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.
