Castor beans

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"COM: Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP" wrote:

 

> [Text 2156401 from COM]

>

> > Prabhupada stated that castor bean oil was the best for lamps, but I have

> > never tried it. I couldn't find his quote perhaps another devotie might

> > know.

>

> Srila Prabhupada personally told me this in 1977.

>

> Your humble servant,

> Hari-sauri dasa

 

Room Conversation New Vrindaban, June 24, 1976 760624RC.NV

 

Prabhupada: This project should be advanced--plain living, high thinking.

Dhrstadyumna: I think we'll take around that film of New Vrindaban to all the

colleges this year when we are preaching and show it to the students as our

practical example.

Prabhupada: This is nasty civilization, unnecessarily increasing necessities of

life. Anartha.

Kirtanananda: We would not have understood you if you had said that eight, ten

years ago.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Kirtanananda: Ten years ago I know I could not have understood you if you had

said that. Now I understand a little bit.

 

Prabhupada: Now suppose these electric lights. So, crude form of light, we grow

some castor seed, everything from the earth. This also you are getting from

earth, petroleum, and running on machine, and electricity is generated. But

really you are getting the impetus from the earth. As soon as the petroleum

supply is stopped, everything stopped. But for this purpose you have to search

out petroleum from the middle of ocean, boring. Therefore it is ugra-karma.

 

The purpose is that you grow some castor seed, press it, get oil, put in any

pot, and one wick, the light is there. So even understanding that you have

improved the lighting system, but that is not the only necessity of my life.

But to improve from the castor seed lamp, castor oil lamp, to this electricity,

you have to work so hard. You have to go to the middle of ocean and drill it

and get out petroleum and... In this way your real business of life is

finished.

 

The energy and the intelligence you got for your self-realization or your, this

precarious position, constantly dying and taking birth in various species of

life, this is your problem, and this was to be solved in human life, you have

got advanced intelligence, but that intelligence is utilized from castor seed

lamp to the electric lamp. That's all.

 

Just try to understand. What is that improvement? And for this improving from

castor seed oil lamp to electricity lamp, you forget your real business. You

lost yourself. This civilization is going on. This is called maya. For some

fictitious happiness you lose your whole purpose of life. It is difficult to

understand, but the fact is there. But you are under the control of nature, you

have to give up this body. All right, you make very nice arrangement to live

here, nature will not allow you to live. You must die. And after death you are

going to get another body. So in this body, working for high grade electricity

lamp, you work so hard, have got your own business, and next life by the laws

of nature, if you get the body of a dog, then what is the benefit? That you

cannot check. What is the answer? Hmm?

 

Kuladri: Simple living, high thinking.

Prabhupada: Huh?

Kuladri: Simple living.

Prabhupada: No, here is the charge. Now what is your answer? In this life you

are living very comfortably, next life if I'm going to be a dog, then this is

the charge. Now how this class of men will answer it? Can he deny that he's not

going to be a dog?

Kirtanananda: He says he doesn't believe it.

Prabhupada: You believe or not believe. Just like this child, it is boy, he

does not know anything. But I know, his mother knows, his father knows that

he's going to be young man. If he says, "No, I am not going to be young man,"

that is childish. That is childish.

 

But the father, mother, friends know that the boy is going to grow a young man,

so he should be educated and he should be properly situated. That is the

guardian's business. He doesn't know. He doesn't know. So that he doesn't know,

that does not mean it is fact. So similarly, if rascals say, "I don't believe

it," that's not a fact. He is a rascal, mad, he may say so, but that is not the

fact. Karanam guna-sangasya. Real fact is that he'll have to accept a body

according to the quality of development.

 

Kirtanananda: But what if they say that "Actually this life of growing the

castor seed is very difficult, farming is very difficult. It is easier to go to

the factory for eight hours, and then I come home with my money and I enjoy."

 

Prabhupada: No, you enjoy, but by enjoying, if you forget your real business,

is that intelligent? Your real business is that you have got this human form of

body to improve your next life. You are going to have a next life. Suppose you

are going to be a dog. Is that success? So you must know the science that

instead of becoming dog, how shall you become God. That is intelligence.

 

Kirtanananda: Why is it any better to grow castor seed than to dig oil?

Prabhupada: Huh?

Kirtanananda: Why is it any better to grow castor seed than to...

Prabhupada: No, you require lamp. So you finish that lamping business as simply

as possible. In the balance time you save you improve your self-realization.

That is the life. Just like this child, he wants to play. He does not go to

school, does not take an education, and he improves type of toys, toys, he's

engaged in improved type of football playing, and... Then is that very good

intelligence?