According to Vedic civilization, there are four divisions of the society. Everywhere the same divisions are there all over the world. This is very natural. Just like we can study from our own body, there is head, there is arm, there is belly, and there is leg, similarly, in the society there must be a class of men who should be considered as brain, another class of men should be there who will protect the society from danger, another class of men will be expert in producing food grains and give protection to the cows and make trade, so. And the rest class of men, namely who cannot work as brain neither can work as protector from danger, nor they can produce food grains or give protection to the cows, they are called śūdras—as you cannot avoid, to make your body complete, the brain department, the arms department, the belly department and the walking or working department.
Produce food grains (Lectures)
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Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
The cow is very, very important animal. If you want to advance your spiritual consciousness, then you must have sufficient milk and sufficient grains. That is civilization. Therefore it is the duty of the vaiśyas to produce food grain. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Annād. In the society, if you have got sufficient anna, both the animals and the man, they will be happy. These are the instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā, everything practical.
Vaiśya means the mercantile community. They are meant for giving protection to the animals, and produce grain, and distribute and make trade on them. That's all. Because formerly there was no industry—people generally depended on agricultural work—therefore the mercantile community, they used to produce food grains and distribute them, and protection of cow was their duty. As the king was entrusted to protect the life of the citizens, similarly, the vaiśya class, or the mercantile class, they were entrusted to protect the life of cow. Why particularly cow is protected? Because milk is very essential food for the human society, therefore cow protection is the duty of the human society. That is the conception of Vedic literature.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa (reading): Fourteen: "All living bodies subsist on food grains. Food grains are produced from rains. Rains come from performance of sacrifice and sacrifice is born of man's work (BG 3.14)."
Prabhupāda: This is a cycle. Cycle. We are living on food grains. We cannot live on meat-eating. It is not possible. However a great meat-eater may be he must have some grains some vegetables. That is his life. Yes. Therefore grains, vegetables, they are actually our food.
When I was coming to your village I saw there are so many agricultural field producing so much. So tobacco-producing can give you some money, but you will be shortage of food grains. Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, said that if you want to make happy and prosperous the people in general, then you must produce anna, food grains. Bhagavān has not said anywhere that you produce tobacco, jute, and similar other things which are not required at all.
So far intelligence is concerned, in the matter of considering eating, sleeping, sex, and defense, that is equal either in the animal or in the human being. It doesn't require any education. Even the dog knows how to use sex life. It doesn't require a Freud's philosophy. But the rascal human society, they are thinking that "Here is a big philosopher. He is writing about sex." This is going on. Eating, simply eating... Here is land. You work little, get your food grains produced and you can sumptuously eat. But it doesn't require a scientific slaughterhouse for bringing big, big cows and live in the city at the cost of the lives of the poor animals. This is misuse of intelligence. This is not intelligence.
I have already explained that anything which is not utilized for Kṛṣṇa, that is material. Either you are vegetarian or not vegetarian, it doesn't matter. If it is not utilized for Kṛṣṇa, that is material. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). So especially vegetarian, vegetable products, food grains, vegetables, milk, Kṛṣṇa says, "If somebody offers Me with love and devotion, then I accept them." Our proposal is that you take remnants of foodstuff taken by Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we offer this foodstuff from food grains, fruit, vegetable, milk, we offer to Kṛṣṇa, and you take the remnants of foodstuff.
The vaiśyas must be engaged in producing foodgrains, but they are not interested. They are interested for opening factories for bolts and nuts and tires, Goodwheel tires, Goodyear tires. Now you eat tire and bolt nut. No, you cannot eat. You have to eat rice, and rice is ten rupees per kilo. That's all. Because no vaiśya is producing food grains. This is the defect.
They don't see the defect. They're simply howling, bawling, "Oh, it has increased price". Why not, increased, price? There are millions of people in Bombay city. Who is producing food grain? But they are known as vaiśya. What kind of vaiśya? There is no brahminical culture; there is no brain. There is no kṣatriya who can give you protection. There are so many defects.
There are kṣetra-jña. Kṣetra means this body. Kṣetra means this field. So just like a cultivator works on the field and produces his food grains, result of tilling the field, similarly, we have got a particular type of body, field, and I am the tiller of the field. Therefore I am owner of the field.
