No Suffering At All In Ula

[suchandra]

Vaikuntha-like lifestyle on Earth, as described by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur in his autobiography Svalikitha-Jivana, 1845-46 - will it ever be possible in our Western society? "Not a single day went by without some festival being observed."

"In those days there was no suffering at all in Ula. There were fourteen hundred good brahmana families, and there were many Kayastha and Vaidya families too. The Mushtophi Mahasaya family was the most wealthy. No one in that village went without food. One could get on with very little in those days. Everybody was very happy, people used to sing, make music, and tell nice stories. You could not count how many jolly, fat-bellied brahmanas there were. Almost everybody had a good wit, could speak sweetly and was skilled in making judgments.

Everyone was skilled in the fine arts, song and music. Groups of people could be heard all the time making music and singing, playing dice and chess. That village was a very happy place. If anybody was in need they could go to the home of Mushtophi Mahasaya and get whatever they required without any difficulty. Medicine oil and ghee were aplenty. The village was so large that at that time it took fifty-six men to maintain it. The good people in Ulagram did not know the need of finding work in order to eat. What a happy time it was!

At that time I never saw any of the villages beyond Ula. It is not possible to compare the excellence of my village. Not a single day went by without some festival being observed."