Room conversation with devotees

NEW TÄLAVANA FARM

HIGHLIGHTS: Husbands and wives…using milk and milk prod ucts…machines, employment and unemployment…duties of the varnas… Krishna’s Vrindavana versus modern city…our Varnasrama mission

 

Prabhupada: That is time for punishment. They should build up their character, çamaù, damaù, fully controlled. When they like, they become gåhasthas. Otherwise they are controlled. That is brahmana. For brahmana it is not compulsory to marry. Kshatriyas may marry more than one wife. They can take. So all girls must be married. That is… They must…They must have one husband, even the husband has got fifty wives. Then the problem of girls’ marriage will be solved. And as soon as one girl is pregnant, she should be separated.

 

Hådayänanda: From the husband.

Prabhupada: At least for one and half years.

Upendra: At the moment of pregnancy? From the moment of pregnancy one and a half years?

Prabhupada: Yes. Pregnancy is understood at three months. From that month till further, sixteen months at least, she should not come to be near husband. That is eka-kadi (?). The child does not live. And they are not inclined to come unless a man induces. So the man, if he has got more than one wife, so man will not disturb her. And she will take rest for the next eighteen months. So after ten months she will give birth to the child, and for six months continually she will take care of the child. Feeding the child with breast milk, the child will be healthy. If the child can take mother’s milk for six months at least continually, he’ll become healthy for life.

Upendra: Where do they send that mother?

Prabhupada: Where they’ll take care.

Upendra: If the man sends the woman away, where does she…?

Prabhupada: Our aim is not to give help, but not… Generally she goes to the father’s house. So you can have separate building for that.

Nityänanda: Are you saying that our men should have more than one wife?

Prabhupada: I have no objection.

Satsvarüpa: That’s a difficult proposition.

Prabhupada: Why?

Satsvarüpa: It’s not allowed in this country. It’s illegal. It’s against the law.

Devotee: It’s against the law.

 

Nityänanda: No, it’s a matter of… No one knows who is married or unmarried, but if you have…

Prabhupada: That is not very difficult.

Satsvarüpa: Well, the other difficulty, you brought this up several years ago, was that the men who take many wives have to be very select. Otherwise men will be attracted to join our movement for sex life, having different wives.

 

Prabhupada: No, no, unless our men are trained up, why you should allow to stay here and to wife. We want trained up men, not third-class picked-up. We want men who will follow the rules and regulations and fully trained up. Otherwise we don’t want. We don’t want ordinary karmés and… And if he agrees to be trained up, then we’ll take. Otherwise what is the use of bringing some useless men? He must agree to produce his own food, and work. Our rules and regulations, he must follow. Then it will be ideal community. Otherwise, if you bring from here and there some men and fill up, that is not good thing. This is a training institution, to become devotee.

 

 

Satsvarüpa: Everything we do, we don’t hide it. We show the world what we’re doing. I don’t see how we could hide that one man had many different wives.

Prabhupada: If you don’t call wife, you can have. The law allows you to keep boyfriend, girlfriend. Then the… Instead of calling “husband,” call “friend.” That’s all. But, er, it is risky and the man must be responsible to keep… To keep more than one wife by trained-up man is not disallowed.

 

 

Brahmänanda: But I think they thought that he could get it legally established, at least in the state of California.

Prabhupada: Well then go and marry there. If the state of California allows that, then they all can go to California.

Nityänanda: The general public objects to that… It’s very…

 

Prabhupada: Public we don’t care. We… What is the public? We have got our own public here. So pub… What is the public? All rascals. They are killing cows and drinking and topless dance, bottomless dance. What is the value of this public? All rascals. I don’t give any importance to this class of public, only after sense gratification, that’s all. They have no ideals of life. They do not know what is God. What is the value of this public? Müòhas, they have been described, müòhas. You know the meaning of müòha?

Devotee: Ass.

 

Prabhupada: Ass. Müòho näbhijänäti mäm ebhyaù paramaà mama. [From Bg 7.25: “I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.”]

Nityänanda: The householders on our farm, they should cooperate and produce the food centrally or every householder should produce his own food independently?

Prabhupada: No. Why they are living in a community centrally? Commu nity means work everything for the community.

Devotee: Some men can cultivate the fields, some men can take care of the cows, some men… They can (indistinct) responsible.

Prabhupada: No, it is service (?).

