The difference between worldly and spiritual freedom.

By Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj

I lived through two world wars. During the first great war while I was studying in college, a man asked an astrologer whether India would become free after the war. The astrologer said that India would not become free after the war but that after the present war there would be a pause in fighting followed by another larger world war and some years after that second world war India would become free. And that is what happened. I am a witness to it. The first world war ended and India could not immediately attain freedom, but another larger world war came that ended in 1945 and India attained freedom in 1947.

We consider that British rule, however, was better than our present situation because the condition of the present government is anarchical. Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur recommended British rule very much because during the British period everyone had the right to go on with their own religion very safely; there was no interference in religious feelings, sentiments, preaching, or anything. So, Bhakti Vinod Thakur liked British rule. What liberty have we got with the independence of India? I was in the camp of Gandhi for his first movement. There were three movements led by Gandhi, the first movement non-cooperation, the second civil disobedience, and the third do or die.

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