Economic Training for Ksatriyas

[Guest guest]

You may be right that COW conference is not the right place to discuss the

shortcomings of some international aid technology.

 

The right place to discuss that is on the VARNASRAMA.DEVELOPMENT

conference, where I am forwarding this. I hope you don't mind.

 

This is a very important topic that you have touched on. Effective cow

protection can only take place when the vaisya is "under the protection of

the ksatriyas" as Srila Prabhupada explains in the 4th canto.

 

The study of varnasrama focuses on specifically this kind of question.

With regard to ksatriya training, Srila Prabhupada would often point out

that in the modern context, those who assume the role of ksatriya

(government or military leader) have no training. Among topics that he

said Ksatriyas should be trained in are social order and economics.

 

Because our would-be ksatriyas are not trained in economics, they are easy

prey for brainwashing by ambitious businessmen who preach capitalist

economics to them -- in which only economics which takes place on the

market level is counted as contributing to a country's well being.

According to capitalist criteria, a woman who is paid to take care of 20

children at a day care center is contributing to the welfare of the

country, but 10 mothers taking care of 2 children of their own, in their

own home are contributing nothing to the welfare of the country.

 

Later on, if the 20 children who were taken care of by the day care

employee become criminals and go to jail, they further contribute to the

country's welfare, because they provide jobs for prison contractors, food

purveyors, prison guards, etc.

 

Unfortunately, our modern ksatriyas, from Bill Clinton on down are mostly

unaware of the false logic of capitalism and other materialistic economic

systems.

 

--------------------

 

But, having said all this, I don't think that every single non-government

agency should be dismissed as worthless.

 

I agree with Srila Prabhupada's statement at Bhaktivedanta Manor , that

the tractor destroys village social structure. I also agree that the

green revolution has been ruinous.

 

However, there are a number of development workers, like Vandana Siva, who

would completely agree with Srila Prabhupada's stand. NGO's such as

Tillers International are working hard to promote animal traction and

improved animal traction technologies as a superior alternative to

introducing tractors for the purpose of maintaining social stability.

 

Certainly we won't agree with everything they say, but we could profit by

learning from them. It would be blind arrogance to sweep our hand and

say, "They are karmis. They have nothing to teach us."

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

 

 

On Sat, 15 May 1999, COM: Nistula (das) ACBSP (Sri Pundarik Dham - Bangladesh)

wrote:

 

> [Text 2318306 from COM]

>

>

> It's not just Bengal that has a big problem with cow-slaughter,

> but Bihar, UP, etc. I'm not sure of the logistics on the Indian side,

> I can only speak from years of observation here in Bangladesh.

> All year long hundreds of lorries, crammed full of Indian cows

> enter this country for the express reason of slaughter.

>

> Banladesh is a huge importer of Indian cows (legal and otherwise).

> These are not 'Bengali' cows, but the big white variety (sorry, can't

> name the species) that are used to pull the Indian Padayatra.

> These originate from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, etc. For at least a month

> before the annual EID festival of Korban, this increases to many

> thousands. During this festival each family must slaughter a cow.

> The roads become jammed with all the traffic of these cow-carrying

> lorries. Bengal may allow slaughter, but none of the Indian states

> as far as I know prevent the EXPORT of old (or not so old) cows, which

> amounts to the same thing. It's most certainly not just the Moslems

> that sell, export and transport these poor creatures.

>

> Niscala Prabhu, I would also love to get a copy (or photocopy) of

> "Dung is Gold Mine", Indian books (or any for that matter) are just

> impossible to get here.

>

> My experience mirrors Gopinatha Acarya Prabhu's 100%. After

> wasting so much time and hard-to-come-by cash trying to improve

> things with all this "appropriate technology", we alway in the end

> wind up simply reverting to "traditional technology". These western

> NGOs have it all backwards. I believe that eastern NGOs (ISKCON?) should

> be engaged in "exporting" experts & technology to the west instead of

> the other way round. As westerners, we are often excited about some

> 'improvement' that 'saves time & labor', that in the end just messes things

> up. For example: to grow all the improved hybrid rice varieties UNICEF and

> all the thousands of NGOs in Bangladesh had (and still have) massive programs

> (finaced by the west) to install irrigation wells, as well as tube wells for

> village use. No doubt you've heard of the recent problem now created by

> arsenic contamination, which many believe to be a directly caused by this.

>

> This is simply 'lineal' or measured, quantified (western) thought as opposed

> to 'globular' or 'holistic' eastern thought. According to 'modern'

> statistics, we

> hear how poor the East is (GNP-wise). However as the west calculates

everything

> (including future markets, etc.) in their GNPs, except for what is officially

> recorded or exported, little of the true wealth of the 'undeveloped'

> countries is

> taken into account (how can it be). By adding all the kitchen garden produce,

> medicinal plants, bananas, mangoes, (and yes, gobar) etc., etc., I'm sure the

> 'per capita' wealth of the average 'poverty-striken' Indian, Bangladeshi or

> other 3rd world family would not be less than the average American, Japanese,

> or European family. Perhaps much higher. But as the statistics are

> calculated by western-biased methods, they leave out the majority of 3rd

> world wealth.

> Sorry, this is not the place for this, just something that I often think

about.

>

> Your servant,

> Nistula dasa

>

>

>