Upendra: One question I have, Prabhupada … When I heard about New Vrindaban… I’ve not been there myself, so I cannot say firsthand, but I’ve talked with devotees have been there.

Prabhupada: Near.

Upendra: One would think because there’s land and room for vegetables and there are so many cows that there would be a plentiful supply of milk, but I understand that they use powdered milk. The devotees use powdered milk there.

Prabhupada: Why?

Upendra: Because they make all the milk into ghee and distribute it. And vegetables… I heard that at the temple that they use powdered milk. In Philadelphia I questioned the… That carpenter who made your table? He (indistinct).

Prabhupada: Why powdered milk if there is sufficient milk?

Upendra: I don’t know. I can’t say firsthand, but from the man who lived there, one of the householders who lived there, he said powdered milk…

Prabhupada: I don’t think so.

Devotee: I have heard that.

Prabhupada: No. This is not good. Ghee should be prepared where there is no more use. The Indian village, simply by keeping cows, they… Just like Nanda Maharaja was keeping cows. Similarly there are many villages. So the system is: they have got a big pan, and whatever milk is collected, put into that pan. It is being warmed. So they drink, the whole family members. They drink milk whenever they like. So whatever milk remains at night, they have to convert it into yogurt. The next day they use milk and yogurt also, as he likes. Then, after converting the milk into yogurt, still, it remains. It is stocked. So when there is sufficient old yogurt, they churn it and then butter comes out. So they take the butter, and the water separated from the butter, that is called whey? Whey, yes. So they… Instead of däl, they use this whey, for capäté. It will be very healthy and tasty. And then the butter they turn into ghee. So where is the loss, (indistinct)? You require (indistinct).

 

Satsvarüpa: Only after the whole milk is consumed, then the other…

Prabhupada: Milk you are collecting. So put in the pan. I have already explained. From milk stage to yogurt, yogurt to old yogurt, from old yogurt to butter, and then water, that whey. Then butter convert into ghee and whey, you can use, instead of drinking water, drink whey. Not a single drop of milk will be wasted, if you know how to do it. And you can take as much milk as possible, because ultimately it is going to be ghee. So if you start in the cities, nice restaurant, so ghee can be sold there. They’ll pay for that. And they can prepare nice preparations, kachoris, samosa, sweetballs. Or milk, if you don’t convert into yogurt, then naturally it will become… What is called?

 

 

Brahmänanda: Curd.

Prabhupada: Curd. So curd you can send to the city. They will convert into sandeça, rasagullä and other preparations, and ghee. That is being done. In India the villagers, they do that. They are, keep cows. Convert them into curd or ghee, and ghee and curd sent to the city, they have got regular price for that. There is no question of waste of milk at any stage. One must know how to do it. So you can keep as many cows as possible and collect as much milk from them. You can utilize. And if some of the villagers trained up, they can open nice restaurant in the city. Utilize the ghee, curd, for making nice confectionary. People will purchase like anything. Just like in our Rathayäträ festival, whatever sweets they prepared, all sold at good profit. Your countrymen, they did not see such nice things. And when they taste it—“Very nice.”

 

 

Brahmänanda: They were selling one gulabjamin for seventy-five cents.

Prabhupada: Just see. (laughs) It may cost two cent. And you have got your sugar also. In this way organize. Avoid machine. Keep everyone employed as brahmana, as kshatriya, as vaiçya. Nobody should sit down. Brahmanas, they are writers, editors, lecturers, instructors, worshiping Deity, ideal character. They have no anxiety for food, for clothing. Others should supply them. They haven’t got to work. Sannyasi is always preaching, going outside. In this way keep everyone fully engaged. Then it will be ideal. Otherwise people will criticize that we are simply eating and sleeping, escaping, so many, so many. And actually that is the position. Unless one is fully engaged, oh, that is not good. That is tamo-guëa. Tamo-guëa, and rajo-guëa very active, and sattva-guëa, intellectual activity. [“Rajo-guëa, the mode of passion; sattva-guëa, the mode of goodness; tamo-guëa, the mode of ignorance.”] Both of them, active, only tamo-guëa, not active. (indistinct) Tamo-guëa means sleeping and laziness. These are the symptoms of tamo-guëa. Every saintly man can avoid these two things—laziness and sleeping. Of course, as much you require, sleeping allowed, not more than… And keep everyone active, man or woman—all. Then it will be ideal society.

