Indian guest: Swāmījī, I'll ask one last question. What advice do you give to a man of family? I am taking my case, I have got four children, and they are, their ages, between six and thirteen. I have to see that they grow up nice, I have to see that they educate themself so that they are as according to you . . . I don't know. I don't call myself first class, second class, third class. As you said, there are no first-class men, second-class men. But then how, apart from making them first class that they should follow the religious . . .?
Prabhupāda: No, no, if you become first class, and they will follow you. You remain last class, and how you can train your first class? (laughter) In the śāstra it is said: "Unless you can create first-class man, don't beget children." Pitā na sa syāj janani na sa syād gurur na sa syāt, na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum (SB 5.5.18). It is the duty of the father to raise his children first class. Otherwise he should not become a father. That is contraception. Just like Vasudeva and Devakī.
Formerly they were Vasus, and they were asked by Brahmā to create progeny. So the husband and wife, they practiced austerities very severely. So then God appeared before them, "What do you want?" And they said that, "We can enter into family life provided You become our son . . ." no, "If we get a son like you." Then God said: "Where is second person like Me? So I shall become your son." Then, in next life, Devakī got Kṛṣṇa as his child. So every father and mother should take this vow that, "Unless our children become first class, we don't want children." This is ideal. What is the use of begetting cats and dogs? You must have first-class children. That requires tapasya.
So at least we should follow the standard, how to raise our children to become first class. (aside) There is no current? You can get on the light. At the present moment, people cannot understand even that there is life after death—most people. There is life after death, they cannot understand, even big, big professors, big, big learned scholars. Everyone is thinking, "This body is accidental, and when the body will be finished, everything is finished." That is the general understanding. But Bhagavad-gītā, you read. It is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20): "After the destruction of the body, the soul is not destroyed." Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni anyāṇi gṛhṇāti aparāṇi (BG 2.22): "Just like when our dress becomes old enough not to be used, then we accept another dress; similarly, when this body is old enough, not workable, then we accept another body." These things are there. But who is trying to understand it? At least all our Indians, those who are born in India, wherefrom Bhagavad-gītā has come out, at least they should understand. But they are not understanding. They are interpreting Bhagavad-gītā in their own way. This is the difficulty. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and people are taking advantage of that.
So first-class man, he knows what is Bhagavad-gītā and tries to apply the teachings in practical life. Then you become first class. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find first-class eating, first-class life; second-class eating, second-class life; third-class . . . everything is there. So people should be trained up. Economic question? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce food grain, anna, sufficiently. So there is immense land still. Say, in America, so much land is without any utilization, in Africa, in Australia. They are not being properly utilized. People are complaining, "Overpopulation." Now countries which are overpopulated, they are not allowed to utilize the vacant land, neither people are being trained how to (Hindi) produce food grain. They are being trained up, technology, to produce motor tire.