Vedic Perspective
Editorial Commentary
5-7-87

  Presidental hopeful Gary Hart finds himself tonight on the verge of
withdrawing his name from the race for the 1988 presidential race because of
his alleged affair with a young woman last weekend.
  It was a Miami newspaper that put a tail on Hart and watched Hart enter
his home with a young woman while his wife was out of town.  The newspaper
observers did not see the woman come out of Hart's apartment until the next
day.
  The story that came out about Hart's private life created a controversy.
On one side people are saying that the man has a right to his private life.
On the other side, people want to know about the character of the man who
they must put their faith in.
  Now, in the Vedic culture which is being propagated by the Hare Krishna
movement, the Vedas recommend that the leader of the government must know
about the goal of life.  Not that the king or president is just an
governmental official who can collect taxes, promises about a better
tomorrow and take advantage of all the presidential perks in his own private
time.  No.  He must be a man who is actively trying to lead the people back
home, back to Godhead.
  This is because the leader of a godly government is highly intelligent and
cultured.  He knows from the Vedic literature like the Bhagavad-gita and
other bona fide scriptures that the material world is a place of suffering
and ignorance.  So instead of simply acting in an official capacity, he must
act to help save the people from hellish life.  That is the meaning of a
civilized leader.
  The viewpoint that a public official should have a private life should not
be necessary.  Public leaders, especially religious men should be completely
beyond suspicion.  This is true for TV religious men, judges, school
officials and government men--anyone in whom the public places their trust
in.
  Frankly, we do not know how things are going on presently with so many
reported scandals.  However, the philosophy of Krishna consciousness advises
us that in whatever condition we may find ourselves in, we can go on and try
to make advancement in understanding our relationship with the Supreme Lord.
  Actually, the Krishna philosophy is not at all interested if the
government is good or if the government is poorly run or whatever the
condition of government may be.  From a worldly point of view, it may be
nice if there were godly men in government posts.  But considering the
present age of Kali-yuga where everything is touched by irreligious
activity, it may not be possible for leaders of government to rise to the
platform of guiding people by their personal example to become Krishna
conscious.
  So no matter what condition the world may be in, everyone should be
responsible to see if they can somehow manage to reach the perfection of
life and come to know about their relationship with Krishna.  And when a
person understands the reality about the existence of God, and the miserable
conditions of material life, his duty immediately is to help awaken others
from the illusion of the pursuit of godless enjoyments.
  Krishna says life is for performing tapa or pennance.  If you do something
to please Krishna, that is called acting on the spiritual platform.  Now in
order to begin to know about Krishna, one has to give up sinful life.  The
founder of the Hare Krishna movement, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami recommends that one who wants to know God must give up eating meat,
taking intoxication, illicit sex life and gambling.  And above all, he must
chant the holy names of God like Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare in all humility so that
the knowledge and understanding about the relationship with Krishna begins
to grow inside the heart.

--Vaishnava dasa