KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS PRECEDENCE IN MEXICAN HISTORY
By Nandanandana das (ACBSP)
In 1910 Mexico was experiencing a material boom based on the exploitation of the masses under a more than 20 years dictatorship government. There were some attempts by some people to bring about a change for democracy in the country. However, such attempts were always crushed by the regime. One of these people was Francisco I Madero, a rich intellectual and ideologist, his family was ranked among the 13 richest of the country. He studied at a Jesuit elementary school, later studies at Berkeley, California, and at the Lyceum in Versailles, France. Back to his estate he established schools and a hospital. He was sensible to the well being of his workers. He wouldn’t drink alcohol. He was a vegetarian, and he had written literary commentaries on the Bhagavad-gita.
It is said by his biographers and historians that he was inspired by the Bhagavad-gita to guide his life. He identified himself with prince Arjuna. From The New York Times on the web (July 27, 1997) Sarah Kerr writes in her article, The Two Faces of Mexico:
“A gentle, introspective advocate of individual liberty, Madero rose to prominence in 1909 when he wrote a book urging Mexicans to dump Porfirio Diaz and demand real democracy. The book became a best seller, and Madero improbably found himself leading an insurrection. But he was a moralist, not a politician. He was obsessed with notions of duty and self-sacrifice that he’d encountered in the Bhagavad-Gita… Given the opportunity to steer Mexico through a peaceful reform, he wobbled and failed to assert himself. Little more than a year after Madero was elected president, a breakaway general (backed by a meddling, sinister American ambassador) had him whisked away by night and shot.”
Some authors point out that Madero died with his copy of Bhagavad-gita under his arm. Madero, being more of an ideologist, tried to act with justice and democracy for everybody, which was seen as weakness. He was too far ahead of his times.