When people become too much sinful, too much godless, the world becomes overburdened, and there must be some machine to kill. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra (BG 3.27). They are thinking independently. No independence. As soon as you become sinful, there is reaction immediately. Immediately there will be war, pestilence, famine, flu and so on, so on.
So here it is said, tathā ayaṁ ca avatāras te . . . Arjuna said that "You have descended to," I mean to say, "lessen the burden of this world." Bhuvo bhāra-jihīrṣayā. There are many instances like that. When Pṛthu Mahārāja was the king, there was no production, food production. Because his father was a great sinful king, so on account of that there was no production. And Pṛthu Mahārāja wanted . . . He was a very good king. He is incarnation also. He asked the earth, "Why you are not producing? If you do not produce, I shall kill you." This is mentioned in the Fourth Canto. And Mother Earth said, "My dear King, why you are angry upon me? It is my duty. When the people become rākṣasas, I'll restrict my supply. Let them starve and die. I shall do that. This is my duty. Why you are angry with me?" The more people will be godless, there will be starvation, no supply. You cannot make by machine. Just like last time when I was in Europe, everything is now drying. It is yellow. What scientific method you have got? Bring water. Now they are thinking bringing, importing water. Is it possible to import water? That's not possible. So this will be punishment. In the Kali-yuga, the more people will be godless, and this punishment will be there: no water, no food supply. And over and above that, government taxation. You'll be harassed. Three things will go on.
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. One thing, there will be no rain, scarcity of rain. And naturally there will be scarcity of . . . Durbhikṣa. Durbhikṣa means you will not be able to get anything by begging also. Bhikṣa. Bhikṣa means if I have no subsistence, I have no means to eat, I go to a friend . . . (break) Even if I beg, I become a beggar, there will be no supply. Especially these things will be no supply: rice, wheat, sugar and other things there are mentioned. It is all particularly mentioned. And we are experiencing. You were telling that rice is not available. Where it is? Huh?
Devotee: Poland
Prabhupāda: Poland. I have seen in Moscow, you cannot get any fruit, you cannot get any rice, you cannot get wheat. You can get only flesh, meat. 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, import." The taxation. One side, I am suffering—no food. Another side—whatever money I have got, it will be taken by taxation. Now see what is your position. The position will be, people will become mad, so much troubled. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam (SB 12.2.8). People will be so much harassed that voluntarily they will give up their family, home and go to the forest for place. This will be done. Don’t think that Krishna consciousness is a joke, is a jugglery. It is the only remedy if you want to save yourself. Otherwise you are doomed! Don’t take it, I mean to say, as a joke. It is a fact.