Prabhupāda: We're not only chanting, we are giving them work. We are trying to become self-sufficient, the same idea of Gandhi's village organization, so they may not come out from the village. They'll be satisfied, village economics. That we are doing.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, Prabhupāda is doing the same thing in America now. Prabhupāda's . . .
Prabhupāda: America we have nine . . . eleven centers like that.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Farms. This is a review from a local, from O. P. Baradraj, Principal of Government College for Men, Chandigarh.
Prabhupāda: One minute. Perhaps you are, any representative of Novara Times here?
Interviewer: Yes, he is here.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So you published, I think two years before, about our New Vrindavan. And you stated that it is a wonderful land, that . . . What is that?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: (Hindi)
Prabhupāda: (Hindi) It is your remark. You have seen. Your representative went there and saw it.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: In October '74.
Interviewer: Yes. Along with photographs.
Prabhupāda: In big, whole page article with the . . .
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: . . . (indistinct) . . . published a series of four . . ., three articles on last year's Janmāṣṭamī. This review from Mr. Baradraj . . .
Prabhupāda: We are giving cow protection in the country where they are eaten by the people. Their staple food, beef, and they are accepting this movement, giving cow protection.
Interviewer: Which are those areas?
Prabhupāda: West Virginia, Philadelphia, New Orleans and . . . Where? Miami, Canada, Vancouver. Like that.
Interviewer: So if you don't mind, what is bad about eating . . ., people who are eating beef? What is bad about it?
Prabhupāda: Bad means you become bad. That's all. You can see these things are . . .
Interviewer: But we can eat goat's meat, and other animal's meat.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And the thing is that cow is especially recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44), that you must produce enough food grains by agriculture and give protection to the cows. That means if you have got enough food grains to eat and if you have got enough milk to get fatty substance, then your whole economic question is solved. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). If you get sufficient food, there is no question of agitation. Everyone is satisfied, animal and man. So you must produce. That is recommendation in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Interviewer: Sir, in the modern technological . . .
Prabhupāda: Modern, we are not talking of modern or . . . We're talking . . .
Interviewer: In this age, how has the, you know, instrument of production because of this tractor, mechanization of agriculture?
Prabhupāda: So that is your interpretation. But we are trying to present Bhagavad-gītā as it is. That is our mission, that you produce food grains sufficiently and give protection to the cows so that food grains and milk will give you all benefits of economic question. You'll be satisfied. That's all. Not only that, I have practically seen that by God's arrangement there are so much land on this planet that you can produce ten times foodstuff of the whole population. But they are not doing that. They are utilizing land . . . Just like in Africa I have seen, enough land is there, but what they are doing? They are keeping some cows and bulls, and when they are grown up . . . They are not given anything to eat; there is enough grass. And as soon as they are fatty, they are taken to the slaughterhouse—not for their own eating, but exporting. This business is going on. Similar business is going on in Australia and New Zealand. Unnecessarily they are killing these cows, and this shortage of foodstuff and shortage of milk, this is not good arrangement.
The recommended process in the Bhagavad-gītā, that annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). If you have sufficient foodstuff, then everyone is satisfied. And it is the duty of the vaiśya class, kṛṣi go-rakṣya vāṇijyam, go-rakṣya vāṇijyam vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). The, according to Bhagavad-gītā, this is the business of the vaiśyas. The brāhmaṇas, they should be very much highly educated, enlightened in spiritual knowledge. The kṣatriyas, they should govern, give protection. The vaiśyas, they should produce enough food. And those who are neither brāhmaṇa nor kṣatriya, śūdras, they can help. That's all. This is their . . .. Then everyone will be satisfied. The society will go on. Just like in your body you require brain, the head; you require arms, you require belly, you require legs. Similarly, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. That is essential. If you have simply brain and no leg, then it is also useless. There must be brain and leg also. There must be brāhmaṇa, there must be śūdra, there must be . . . Then the social arrangement is perfect.