Nityänanda: Without a machine how can you make sugar from the cane?

Prabhupada: Hand machine.

Nityänanda: Hand machine?

Prabhupada: Yes.

 

 

 

Nityänanda: Metal?

 

Prabhupada: Yes, they manufacture, hand, hand in the sugar cane, two men. Even we can prepare hand machine by cutting the wood. They do that. We are not against machine. You can utilize machine. But we should not allow others unemployed and use machine. This should be point. You can use. Use machine, that’s good, but not at the risk of keeping others unemployed. This should be noted. First thing is that everyone should be employed. If you have got many men, then why should you engage machine? These rascals, they do not know. They’re taking machine and keeping so many men unemployed. And the welfare department is paying them. They do not know how to organize society. And therefore hippies are coming out. Crime, criminals are coming out. (indistinct) The government is paying for becoming criminals and hippies and prostitutes. And how you can be happy [with] a society full of prostitutes, hippies, and criminals?

 

 

Brahmänanda: In New York City they now have one million people who are receiving welfare.

 

Prabhupada: And all criminals.

 

Brahmänanda: Yes. All criminals, prostitutes, and hippies.

Prabhupada: Because the government is paying for that, and they are now thinking that “What to do about crime?” This is rascaldom. You act in such a way, then repent later on.

Brahmänanda: There was one boy from Sweden, he was our devotee. And then he fell into mäyä. He returned to Sweden. Now he’s getting from the government fifty dollars a week. So he’s using that money to buy drugs. So now he’s completely trapped.

Prabhupada: Yes.

 

Brahmänanda: He gets money regularly, and he can never get out of the habit.

Prabhupada: In your country also. One keeps a girlfriend, the girl’s getting welfare, and he is purchasing drugs, and then their husband goes. I have seen. Some of our students have been. I have seen them.

Satsvarüpa: That’s very prominent.

Prabhupada: And making trade. That is going on.

Brahmänanda: So this is the Varnasrama system that you are…

Prabhupada: Yes.

Brahmänanda: This Varnasrama college…

Prabhupada: Yes. Varnasrama means everyone should be engaged. There will be no, I mean to say, (indistinct).

 

 

Jagadéça: Shril aPrabhupada, what exactly do the… Do the vaiçyas cultivate the fields or the shudras cultivate the fields?

Prabhupada: Hm?

 

Jagadéça: Is it the duty of the vaiçyas to cultivate the fields or…?

 

Prabhupada: Actually it is the duty of the vaiçyas, but the shudras can help everyone, the helpers. The shudras will help the brahmanas, the kshatriyas, as well as the vaiçyas. Those who have no brain—simply they can carry out order—they are shudras. And those who have got brain, they can act as brahmana, kshatriya, or vaiçya. They have got brain to take the initiative. First-class brain, they should be engaged in studying çästras, writing books and in the worship of the Deity, lecturing enlightened people. This is brahmana. They haven’t got to work as kshatriya, as vaiçya. They are simply intellectuals. This is brahmana, with good character.

 

 

Devotee: Distributing books?

Prabhupada: Yes. And the distribution book can be done by the vaiçya, trade. It is a trade. Kåñi-go-rakñya-väëijyam [Bg. 18.44]. Kåñi, agriculture, giving protection to cows, and distributing or trading. If you have got enough grains you can trade. Make money. If you have got enough vegetables, you can trade. That is the business of vaiçya. So vaishya does not require any university degree or any… Nobody requires university degree. That is a false thing. And brahmana should be very highly learned scholar. So the brahmanas will give advice to the kshatriya how to rule, and the kshatriya will levy tax, and vaiçyas will produce food. Then the society will be perfect.

Devotee: What kind of tax?

 

 

Prabhupada: Hm? Tax means… Everyone must have some income for maintaining. So brahmanas [don’t] require any… They will live on the contribution of the society. Because they are giving for free service, so valuable service, knowledge, so they are provided by the kshatriyas and the vaiçyas. So they have no anxiety for earning livelihood. Things are coming. Just like we are maintained. At least people give to me contribution. So similarly, brahmana will live at the cost of others’ contribution. That is source of income. Kshatriyas, they’ll levy tax. Kshatriya is given land. Now he divides the land. I have got, say, two thousand acres of land. So I divide to the vaiçyas, one thousand this man, one thousand this man, one thousand. So on condition that “I give you this land. You produce foodstuff or utilize any way. You give me twenty-five percent.”