So this material world is created by God to give us facility to work as I desire. But I must have the jurisdiction of my work. That is the... Jurisdiction my work. Just like the agriculturist, they have got their own land, demarcated. This much, my land, this much, his land, this much..." And he works, tills the field, produces food grain, according to his capacity. Similarly Kṛṣṇa has given us different fields of activities. That is this body. Idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya kṣetram (BG 13.2). Idaṁ śarīram. So from the śarīra, we expand many other things. That also becomes kṣetram.
People are not happy. Although there is enough money in Western countries. Enough enjoyable things. And we see in other countries like Australia and Africa, there is enough potency of producing food and grains and milk. So this rascal proposition that population has increased, there is scarcity of... These are all rascal proposition. God has enough potency to give you ten times food you want. But because we have created chaos in the world, without following the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is trouble.
You can get your food by cultivation. That is stated in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce food grains, and both the animals and the men, they will remain satisfied. And we have got so much land even on this earthly planet. I am traveling all over the world. You can produce food grains so in large quantity that you can feed all the population, ten times population. So we are not interested in producing food grain. We are interested in... (break) ...this is education. You get your admission in this institution. You will understand. (break) If you do not follow the rules and regulation, you go to hell. That's all.
So we should not mistake this that we accept the field of activities identified with myself. That is going on. Suppose you have got a piece of land as agriculturist, and you produce your food grain in large quantity or small quantity. It doesn't matter. Similarly, this body we are utilizing.
So Kṛṣṇa, being asked by Arjuna, He's giving the knowledge that this body is called kṣetra. Kṣetra means field of activities. Just like in agricultural land. You get a piece of land, and you produce your own food grain, or as you like. The government gives you a piece of land, and you have to pay a little tax, and you can grow your food grains as you like. Similarly, as we wanted, Kṛṣṇa has given us this body. Now we can work with this body as we like. If you want, you can utilize this body for higher elevation, or you can utilize this body for your nonsense purpose and go to hell. That is your choice.
That is the system that in India every man is producing his food grains independently. Now it is stopped. Formerly, all these men, they used to produce their food grain. So they used to work for three months in a year, and they could stock the whole year's eatable food grains. Life was very simple. After all, you require to eat. So this Vedic civilization was that keep some land and keep some cows. Then your whole economic question is solved.
Either human being or an animal, they must get sufficient food, and that means anna, food grains. So I have studied it very thoroughly. If people produce food grain in all the lands available all over the world, they can feed ten times population than it is at present. Kṛṣṇa has made such arrangement.
In the creation of Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be any scarcity. Everything is sufficiently there. Pūrṇam, it is complete, perfectly made, either this planet, that planet. Everywhere, the living entities are there, and Kṛṣṇa has made provision for every one of them. There is no question of scarcity. But people are not obeying the orders of Kṛṣṇa or the authorities, that "You produce..." Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Even in Bible, it is said, "Thou shalt not kill." They are not producing food grains, and they are killing the animals and eating.
You produce your food. The bull will help you. And the cows will supply you milk. They are considered to be father and mother. Just like father earns money for feeding the children, similarly, the bulls help producing, plowing, producing food grains, and the cow gives milk, mother. And what is this civilization, killing father and mother? This is not good civilization. It will not stay. There will be catastrophe, waiting. Many times it has happened, and it will happen because transgressing the law of nature, or laws of God, is most sinful. That is sinful.
In America, I have seen. Now the farmers, the father is working on the farm, and the sons, they do not come. They live in the city. This is the tendency all over the world. They are not producing food grains. Therefore there is scarcity. There is scarcity of...Especially in a country like India where the population is very big and there is no land available, there must be scarcity of food. Especially the Britishers, they have divided India: Pakistan and Hindustan. So all the food grains are there on the Pakistan side, and in the Hindustan side all the industries are there. So they are fighting. They have no industrial facilities, and they have no agricultural facilities.
So as we till our land and gets foodstuff according to my labor, according to my intelligence... Food grains I can produce once twice, thrice, if I work hard. Generally, they work two times: three months, three months. And those who are very lazy, they work three months. But even working for three months, they can acquire foodstuffs for the whole year. That I have seen. So similarly, as we get some land and work for ourself, similarly, this body is also like that land. And I am... This "I," the soul, I can reap good result or bad result as I work with this body. This is very similar.
