Nov 14 1972 Vrndavana

In the Bengali proverb there is a ḍheṅki. Svarga gela dan bange.(?) Means a ḍheṅki, that machine, that wooden machine, which… Husking machine? So if you send it to the heaven, then what he’ll do? The same business. It does not mean the ḍheṅki, while it is promoted in the heaven, he can become soul or anything else. No. Similarly, we living entities, we have desire to enjoy this material world, but our position is servant. We have not changed our position. We revolted to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is all right. But what is your position here in the material world? That is also servant. Just like I told Professor Kotovsky that “Your Communism, what is the difference between your Communism and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? You have selected Lenin as your leader, or master, and we have selected Kṛṣṇa as our leader, master. So on the principle, where is difference?” The professor could not answer.So the professor could not answer, but he was impressed, that actually what is this meaning of Communism? You simply change of, change of master. That’s all. And this is going on. All political leaders, they are going from one political leader to another. And he’s exploiting. That’s all. He, he is giving some manifesto that “If you give me vote, then I shall make you overnight a king.” All false propaganda. And these rascals gives him vote and he again remains the same servant. That’s all. There is a Bengali song:tabe kali tomāra baḍa saba bala ke kare āpanāra karma phala yadi phalebi āmāra(?). So if I remain the same servant, then why shall I vote to you? You cannot make me master. But my desire is that I shall become master. That is called illusion. Because I’m not master. I cannot become master. I have to remain servant. I am flattering some men: “Please make me master. Please make me master.” That is my position. This political party, that political party.Therefore the sane man, one who has got good brain, su-medhas… Su-medhas and alpa-medhas. Medhas means brain substance. Su-medhasaḥ. Su-medhasaḥ. There is a word, the su-medhasaḥ. They… Yes. Saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]. Su-medhasaḥ. And there is another word: alpa-medhasaḥ. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām [Bg. 7.23]. Su-medhasaḥ means good brain, and alpa-medhas means rascal, less brain substance. Sometimes we say, chastise, that “Your brain, your, this skull, filled up with cow dung. There is no brain substance.” So those whose brains are filled up with cow dung, they want to exploit this material world. It is impossible. It is not possible. Under certain pleas only, that “This political party will give you better chance for exploiting.” But you cannot do that. It is not possible. This is called māyā. In illusion, I’m thinking, “If I make certain more progress…” We see, in America, they’re increasing the number of motorcars and the problem is road. One flyway above another flyway, another another. The flyway construction is going on perpetually. Is it not? And this is called advancement. The rascals do not know that “I am simply laboring, laboring, laboring. Where is the stoppage of laboring? ” No. That you cannot stop. Your progress means you simply work hard. And because you are illusioned, that hard-working, you are thinking progress, happiness. That’s all. This is called māyā. He is working just like an ass. The ass, ass, ass is working whole day and night for the washerman for a morsel of grass. But ass, why it is called ass? He can, the ass can have grasses anywhere, but he, for that, he’s working very hard for the washerman. Therefore he’s ass.He has no sense that “Why I shall work for this washerman so hard? I can get this morsel of grass anywhere.” But he’ll work.So ass politician, ass family man, ass community leader. So… All asses, mūḍhāḥ. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ. All asses. They’ll not surrender to Kṛṣṇa to get relief. They’ll work like ass. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ duṣkṛtino narādhamāḥ [Bg. 7.15]. They have no brain, alpa-medhasaḥ. No brain substance. Filled up with cow dung. And those who have got real brain, then, for them it is recommended: saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ.kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyairyajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]Oh, one who has got brain, he catches Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam, always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. And simply worship by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is brain substance. All cow dung.Thank you very much. (end)

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March 6 1974 Mayapur

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma… [break] …to take evening walk. This part, on the field, agricultural field. [break] …if you have any land to purchase immediately, then I can ask

