[Posted January 24, 2008]

What Economic Problem?

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

More credit crisis fallout as false props collapse

Money and Market Jan 21, 2008 - MARTIN D. WEISS, PhD

World's Largest Bond Insurers Collapsing!

Ambac and MBIA, the two largest bond insurers in the world, are careening toward collapse.

Barring a miraculous rescue, their demise could promptly deliver a massive blow to the U.S. bond market ... severely damage America's already shaken big banks ... and largely trash the net worth of millions of investors.

Yet, strangely, except for investors who owned Ambac and MBIA shares themselves—and who have now driven those shares into the gutter—few are paying attention.And fewer still are taking appropriate defensive action. go to story

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A change of foreign policy

Advancement of Civilization Hansadutta das
Just imagine if America were to change the foreign policy from exploiting to just distributing: "Yes, come on, take it." But they won't do that. They think, "Why should we do that? No one else does it." Everyone is waiting for the other person to do that. Krishna is doing it. Krishna is giving to everyone, and everyone is taking and then selling to one another. Why not continue the same gesture? "Krishna gave me this; you take some." You follow? Krishna is giving to the animals, to the insects, to all living creatures who are living at the expense of God. Only the human being is hording and trying to make profit on the gifts of God. Animals don't do that. If I find an animal, he'll eat, and when he is finished, he'll walk away. He won't take it home and put it in his refrigerator. It's a fact. Animals don't horde. They eat, and when they are finished they go away. Even the lion. When he is hungry he kills an animal and eats. When his hunger is satisfied, he drinks in the same water hole with the other animals. He won't bother them. He takes just what he needs. Only a human being is hording and killing everything, aborting his children, all in the name of science, technology, education, politics, music and art. He has got the most perverted life style. Half of his kind are starving. They are pitted against one another like cats and dogs over some trivial matter, ready to destroy everything. Where is sanity? Where is hope? Where is knowledge? Where is civilization and advancement? Is that advancement? Why can't man be happy with what God has given him? What is the necessity for economic development, technological advancement, political emancipation—what is all this? more

Don't encroach upon others

excerpt from lecture on Bhagavad-gita 4.9, Montreal, June 19, 1968

You may think that you have to make improvement of your economic conditions, but actually the economic condition, what you have to enjoy, that is already there. You haven't got to endeavor. You see. Those who are not human beings, the animals, the birds, the beasts, and the worms, the trees, they have no economic problem. I see in India the sparrows, they were chanting and dancing and eating. Here also I see the same sparrows. They have no economic problem because they are depending completely on nature's law. And because we have violated nature's law, we have got economic problems. We have created our economic problem.

So the whole philosophy is Krishna consciousness. If the whole world, not whole world, even certain percentage of the population becomes Krishna conscious, the face of the world changes. Simply to understand, as it is stated here, janma karma me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. Karma. His activities. Just see. He has created sun, He has created moon, He has created everything. How do we claim that this planet belongs to us? It is given to us for living. That's all. Because we are sons of God, therefore we have got right to enjoy the property of God. That is real peace. We are... As a rich man's son, he has got the right to, I mean to say, enjoy the father's property... But if he disobeys, if he becomes disobedient to the father, he is put into trouble. So our position is like that. We do not understand what is God, what we are, what is our relationship with God, what is this material nature, how it is working. These things are actually knowledge.

One should know. The Ishopanishad very nicely explains, ishavasyam idam sarvam [Ishopanishad mantra 1], everything, what you are seeing, they all belong to God. Don't claim yourself. Similarly, Bhagavad-gita also says, bhoktaram yajña-tapasam sarva-loka-maheshvaram [Bg. 5.29]. "I am the proprietor of all planets." So this particular planet is also God's property. Actually it is God's property. We come and go. The property remains there. It is simple thing. So if we do not accept that God is the ultimate proprietor of everything... This is spiritual communism. And all living entities are His sons. Everyone has got right to live at the cost of God. Nobody should encroach upon the property of others. This is the system. Tena tyaktena bhuñjitha [Ishopanishad mantra 1]. Just try to enjoy what is allotted for you. God has given you certain portion of land. "You Americans, all right, you have got this land. You be happy. Don't encroach upon others." "You Indians, all right, you become happy here." In this way we have to think. This is Krishna consciousness.

Krishna consciousness is nothing, I mean to say, extraordinary. Simply to think everything in connection with Krishna. That is Krishna consciousness. Nirbandhah krishna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam uchyate. In the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, Sri Rupa Gosvami says that you dovetail everything with Krishna. Then you are free. You're free. Dovetail everything. Just like here in the Krishna consciousness society, what we are doing? We are dovetailing everything in Krishna.

Just like here is a dictaphone. We're using it, that's all right, but how we are using it? We're recording the talks about Krishna. This apartment, this... It is used for Krishna. This body is being used for Krishna. We are preparing foodstuff for Krishna. In this way, if you develop your consciousness in touch with Krishna, that is called Krishna consciousness.

It is nothing artificial, that I am thinking, meditating, "I am the Supreme Lord and I am moving the sun, I am moving the..." These nonsense things are going on, meditation. Artificially thinking that "I am moving the sun, I am moving the moon, I am the Lord. I am the..." Simply wasting time. You just try to understand yourself that you are eternal servant of God. Then you are perfect. And you can enjoy God's property very nicely. There is no distress at all. The lower animals, birds, beasts, they are enjoying, and you human beings, you cannot enjoy? You are fighting with each other? What is this? Is that advancement? Is that civilization?

Sri Guru and Gauranga