Government as a set of fools

[Bhakti Vikasa Swami]

It is the government's duty to see that nobody is rascal, either the
scientist is rascal or the priest is rascal. There must be real
understanding. That is government's duty. Otherwise, if the priest says,
"The scientist speaking against religion; therefore he should be hanged," so
that is not good government. Government must see that whether the scientist
is speaking the truth. That sense must be there. Yes, world is round. That
is fact. Goloka. In Vedic literature it is bhu-gola, jagad-anda. These words
are there. We can see also it is round, jagad-anda. The universe is round.
And Goloka. Or Bhu-gola. Bhu-gola, the earth is round. So in the Vedic
literatures... Therefore their knowledge is also imperfect because they do
not refer to the Vedic literatures. It is already there. Bhu-gola. Bhu means
the earth; gola means round. It is already there. And the geography's
called, according to Sanskrit, it is called Bhu-gola. Long, long ago, before
Galileo. So if the state is blind, he does not see whether he's talking
right or wrong, then havi candra raja gobi candra mantri (?). What can be
done?That is going on. Because the government means a set of fools, so all
foolish people are flourishing. Government is a set of fools because sinful
men. They cannot be intelligent. A sinful man cannot be intelligent. Yes.
That's a fact. If he's intelligent, then his intelligence is used for wrong
things. Duskrtina. Krtina. Krtina means intelligent, but duskrtina, badly
intelligent, for doing wrong things. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada
Morning Walk -- December 9, 1973, Los Angeles