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SRILA PRABHUPADA SPEAKS OUT

INCREASING POPULATION NO PROBLEM

This conversation between Srila Prabhupada and some journalists took place in London, England, on August 18, 1971.

Srila Prabhupada: Now India is faced with so many problems on account of imitating Western civilization.
Guest: Not simply because of the increased population?
Srila Prabhupada: There is no question of increased population. This idea, I say always, is foolishness.
Guest: Foolishness?
Srila Prabhupada: The birds and beasts are also increasing their population. Who is giving their food? There are 8,400,000 species of life. Out of that, 8,000,000 species are other than human beings, and 400,000 species are human beings. out of that, the civilized persons are very few. And all the problems are in the so-called civilized population.
We know that God is the original father. He is supplying maintenance for everyone. If there is increase of population, God has enough resources to feed them. It is not a problem of increasing population but of demonic civilization.
Journalist: I was going to ask you about that - civilization.
Srila Prabhupada: The demonic civilization - not increasing population - is creating the problem. So far as I have studied, in America, in Africa, and in Australia there is so much vacant space that if the present population of the world were increased ten times there would still be enough food.
Journalist: You think there's enough food?
Srila Prabhupada: There are enough provisions. But we have made artificial divisions. "This is America." The Americans went from Europe and illegally occupied America. Now they won't allow anyone to come there. Similarly, the Australians wont' allow anyone to come there. The same with New Zealand, Africa. Why? Our philosophy is that everything belongs to God and we are all sons of God. everyone has got the right to live at the cost of God.
Journalist: But the values of Western civilization have...
Srila Prabhupada: Western civilization created the artificial idea that "this is Aftica, this is America, this is Europe."
Journalist: Therefore that has made living as children of God impossible.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Because the one son of God is not allowing the other son to come in. He hasn't got the right to forbid. Say your father has ten sons. So all the ten sons have the right to use the property of the father. That is the law. Similarly, all the living entities - not only human beings but birds, animals - all of them have the right to use the property of God. This is called spiritual, or transcendental, communism.
According to Vedic civilization, a householder has to see that even a lizard in the room has his food. A householder would stand on the street, and before taking his food, he would say loudly, "If anyone is hungry, please come. I have food." And if there is no response, then he takes.
Journalist: That's a very difficult doctrine for many people in civilization.
Srila Prabhupada: But that is real civilization. In animal civilization, as soon as one dog comes, another dog barks, "Yow! Yow! Yow! Why are you coming?" Just like there, and everywhere, the immigration department is asking, "Oh, how long will you stay?" Why should they ask that? A human being is coming. In Vedic civilization, even if an enemy comes to your home you receive him with such friendliness that he forgets that you are his enemy.
Journalist: But it must be very difficult for you to preach these values.
Srila Prabhupada: It is difficult because this civilization is demonic. India welcomed everyone, but the result was they were occupied. Your English people were welcomed. Lord Clive was welcomed, but he intrigued to occupy India. And his statue is worshiped here in London. But what was his credit? He made an intrigue - he illegally entered India and made an occupation. That is Western civilization.
Journalist: That's really what I was going to ask. You must find life very difficult preaching values of brotherhood in present day society.
Srila Prabhupada: Brotherhood is natural. In a family of ten sons, natually they are brothers. But one son is intriguing how to take the whole property. That is going on. That is demonic.
Journalist: How do you stop that?
Srila Prabhupada: By Krsna consciousness. As soon as you are educated that God is one - the Father is one - and we are all sons, then the whole solution is made.