Philosophical Treatise of FOOD

[Guest guest]

 The problem in ISKCON today is one of not enough enthusiasm to work

only oxen on the land in order to maintain subsistance farming. This is what

Rohita prabhu has refered to as the lowest kind of occupation in the eyes of

westeners.

 

Comment:

The term westerns, means anyone one is on the hedonistic path so prevalent in

the west. They do work hard but only for their personal sense gratification,

we should be able to work as hard for Krsna. This is second class we should be

able to work even harder than they do, because it is for Krsna.

 

 Radha Krsna:

 I quite agree with him. This influence is very strong and we need to

break it. It is not easy to break it. It is not possible to break it just by

being philosophical Alone and quoteing Srila Prabhupada only on the points

that you have mentioned. THER IS SOMETHING MORE WE CAN DO IN THIS CONNECTION!

 

Comment:

Ya, sweat, put our muscle where our mouth is, it has been idle to long.

Are we not Krsna das? Do we not want to show our appreciation to the mercy

Srila Prabhupada has showered upon us. Do we not want to take up Krsna’s

banner from the sampradaya and become worthy sons and daughters?

 

 I do not find it surprising that so many sanyassis in our movement

are interested in this programme to turn agriculture into profits for

devotees. This is what is lacking. I do not accept the arguement that if we

make any money we will all be in maya! No. There have been perpetual aguements

in ISKCON for years that devotees leave ISKCON because they do not have enough

money to survive and have to go outside in order to make enough money to run

their ISKCON programme. We DO need a programme to solve economic problems -

that's why a committee was formed called social and economic development.

Therefore we have to readdress this situation and intelligently look at ways

of solving it.

 

 Because you (some of you) are able to survive on subsistance farming

like you are advocating and not make "money" but rather a living it doesn't

mean others will be able to jump straight into this mode. Not at all. Indeed I

would suggest that this is the very reason there are so few householders

engaged on Krsna's properties. We all have different needs and we needn't be

so dogmatic as to say you all have to live on subsistance farming. This is

Kali Yuga and we have to be extremely intelligent how to preach.

 

Comment:

Perhaps you can’t live on as you call it ‘subsistence farming’, it is given

because we are prone to enjoy as is evident for the last twenty some odd

years. Is not purity the force? Is there not an enormous challenge to meet?

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta took a vow to chant 300,000 names of Krsna a day before

he began his preaching mission. Why? For purity to gain the strength to meet

the challenge. We have to become vibrative with the Hare Krsna Hare Rama. Or

are we going to go through another cycle? We have been through four already,

so you want to go through another? Srila Prabhupada at one time said that if

his sannyasis would follow his lead they could conquer the world in eighteen

days. He had faith, are we not his followers? His directions are there we just

have to get out of easy chairs (we are working so hard, but is it for Krsna?)

and follow in the path of the sadhus. Jayananda’s disappearance day was just

here. Many glorify him with nice accolades if we really wanted to glorify him

we would act and work the way he did when he was here! We have no shortage of

examples and no shortage of directions to accomplish only the will and the

faith seem to be on the short side.

 

 My experience is in this age of Kali, that there has to be some

easier way to make ends meet than expecting everyone to survive on subsistance

farming. They are not attracted. There should be the facility at the very

least to make a good living - without having to go outside - so that different

devotees can fulfill there diferent needs i.e., to make more in order to

facilitate preaching programmes, donate to worthy causes that sanyassis might

be trying to acheive, and maybe go to India once in a while, visit family

members, etc., etc.,

 

Comment:

I have no object to producing money, but only if is in pursuance of

glorification of Krsna. That is our biggest challenge, to date we have failed

miserably in this regard, to use our wealth in Krsna’s glorification. Two

activities attract the non-devotee prasadam and kirtan, not big fancy temples.

Chanting, distributing prasadam and Prabhupada’s books these three can conquer

the world, if we take our laksmi to grow the food and make mrdangas. When we

have done that then the world will change that will be a sign of our purity.