Here it is said go-rakṣya. You should give all protection to this important animal. Kṛṣṇa does not say that you should protect the pigs and hogs or other animals. He especially meant the cows because cow is very important animal to the human society. If there are meat-eaters, they can kill other animals, but they should not kill the cow. This is, if you want actually perfect society. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). And these persons, they let them produce enough food grains, and where there is no, there is scarcity of food grain, let them supply there. That is called trade. Vāṇijyam.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Similarly, the civilized human being, for him also the food can be improved. Just like he can produce from the field, agriculture, so many food grains, varieties of food grains he can produce. So these things are already there. There is no need of extra time for developing how to eat nicely, how to sleep nicely. One should be satisfied like the animals. They are satisfied with their position. They are not agitated. Similarly, we should be satisfied whatever is available automatically by the gift of nature or by God.
So people should be trained up as brāhmaṇa, as kṣatriya, as vaiśya. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). The vaiśya's duty is to produce food grains, agriculture, and give protection to the cows, and if you have got surplus foodstuff, you can make trade where there is shortage.
So actually this statement of the śāstras, that kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ, hardly there is brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya because nobody is doing their duty. Instead of producing food grains, vaiśyas are engaged in running on big, big factories. So factory cannot produce food grains. Therefore there is food shortage or people are not getting ample foodstuff, they are starving, and there must be agitation. There is no brāhmaṇa's guidance, there is no kṣatriya kings, and śūdras are also not executing their duty. Then what will be the result? This is the result.
So therefore the brāhmaṇas, they were first-class brain of the society, and they used to give direction to the people in general, beginning from the kṣatriya, vaiśyas and śūdra. They used to give instruction to the kṣatriyas, next intelligent class of men, for administration. And the kṣatriyas used to rule over the government according to the brāhmaṇa's instruction. And the vaiśyas also, they used to produce food grains and give protection to the cows. In this way, they were discharging their duty. And the śūdras, they were carrying out the orders of these three higher classes.
My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "I don't find any scarcity within this world, except Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Exc... Actually, that is the fact. There is no scarcity all over the world. In India there may be scarcity, but outside India still there are so much vacant places, especially in Africa, in America, in Australia, in New Zealand, that ten times of the population of the whole world can be fed. Still. There is so much potency of producing food grains, milk, and other things. Profusely. In America, they throw away so many grains and vegetables daily. It is simply mismanagement. Otherwise, there is no question of scarcity or poverty.
We should not create in the society anarthas, unwanted disturbances. The unwanted disturbance is illicit sex. And meat-eating. Meat-eating... Why one should eat meat? No animal foodstuff. Kṛṣṇa has given so many nice things. Produce. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Kṛṣṇa never says, māṁsād bhavanti bhūtāni, matsyād bhavanti bhūtāni. Never says. Annād. Anna, anna. Anna means food grain. Produce sufficient food grain. So the... In the village side you go, hundreds and thousands of acres of land is lying vacant. Nobody is interested. Now they are interested (in) opening slaughterhouse. Kill the poor animals and eat, but don't produce food grain. The whole world, this rascaldom is going on. I have traveled over many countries, all over the world. In Africa there are so much vacant land. In Australia there are so much vacant land. But nobody is producing food grains. They, they have kept some cattles, these cows. They are automatically maintained. There is grass. And when they are fatty, take them and send to the slaughterhouse and eat. But the land is lying vacant.
If there is sufficient quantity of anna, or eatables, then people become very nice, well-satisfied, either animal or man. If he can eat sufficiently, he's satisfied. So annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Bhavanti means flourish. He becomes healthy, he becomes strong, and he can think nicely, he can work nicely. So anna is required. But simple method is given how anna is produced. That is also given, annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. If there is sufficient rain, then you can easily produce food grain. Just like this year, the rain is sufficient; everywhere we go it is green. Green means sufficient food for the animals. And if the field is very soft, you can till it and you can get easily, very nicely, foodstuff. Therefore parjanya, water, rain, is required. Parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14). And by performing yajña there will be cloud and rain.
