If we propose-Become first class truthful man-they will all laugh–primitive ideas…
Nov 6 1976 discussion with a philosopher in Vrndavana
Prabhupāda: And if I teach that “I’ll teach you how to become truthful,” they will laugh. People will say, “Can anyone exist nowadays, simply becoming truthful?” Then damaḥ, self-controlled. If I say, “Come here. I shall teach you how to control your senses,” he will laugh, that “What is this nonsense? We shall enjoy life and shall control senses?” This is the description of the first-class man, śamo damas titikṣā ārjava, saralatā, simplicity. No one is prepared to become first-class man. They will laugh. These are all primitive ideas..
Brahmana will never speak a lie
Sept 2 1973 London--…..The brāhmaṇas should be taught how to become truthful, first of all.A brāhmaṇa will never speak lie, at any cost. It is stated that even if his enemy inquires something confidential from him, he’ll say, “Yes, this is my position.” This is truthfulness. He’ll not even, I mean to say, guile, against his enemy. He should be truthful. Even kṣatriyas, they are also truthful men. Truthfulness is so valuable. That makes one powerful brāhmaṇa. Satyam.
Brahmana never accepts a salary
SSR ch 6-discussion with Professor Kotofsky
…In India, schoolchildren are taught Cāṇakya Paṇḍita’s instructions. Although he was the prime minister, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita maintained his brāhmaṇa spirit; he did not accept any salary. If a brāhmaṇa accepts a salary, it is understood that he has become a dog. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Brahmana is the head of society because he has a good brain substance
Journey self discovery perspectives on science and philosophy ch 7-
Śyāmasundara: The communists—and even to a certain extent the capitalists—believe that service for the production of goods is the only real service. Therefore they condemn us because we are not producing anything tangible.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: How can they condemn us? We are giving service to humanity by teaching the highest knowledge. A high court judge does not produce any grains in the field. He sits in a chair and gets $25,000 or $30,000. Does that mean he is not rendering any service? Of course he is. The theory that unless one performs manual labor in the factory or the fields he is not doing service would simply give credit to the peasant and the worker. It is a peasant philosophy.
There is a story about a king and his prime minister. Once the king’s salaried workers complained, “We are actually working, and this minister is doing nothing, yet you are paying him such a large salary. Why is that?” The king then called his minister in and also had someone bring in an elephant. “Please take this elephant and weigh it,” the king said to his workers. The workers took the elephant to all the markets, but they could not find a scale large enough to weigh the animal. When they returned to the palace the king asked, “What happened?” One of the workers answered, “Sir, we could not find a scale large enough to weigh the elephant.” Then the king addressed his prime minister, “Will you please weigh this elephant?” “Yes, sir,” said the prime minister, and he took the elephant away. He returned within a few minutes and said, “It weighs 11,650 pounds.” All the workers were astonished. “How did you weigh the elephant so quickly?” one of them asked. “Did you find some very large scale?” The minister replied, “No. It is impossible to weigh an elephant on a scale. I went to the river, took the elephant on a boat, and noted the watermark. After taking the elephant off the boat, I put weights in the boat until the same watermark was reached. Then I had the elephant’s weight.” The king said to his workers, “Now do you see the difference?” One who has intelligence has strength, not the fools and the rascals. Marx and his followers are simply fools and rascals. We don’t take advice from them; we take advice from Kṛṣṇa or His representative.
“Primitive ” life means good brain substance, long living and without anxiety
LA June 22 1972
The, some rascals, scholars, so-called, they say, “These Vedas, these mantras, are some primitive. Now we are advanced. We shall create our own mantra.” You see? This is going on. The primitive… Primitive, we have to study. Primitive means very, very old. So whether in the days gone by, people were actually happy or now they are happy?
