A.C.B.S.'s Light of the Bhagavat, Cow Manifesto!

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Live as Krsna Lives http://www.atlantaharekrishnas.org/newsgroup/kcprinciples/0011.htm

Srila Prabhupada

 

The following is an evening lecture given by Srila Prabhupada at the Gita-nagari farm community in Pennsylvania on July 15, 1976.

 

So Krsna consciousness means to follow the instruction of Krsna. Our life has a certain aim in this material world, sometimes we forget. Material world means forgetting our aim of life; that is natural. The basic principle of material life is forgetting Krsna:

 

krsna- bahirmukha jiva bhoga-vancha kare

nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare

 

[From Jagadananda Pandita, Prema-vivarta: "Turning his face away from Krsna, the jiva develops the desire to enjoy. Standing nearby, Maya slaps him and seizes hold of him." {Translation by Gopiparanadhana dasa.}]

 

Forgetfulness is our nature, we are not as perfect as God, therefore, there are so many inefficiencies. So forgetfulness is also another material quality. So material life means forgetting Krsna. Maya means when one has forgotten his relationship with Krsna, that is called maya. So Krsna is very kind. When we forget too much, this material world is forgetfulness, but still, according to the Vedic system, Krsna consciousness is maintained to some extent if you follow the Vedic principles, then we revive our consciousness, our relationship.

 

That is explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when he was talking with Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, that the Vedic principle is to revive or to remind our relationship with Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita also Krsna says, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [bg. 15.15], the real purpose of Vedic knowledge is to come to the understanding of Krsna consciousness. So this Krsna consciousness movement is trying to revive the original, constitutional position. So one of them, in Krsna consciousness movement, is village organization, as you are trying here.

 

Krsna, in His natural life, is a village boy in Vrndavana. Vrndavana is a village. There is no factory, there is no motor-car, there are no big, big sky-scraper buildings; it is village. That Krsna likes. In the sastra it is said, vrndavanam parityajya, sa kvacin naiva gacchati [From Srila Rupa Gosvami, Laghu-bhagavatamrta 1.5.461: "...Krsna manifests His pastimes in the cities of Mathura and Dvaraka, but Krsna the son of Nanda Maharaja never at any time leaves Vrndavana."]

 

Krsna is so fond of that Vrndavana village life, with His cowherd boys and cowherd girls, His gopis, Mother Yasoda, Father Nanda, and Upananda, uncles, and big family, the cows and the calves, the trees, the Yamuna River. He is satisfied in that life. So at least those who are Krsna conscious, they should be satisfied with simple life in the village. That is part of Krsna consciousness.

 

But it does not mean that we shall avoid city life or town life, not. Everything, every place is Krsna's place. Everywhere there should be Krsna consciousness.

 

But if we keep ourself within the village and properly organize as Krsna personally showed us the example, He was personally taking care of cows, calves. When He was a child, He was taking care of the calves. When He was grown up, He was taking care of the cows, although He was a very rich man's son; Nanda Maharaj was the village king. But still, He was working hard the whole day, going in the morning to the pasturing ground and coming back in the evening. Then He used to take His bath, change dress, and immediately go to sleep. This was Krsna's pastime. So we should follow His footprints. What is that verse?

 

asraddadhanah purusa

dharmasyasya parantapa

aprapya mam nivartante

mrtyu-samsara-vartmani

 

[bg. 9.3: "Those who are not faithful in this devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of enemies. Therefore they return to the path of birth and death in this material world."]

 

So whatever Krsna has taught by His personal life, by His teaching, to follow that is Krsna consciousness.

 

Everything is there in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. His personal life is there, and Bhagavad-gita, His teaching are there, and He comes for this purpose:

 

paritranaya sadhunam

vinasaya ca duskrtam

dharma-samsthapanarthaya

sambhavami yuge yuge

 

[bg. 4.8: "To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium."]

