Category:Blind Leaders
Theme Analysis
The concept of "blind leadership" (andha-yathāndhair) is one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s most frequent and pointed criticisms of modern civilization. He explains that leadership without transcendental knowledge is not merely ineffective; it is dangerous. This analysis explores how leaders who are themselves bound by the stringent laws of material nature and the bodily concept of life attempt to guide others toward a happiness that can never be achieved on the material platform. By ignoring the Supreme Controller, Kṛṣṇa, these leaders offer "stones instead of bread," leading human society into a chaotic ditch of godlessness and misery.
- The Scriptural Analogy: Following Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.31, Śrīla Prabhupāda compares godless leaders to blind men attempting to lead other blind men. Without spiritual vision, both the leader and the follower are doomed to fall.
- The Bodily Concept of Life: Modern politicians, scientists, and philosophers are characterized as "blind" because they identify the self with the temporary body. This fundamental ignorance spoils all their secondary advancements in science and philosophy.
- Illusory Solutions: Blind leaders offer false hope of permanent settlement and prosperity in a temporary world. Because they do not know the destination of life, their "isms" and "plans" only result in further entanglement in the laws of nature.
- Misleading India and the World: Prabhupāda specifically criticized leaders who artificially covered the natural Kṛṣṇa consciousness of the people with secularism and materialism, thereby spoiling the human form of life.
- The Only Remedy: The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is presented as the only way to open the eyes of the public and their leaders, replacing bluffing leadership with the perfect guidance of the disciplic succession.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Blind Leading the Blind - Prabhupāda’s Critique of Godless Leadership.
Pages in category "Blind Leaders"
The following 52 pages are in this category, out of 52 total.
1
A
- Andha means blind man. If one blind man is trying to lead other blind men, then what is the benefit? The leader is blind and the follower is blind. Then there will be no result
- Andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah (SB 7.5.31). This is called blind leader leading blind followers. They do not know that both of them are bound up by the strict, stringent laws of nature
- As long as human society works on the basis of false material identification, all the so-called advancements of science and philosophy are simply useless. They only serve to mislead human society. In the material world, the blind simply lead the blind
- At the present moment, because the leaders are foolish, blind, they have no spiritual knowledge, all the population of the world becomes godless
B
- Because such attempts (bring about peace and prosperity in the godless world) are illusory only, the people elect incompetent, blind leaders, one after another, who are incapable of offering solutions
- Because we are part and parcel of Krsna, the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we are actually crying for Krsna. But these false leaders, these blind leaders who do not know, are giving stone instead of bread
I
- If a blind man pretends to help another blind man cross a road, then both the blind leader and the blind follower shall fall into the further darkness of some unseen ditch. Everyone who is devoid of transcendental knowledge is just like a blind man
- If the leader is also blind and the followers are blind, then what is the result? That is happening. They are thinking that, "By bodily comfort, by sense gratification, we shall be happy." But that is not possible
- If we do not try to understand the real purpose of Bhagavad-gita, and if we theorize, "Bhagavad-gita means nonviolence. BG means to become patriot," these are materialism. We should avoid this wrong interpretation, misguiding direction of blind leaders
- If you remain foolish like that, then andha yathandhair upaniyamanah (SB 7.5.31), that means you are being led by some blind leaders. You do not know what is what
- In India the cent percent, they are Krsna conscious. Unfortunately they have artificially covered that by the so-called blind leaders
- In the materialistic way of life everyone is blind, and in spite of thousands of big blind leaders, the followers who are also blind cannot get any tangible benefit. So you have done your duty to give him some impression about Krishna Consciousness
M
- Misguided by the blind leaders of society, people consider the body to be everything, and they are engaged in trying to keep the body materially comfortable
- Misled by blind leaders, the followers who themselves are blind have failed to achieve the desired success. But here is a method, called by the name Krsna consciousness, which is directly offered by Krsna
O
- On this nonsense idea the whole world is going on. So how there can be real knowledge? The basic principle of knowledge is ignorance. Andha. The man who is leading, he is blind. So how he can lead? This is the position
- One blind leader is leading other blind men. This is going on. And when we present the real solution, they say it is brainwash
- Our leaders are blind, foolish. They are leading us to misuse this valuable life of human form. This is our position. They are misleading us
P
S
- Sastra says, andha yathandhair upaniyamanah (SB 7.5.31). The andha - means blind, blind leaders - they are giving us false hope that we shall make here permanent settlement. Therefore they are called andhas. They have no sense
- Such leaders (who break of sanatana-dharma) are called blind, and persons who follow such leaders are sure to be led into chaos. BG 1972 purports
T
- The blind leaders must understand the Supreme Being and then try to implement the kingdom of God
- The Godless leaders of the society are blind themselves and their followers are also blind. So blind men leading blind men has no meaning
- The leader must be perfect. If the leader is blind, how can I accept such blind leader? I am blind man. What is the use
- The leader, blind leader, and the blind follower, they're all going to hell. This is the position of the world
- The leaders (of India) are blind. They have no training. They are not in disciplic succession. They do not know what is what, and they are taking the part of leadership, then everything is spoiled
- The leaders of human society - the politicians, philosophers and scientists - are blind because they are not Krsna conscious
- The leaders, they are blind, and they are leading some other blind men without knowing that they cannot be happy in that way because he is under strict, stringent laws of material nature
- The rascal leader is also blind and the followers are blind, so both of them are doomed. Therefore the conclusion is, the modern civilization is misguided
- The so-called leaders, they are blind themselves, and they are trying to lead other blind men. This is the social position. Therefore there is no more hope of reviving the Vedic culture
- The so-called philosophers, scientists, they have been taught by another not scientist, so he is also not scientist, not philosopher, because he has been taught by another andha. Just like one blind man leads other blind man. So what knowledge he will get
- Their (people's) leaders are always encouraging them to follow this path, and the general populace, being ignorant of the laws of God, are following their blind leaders down the path of unhappiness
- These (mayayapahrta-jnanah) rascals are themselves blind, and yet they are leading others who are blind. When people follow such leaders, they suffer unlimited pains in the future. Despite so-called advancement, all this is happening
- These rascals are blind, and they are leading some other blind men, and they are satisfied that "We have got all scientific knowledge." That's all. That is not the way of scientific knowledge
- They (blind leaders) do not know what is the object of life, what is the destination of life. Simply in blind faith they have created so many isms. It is simply misleading
- They (people) are working blindly, and blind leaders are directing them. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah - SB 7.5.31
- They do not know that their real problem is how to approach the Supreme Lord, Visnu. And the leaders, so-called leaders, who have created so many problems, they also do not know; therefore the leaders are blind and the followers are blind
- They remain blind, yes. They like to remain blind. Their leaders are blind, and the followers want to remain blind. This is maya. Unless there is training . . . This is instruction, adau gurvasrayam
- This Krsna consciousness movement is being spread all over the world just to remedy this gross ignorance. People in general are misled by blind leaders
- This sort of bluffing blind leaders cannot make happy the human society. This is the only solution: to push on Krsna consciousness movement, love of Godhead. Everyone will be happy, the human society
U
Y
- You don't be misled by the proposition of the so-called blind leaders that you are this body. The leaders are misguiding us by identification with this body. There is fight always, "I am American," "I am Indian," I am Russian, I am Pakistani
- You require a leader; we require a leader. That is wanted. Without leader we cannot go. But if you select a bad leader, blind leader, then you remain blind