 

Brahmänanda: Twenty-five percent of the produce?

Prabhupada: Whatever you have produced.

Brahmänanda: Not necessarily money.

Prabhupada: No.

Brahmänanda: But the produce.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Brahmänanda: The grains or the milk or whatever.

Prabhupada: Whatever, yes. “Give me twenty-five percent. You can utilize the land.” So that is resource of the land.

Devotee: How does the kshatriya build a palace for himself or something like that?

Prabhupada: That will be done. To keep a prestigious position, they’ll have building, servant, soldiers. Otherwise how they will fear? How they’ll have respect?

Devotee: So the kshatriya is the predominator of the land.

Prabhupada: Yes. Kshatriya is the owner of the land.

 

 

Devotee: And he can take the stones and men and build a big, nice…

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee: …palace.

 

Prabhupada: The shudras are there. Give him his eating, and some hand, pocket expense, hand expense, regular. If one can eat, then he has no demand. So the laborer has to be given to eat sumptuously. “Eat and work, take some pocket…” They will be (indistinct). Not that you call professional laborer and you have to pay twenty-five dollars per hour. That is nuisance. They’ll drink. That’s all. And not that everyone should have nice house. Why? What is the use? Go in the village, live simple, produce food. That’s all. Eat. Why this electricity and three-hundred storey building and…? And then you don’t produce anything, eat fish. “And let me eat…” Artificial. It is very easy to take the animals in the city and slaughter. A little vegetable and milk, they are satisfied.

 

Jagadéça: Even in the culture of Europe they had kings who had a certain territory and then they would appoint men called vassals to take care of different sections and then the serfs would work on the land.

Prabhupada: Yes. That is system, whole world. They were called… In India they were called zamindars, Mohammedans, and the Hindu zamindars, small kings. The zamindars are called king also. Anyone who owns land, he is called king.

 

Devotee: Just like Nanda Maharaja, he also had land. Nanda Maharaja.

 

Prabhupada: Yes. He was therefore called king. But he was a vaiçya. He engaged his land for agriculture and cow keeping. And Krishna took charge of the cows, the calves, although still calf, He, (indistinct). This is the system. He was going with the calves whole day, playing with the boys and taking care of the cows, in the evening come back. Mother then washes and bathes and gives nice food. And immediately goes to sleep. And Krishna is clever. At night He goes to the gopés. (laughter) Then mother Yaçodä did not know, when she thought, “My good son is sleeping.” And the gopés also would come at a place and they’ll dance. This is called life, childhood life. And when He was grown up, then He was brought to, I mean to say, Mathurä and He fought with His maternal uncle, killed him, and then His father Vasudeva, took care, sent Him to, what is that? Sändépani Muni. He was educated. He was learning every subject every day. Then He was taken to Dvärakä, married so many queens, and became king. In the Krishna’s life, He’s always busy. Krishna… You’ll never find, from the very beginning of His life He’s busy killing Putana, Aghasura, Bakasura, and His friends, they are confident. They’ll enter into the mouth of Aghasura. “Oh, Krishna is there. He will kill.”

This is Vrindavana. There is no need, and I don’t find in Bhagavatam, big factory and slaughterhouse, no. Nothing. The whole atmosphere is surcharged with sinful life. How people will be happy? Now they are coming to crimes and hippies and so many things, problems, diplomacy, CIA and what other? So many unnecessary waste of energy, time, and money. Vicious condition. Better give up city. Make Vrindavana, like this. City life is abominable. If you don’t live in the city, you don’t require petrol, motor car. It is no use. They may criticize that “You are going to the farm in a car.” So for the time being, there is no vehicle. Otherwise bullock cart—where is the difficulty? Suppose you are coming, one hour, and it takes one day. And if you are satisfied, such life, there is no question of moving. Maybe local moving, from this village to that village. That is sufficient, bullock carts. Why motor car? Drive here and park problem. Not only park problem, there are so many things. There are three thousand parts, motor car. You have to produce them, big factory.

 

 

 

Satsvarüpa: Insurance.

 

Prabhupada: Insur… So much! Everyone is being (indistinct). We do not decry, but we point out, “In this way our valuable time of life is being wasted.” They say it is primitive life, but it is peaceful life. We want peaceful life and save time for Krishna consciousness. That is not primitive. That is intelligent life.

