It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss - Better you keep yourself ideal character, that people can see that - Here is a ideal group of men

Expressions researched:
"It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss" |"Better you keep yourself ideal character, that people can see that" |"Here is a ideal group of men"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

The difficulty is, "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." Better you keep yourself ideal character, that people can see that "Here is a ideal group of men." Otherwise, in politics . . . they are feeling the necessity of an honest leader, but they are themself dishonest, the people. So when you point out that, "This leader is dishonest," they do not very much appreciate.

740614 - Conversation - Paris

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Is it not a vicious circle, though. Without a pure leader, they cannot be pure themselves.

Prabhupāda: But they cannot understand. The vicious circle, they will not be able to understand, because he is also vicious.

Devotee: Therefore just like Kṛṣṇa, during the battle of Kurukṣetra, he told Arjuna to do so many things. He told Yudhiṣṭhira to lie. When he said: "Aśvatthāmā has been killed," he said Aśvatthāmā the elephant, he said the elephant . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes, that was a tactics. So . . .

Devotee: And also when Karṇa . . . Arjuna killed Karṇa when he was off his chariot.

Prabhupāda: The difficulty is, "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." Better you keep yourself ideal character, that people can see that "Here is a ideal group of men." Otherwise, in politics . . . they are feeling the necessity of an honest leader, but they are themself dishonest, the people. So when you point out that, "This leader is dishonest," they do not very much appreciate. There is a story in this connection I will tell you, that one man was drunkard. So his friend said: "You are drinking. You will go to hell." "Oh, my father also drinks." "Oh, he will also go to hell." "My mother also drinks." "Oh, she will also go to hell." In this way, all the family member, they scrutinizingly studying that all of them were drunkards. You see? Then the man who was accused of drinking, he said, "If everyone is going to hell, then hell is heaven. (laughter) Because my father is going there, mother is going there, my brother is going there, I shall go there. It is heaven. Where is hell?"

Devotee: Heaven is where all my friends are.

Prabhupāda: So this is the position. As soon as you point out, "This man is dishonest," and you scrutinize, everyone is dishonest, then where is dishonesty? It is all honesty. Because if the whole business is dishonesty, so there is no question of honesty. Let it go on. That is the public opinion. Why one should be unnecessarily honest? If the whole world is dishonest, and the dishonest world is going on, then where is the harm? What is the use of becoming . . . the same thing, "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss."