SB 12.02.09 saka-mulamisa-ksaudra... cited

Expressions researched:
"anavrstya vinanksyanti" |"durbhiksa-kara-piditah" |"people will resort to eating leaves" |"phala-puspasti-bhojanah" |"saka-mulamisa-ksaudra-"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "12.2.9" or "anavrstya vinanksyanti" or "durbhiksa-kara-piditah" or "people will resort to eating leaves" or "phala-puspasti-bhojanah" or "saka-mulamisa-ksaudra-"

SB Canto 5

SB 5.13.6, Translation and Purport:

Sometimes the conditioned soul jumps into a shallow river, or being short of food grains, he goes to beg food from people who are not at all charitable. Sometimes he suffers from the burning heat of household life, which is like a forest fire, and sometimes he becomes sad to have his wealth, which is as dear as life, plundered by kings in the name of heavy income taxes.

When one is hot due to the scorching sun, one sometimes jumps into a river to gain relief. However, if the river is almost dried up and the water is too shallow, one may break his bones by jumping in. The conditioned soul is always experiencing miserable conditions. Sometimes his efforts to get help from friends are exactly like jumping into a dry river. By such actions, he does not derive any benefit. He only breaks his bones. Sometimes, suffering from a shortage of food, one may go to a person who is neither able to give charity nor willing to do so. Sometimes one is stationed in household life, which is compared to a forest fire (saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka **). When a man is heavily taxed by the government, he becomes very sad. Heavy taxation obliges one to hide his income, but despite this endeavor the government agents are often so vigilant and strong that they take all the money anyway, and the conditioned soul becomes very aggrieved.

Thus people are trying to become happy within the material world, but this is like trying to be happy in a forest fire. No one need go to a forest to set it ablaze: fire takes place automatically. Similarly, no one wants to be unhappy in family life or worldly life, but by the laws of nature unhappiness and distress are forced upon everyone. To become dependent on another's maintenance is very degrading; therefore, according to the Vedic system, everyone should live independently. Only the śūdras are unable to live independently. They are obliged to serve someone for maintenance. It is said in the śāstras: kalau śūdra-sambhavāḥ. In this age of Kali, everyone is dependent on another's mercy for the maintenance of the body; therefore everyone is classified as a śūdra. In the Twelfth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that in Kali-yuga the government will levy taxes without reciprocally benefiting the citizens. Anāvṛṣṭyā vinaṅkṣyanti durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). In this age there will also be a shortage of rain; therefore a scarcity of food will arise, and the citizens will be very much harassed by government taxation. In this way the citizens will abandon their attempts to lead a peaceful life and will leave their homes and hearths and go to the forest in sheer disappointment.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 12.2.9, Translation:

Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers and seeds. Struck by drought, they will become completely ruined.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:

And still, they are disturbed, so many. Especially with the increase of Kali-yuga, people will be disturbed by two things especially. What is that? Scarcity of food and taxation. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). Kara means taxation. The people will be embarrassed for want of food, at the same time, every year, increase of taxation. That is stated in the Bhāgavata. Durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ. So much disturbed that they will give up their hearth and home and go away in the forest. Durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam. Dāra-draviṇā, money, wife, children, everything—they will be disgusted: "Now it is impossible to maintain. Let me go away." Yāsyanti giri-kānanam.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.5.25 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:

So these are stated in the Bhāgavatam. Durbhikṣa, anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). People will be so much disturbed. It is already disturbed. Gacchanti giri-kānanam. They'll leave their home, their family, and go to the forest, go to the hills, disgusted.

Lecture on SB 1.7.25 -- Vrndavana, September 22, 1976:

That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). Now kara-pīḍita, taxation. This is śāstra. Five thousand years ago this Bhāgavata was written, and he has given, Vyāsadeva has given the symptoms of Kali-yuga. One of the symptoms is this, that in the Kali-yuga people will be so much embarrassed by three things.

Lecture on SB 1.7.25 -- Vrndavana, September 22, 1976:

And milk is available. These things. So now already it has begun, and ultimately as the Kali-yuga advances and people become very much advanced in denying the existence of God, nirākāra, these things will come. Wait for that punishment. Durbhikṣa, anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). And as soon as there will be scarcity of food, the government men will take advantage of it: "Now we have to supply food." "Where is food?" "No, you give me money, we shall purchase from importer." The taxation.

Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1974:

So people will be so much disturbed. Because you (indistinct) no food. You are... There is scarcity of rain, you cannot produce food. And at the same time, government will give some morsel of food and levy taxes. So durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9), disturbed, yāsyanti giri-kānanam, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam. Being disgusted, they will give up their family and children, separated, and they will go to the forest or the hills. This is another. And another will be, there will be no more available these foodgrains, especially wheat, rice and milk. These will be finished.

Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 15, 1972:

Rājanya-rūpiṇaḥ. And what will be their business? Bhakṣayiṣyanti prajās te. They will eat the citizens. That's all. Vital force. Vital force, blood-sucking, tax. Durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). In one side, there will be scarcity of supply. In other side, they will be perplexed with taxes. These are going to be happened. Kara-pīḍitāḥ gacchanti giri-kānanam. And they will give up their homely life and will go to the forest, to the hills.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

That is not bona fide. Sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ: "And everyone is misfortunate, unfortunate." Upadrutāḥ: "And they are disturbed by so many causes." And the gradually, the situation will be like this. It is already manifest. Anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ: (SB 12.2.9) "There will be no rain in the sky, and there will be scarcity of foodstuff," and kara-pīḍitāḥ, "and government will levy tax very heavily." These are already predicted, and we are experiencing.

Lecture on SB 3.25.15 -- Bombay, November 15, 1974:

By chanting Lord Kṛṣṇa's name... That is also confirmed in the śāstras: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said by Śukadeva Gosvāmī... There are so many faults in this age. Some of them are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. As I was describing yesterday that durbhikṣa, anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam (SB 12.2.9). 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.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

And everyone is manda-bhāgyā, unfortunate. Unfortunate means that they got this opportunity, human life, to end all the problems of life, but they'll not take care of it. Manda-bhāgyā. And besides that, upadrutāḥ, embarrassed by so many difficulties, especially these men in Kali-yuga will be harassed by insufficient supply of foodstuff, and taxation by the government. Durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). This is the statement in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Actually the food price is increasing daily. Nobody knows where it will end. This is called (indistinct).

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

So durbhikṣa, this is called durbhikṣa. Even begging will be very difficult. Begging is the last stage of livelihood, but he'll not be able to beg even. This is the age of Kali-yuga. Durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ, gacchanti giri-kānanam, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti... People will be so much embarrassed that Now they are not voluntarily giving up the family life, but he will be forced to give up. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā. Dāra means wife and draviṇā means money. The whole world is going on on this basis, women and money, So dāra-draviṇā, he'll be forced to give up. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti.

Lecture on SB 7.12.5 -- Bombay, April 16, 1976:

So in the Kali-yuga there is durbhikṣa. Nobody can give even little rice. That is called durbhikṣa. Anāvṛṣṭya durbhikṣa kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). People in this age will be harassed by three things. One thing is anāvṛṣṭi. There will be scarcity of rainfall or no rainfall. When I first went to Hyderabad they said that for three, four years there was no rain. Is it not? But since Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is being chanted, there is rainfall. So they do not know the secret of rainfall.

Lecture on SB 7.12.5 -- Bombay, April 16, 1976:

So it is not going to the village. It is collected, and they use at their own. And government also raise tax. There will be constant durbhikṣa. So to stop durbhikṣa, government will tax the people. These are all stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Anāvṛṣṭi durbhikṣa kara-pīditāḥ, acchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam (SB 12.2.9). In this Kali-yuga people will be very, very much harassed. First of all there is scarcity of rain, then scarcity of food grain, and then taxation by the government. These things we are expecting. It is already begun.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk Excerpt -- January 20, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Which one? This one?

Gaura-govinda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Durbhikṣa. Anāvṛstya durbhikṣā kara-pīḍitaḥ (SB 12.2.9). There will be no rainfall, scarcity of food, and government will tax. Government will contribute twenty-five crores, and they will tax three hundred crores on this beach.(?) And before giving twenty-five crores, the other three hundred crores they will divide amongst themselves. (chuckles) That's all. (break)

(in a car driving through traffic)

Rāmeśvara: ...two demons, she was feeling thirst. So Lord Śiva with the end of his trident created this hole. And then he sent his bull carrier to gather waters from all the sacred rivers in the universe. An then Lord Brahmā came...

Conversation with M.P., Shri Sita Ram Singh -- May 19, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: They won't take the real culture given by God Himself, Kṛṣṇa, "Do like this." Therefore they are godless. They must suffer. Now the suffering is awaiting to the general mass of people. Durbhikṣa... Anāvṛṣṭi-durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). There will be no rain from the sky, and therefore there will be no sufficient grains. Anāvṛṣṭi-durbhikṣa. And in the name of improving the situation, government will tax. Kara-pīḍitāḥ. In this way, so the people in general, they'll be so much harassed that, without being able to manage things... Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam. "Let whatever I may have to the family eating. Let me go." This is the position.