"Well, my problem is that I have to have somewhere to live and I have to get something to eat," I said.
"Yes, that Krsna solves. Yes, Krsna says annad bhavanti bhutani: produce food grains. You have to work because it is material world. You cannot sit idly. Even if you are a very strong tiger, you don't expect that animals will come and enter your mouth. You have to work for it. This is the world. Na hi suptasya simhasya pravisanti mukhe mrgah. Suppose a lion ... He's the king of the forest. And if he says, 'It is my order, I'll sleep here and all the animals may come in my mouth.' The animals will urine on his face. 'Yes, we shall pass urine on your face. We are not going to accept your order.' Practical, everyone has to work. This is the third nature. Avidya-karma-samjnanya. Because here everyone is under ignorance, the punishment is he has to work for his living condition. Work is not very pleasing. It is very troublesome. But you have to work. Therefore we see practically that countries who are working very diligently, they are materially prosperous. Europe, America, they work very diligently, hard, and they have got material prosperity. And the Eastern countries, they are not working, intelligent. From material point of view. From spiritual point of view that is another thing."
"So all I have to do is just make some working arrangement," I said.
"No, that work is recommended," Prabhupada said. "Your question is how Krsna is giving you instruction. Just like food, Krsna says you produce anna. Krsna never said that you produce tire tubes. Never says."
"But the same example, in the West, we weren't so materially prosperous until we started industrialism. The prosperity was not there until we started our big factories."
"No, no. Just like in India, there was no industry at all. Until the British period, there was no industry. Not a single. Even in Muhammadan period there was no industry, and they were happy. The Mohammedans also did not know how to start industry. It is Western imported, larger scale industry. Cottage industry was there."
I gave one of the standard arguments that Westerners use to support their material endeavors. "Such a high standard of living, that was not available to as many people as there is now."
Prabhupada was dismissive. "What is that higher standard? When there was no industry, in India, there was full of gold, jewelries. And now there is plastic."
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
Comments