Room Conversation with Richard Webster,
chairman, Societa Filosofica Italiana
May 24 1974 Rome
Richard Webster: Well, I agree with you.
….Well, yes, you said restaurants.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Richard Webster: Is it that it depends on the restaurant or is that necessarily bad?
Prabhupāda: Yes, our principle is that we can eat only what is offered to God. So we cannot eat things in the restaurant because it is not offered to God. We may prepare nice things for Kṛṣṇa and offer to Him. Then we take. This is our principle. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Yajña. Yajña means worshiping the Lord. So worship the Lord, it is not difficult. Everyone is cooking for eating, every home. So cook certain things which is acceptable to Kṛṣṇa. Then offer to Him and take the prasāda. There is no difficulty. But you become purified. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Because willfully or not willingly, we are committing so many sins.
Richard Webster: Yes, I appreciate that very much. I only say is it not possible for things to be dedicated to God without actually being placed on the altar in that way? I mean what people may be doing that in different ways maybe…
Prabhupāda: No, thing is, if you want to offer to God, then—God is all-pure—the things you offer, that must be pure. And you must follow the instruction of God. Suppose if you want to give me something eatable, as a matter of etiquette, you ask me, “What can I offer you?” And if I say that “You offer me this thing, and that is very nice,” you cannot offer me according to your whims. That may not be acceptable by Him.
Richard Webster: Yes, I was thinking…
Prabhupāda: That, your dedication, must be with the sanction of God. If you dedicate something which is not sanctioned by God, then that offering is not pleasing. Suppose I have got a certain taste. If you ask me, “What kind of food I shall prepare for you…” In India, still the system is that the housewife asks the husband, the head of the family, “What you want to eat?” [break] …offer something to God, you must take sanction from the God if He wants to eat that.
Richard Webster: Oh, well I was thinking of things like work, the work which people do, with that offered to God…
Atreya Ṛṣi: Service.
Richard Webster: The work…
Prabhupāda: Yes, the service also, you must take sanction. Anything you want to do you must take sanction from the Lord. You cannot do anything whimsically and you think that “I am rendering service to the Lord.”
Richard Webster: Oh, yes, but then the sanction, would that apply to scientific activities like engineering, one of the factories of producing (indistinct)
Atreya Ṛṣi: Would God sanction activities in the factory, technological, scientific world?
Prabhupāda: No, there is no sanction. These are all sinful activities.
Richard Webster: These are material activities.
Prabhupāda: Yes. You have created all these things. God has not sanctioned. God has not sanctioned for running on a factory. Therefore as soon as you run on a factory, you simply commit sinful activities. In the Bhagavad-gītā we don’t find any such sanction that you run on a factory, a slaughterhouse or the brothel and this business and brewery no such sanction. But you have done at your whims.
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►750403mw.may Conversations There are so many land. Come here and grow food. Grow fruit. That is… That is the desire of Krsna. Annad bhavanti bhutani. Produce food and eat in sufficiently, be strong, and chant Hare Krsna.That is our philosophy. Why you are producing bolts and nuts, tire and tubes? Eat. Rascal. They do not know that first of all you must eat. No, everyone is engaged in industry. Why? Krsna does not say that“Take to industry.” Krsna says, “Produce foodstuff.” Annad bhavantibhutani. If you produce foodstuff, then both your animals, yourself,will be happy, becoming strong. Why do they manufacture other things?
►740621mw.ger Prabhupada: Most unnatural life. City life, most unnatural.
740602mw.gen Prabhupada: Wasteful, yes. Therefore I say they have no brain. All, they are rascals. Rascal leaders. A little labor in agriculture willbe sufficient to produce the family’s food stock for the whole year. You can stock. You work only three months, and you get sufficient foodfor your whole family.And less nine months, you chant Hare Krsna. Butthese rascals will not do that. They will work hard like ass simplyfor eating. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti. They will not accept easy life.
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.
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Some Conclusions- Srila Prabhupada says above….”No, thing is, if you want to offer to God, then—God is all-pure—the things you offer, that must be pure. And you must follow the instruction of God. Suppose if you want to give me something eatable, as a matter of etiquette, you ask me, “What can I offer you?” And if I say that “You offer me this thing, and that is very nice,” you cannot offer me according to your whims. That may not be acceptable by Him.
So following this line of thought, if I invent a new computer, is that offerable to God or not? Or if I do some work, not sanctioned by guru or God, is that also not accepted by the Lord? It seems from what Prabhupada is telling us is this-he breaks it down as that technological , factory work and much more is not accepted by God.
Why not? Mostly because it destroys the finer sentiments of a human being. I was just reading this morning at breakfast time, …SB 6.6.42-From the womb of Mātṛkā, the wife of Aryamā, were born many learned scholars. Among them Lord Brahmā created the human species, which are endowed with an aptitude for self-examination.
So when a human being who has been given by God the special ability for self examination and he misuses that energy for electronics, or factory work or so many other things-how can that be pleasing to God when God knows we are intentionally misusing a special gift he has given us in this human form of life?
So what are we to do? In the Bhagavad Gita, Krsna goes thru a progression of things, starting with Karma yoga-all that you do , all that you eat, all that you offer give away in charity, etc should be done as an offering to Me.
So if we are doing things not sanctioned by God, then what are we to do? We are to give 50 % of the fruits or profits of that un-authorized work back to God. Then by this process of karma yoga, we will progress to the actual yoga-bhakti yoga or devotional service and then be properly situated.
Dec 30 1976
In our śāstra charity is recommended to be given to the high-class men, brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. They know how to spend money. Therefore dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ tad dānaṁ sāttvikam ucyate. Just like this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they are appreciating. So all the charity should come here. Then it is properly utilized. Because we do not use a single paisa for anything of sense gratification. We do not even smoke, we do not take tea, we lie down on the floor. Not a single paisa is spent for our sense gratification. Everything is utilized for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore all charity should come here. Properly spent. But if we misspend, that is our fault. Single paisa we spend for our sense gratification, that is fault of us.And people should give at least fifty percent of their income to this movement. Twenty-five percent to the family and twenty-five percent let him keep for himself in case of emergency. This is the example shown by Rūpa Gosvāmī.
June 21 1969 letter
So go on with your prescribed duty of Krishna Consciousness and be happy. You are a very intelligent boy and faithful to your parents and to your duty. Certainly Krishna will be very much pleased upon you. The father and mother are also as good as the Spiritual Master, and we are indebted to father and mother in so many ways. So as they are dependent on your income, try to help them as far as possible, as well as spend something for Krishna also. Rupa Goswami spent 50% for Krishna, 25% for emergency, and 25% for relatives. You can also try to follow this principle as far as possible. Your main business is to keep in Krishna Consciousness, and if you keep that point in view, you can deal with others according to social conventions without being attached.
May 9 1976 letter
As you know, I have requested the devotees here to construct one beautiful temple on the grounds in order that many people may come from all around and see the gorgeous worship of the Deities. It is a big project and will require so much capital. So if possible you can try to follow the formula recommended practically by Srila Rupa Goswami, that 50% of one’s income be spent for propagating Krishna Consciousness. That will be very nice, and then your business endeavours will surely be pleasing unto the Supreme Lord
Or….. we can just do right now what Srila Prabhupada asks us to do-see the above quotes about Krsna directly tell us what to do-growing ones own food, being self independent, getting out of the un-natural city life, and thereby using the natural aptitude for self examination while living in the country and growing ones own food-THAT we know will please Krsna and Srila Prabhupada. Practically everything else is entangling us in needless future karma.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
garden video of our 3 gardens for Govinda