If you perform the saṅkīrtana-yajña, then it is as good any other yajña. Yajña means to satisfy the yajña-puruṣa, Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu. So in the Kali-yuga, simply by performing yajñas you can satisfy the Supreme Lord. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. We have seen in many places by performing yajña, the saṅkīrtana-yajña, where it was very dry, rain has fallen. This is practical. So things are very easy. But instead of producing food grains, we are producing Goodyear tires. So how we can eat? Now when there is scarcity of foodstuff you cannot eat the Goodyear tires. But people's attention has been diverted in the industrial activities.
Here it is said that avidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ. By ignorance, they are thinking by opening factories they will be happy. That is avidyā. He does not know that this is ignorance. Why you should open factory? That is... This is called ugra-karma. There is no need of opening factory. You have got land. Here are so many lands. You produce your food grains. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You eat sumptuously food grain, milk, and that will be available without any factory. The factory cannot produce milk or food grain. The present scarcity of foodstuff means everybody is engaged in the city, producing bolts and nuts. Who is producing food grain? This is the solution of economic problem. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Therefore we are trying to engage our men to produce their own food. Be self-sufficient so that these rascals may see that how one can live very peacefully, eating the food grains and milk, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is our mission.
If you want to be rich, then you can get riches... Wherefrom? Vanādri-nady-udanvantaḥ. From seas, from river, from hills. You can get valuable jewels, gems, pearls, from these natural sources. So India's wealth, formerly, it was depending on these things: gold, silver, jewels, pearls, silk—not industry. And from the forest, from the herbs, from food grains—all natural products. So from the river... The saintly persons, they depended mostly on the riverside. Anywhere they will put a cottage on the river... Still that is going on. A saintly person, if he wants to remain in a secluded place, so they select any place on the riverside, have a small cottage.
So actually our body belongs to Kṛṣṇa, and I also belong to Kṛṣṇa. Pārakya. In both senses it belongs to other. Other means Kṛṣṇa. So, logically both the body, mind, intelligence, and myself—everything should be engaged for Kṛṣṇa's interest. That is real knowledge. That is real knowledge. Kṛṣṇa says that kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). He is also kṣetra-jña. I am kṣetra-jña because I possess this body, and the body is kṣetra, the field of activities. Just like here the cultivators, they have got... Each one of them have got some land, and they are producing food grains or any other products according to his ability and capacity, and he's enjoying this property. Therefore he's called kṣetra-jña or kṣetrī. The field is called kṣetra and the owner is called kṣetrī, or kṣetra-jña.
Whatever you get, all the necessities of your life will be available if there is sufficient rain. Because after all, the earth produces... This is the system. There is rainfall, proper rainfall, and the earth produces. Not only food grains. Also jewels also, produced. Those who are astronomers, they know. Under certain constellation of the star, if the rain falls on the head of a snake, there is jewel. If the rain falls on the head of an elephant, there is jewel. Then in the sea also, the pearls, they are produced. It is all due to rains.
Lord Jesus Christ, when he was a young boy he was very much shocked when he saw that animal-killing is going on in the synagogue. Therefore he differentiated from the Jews and he started his own religion, Christian religion. Is it not a fact? Am I right? Why... He was also a Jew. Why he deviated? Why he deviated from the Jews? Because when he saw in his young age that animals are being killed in the synagogue, he differed, "No, no, this is horrible. This should be stopped." Therefore, his first commandment is "Thou shall not kill." Am I wrong or right? Eh? That was his first impression, that people should stop killing. So who is Christian? Everyone is violating this first commandment, what to speak of other commandments. Everyone. So it is very difficult to find a real Christian. But if you violate the commandments of Christ, then what kind of Christian you are? This is our question. Who will answer this? So this is the problem. Animal-killing is not within the category of human civilization. When a man becomes civilized, he knows how to produce food. He can till the ground. He can produce food grains. He can produce fruits and flowers and so many things.