 

Satsvarüpa: In order to evidence this, should we consider that we have to act as kshatriyas or shall we just preach and try to get others…

 

Prabhupada: No… Kshatriyas, I have already explained who is brahmana and kshatriya according to guëa-karma-vibhägaçaù, [From Bg 4.13: “According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me”] as you work, as you are fit for. If you are fit to become brahmana, become brahmana. If you are fit to become kshatriya, become kshatriya. If you are fit to become shudra, do it. Three… Then… And a man who cannot become fit for any other purpose, he is shudra. That’s all. “Help the brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya and take your food and little pocket expense. That’s all.” Little pocket expenditure. But in our society we don’t require, but even if it is required we can give.

 

Brahmänanda: So eventually we should divide up our society in this way? Our members…

 

Prabhupada: Yes, just to show people how to… The first-class men, brahmana, second-class, kshatriya, third-class, vaiçya, fourth-class…

 

Satsvarüpa: But all in our society are Vaishnava s.

 

Prabhupada: That is our real position. This is for management.

 

Nityänanda: How many kshatriyas can I have on this farm? How many kshatriyas can we have on one farm?

Prabhupada: I told. Find out who is going to be kshatriya. Then… Take your time (?).

 

Nityänanda: You can have more than one?

 

Prabhupada: No, no. (Why not??) There is no rule. As according to the work, if people are interested to work as vaiçya, let them become vaiçya. If he is intelligent, if he wants to work as brahmana, let him work as brahmana. Let him work as kshatriya. And the fourth-class, let him work as shudra. So the management should see that nobody is unemployed or not engaged, men, women. Woman can take care of the milk products or spining (spinning). And shudras can be engaged for working as weaver, as a blacksmith, a goldsmith. There are so many things.

 

Jagadéça: Cobbler?

 

Prabhupada: Cobbler is less than shudra. Yes. Cobbler means when the cows die, the cobbler may take it. If he wants, he can eat the flesh, and he can utilize the bone, hoofs. He can prepare… He gets the skin without any price. So he can make shoes and he’ll make some profit. And because he is cobbler, he can be allowed to eat meat, fifth-class… Not that “Professor such-and-such,” and eating meat. This is the degradation of society. He is doing the work of a brahmana—teacher means brahmana—and eating meat—Oh, horrible! Shyamasundara?

So make, organize. I can give you the idea, but I’ll not live very long. If you can carry out, you can change the whole… Especially if you can change America, then whole world will change. Then the whole world… And it is the duty because they are kept in darkness and ignorance, then the human life is being spoiled. These rascals, because they do not know how to live… Andhä yathändhair… They are blind, and they are leading… Others are blind, and they are leading and they, all of them, going to ditch.

 

So it is the duty. There is… Caitanya has explained, para-upakara. Save them. If it is not possible to save everyone, as many as possible… This is human life. This is Krishna consciousness, to save others who are in the darkness.

 

It is not a profession: “Now, Krishna consciousness is my profession. I’m getting very easily food and shelter.” Just like the Indians, they are doing, a profession, say another means of livelihood. Not like that. It is for para-upakara, actually benefitting the others. That is Krishna consciousness. Then Krishna will be very much pleased: “Oh, he is trying.” ’Cause Krishna personally comes for doing this benefit to the people, and if you do, then how much Krishna will be pleased. Then? Just like I am traveling in my centers, and if I see that my students, my men are doing very nice, everything is going nice, how much pleased I will be, that I’ll save my labors and now write books for the rest of my time. Similarly, if Krishna sees that you are, on behalf of Krishna, you are trying to save these rascals, then He’ll be very (indistinct) with you.

 

They are rascals. The leaders are rascals and the followers are rascals and they’re all going to hell. Nature’s law is very strict. Daivé hy eñä guëamayé mama mäyä duratyayä [Bg. 7.14] You cannot avoid it. Nature is all- powerful. Krishna has given: “You work in this way.” She’ll work. She’ll work. She’ll punish. As soon as there is little discrepancy—you have eaten, eaten more than is necessary—indigestion. “Indigestion, starve.” This is nature’s law. Nature will act. But you have to (indistinct) them with knowledge that “You don’t do this. Otherwise you will be under the control of nature life after life. Simply miseries.” Para-duùkha-duùkhé. Vaishnava ’s qualification is para-duùkha-duùkhé. He is unhappy by seeing others’ distress. This is Vaishnava. (end)