Without Krishna-conscious leadership and citizens, democracy fails; true civilization requires varnāśrama-dharma aimed at God-realization.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Yaśodānandana: [leads chanting of verse] jaḍāndha-mūka-badhira-piśāconmādakavad-avadhūta-veṣo 'bhibhāṣyamāṇo 'pi janānāṁ gṛhīta-mauna-vratas tūṣṇīṁ babhūva. [SB 5.5.29] [00:27] Pradyumna: Translation: "After accepting the feature of avadhūta, a great saintly person without material cares, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva passed through human society like a blind, deaf and dumb man, an idle stone, a ghost or a madman. Although people called Him such names, He remained silent and did not speak to anyone." [break]
Prabhupāda: jaḍāndha-mūka-badhira-piśāca unmādavad... What is that other word? ...avadhūta-veṣo abhibhāśyamāṇo 'pi janānāṁ gṛhīta-mauna-vratas tūṣṇīṁ babhūva. [SB 5.5.29] So Ṛṣabhadeva, after giving charge of the government to Bharata Mahārāja, He... Paraṁ bhāgavata.
That we have explained yesterday, that the king should be paraṁ bhāgavata, not a debauch. That was the system in Vedic age, the ideal king, ideal person. If one person is educated sufficiently he can..., being the executive head of the state, he can take care of the whole population, because his order is supreme. That was the duty of the king: to see that things are going on nicely in order.
The order is that everyone should be educated to the final goal of understanding Kṛṣṇa. That is education. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg 15.15]. This is education.
Veda means knowledge. So there may be different types of sources of knowledge, but the means are justified by the end. What is the end of life? The end of life is to understand Kṛṣṇa. If you don't like to say "Kṛṣṇa"—God.
That is end of life. But these rascals, they do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum [SB 7.5.31]. The general population, they do not know because they are not educated in that way. At the present moment, Kali-yuga, they are educating people atheism, no God, "God is dead." In Europe, America, when I went there, the education was "God is dead." Here also, so many rascals, they have appeared as God.
They are also saying, "Now, Kṛṣṇa was God, but He is now dead. I am now God." Yes. They are saying publicly. And they are being accepted. So this is going on.