Mahadevia, He can pay for that. [break] …Americans without machine, they cannot sleep. They must smell, “Here is a machine.” Then they can sleep. There was a fisherman. So at, in the evening... That is still in India. In the evening you can ask shelter from any householder’s house. They’ll give you shelter. So he came in the evening, “Sir, I want to pass night in your home.” “All right, you are welcome.” So the fisher basket, fishing basket. “You keep this here, outside, and you sleep inside.” So whole day, he was restless. Then whole night, he could not sleep. Then the master said, “You are not sleeping?” “No, sir.” “Why?” “Now, because my baskets are kept outside.” “What is in the basket?” “No, unless I smell, I cannot sleep.” (laughter) So these Americans, unless they smell about machine, they cannot sleep. “Habit is the second nature.” For ordinary muscle work, they’ll bring so many machines. I have seen. Karandhara was doing. At least that machine must come. (Makes sound like machine:) kat kat kat kat kat kat kat kat. Making hole. That machine is compulsory.

Devotee: Recently, Prabhupāda, I saw one machine for…

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: For rubbing the nails, there is a battery operated machine.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Machine for cleansing, so many things.

Devotee: And for nail rubbing also.

Prabhupāda: Yes. For massaging. Everything.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: They have for brushing the teeth.

Prabhupāda: Oh, very…

Siddha-svarūpānanda: You just hold the toothbrush and the machine makes it go up and down.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: Some scientists, they want to make all the different body parts. They want to give artificial arm, then artificial feet, and they’re, they’re spending all kinds of money and time making these complicated machinery to do the same thing that the body is doing. And the ultimate goal, these scientists were stating, their ultimate goal was to make a complete human body so that the person never has to die, but he can always change his body just before it breaks.

Prabhupāda: But the maker of that machine will die.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: He cannot save himself. He can make a machine which will not die, but he will die. Is that all right?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: How much perfect he is, that you can consider, that he’s making something perfect which will not die, but he will die. So he’s imperfect. So how his machine is perfect? This is common argument. He’s imperfect. But he cannot make such machine that he will not die.

Some Conclusions—Bhaktivinode has said the the more one is entangled in machines the more he is engulfed in kali yuga. Especially in the western countries to live without machines is unthinkable. A noisy and disturbing “alarm” clock starts their day. Take a quick shower (optional for many) throw something in the microwave oven, quickly shove this cancer causing “food” down your throat, then rush out the door and press a button to open and start your car. Then enter gridlock  on the freeways  while breathing polluted air, and if you arrive safely (which is never guaranteed) get to your work place cubicle and sit and watch a computer screen for much of the day.On the other hand one can give up all this health killing type of work, move out of the city, find some land to live on and breathe all day long  volumes of fresh air. Your day begins by working your muscles as Srila Prabhupada mentions above and avoiding  some machine to do the same work.This human body to be healthy, is meant to work, not push buttons, and it is meant to walk not ride in cars for hours. Who will accept this anymore when they all are riding the illusory crest of the so called pleasure of a machine which will open the door for them, activate a robot for cleaning their home and turn on remotely, their home security system?The ones who think about this soberly will reject the vast majority of machines which now dominate our lives and go back to a more simple form of living by giving up the mad pursuit for money and take to a simple lifestyle starting with growing their own food.This is what Srila Prabhupada advocates for all his followers-not taking more machinery into your life

Hare Krsna

damaghosa das—————————–

– 720629rc.sd Conversations331292/530501
Prabhupada: The villagers, they have cows and land. That is sufficient
for their economic problem. But the industrialists, they are alluring
them, “To get more money, come here.” So they are going to the cities.
And the food production in the village is neglected. And therefore the
food grain price is rising. Actually, everyone should be engaged to
produce food, but the modern set-up of civilization is that few people
are engaged in producing food, and others are eating. They are
offering… They are artificially getting money. So they are offering
paper, “Here is ten dollars.” Although it is a paper, cheating. And
they are captivated by cheating. They, they are thinking, “I have got
now hundred dollars.” What is this hundred dollars? It is paper. So some people are cheating and some people are being cheated. This is
the society.
Mother: Yes. But I think one has to be clever enough not to let people
cheat you.
Prabhupada: Clever means that he must stay in his own land. He should
not be cheated by the paper and go to the city.
Mother: But we have to teach our young to be able to define between
those who cheat and those who…, be able to tell people who…
Prabhupada: The whole civilization is a plan of cheating others.
That’s all. And they’re all sinful.