 

Those who are naturally God-conscious, to deliver them, to make their life perfect, in this life. This life should be the last material life and next life they should go directly to Krsna.

 

janma karma ca me divyam

evam yo vetti tattvatah

tyaktva deham punar janma

naiti mam eti so 'rjuna

 

[bg. 4.9: "One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna."]

 

If we become fully Krsna conscious, simply try to under stand what is Krsna, there is no difficulty: Krsna is the Supreme Controller, that's all. There is a supreme controller -- that we have to accept, as we were discussing in the bus this morning. There is no way out, there is not way out that you will deny the Supreme Controller, that is not possible.

 

So there is a Supreme Controller. If you are a sane man you'll understand very easily, and that Supreme Controller is Krsna. He comes personally and says:

mattah parataram nanyat

kincid asti dhananjaya

mayi sarvam idam protam

sutre mani-gana iva

 

[bg. 7.7: "O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread."]

 

There is no other controller above Krsna, therefore, He is the Supreme Controller: isvarah paramah krsnah [bs. 5.1], the Supreme Controller. The Supreme Controller, He is giving us instruction. If we follow His instruction, very simple, and remain in this village, satisfied with simple life, agricultural produce, milk, how many nice things you have produced, where is the difficulty? There is no economic problem. You are getting so much milk that it is becoming a problem how to utilize it.

 

In India we are in scarcity of milk. So, krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam. [bg. 18.44]: "Farming, cow protection and trade are the natural work for the vaisyas..."] If you have got enough milk you can make trade. Vanijyam, that is Krsna's instruction. It is not that we hate the modern system. No, we do not hate anything. Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe. [From Bhakti -rasamrta- sindhu 2.255: "When one is not attached to anything, but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Krsna, one is rightly situated above possessiveness. On the other hand, one who rejects everything without knowledge of its relationship to Krsna is not as complete in his renunciation."] we want to try to engage everything in Krsna's service. If modern machine is there, we don't hate it. We must find out the means how this machine can be utilized for Krsna's service. So if you have got excess milk, you can make it powdered milk and you can send to India in any amount. It will be consumed. At least we can use it in out different centers, we can distribute. So there is no question.

 

Besides that, you can prepare ghee from milk. From milk first of all drink as much as you like. then convert it into yogurt, next day, next day, next day. And then, when that is also enough, then churn it, take out butter...buttermilk and butter...and drink butter milk with capati. It is very palatable, very nutritious. Then butter...if you have got excess butter, then turn into ghee, and ghee can be preserved for years. There's no question of preservation. You send it to cities and towns. And we are now encouraging to open prasad distribution restaurant. They can utilize the ghee. Then where is the problem? There is no problem. Each drop of milk you can utilize to the perfect utility point.

 

And if there are excess cows, you have got some woods, so you cut out the trees and make an encirclement and keep them there. They will live there. So there is no problem. Krsna was maintaining 900,000 cows. There is no problem. But give protection to the cows. That is the order of Krsna. We cannot be so ungrateful that we kill our mother. Milk is so important. We are drinking the milk of the cow, and in exchange, if we cut the throat of our mother, that is not civilization. That is barbarism, less than animal. Animals also, they have respect for mother. So try to give protection to the cow, that is a pious activity, and you'll not be in scarcity.

Live village life, simple life, and be satisfied with the bare necessities. There is no need of luxury. And save time and chant Hare Krsna. This is ideal life. So I am very pleased that you are doing that, and do it more nicely so that others may be attracted.

 

This town life, industrial life, factory life, is asuric life. It is killing human ambition. It is killing civilization. So there are many other businesses for a Krsna conscious person, because in the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna speaks all around: sociology, politics, philosophy, religion, culture, economics, everything is there. If you simply follow Krsna's instructions, then you get cultural life all around.

 

So this is an ideal village. Develop it more and more. Our Paramananda is there. He is very experienced, and others are there. Do it very nicely. I am very happy to see that things are going nicely. Thank you very much