Even if you say “primitive,” the primitive life is very nice. Primitive life means simple life. Keeping pace with the nature’s law. It is very nice. Primitive life … It gives you anxiety-free life, and therefore, even if you take it as primitive, the saintly persons, sages, they used to live long, long years, and their brain was so sharp, because they were taking natural food, fruits, grains, and milk that helps to develop human brain for understanding subtle subject matter. So even Vyāsadeva… You have seen the picture of Vyāsadeva. He’s writing books just near a cottage only. But he’s writing. Nobody can create such literature. But he was leading very simple life, in a cottage. Even, say, 2,000 years ago or little more, there was Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he was a brāhmaṇa, but great politician. His politics are studied even now in M.A. class. And because he was a great politician, diplomat, under his name in our India, in New Delhi, the capital, there is a neighborhood which is called Cāṇakya Purī, and all the foreign embassies are there.
People will say this primitive life is not as good as working day and night in modern hellish cities
March 4 1974 Mayapur
People, conditioned soul, means they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, and they are suffering, that’s a fact. Tri-tāpa yantana, adhibhautika. But because they are illusioned, they are thinking, “We are enjoying.” This is called illusion. They are suffering, working day and night like an ass, and still, he’s thinking that he’s very happy. But he does not know that there is a life where there is no such thing as to work hard. Just like Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s associates in Vṛndāvana, they are jolly, tending their cows, getting milk in the village, sufficient food, dancing with the gopīs. That is life. No mill, no slaughterhouse, no motorcar. You see? No skyscraper building. Here see. So this is another philosophy, another philosophy: simple life,simple life with Kṛṣṇa. Simple life we can live still, but we do not agree. If we live simple life, people will criticize, “Oh, this is primitive, primitive. What you have made advancement?” But they have no sense.
(hundreds of plant starts ready for planting in gardens)
Indias culture is not for machine making, but for simple spiritual life, but they wont accept
March 6 1974 Mayapur
Prabhupāda: Just see. So if one is rascal, they will be misled by this. Otherwise, any sane man will not accept. They say that, “We have done so much.” What you have done? You have done this. At least in India, the effect of machine and factories: that there is no rice, no food.
Devotee: With the machines they’re mixing stones in the rice.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Devotee: With machine help, they’re mixing stone in the rice.
Prabhupāda: That’s it. That’s it, that you cannot get. Oh, you have done so much. But India is not meant for machine. These rascals, they do not know. India is, India’s culture is plain living, high thinking. You require some food. Produce food, and take it, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But they’ll not accept, “Oh, this is primitive. Nowadays we have got… We must have the motor car, motor tire.”
Not Primitive life but Intelligent life-this simple living
New Orleans Aug 1 1975
Better give up city. Make Vṛndāvana, like this. City life is abominable. If you don’t live in the city, you don’t require petrol, motor car. It is no use. They may criticize that “You are going to the farm in a car.” So for the time being, there is no vehicle. Otherwise bullock cart—where is the difficulty? Suppose you are coming, one hour, and it takes one day. And if you are satisfied, such life, there is no question of moving.Maybe local moving, from this village to that village. That is sufficient, bullock carts. Why motor car? Drive here and park problem. Not only park problem, there are so many things. There are three thousand parts, motor car. You have to produce them, big factory.
Satsvarūpa: Insurance.
Prabhupāda: Insur… So much! Everyone is being (indistinct). We do not decry, but we point out, “In this way our valuable time of life is being wasted.” They say it is primitive life, but it is peaceful life. We want peaceful life and save time for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is not primitive. That is intelligent life.
Judge by the result-who is more happy ,content and without anxiety?
Jan 21 1976 Mayapur
Prabhupāda: [break] …possible for us to challenge the whole world that “You are all fools.” Huh? Is it possible?
Harikeśa: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Based on the scripture. You can show Vedic…
Prabhupāda: No, no, they don’t care for Vedic. That is another foolishness. You have to present. You have to prove them fools by practical. And otherwise, “Who cares for your Vedic instruction?” they will say. Why they should… “We have got our own instruction.” That is preaching. If you quote simply Vedic literature, they will think, “We can quote many others.”
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das