As it is we are finding it hard to attend Mangala arotik.

 

 Why shouldn't our "money " come from agriculture. This is not

unreasonable or unphilosophical. It is not against the sastra. Indeed I would

go as far as to say that it is incorrect conditioning to suggest that devotees

can't or shouldn't make a good living from agriculture. Bhaktissidhanta

Maharaja drove in a fancy car in 1922 to promote preaching! A lot of people

critisised him but he was adamant, and I always like to see this picture when

I go to Srila Prabhupada's room at Bhaktivedanta Manor.

 

Comment:

I have never been there to see that picture, but looking and speaking we have

in abundance now it takes doing. We can not sit and wait any more we have to

do! We have been marking time, excuse me it might be more correct to say we

have ah done a little back sliding. I could probably do it myself but it would

be so much more relishable if other hands where there to share in the nectar.

Work now, samadhi later should be our battle cry. For the glory of Krsna and

His pure devotee.

 He would be very favourable to this idea of making "money" from

garbage, selling it to others and growing the most opulent foodstuffs on it

and offering it to KRSNA.

 

Comment:

Very nice, now we must do. Notice how long it took to say Krsna’s name will we

be as quick to give the results to Him? I hope not. Time will tell.

 

 Srila Prabhupada actually instructed us to do this. This is preaching

and this is I feel the preaching of the modern day that we need to persue to

show people how simple it is to live on the land by utilising everything Krsna

has given us, not just some of the things.

 

Comment:

Some key words to stress ‘utilize everything’ ‘Krsna has given’.

 

 Abhirama prabhu agreed on the train. That this must have been what

was happening in the Lost City of Dwaraka! In those times they had good kings,

good government. They did not advocate throwing garbage into landfill and

stool into massive holes in the ground! or tipping it in the sea. They knew

how to deal with it in such a way as to elevate everyones consciousness and

health. Even the bungee class would have been better off than he finds himself

today. I advocate that we try and again elevate everyone to this consciousness

of how to serve Krsna by offering everything back to HIM - from whence it all

came. Not just some things....(and we'll forget about the other things we

don't want to talk about because maybe there are untouchable.)

 

Comment:

Welcome, prabhu that’s the mood now you’re in Krsna’s camp.

 

 I was taking a print out of the arsenic poisoning problem from Divya

Singh prabhu on Mayapur developments the other day and he was saying that

generally in ISKCON we don't want to have to deal with stool problems - that's

up to the Sudras, not the brahmanas. I dissagree. This is not a philosophical

approach. Bhagavatam says: "a brahmana should become a teacher regardless of

what his department of knowledge is." 1.1.44. Therefore we need brahmanas to

guide the Sudras on the subject of sanitation and garbage control for if

handled properly will be the cause of the elevation of everyones CONSCIOUSNESS

and ABUNDANT health. The opposite will be the reverse, as we see it today.

 

Comment:

Dung is nicer but stool must also be utilized, after all even a weed is

beneficial if you know the use (then it would be a weed). I can see Krsna

lotus eyes now crowing the glory of His smile to see the surrender of His

devotees. We will be following in the footsteps of that great acarya, Isvara

Puri Kijay!

 

 In agricultural and health terms this is extremely important, as we

see all over the world, as explained previously on this conference, that we

are robbing Mother Nature of her rightful claim. This will not please her and

She will protest. There will be very definate reaction if we treat our

"Mothers" in the wrong way i.e., Mother Bhumi and the Cow who is a

personification of Mother Earth. (AS Hare Krsna dasi mentions the Cow herself

will never really complain but Her origin will! MOTHER EARTH and we will have

to bear the consequences.

 

Comment:

She has already started, tornadoes in Oklahoma/Kansas, disturbed children in

Colorado, overgrazing on ISKCON farms. Need I go on. Not at all pleasing for

Krsna’s senses to perceive.

