Feb 21 1975 Caracas
Prabhupāda: University education is simply to learn some art, materialistic art. It is not education. Education is different. Education is brahma-vidyā, self-realization. Therefore in politics the so-called leader, because there is no standard, they change government, revolution. Why? From nature’s study we can see one tree is producing a particular type of fruit and flower. There is no revolution. It is standard. But these people, because they have no standard, they change every moment, every year. Nature’s way—the sun is rising from the eastern side—that is standard. (chuckles) These rascals, they will say, “Let the sun rise from the north.” It is childish, simply childish. “Eastern philosophers, Western…” What is this philosophy? Philosophy is philosophy. Why they talk of Eastern, Western?” Eastern sun, Western sun.” Sun is always Eastern, never Western. How one can say, “Western sun?” [break] Just see. It is in the water, but the water is not over it. If the water increases, it also increases. See? There is no water on the leaf. Here you see. The water must be always down. [break] …falling from the top of the Sumeru Hill, a big tree, and the juice, after falling down, turns into a river of mango juice. And the blackberries, they are just like the body of elephant and small seed. They also turn into river, Jambu-nada. And the both sides of the river, being moistened by the juice and dried by air and interacted by the sunshine, it becomes gold. And that gold is used for the denizens of heaven for their ornaments, helmets, bracelet, belt. Where is gold here? Paper. They cannot make even gold coins. They are reducing into poverty. In our childhood we have seen gold coin currency, silver coin. And now there is no such thing. Plastic. Paper and plastic. This is their advancement. Yes, it is a nice garden.
Śrutakīrti: Yes. [break]
Hṛdayānanda: Things are very rapidly reducing.
Prabhupāda: Yes. There will be no rice, no wheat, no sugar, no fruits, gradually. So much sinful activities, they must be punished like that. [break]
Hṛdayānanda: …a question from the lawyer?
Prabhupāda: Hm, don’t come near. What is that?
Hṛdayānanda: He wanted to know what is the relation between the Vedic culture of India and the cultures that originally were in Latin America. There seemed to be some similarity, cultures such as the different Indian cultures.
Prabhupāda: Formerly the whole world was Vedic culture. They have deteriorated, and India a simply glimpse is maintained still. And everywhere it is lost.
Hṛdayānanda: You said that by committing sinful activities one has to be punished by the laws of nature. So if one is repentant is he still punished?
Prabhupāda: Yes, provided he is actually repentant.
Hṛdayānanda: Then he is not punished?
Prabhupāda: Punished, but short cut. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs. 5.54]. That is for the devotees, not for the nondevotee. Nondevotee must be punished. [break]
Hṛdayānanda: …ask a lot that if there could be a Kṛṣṇa conscious society, would this mean to stop the industry and technology?
Prabhupāda: Industry, technology you can continue, but practically it has no use. [break] Just like there is the bench, you can sit down on the ground, and to sit down little comfortably you manufacture the bench. So for sitting down, you can utilize the ground, but you are unnecessarily wasting your time and manufacturing… This is industry. [break] …philosophy is that we have to save time for becoming fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is our necessity. And if we divert our energy for sitting down comfortably, then time is wasted. That… There is natural mattress, and there is a natural pillow, so why should you manufacture pillow and mattress? This is Sukadeva Gosvāmī. And there is natural food, fruits. So… And if you want still nice home, go to the cave. It is already made. Why should you waste your time? This is the Bhāgavata philosophy. But they are wasting time simply how to live in nice apartment, how to manufacture nice mattress, pillow. This is… So the whole philosophy is: save your time and make your life perfect within this short duration of life which you have obtained in this human form of life. Durlabhaṁ manusaṁ janma. It is very rarely you have got. Utilize it. And if you don’t utilize, if you waste your time in these bodily comforts and next life you become a cat and dog, then what is the benefit? They do not understand this. [break]
Hṛdayānanda: …sometimes they raise… Just like you pointed out in the preface of the Bhāgavatam that we’re no longer in the Dark Ages in the sense that previously there was no communication due to the geographical boundaries and that even though other forms of technology may be useless, at least it’s very beneficial to have different forms of communication such as telephone, telegraph, things like this, television. This is actually necessary.
Prabhupāda: But that you can utilize for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not for sense gratification. That is the defect. They are simply wasting time in sense gratification. If the telephone and the telegraph, television is used for propagating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is all right. But they are not doing that. We are utilizing the modern press facilities for printing Vedic scriptures. But they are utilizing the press for sex literature, Freud’s philosophy. [break]
Hṛdayānanda: ...policy towards the problem of overpopulation and food shortage in the world now when the world leaders are not willing to do anything? What is our policy towards these problems?
Prabhupāda: Produce food. But you are producing bolts and nuts. You eat them. Motor tire, you are producing motor tire, bolts and nuts. You eat it. (Hṛdayānanda translates into Spanish) (laughter) The energy is spoiled, creating problem. Everyone is engaged in manufacturing motor parts.