The Kali-yuga will be so much disturbing that people will be harassed especially by three things. Anāvṛṣṭi: there will be practically no rainfall. It is stated that there will be cloud in the sky. When there is no rainfall, people will be hankering after. Just like sometimes we hanker after rain in summer season, looking after, "When rainfall will come?" The people will be disappointed. There will be cloud, there will be thundering bolt, but there will be no rain. This time will be like that. Anāvṛṣṭi. Anāvṛṣṭi and durbhikṣa. And if there is anāvṛṣṭi, scarcity of rain, certainly there will be no food grain production, as it is now, we are feeling. Food grain production-eight rupees kilo, rice. So why? The food grain is shortage. So anāvṛṣṭi durbhikṣa and taxation, kara-pīḍitāḥ. Government will... Dasyu-dharmabhiḥ. It is said, "The government means a gang of rogues and thieves." That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They'll plunder. The rogues and thieves, they seek opportunity secretly, and government, by law, they will plunder. And still, they will go on as big minister.
Now there is a need of attachment, apartment, gṛha. Now there is need of land for getting food grains. Now there is, they have gotten, what is called? Service, go to the office fifty miles away and you will get your food grains. Formerly this was not possible, therefore one must possess some land to produce food grains. Now, if you can get some money, you can purchase eight rupees kilo food grains. That is... But formerly even that was not possible. And formerly you must have land. Parjanyād anna sambhavaḥ, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14), you have to produce. People are not interested now producing food grains. They, somehow or other, if they can get that paper currency, they can purchase. Therefore everyone has got this printed paper.
Anna, you produce anna. Why you are planning big, big industries? The oil will come from America through the channel, and the Arabia will refuse to supply oil. There will be power problem, so many things, one after another, one after another. But Kṛṣṇa does not say that do all these things, ghora. No. He says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: "You just produce food grain." And bhavanti bhūtāni. Bhūtāni means all living entities, they will be stout and strong by eating. What you want more?
We are not independent. If there is no rain and there is no food grain, what your independence will do? No. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14), very practical. That if you want to be happy, either animal or man, bhūtāni, then you produce anna, food grains sumptuously. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And there must be sufficient rain for producing sufficient food grains. Yajñād bhavanti parjanyaḥ, and you perform yajña, there will be regular rainfall. Yajñaḥ-karma samudbhavam. Who is following this principle?
So there must be division. A brāhmaṇa can kill anyone simply by words. He is so powerful. But he does not do that. When Viśvāmitra was disturbed by Taraka Rākṣasī in the forest, he came to Dasaratha Mahārāja for help. He could kill that Taraka Rākṣasī simply by his word, but he would not do that. This is not brāhmaṇa's business. He wanted to take the help of a kṣatriya and kill the rākṣasī. Kṣatriya can kill. Brāhmaṇa can take charity. A kṣatriya can exact taxes, and vaiśya be engaged in producing food grains. Kṛṣi gorakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (Bg 18.44). This is civilization. Aryan civilization means the division must be there.
So it is specially mentioned, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). The vaiśyas, food production means produce food grains, agricultural. By agriculture, you can. So much land is vacant all over the world. They are producing coffee. I have seen in Africa. Vast land is engaged in producing coffee. No food grain. So this is the defect of the civilization. They do not know how to live. Will man die without drinking coffee? No. That is not the fact. But man will die if they have no real food, anna, food grains. If you think that "I eat meat. I don't require food grains," but the cows, the animal eat food grains. So without food grain, how we can live? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce food grains. Why you are producing so much unnecessary things—television and tools, and stool also, so many thing. Why? They are not necessary.
And the third class, vaiśya. Vaiśya means produce food grain, kṛṣi, agriculture, not produce food in the slaughterhouse. No. Slaughterhouse, even the sixth-class, seventh-class men... They did not know how to produce food, how to live. That means the aborigines in the jungle
Everyone is trying to become fortunate. Now, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita gives three things, formula, "If you want to be fortunate, then do these three things." What is that? Mūrkhā yatra na pūjyante: "Do not give any credit to the rascal." That is first qualification. Don't be carried away by the rascal. Mūrkhā yatra na pūjyante. If you worship a rascal, then your life is spoiled. You must worship a really learned representative of God. That is very good. And dhānyaṁ yatra susañcitam: "Food grains, they are properly stocked." Not that for your foodstuff, getting your food grain or earning your livelihood, you have to go hundred miles, fifty miles. No. At home, you produce your food grain and stock it. In India still, they work for three months during this rainy season, and they get their food grains for the whole year. You can save time so nicely. So these things are required for happy home.
