Every Man Should Own Some Land

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COM: Raghunath (das) HKS (Czarnow - PL) wrote:

 

> [Text 2095951 from COM]

>

> >

> >

> > COM: Nistula (das) ACBSP (Sri Pundarik Dham - Bangladesh)

> > >

> The concept of drawing up a

> > contract for devotees committed to the land and not requiring a purchase

> > so as to facilitate them in developing a land based society has never

> > taken place. In the same instance, so much land is owned by ISKCON and

> > lies idel. This is something that we have been trying to change for years

> > and is an essential part of taking care of your cowherds.

>

> What was the result of these efforts, it happened somewhere?

> We want do the same thing in our farm with some agreement, do you know

> something about it?

>

> What are the dates (or numbers) of ŒP Morning Walks with these issues?

>

> Ys Rama Keli dasa

 

Hare Krsna dasi replies:

 

Here are some quotes you may be interested in from a lecture Srila Prabhupada

gave in Geneva, Switzerland:

 

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GENEVA, JUNE 6, 1974

BHAGAVAD-GITA LECTURE: 13.35

 

EVERY MAN SHOULD OWN SOME LAND

 

....Just like in agricultural land. You get a piece of land, and you produce

your own food grain, or as you like. The government gives you a piece of land,

and you have to pay a little tax, and you can grow your food grains as you

like.

 

....The same example: You are given a field, a piece of land. You can grow

twice, thrice in a year very nice foodstuff, sometimes pulses, sometimes paddy,

sometimes the mustard seed. Any land... In India, we have seen that a

cultivator produces three, four kind of food grains in a year. That is the

system...That is the system that in India every man is producing his food

grains independently. Now it is stopped. Formerly, all these men, they used to

produce their food grain. So they used to work for three months in a year, and

they could stock the whole year's eatable food grains. Life was very simple.

After all, you require to eat. So this Vedic civilization was that keep some

land and keep some cows. Then your whole economic question is solved.

 

....The whole economic question can be solved. If you have got excess, then you

can trade, you can send to some place where there is scarcity. But every man

should produce his own food. That is Vedic culture. You get a piece of land and

produce your family's foodstuff.

 

....So this example is given: idam sariram ksetram. That means to own a certain

piece of land is the basic civilization. Everyone must have a portion of land

to produce his food. There will be no economic problem.

 

....That means as soon as one has a land sufficient to produce, he is safe. His

food problem—that is the real problem—is solved. So people are not being

trained up to... In America, I have seen. Now the farmers, the father is

working on the farm, and the sons, they do not come. They live in the city.

This is the tendency all over the world. They are not producing food grains.

Therefore there is scarcity. There is scarcity of...

 

....Especially in a country like India where the population is very big and

there is no land available, there must be scarcity of food. Especially the

Britishers, they have divided India: Pakistan and Hindustan. So all the food

grains are there on the Pakistan side, and in the Hindustan side all the

industries are there. So they are fighting. They have no industrial facilities,

and they have no agricultural facilities. All policies. They would fight all

along. The Britishers wanted that "You have taken your independence. All right,

you'll suffer all the time, fighting between your..." This was a policy. So it

is going on nicely.

 

....So anyway, the whole world situation is degrading, that people are not

producing their own food. This is the problem, real problem. Ksetra-ksetra-jna.

This example is given. As every man must possess a piece of land... Therefore

this... Because it is very common thing, this example has been given.

Ksetra-ksetra-jna.