Laws of the government (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"government law" |"government laws" |"law of the government" |"law of the state" |"laws of the government" |"laws of the state" |"state law" |"state laws"

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Upendra -- Los Angeles 13 February, 1968:

I am so glad to hear that you are released now; this I expected when you came to see me. I entrusted the matter to Krishna to give you release. Anyway, Krishna has been so much merciful upon you that He has taken you out of the state laws. So in every kind of miseries we have to depend on Krishna and we should not be too much disturbed when such miseries come upon us. You have shown very great example in sticking yourself to chanting Hare Krishna while you were in tribulation. Follow this practice all along your life, and surely Krishna will accept you into the Kingdom of God, Back to Godhead.

Letter to Yamuna -- Allston, Mass 23 May, 1968:

I received your letter a few days ago and I am very glad to learn that you are training the 2 boys in Krishna Consciousness. I do not think you require an academic degree for training such boys. We are training Krishna Consciousness, which has nothing to do with academic education; I therefore wish that instead of wasting your time for 2 or 3 years for taking a degree, you may increase your scope of activities for recruiting such boys and training them in Krishna Consciousness. But if your state laws do not allow it to hold any class without such degree then you must get such degree.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Montreal 16 July, 1968:

Chant Hare Krishna, both husband and wife, regularly, and worship Lord Krishna's Sri Murti, as you are doing, and try to elevate others in Krishna Consciousness, which has nothing to do with academic education; I therefore wish that instead of wasting your time for 2 or 3 years for taking a degree, you may increase your scope of activities for recruiting such boys and training them in Krishna Consciousness. But if your state laws do not allow it to hold any class without such degree then you must get such degree.

Letter to Anapurna, Ananda -- Montreal 4 September, 1968:

So far your marriage is concerned, I am very sorry that Ananda's parents are not willing in this marriage ceremony; now it is up to you for deciding whether you should get married or not. But I think you should, under the circumstances, the best thing will be that you get yourself married legally, according to the state laws and get a certificate and I think, Ananda, you should try to remain in Vancouver, and work. And by your labor you try to open a branch in Vancouver, and that will be very nice thing. And when I go to Vancouver, from Seattle, I shall offer my blessings in observing the rituals of our marriage system.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Krsna dasa -- New Vrindaban 13 June, 1969:

If the police do not allow you to perform kirtana in public places, do not disobey their orders. Try to abide by the law of the state for taking advantage of performing kirtana as far as possible.

Letter to Swami B. S. Bhagavata Maharaja -- Los Angeles 21 August, 1969:

I have also gone through the Memorandum of Articles of Association of your Mission and particularly seen the specific portion referred to in your letter in reply. I see it is in order, but similarly, we have also incorporated our International Society for Krishna Consciousness pursuant to the religious corporation laws of the state of New York.

Letter to Unknown -- Tittenhurst 1 October, 1969:

The state laws are specifically meant for making citizens men of good character, and good character means avoiding the following sinful activities: intoxication, illicit sex life, gambling and meat-eating. We are checking people from practicing these sinful activities. All of our students are applying these principles practically in their lives, and they are teaching others to follow the same principles. Therefore, it is the duty of the government to help us in our missionary work rather than to hinder us.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Madhudvisa -- Los Angeles 14 February, 1970:

Regarding your first question, a pure devotee is never under the modes of nature. In other words, no material laws apply on a devotee because he is fully under the direction of Krsna. So a devotee can continue his present occupation or he may change it if he likes. Krsna does not force a devotee because the devotee acts spontaneously according to the desire of the Lord; in this kind of loving service there is no question of force. Force is applied only when there is denial of Krsna. Just as the citizens of a state have freedom to follow the laws of the state, that is subordinate freedom, and the freedom of the living entities is also subordinate to Krsna.

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 15 April, 1970:

So the atheist is hypocrite himself when he says that he does not believe in God. He has to believe in God in the form of Death. A criminal hypocritically says that he does not believe in the Government, but a civil citizen abides by the law of the Government. The Government is present therefore both for the criminal and for the law abiding citizen. To the criminal the Government is present as force of law and order, putting the criminal in the prison house and giving the civil citizen all facilities for peaceful life. So in both the cases how one can say that he has not seen God? Death is Krishna—mrtyuh sarvaharas ca aham (B.G. 10:34). "(Also) I am Death who takes away everything." The atheist is liar that he does not see God. God is there for him as Death. But the atheist is so stubborn and obstinate that although he is very fearful of Death who will take away all his arrangements for sense gratification he lies that he does not see Him, and in the end he even attempts to resist Death, but he is killed as easily as anything and there is no doubt about it.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Yamuna, Gurudasa -- Nairobi 17 October, 1971:

Actually our movement is so important that without taking to it, no other method, political, social, religious, or cultural, can give relief to the present chaotic status of the worldly situation. The leaders of the society must try to understand this point, that godlessness cannot give any relief to the human society. The whole world is so made that the living entity must serve Krishna; otherwise he has to serve maya. It is the same example that the citizen of the state has to render service to the government in order to become a good citizen. If one does not abide by the government laws then he is put into prison walls and forced to serve the government more tediously. So if we do not perform sacrifice, yajna, which means method of activities for pleasing the lord; as you know it is stated in Bhagavad-gita that any work not done for the satisfaction of the Lord must entangle the doer in the complication of the stringent laws of material nature.