So this principle they do not know, that this human life, actually the desire is like that, that "Let me earn some money. Then I shall go in a village or in a secluded place I shall live very peacefully." And those who have got money, at the weekend they go out for peaceful living. So that is the tendency, not to work hard, but live peacefully. That can be done. Everyone can do that, provided he lives in the village, he lives in the village and produces his own food, little labor, vegetable, food grains. Anyone can produce. This is human civilization.
So I see in your this Mauritius land, you have got enough land to produce food grains. You produce food grain. I understand that instead of growing food grains, you are growing sugar cane for exporting. Why? And you are dependent on food grains, on rice, wheat, dahl. Why? Why this attempt? You first of all grow your own eatables. And if there is time and if your population has got sufficient food grains, then you can try to grow other fruits and vegetables for exporting. The first necessity is that you should be self-sufficient. That is God's arrangement. Everywhere there is sufficient land to produce food grains, not only in your country. I have traveled all over the world—Africa, Australia, and other, in America also. There are so much land vacant that if we produce food grains, then we can feed ten times as much population as at the present moment. There is no question of scarcity. The whole creation is so made by Kṛṣṇa that everything is pūrṇam, complete. Pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). If we don't produce food grain—you require it—and put unnecessarily men into scarcity, that is sinful. That is sinful. Everything, every instruction for our happy life and to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make life perfect
If you remain like cats and dogs, adānta-gobhiḥ, without controlling the senses, then where is the difference between dog and you? There is no difference. Actually that is being accepted at the present moment. The so-called civilization means to allow the senses to enjoy as far as possible. This is advancement of civilization. The same example: Just we can be very happy by eating the food grains which must we have to produce either for me or for the animal. Without producing food grain you cannot even eat the meat. Because they want food grains, they want vegetables, so you have to produce. But because we have uncontrolled senses, instead of eating the grains, we are eating the animals.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "Simply by growing food grains, both the animals and the man, they can live very happily." And you can grow food grains very easily. I have seen in the Western countries, they are growing food grains for the animals, and the food grains are eaten by the animals, and the animal is eaten by man. They are producing food grains. What is the statistics that the animal eating food grains, the same time, the same amount food grains can be eaten by so many men?
Brahmānanda: The acreage... For a cow to eat requires so many acres for that one cow, and then that cow is slaughtered and it only feeds a few men, whereas that same acreage could feed hundreds of men by grains.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee: Seventeen times.
Prabhupāda: So these things are to be noted, how they are engaged in sinful activities. And the solution is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "Produce food grain." Annād bhavanti bhūtāni.
So if God has arranged for everyone, eight million different species of life or forms of life, why not for human being? There is arrangement. But in the human being is advised to do certain things. They must do it. Then there is no question of scarcity. There is... Everything is arranged there. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "You produce your food grains so that the animals and the man, both will be happy." But if you don't produce food grains, if you produce sugarcane, then how they will be satisifed? Food grains must be produced. That is the injunction of the śāstra.
We are already attached to the material activities. Then our attachment becomes more and more strong. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. Then, out of this attachment, ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). In this way, being united, then they want gṛha, apartment, to live together. Then they want some land. Formerly there was no service. The gṛhastha used to produce the food grains from the land. Neither there was factories or big, big offices to get job. One had to produce his own food from the land. So simply apartment will not help. I must require some land for eating.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
No. Economy will not suffer, but economy will be simplified because we have made some artificial economy. Actually, in the Bhagavad-gītā we find the economic problem is solved by producing food grains. It is stated there, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "By eating food grains, both the animals and the men, they become stout and strong." That's a fact. According to Bhagavad-gītā, economic problem can be solved anywhere. If you get, if you have some land, you produce your food grain and give it to the animals, especially to the cows, and she will give you in return milk. So if you get milk, fruits, vegetable and food grains, the whole economic problem is solved.
Jayapatākā: ...you Śrīla Prabhupāda. Only by your mercy you have brought us to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Prabhupāda: Yes. I am simply messenger. Mercy is of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīla Prabhupāda. Before your coming they predicted, that "Somebody will bring." Maybe that somebody I am. (chuckles) Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura predicted. So anyway, Kṛṣṇa has given us nice place. Stay here. So you producing food grains?