 

 

 Divya said he thought the arsenic poisoning was man-made. Yes, I made

this point in Mayapur in 1996. Because of the lack of top soil and humus to

hold water, there is so much pumping of water out of the ground to maintain

crop production. This is solely due to bad agricultural management and the use

of chemicals in place of organic matter as we have heard from Howard all those

years ago. Mother Nature is unstoppable in issuing devastating reaction to our

misdeeds, therefore we have to serve her and worship her and by so doing maybe

we will be granted some forgiveness.

 

Comment:

Are they still going to plant trees on the parikrama path in Vrndavan. Trees

are the purifiers of the soil and the protectors of the vegetation, so in

Mayapur and its environs those actions must be stopped and rectification

begun. How many are on twenty-four hour kirtan? This needs rectification also.

 

 Now, to encourage householders back to the land, like the example of

Bhaktissidhanta Maharaj I advocate the use of some particular machinery if

need be to instigate this mamouth task of creating fertility on our farms.

Which is the real wealth. These few items have already been discussed before.

Some farms don't need them, they may already have some fertility but MOST DO

NOT and all TEMPLES HAVE A GARBAGE PROBLEM therefore to increase the

inheritance our children will receive we should return this to the land in

order to increase the wealth of the future.

 

Comment:

Fertility, most do not have by all means as long as we get rid of the

armchairs. First engage as many as possible then add machine where there is

shortage. I have no objection to this plan.

 

 We may say, Oh we have enough fertility (highly unlikely) we don't

need to mess about with garbage.. but What if the next farmer comes along

after you are gone and doesn't know how to maintain that fertility and use it

all up. Then he will starve. We have to leave an inheritance of fertility for

our children and an education of how to perpetuate this. This is PERMANENT

AGRICULTURE.

 

Comment:

That is why there must always be teaching, you must have companion to help do

the work and to carry on the tradition. We must always be training our

replacement. This is one of the reasons why ISKCON keeps making the same

mistakes over again. If you want to help in this endeavour you must find out

someone who is doing learn from him and then do and become teacher yourself

this is real Varnasrama College. Desks into plough shares, talk into action.

Krsna had a teacher and Lord Caitanya taught and they did it with great energy

and enthusiasm.

 

 I would advocate the use of the disc harrow machine in preference to

the PLOUGH! The PLOUGH as we know it does more harm than good in many many

cases. For example to spreading of the worst kind of weeds. I have just

mulched an entire allotment patch for a householder at Bhaktivedanta Manor

with a mixture of straw and grass cuttings from the Manor lawns. In two weeks

he will be able to plant, weed free.

 

Comment:

Plough has a function, as does the disk, a wise farmer fertilizes by his

footsteps and intellect.

 

 The are only a very few pieces of machinery needed for organic

farming and if you have enough man power you don't need the machines at all.

Prabhupada was not against the use of machines, but he said do not leave them

idle, and don't come to rely on them. Still they are very useful to achieve an

end, just like the car which we all use, or should I say beginning -

fertility.

 Thus in this light the "machine" will not make us bankrupt nor will

it facilitate the killing of any cows. Rather if utilized properly it will

encourage cow protection and the use of more sustainable methods.

 

Comment:

Purity, if it is done with the welfare of the land and the glorification of

Krsna at heart. Just be prepared to sweat, Krsna was not opposed to this

activity. Let the principle be, everyone and thing engaged and cared for this

will please guru and Krsna the most.

 

Now who needs an ox or two? Perhaps an acre or so to grow rice. But only come

if you are ready to get dirty and sweaty. Can you led kirtan? The place to be

in ISKCON is on the land, unless you would rather put a Gita or some prasadam

in another’s hand. Please do not say later, first I, --- stop, first ask will

this activity you are about to do please and glorify Lord Krsna? Will it

please Srila Prabhupada? Will Bhaktisiddhanta and Bhaktivinode come to help

you do it? If the answer is I do not know or No then give up your fishing nets

and Prabhupada will make you fishers of men.

Ys,

Rohita dasa