Onwards to Mendoza, Argentina
5 January 2015--After an ecstatic series of lectures here in Santiago, Chile today we are taking a one hour flight up over the Andes mountains landing in Mendoza, Argentina on the plain on the other side of this longest-in-the-world mountain range. It's wonderful to see how the Krishna consciousness movement has expanded all over the world. If we can stick devotedly to the instructions given in Srila Prabhupada's books, very soon this movement will engulf the planet bringing peace, prosperity, and happiness to everyone.
In the purport to Bhagavad-gita 7.12 I have read, "...under the state laws one may be punished, but the king, the lawmaker, is not subject to that law."
How can the king be above the laws of the land? Is he not supposed to lead by example? How will the people follow laws that the king himself does not?
Please guide me,
Sanjay
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
From Santiago, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina
Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:
Question: How Can a King Be Above the Laws?
Dear Gurudeva,In the purport to Bhagavad-gita 7.12 I have read, "...under the state laws one may be punished, but the king, the lawmaker, is not subject to that law."
How can the king be above the laws of the land? Is he not supposed to lead by example? How will the people follow laws that the king himself does not?
Please guide me,
Sanjay
Answer: Since He Makes Them, He is Naturally Above Them
Unlike the so-called constitutional monarchies we see nowadays, in a real monarchy the king is the one who makes all the laws, not a parliament. Therefore he answers to no one other than himself and is naturally above the laws. If he is Krishna conscious, as the kings were in the Vedic times, he executes his absolute power in strict accordance with the Vedic teachings under the guidance of his spiritual master. In this way the citizens are well-protected by a compassionate king who cares for his citizens just as a loving parent cares for his children. They are happy, peaceful, and prosperous in this life under the king's good government, and because of the wonderful spiritual training they receive being facilitated by their king, they go back to home, back to Godhead in the next life. Thus in great appreciation for their king, they serve him with love. This is in stark contrast to our modern day governments, which are only served by the citizens out of fear of their being punished.Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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