Jayapatākā: Oh, yes.
We are presenting, therefore, Bhagavad-gītā as it is. And you take any question and the answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, very nicely given. Just like, say, our first problem is economic problem. So Bhagavad-gītā says, "Yes. Economic problem will be solved very easily if you produce food grains." Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce food grain. Just like in your country I see there is enough land. If you people produce your food grain, within three months you can get all the necessities of life for the whole year. And the balance time you can save, nine months. And these nine months you can utilize for advancing in spiritual life, because your life or my life, this human form of life, it is distinct from the cats' and dogs' life. The cats and dogs, they cannot understand what is the basic principle of life. But a human being can understand. If he takes little care, he can understand that his problem of life is due to misunderstanding, accepting this body as self. This is the problem.
Initiation Lectures
Take some practical example. I have traveled all over the world many times. I have seen America from village to village, Africa, Australia. There is so much land vacant that if we properly utilize that, we can produce so much food grains that we can feed ten times as many population as it is now. That's a fact. We do not utilize the land properly. And Kṛṣṇa has given us the formula, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: "You produce anna." Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Then the animals and the human being will be well-fed and they will be happy.
Cornerstone Ceremonies
Just like we were talking of industries. The industries, they are mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā as ugra-karma. Ugra-karma means ferocious activities. For livelihood, we require our maintenance. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-mai... These are the primary necessities of this body, material body. For that, Kṛṣṇa has said, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Anna—means food grains—we require. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. That food grains we can produce very easily by agriculture. In another place, Kṛṣṇa says, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). We can produce sufficient food grains for our maintenance, and the whole world has got sufficient land. I have traveled over the world at least fourteen times. During the last eight years, I have traveled all over the world, even interior. I have seen there is enough land, especially in Africa, in Australia, in America, and we can produce so much food grains that ten times of this present population can be easily maintained. Ten times. There is no scarcity of food. But the difficulty is that we have demarcated, "This is my land." Somebody says, "This is America, my land," "Australia, my land," "The Africa, my land," "India, my land." This "my" and "I." Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This is called illusion, that "I" and "my." "I am this body, and this is my property." This is called illusion. And this illusion, if we stand on this platform of illusion, then we are no better than the animals.
General Lectures
The social division must be there. The most intellectual class of men, they should be engaged in studying the Vedas and acquire the knowledge and spread it to the human society so that they may be guided and do the needful for peaceful situation of the society. That is the guidance. The kṣatriyas, they're meant for protecting the society, military power, or martial-spirited. When there is danger, attack, they'll give us protection. Similarly, there must be a class of men for producing food grain, and giving protection to the cows. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). And the rest of the people, who cannot work as intellectuals or as martial-spirited persons or cannot take to production of foodstuffs, they should assist all these three classes of men. And they are called śūdras. This is the social division.
And Bhagavad-gītā says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). The maintenance of the living entities—bhūtāni means living entities—can be done by production of food grains. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Then parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And then it is said, parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ, yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavam (BG 3.14). This formula is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, that living entities, it doesn't matter whether animal or men, they are flourished, they are raised very nicely, provided there is anna. Anna means food grain. So we can produce enough quantity of food grains all over the world. And if we actually produce food grains, we can feed ten times of the population which are at present. But unfortunately, we are not producing food grains. That is the problem. It is not the problem of overpopulation. It is the problem that we are not producing food grains. This is clearly stated, that unless you have sufficient food grains, how you can maintain? They have taken a policy that they would not... Especially in the Western countries, I see that they will not produce food. They will raise some cattles and send them to the slaughterhouse for eating. This policy is going on. And this is not a very good policy. You produce your food grain. Why you should kill the innocent animals and eat them?
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Advancement of civilization is, as Kṛṣṇa advises, that you require food, so produce food grain. Remain wherever you are. You can produce food grain anywhere, a little labor. And keep cows, go-rakṣya, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Solve your problem like... Produce your food wherever you are there. Till little, little labor, and you will get your whole year's food.
| Page Title: | Produce food grains (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Sureshwardas |
| Created: | 27 of Sep, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=57, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 57 |