Jan 11 1977 conversations

devotee: Should we try to make an effort to have our householders go and live on the farms, a special effort? If it’s ready to do that?

Prabhupāda: Why householders? Everyone.

TQK-18—Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in engaging devotees in producing their own food and living self-sufficiently so that rascals may see how one can live very peacefully, eat the food grains one has grown oneself, drink milk, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Oct 15 1974 Mayapur—-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. 

Please find an amazing article from BTG magazine printed in 1952 by Srila Prabhupada below.—————————————————————————————————

Solution of Present Crisises By Bhagwat Geeta(Back to Godhead PY3,1952)

Till now, BTG was available in separate scanned pdfs etc. But it is now compiled in a single pdf here so that we can see all the articles from 1944-60 here itself and read them comfortably. Please check the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q9l2pqt3xub7z3l/BTG%20COMPILATION%20%281944-1960%29.pdf?dl=0

   He authored the original books

   In May 1986, Sulocana dasa warned the movement about the danger of the adulterated books. He was assassinated a few days after his warning  and his bonk, “The Guru Business” came out.

Subject: Re: Re[2]: Raghunatha dasa and Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami Tirobhava Tithi [disappearance] Sri Ksna dasa Kaviraja TirobhavaTithi

Subject: Raghunatha dasa and Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami Tirobhava Tithi [disappearance] Sri Ksna dasa Kaviraja TirobhavaTithi

Bombay Jan 8 1977

Indian man: Swamiji, I get two thoughts. Number one: having acquired a family, I am willing to renounce, but would I not be running away from the responsibility, in the name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, for the bringing up and educating the children? And second thing…

Prabhupāda: You cannot educate, neither you bring. This is māyā. Do you think… Do you think that only in your presence your children will be happy? There are… Just see here in the corner, the father, mother, and the child is always, twenty-four hours, crying. The father, mother, is there. They are poor men, they are taking care, but still, the child is unhappy; it is crying twenty-four hours. There are many you’ll find. So does it mean that in the presence of father, mother, a child is happy? Everyone is being conducted by his destiny. The father, mother, may be there or may not be there; his destiny will go on. This is the law of nature. You see here. Do you mean to say, because that man is poor, he’s not taking care of the child? Why the child is crying twenty-four hours? So if one child is made to cry by his destiny, even in the presence of his father, mother, he has to cry. Nobody can make him happy. So this is called illusion, that “I am doing.” Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]. A rascal, he thinks like that. But it is not the fact. The fact is prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ. His destiny or her destiny is to suffer. So even though father, mother… Suppose a rich man’s son is sick. He has engaged good physician, good doctor. Does it mean that he will guarantee life? Then what is the principle? Bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ pitarau. Prahlāda Mahārāja said that “It is not a fact that when the children are under the protection of father and mother, he’s secure.” Tvad-upekṣitānām: “If You neglect, that ‘This child must cry; this child must die,’ then even by the greatest care of the father and mother, he will die.” So what is the use, saying that your duty…? Duty? That is māyā.

Indian man: Second thing is…

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June 16, 1976

Scheuerman: We rejoice when we see people coming to the Lord God, wherever it may be and however it may be. Do you have the passage there?

Jayādvaita: Yes. “Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.”

Scheuerman: Yes, we, too, see sin as an obstacle to communication and relationship with the Lord God.

Srila Prabhupāda: Yes. Read the purport.

Scheuerman: In fact, we define sin as that which separates us from the friendship of God.

Rakṣaṇa: So that means following God’s instructions, such as, “Thou shalt not kill,” right?