Navayauvana said that the Shah had just recently stated that all the forests and natural resources were made by God and that no man could make these things. "But his conclusion was not correct," he added. "He said therefore these things are owned by the government which represents the people. He didn't understand."
Srila Prabhupada has always supported the idea of a just monarchy as the best means of rule, and he approved the Shah saying such a thing, but with a strong proviso. "It belongs to God, this is accepted. And everyone is God's son; therefore as the son can enjoy the father's property. But they cannot claim proprietorship. As directed by the father, one can enjoy the father's property, but he cannot claim that it is his property. This is the correct position. And the king is supposed to be representative of God to see that things are rightly going on, that's all. Nobody's unnecessarily claiming proprietorship. He should remind that, 'It is God's property. Whatever you need you take, but you cannot take more.' Like the birds and beasts -- they are living. They do not make stock. They need to eat something, they'll eat some fruit, then they go away. When they are hungry, they will go another tree. They never claim that, 'This is my tree, this is my fruit.' This is natural. If you put a bag of rice here, the birds will come, they will eat some grains and go away. But a man, he'll go and try to stock something, and he will take more."
"But they say that that's intelligence," I said. "To make preparation for the future."
"Yes, to steal God's property is certainly intelligence," Srila Prabhupada replied sardonically. "Very good intelligence. They must suffer. For this intelligence they must be punished."
Srila Prabhupada's statement that the son has the right to enjoy the father's property made me think about an argument my mother had once used in an exchange of letters with me. Her outlook was that of a typical karmi: "Their idea is that God may have made everything, but now it's for us to divide up and enjoy between us. He has no connection with it now."
"Why? He has made and He has no connection?" Prabhupada asked. "What is this rascal theory -- He has made everything and He has no connection."
"No, He gives up the connection," I said.
"Why He gives up? He has made for His enjoyment. Why should He give up?"
"They say that He's made for our enjoyment and it's for us to divide and enjoy."
"No," Prabhupada said emphatically. "Therefore you are rascal. Everything is done by somebody. Suppose if you organize one business, that is for your enjoyment. God has created anything, that is for His enjoyment. But you are sons of God, you can enjoy the property of the father as far as you require. Not more than, you cannot take more than that, then other sons will claim and there will be fight. You live at the expense of God. God has sufficient supply; but don't try to take more and stock, that is folly. You eat, you live very nicely -- there is no prohibition. But you cannot take more than what you require. This is Bhagavata communism. If you take more, you'll be punished."
Once again he glorified the Indian heritage. "This is our philosophy, Krsna consciousness: tena tyaktena bhunjitha. The Indians are trained up like that. He is happy in whatever condition of life he is placed; he doesn't protest. Any Indian villager, he'll say 'God has given me this position, that's all right.' Therefore the modern man is complaining that in India this God consciousness has made them lethargic, they believe on the destiny. Actually they do. Therefore from the very beginning you'll find so nice philosophy, literature, but you won't find the modernized economic development. Big, big house, big, big road, no. There was no such attempt."
"They're not interested in increasing the unnecessary items," I said.
Prabhupada nodded. "That's it. Why? If there is already sufficient supply of my necessities of life, why shall I waste my time? They knew how to utilize time."
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
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