Guest (8): Swāmījī, something you said that I didn't understand was the connection between the necessity for obedience to the state and necessity for their obedience to God. To take an example that occurs to many young man in this country, and I suppose in America, the question of military service arises, where the state demands their absolute obedience, and many young people feels this clashes with their obedience to God. How do you advise people to resolve this sort of conflict?
Śyāmasundara: (explaining) About the draft. If one has to obey the state and go to war, how is that the same as obeying God?
Prabhupāda: Well, God consciousness does not prohibit war, but it must be for the right cause. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā we see that the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā was given to Arjuna in the battlefield. And in the beginning, Arjuna did not like to fight. He was a good . . . good man, religious man, devotee. Naturally he was not inclined to fight with his relatives, kinsmen.
He said: "Kṛṣṇa, the opposite side, they are all my brothers and nephews and fathers and grandfather. So there is no use of fighting like this, to kill them and take the . . . let . . . let them enjoy." That was his conclusion. But Kṛṣṇa induced them, induced Arjuna, "No. This is the right cause. You must fight."
So similarly, war is not always bad. Nothing is bad, nothing is good, unless it is used for God. That's it. Our philosophy is everything is good. God is all-good. So if He advises to fight, that is also good. But we shall depend on the discretion of God. If God wants us to fight, then we shall fight.
If God wants us to stop fight, then we shall not fight. Because we are surrendered to God, so whatever God orders, we have to do it. That's all. We don't say: "This is good, this is bad." Whatever God says, that is good. What God does not say, prohibit, that is bad. This is our conclusion.