Guest: (Hṛdayānanda translates) He’s saying that he himself is involved with political leaders, and he said he’s found that they’re completely unwilling. They don’t want to hear anything about the solution, and they’re completely stuck to their own way. So what can ISKCON do…?
Prabhupāda: They will suffer, that’s all.
Hṛdayānanda: He said is there anything we can do in the political field to try to…
Prabhupāda: If they will not take, they don’t want to hear, then they must suffer.
Hṛdayānanda: He’s saying all the human race is suffering due to the bad points of the leaders.
Prabhupāda: Yes, because the rascal leaders.
Hṛdayānanda: So there’s nothing that we should do? [break] This food relief program that you started in India could also be used in other countries where there are also economic problems.
Prabhupāda: Why not? But prasādam, not ordinary food. From all our centers you can distribute food, prasādam, because that prasādam means they will gradually become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Otherwise if you give them ordinary food, they will get strength, and they will increase their sex desire, that’s all, problems. [break]
Hṛdayānanda: ...the movement who previously had been expert in mathematics, how could he use that for Kṛṣṇa’s service if he’s expert in mathematics?
Prabhupāda: Mathematics? So you can calculate, “After so many years the whole universe will be destroyed.” (laughter) Not of the universe but everyone’s life. This body will be destroyed. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg. 8.19]. And again you get another body. It will stay for so many years. Again you annihilate. Again you get. In this way eternal time is being wasted.
Hṛdayānanda: In the modern world the engineers are designing everything. So how can an engineer use his talent for Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Design a temple, nice temple. There are wonderful temples, very expert engineering. And they were ordinary men but the engineer was so nice that nobody can manufacture such temple in the whole world, still.
Hṛdayānanda: Prabhupāda, that was really wonderful, what you explained, that previously the people would build a very wonderful temple, and the ordinary people would just live in a very common, simple house.
Prabhupāda: Not for themselves. They knew the art how to manufacture nice building, but they did not care for personal use. It was used for Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes only the kings, in order to keep their position, they used to have gorgeous building. Otherwise ordinary men, cottage. [break] To live in cottage means to save time.
Hṛdayānanda: Another question, Prabhupāda. He said that you have stated that Kali-yuga will last for around 400,000 more years and then it will be finished and that the culture will gradually degrade, people will become very short and so on and so forth. So he’s wondering if there will be geographical changes in the world or if the culture as we know it now will simply disappear and how the people will be… More or less, he’s wondering what will become of the earth.
Prabhupāda: Because they will not get sufficient food, shelter, bodily necessities. Just like it is already declining, already declining. Just formerly in our childhood we saw the Western people very tall. Now they are not tall. They are decreasing already. [break] In the Western countries, still there are some but in other countries they are very lean, thin and drawn. Stature of the body will decrease. Memory will decrease. It is already taking place. So in this way, you just imagine, in 400,000 years after, what will be the condition. You take mathematical calculation. (laughter) [break]
Hṛdayānanda: He’s asking again about geographically, what will it be like as far as temperatures and the different continents. That’s what he’s interested in.
Prabhupāda: Yes, gradually everything will be barren. At the end of annihilation everything will be barren and by scorching the sunlight will be twelve times higher. So everything will be barren and burned into ashes.
Devotee: Hiraṇyākṣa was taking the gold from the earth. Now they are taking the oil. So the weight, the oil makes weight in some parts of the globe, no? So when they take it and they put it some place else or they convert it in the earth, the earth is losing weights in some parts. That is no going to cause…
Prabhupāda: I think I have explained this. Instead of contemplating what will happen to this world, you have got a short duration of life, say fifty, sixty years. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and go back to home, back to Godhead. Don’t consider what will happen to this world. The nature will take care of it. You don’t puzzle your brain with these thoughts. You utilize whatever time you have got in your possession and go back to home, back to Godhead. [break] You cannot check it. Best thing is that you mold your life and go back to home, back to Godhead. “Oil in your own machine.” Instead of thinking what will happen…
Some Conclusions-How many times has Srila Prabhupada explained to simplify our lives, grow our own food, and in this simple way concentrate our lives for going back to home back to Godhead? The writing is already there on the “wall”. Kali yuga is now marching quickly forward and there is nothing we can do to stop it.
What we can do, is adopt the practical and only method recommended in this degraded age by the perfect Vedic sastras. Hare Nama Hare Nama. This age is an ocean of faults and we are now seeing many more of these faults coming to the forefront due to the Godlessness of degraded so called leaders in the form of WW3 . It is coming and Prabhupada said his disciples will see it in their lifetimes.
So what can we do? Not much, but we can chant constantly and try to grow our own food supply and just ride it out.
Hare Krsna’
damaghosa das
