Hare Krsna to all

Pranams

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Below is a very interesting conversation wherein Srila Prabhupada explains  the difficult

situation all kali yuga inhabitants find themselves.

Machines and so called “easy living” vs. working hard in a rural  setting and producing your own food. The first is easier for that kind  of work only requires one sit at a desk for many, and push some buttons/shuffle  some papers-not very physically taxing. But as we see from that kind of inactive  sedentary lifestyle all kinds of very serious health and mental problems  ensue.  On the other hand, when one operates his or her body in a moving  physically active way, that is the way God intended us to live-by working hard  to produce our necessities. And tremendous health and mental benefits  come  from this type of satisfying work which one does not get by pushing  buttons.

And finally just to be fair, Srila Prabhupada points out that to stop ones  kind of city occupation in this age and go live in the country is almost  impossible to do  So he recommends that one keep his job, but add the  chanting of Hare Krsna maha mantra to that work. And if one does this, he will  get purified of so many anarthas, or unwanted things in his heart. So much so  that he may even want to give up city living and the fat pay check and simply go  and live more simply so that his pursuit of God consciousness is made easier by  living in the mode of goodness instead of the mode of passion and  ignorance.

Hari bol,

Damaghosa das

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740524r2.rome                 Conversations                Richard Webster: What civilization there is comes chiefly from  the television, I’m afraid. I mean the public opinion is made by  the television. Atreya Rsi: The television today is setting up the  standard for the civilization, for today’s civilization. Richard Webster:  But they talk about nothing but name war (?) and… Prabhupada: (indistinct)  pictures. Richard Webster: It’s much easier. They’re producing more  television sets (indistinct) Yogesvara: It’s a great science. My mother  is an executive in a public relations firm. Her business is to show products,  goods, to people that otherwise they have no need for and to convince them  that there is some value. It’s a very big industry, especially in the  United States, public relations, advertising. It’s very psychological  too. They use all kinds of psychological techniques for inducing people  to take things they have no need for. Prabhupada: All right  but thing is that after all our prime necessity is food. So why people  are not engaged to produce food? Richard Webster: Well, in Italy  they don’t like to work on the land any more. They all want to live in  town.

Prabhupada: Yes, that is the defect. That is the defect. Richard  Webster: Especially in Italy. Prabhupada: You do not want to live in  the village, farm. In your country I am seeing. America, the farmer’s son,  they are leaving. They are not coming back to the country. In India  also. Atreya Rsi: Cities have become centers for sense  gratification. Prabhupada: That’s it. Atreya Rsi: And it  attracts… Richard Webster: Who? Atreya Rsi: Sense gratification, sensual  living. Richard Webster: Oh, sense gratification. Atreya Rsi: Yes. So it’s  attracting undisciplined senses. Richard Webster: Well, I don’t call it sense  gratification. To me there’s no gratification in city life. Atreya Rsi:  That’s because you’re wise. Prabhupada: On the whole, as I began, that  there is no guiding men. The brain is lacking. Richard Webster: Is it  wrong to kill, to eat fish? Prabhupada: You  cannot eat anything, even grass, without the sanction of God, what to speak  of fish and others. You cannot eat even a piece of grass.  Isavasyam idam sarvam yat kinca jagatyam jagat, tena tyaktena  bhunjitha. Everything belongs to God. You can simply enjoy after  being sanctioned by God. Otherwise not. This is real  philosophy. Everything belongs… Just like in this room, it is  supposed that everything belongs to me. Even my students, they ask, “May I  take this?” They have got right to take, but still, they ask. Similarly, you cannot touch anything–everything belongs to God–without  His sanction. This is God consciousness. Richard Webster: Yes, well, I  wholly agree with that. Prabhupada: You cannot do anything… Richard  Webster: I entirely agree with that. Prabhupada: …whimsically. It is not  possible. Tena eva sa ucyate. If anyone does whimsically, then he becomes  immediately thief. So you are a big philosopher. Kindly you  spread… Richard Webster: Very small philosopher. Prabhupada: No, that’s  all right. Anyway, if you spread this God consciousness, this knowledge of  God consciousness, philosophy of God

consciousness… Richard Webster: Yes, well, I’m going to write an  article on that. Prabhupada: Yes. Dhananjaya: Mr. Webster has your  Bhagavad-gita, and reads it very intently. And a few days ago he came back  for another copy which he recommended to his friends. Prabhupada: That’s  nice. You kindly try to spread. Everything, whatever we speak, our  philosophy, this is based on this Bhagavad-gita. That’s  all… Everywhere it is difficult because people have become godless.  Still, we have to try our best. The task is difficult, undoubtedly. It is  very difficult task, to bring back people to God consciousness. But still we  have to do it to satisfy God. He wants it. Richard Webster: Well, I’m so very  glad. Thank you very much. Prabhupada: Hare Krsna.

Richard Webster: Hare Krsna. I’ll see you tomorrow. Yogesvara: During  your conversation with this gentleman, you mentioned that there was nowhere  any sanction by God for industry or business. So does that mean that these  workers in factories and industries, to take to Krsna consciousness they  could not go on with their work? Prabhupada: No. Our  recommendation is that whatever position you are, you can chant Hare  Krsna. So even the workers in the factory, they can chant Hare  Krsna. What is the difficulty? Even in factory, they take some leisure hours.  So why not sit down for five minutes, ten minutes, and chant Hare Krsna?  Where is the difficulty? Apart from the work they are doing, we are  recommending, “Whatever is done is done. You chant Hare Krsna. Then  everything will be all right.” Where is the wrong? Yogesvara: But eventually it’s understood they must stop  their industry. Prabhupada: There is no question of  stopping. If that is their livelihood, how they can stop it? That is not  possible. But they can add this Hare Krsna mantra chanting. Then  things will be adjusted. It is not possible to stop different methods of  livelihood. That is not possible. If one can stop, it is well and  good, but even he does not

stop, he can chant Hare Krsna mantra. Yogesvara: But  ultimately isn’t our idea that the city complexes shouldn’t remain, that things should become more spread out to farm and rural  areas? Prabhupada: Yes, naturally. If this man is fed  up with this industry, he can go back to village and produce his own food. But he is attached to this industrial activity because he is thinking  that “We are getting more money for wine and woman and meat.  Let me enjoy.” That is the perfect, imp… But if he chants Hare  Krsna maha-mantra, his consciousness will be purified and he will be made  not interested this kind of work. He will go back to village and produce  food.

below– approx 175 potato plants, with 6 different kinds.