva's character. Then the King installed him on the throne to take charge of the affairs of the world.

When a Vaishnava king like Dhruva Maharaja is the head of the government of the entire world, the world is so happy that it is not possible to imagine or describe. Even now, if people would all become Krishna conscious, the democratic government of the present day would be exactly like the kingdom of heaven. If all people became Krishna conscious they would vote for persons of the category of Dhruva Maharaja. If the post of chief executive were occupied by such a Vaishnava, all the problems of satanic government would be solved. The youthful generation of the present day is very enthusiastic in trying to overthrow the government in different parts of the world. But unless people are Krishna conscious like Dhruva Maharaja, there will be no appreciable changes in government because people who hanker to attain political position by hook or by crook cannot think of the welfare of the people. They are only busy to keep their position of prestige and monetary gain. They have very little time to think of the welfare of the citizens.

Remedy for corruption and inept government

Dhruva Maharaja, as an ideal king, practically emptied his treasury by giving charity. A king is not meant simply to realize taxes from the citizens and accumulate wealth to spend in sense gratification. World monarchy has failed ever since kings began to satisfy their personal senses with the taxes accumulated from the citizens. Of course, whether the system is monarchy or democracy, the same corruption is still going on. At the present moment there are different parties in the democratic government, but everyone is busy trying to keep his post or trying to keep his political party in power. The politicians have very little time to think of the welfare of the citizens, whom they oppress with heavy taxes in the form of income tax, sales tax and many other taxes–people sometimes have eighty to ninety percent of their income taken away, and these taxes are lavishly spent for the high salaries drawn by the officers and rulers.

Formerly, the taxes accumulated from the citizens were spent for performing great sacrifices as enjoined in the Vedic literature. At the present moment, however, almost all forms of sacrifice are not at all possible; therefore, it is recommended in the shastras that people should perform sankirtana-yajña [congregational chanting of the holy names]. Any householder, regardless of his position, can perform this sankirtana-yajña without expenditure. All the family members can sit down together and simply clap their hands and chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Somehow or other, everyone can manage to perform such a yajña [sacrifice] and distribute prasada [sanctified food] to the people in general. That is quite sufficient for this age of Kali. The Krishna consciousness movement is based on this principle: chant the Hare Krishna mantra at every moment, as much as possible, both inside and outside of the temples, and, as far as possible, distribute prasada. This process can be accelerated with the cooperation of state administrators and those who are producing the country's wealth. Simply by liberal distribution of prasada and sankirtana, the whole world can become peaceful and prosperous.