Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the Twelfth Canto, it is stated that the end of Kali-yuga there will be no grain supply. Wheat, rice and milk and sugar will not be available.

Back to the Fields

Krishna is providing

My Guru Maharaja used to say that "I don't find any scarcity within this world, except Krishna consciousness." Actually, that is the fact. There is no scarcity all over the world. In India there may be scarcity, but outside India still there are so much vacant places, especially in Africa, in America, in Australia, in New Zealand, that ten times of the population of the whole world can be fed. Still. There is so much potency of producing food grains, milk, and other things. Profusely. In America, they throw away so many grains and vegetables daily. It is simply mismanagement. Otherwise, there is no question of scarcity or poverty. There is no question. It is simply propaganda. Because they cannot manage, the foolish people, they present the population has increased and the foodstuff is not properly supplied. Foodstuff is always sufficient. But when there are demons, the supply is restricted by nature. That we get information from Prithu Maharaja's history. When there was scarcity, Prithu Maharaja wanted to kill the earthly god, or Prithvi. But she replied that "I have restricted supply on account of demons, because they are not actually executing the purpose of life, Krishna consciousness. Therefore I have restricted." So the more people become non-Krishna conscious, materially conscious, the more there will be restriction of foodstuff. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the Twelfth Canto, it is stated that the end of Kali-yuga there will be no grain supply. Wheat, rice and milk and sugar will not be available. Now it is available still, because still people are little Krishna conscious. For them only. But gradually, the things will deteriorate so much so that almost all supplies will be stopped.

So the fact is that we do not require to, I mean to say, endeavor for finding out food. The food is already there. Jivasya tattva-jijñasa. We should sit down tightly, depending on Krishna... That we have already explained, that this Krishna consciousness movement is going on. We have got heavy expenditure, but Krishna is supplying. This is a fact. None of our boys and girls, they go to office or to factory or they earn. The... In Los Angeles, our neighborhood men, they're very envious. They say, "How you maintain such huge establishment and you do not work?" They cannot dream that without working one can eat. Yes. So here the fact, jivasya tattva-jijñasa nartho yash cheha karmabhih. It is not that you have to work very hard. Everywhere in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that is the instruction. In one place, in the Fifth Chapter of Fifth Canto, while Rishabhadeva was instructing His boys, He also said, naham, nayam deho deha-bhajam nriloke kashtan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1]. This human form of body is not meant for working hard like the dogs and the hogs for simply for sense gratification; it is meant for tapo divyam putraka yena shuddhyet [SB 5.5.1]. The human life is meant for tapasya [austerity], self-realization, tattva-jijñasa. That is the basic principle of Vedic civilization.

In the Vedic literature, in Mahabharata, we don't find there is any industrial development or trade development. No. Nothing like that. Why Mahabharata? Even two hundred years ago, before the British advent, there was no industry all over the India. And they were happy. So it is not that simply by increasing your fruitive activities you can become happy. No, that is not possible. If you simply restrict yourself for life, inquiring about the Absolute Truth, then you'll be happy. Jivasya tattva-jijñasa. That is the only business of the human form of life—and not working hard like asses and cows, sa eva go-karah. These examples are there in the... I was giving the example while coming that one ass was going. So the ass, he can eat grass anywhere. There are so many grasses. But he's thinking that "Unless I work very hard, the washerman will not give me grass." You see? This is ass intelligence. Everything is there. Why ass? There are elephants. In Africa there are millions of elephants. They're eating at one time at least eighty-two pounds, but they are supplied food.

So there is no question of food scarcity. This is all political propaganda: "There is no food. There is increase of population." Everything Krishna can provide. Eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman nityo nityanam chetanash chetananam... (Katha Upanishad 2.2.13). The Supreme Lord is the supreme nitya, eternal, and we are all dependent upon Him. Nityo nityanam chetanash chetananam. And that one singular number of nitya, Krishna, bahunam vidadhati kaman. So Krishna has provided everyone's food. There is no necessity, necessity of becoming anxious, "Where is food? Where is food?" Every arrangement is there. Our only business is how to develop Krishna consciousness, how to know Krishna. And if you simply in truth, if we try to understand Krishna, our all problems are solved. Especially this problem, this repetition of birth and death. This is solved. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bhagavad-gita 4.9]. And that is the main problem.

So our request is that everyone may take to Krishna consciousness movement without any hesitation. This is authorized movement and approved movement, and people are accepting all over the world.

We desire, and Krishna supplies

Kama means desire. Just like so many scientists they are researching for new food, just like our scientist friend was talking this morning. Then what is new food? Food is already there, allotted by Krishna, that "You are this animal, your food is this. You are this animal, your food is this." So, so far human being is concerned, their food is also designated, that you take prasadam. Patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [BG 9.26: "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit a water, I will accept it."]. It is the duty of the human being to accept prasadam. Prasadam means foodstuffs which is offered to Krishna first. This is civilization. If you say, "Why should I offer?" that is uncivilized. It is gratefulness. If you offer to Krishna, then you are conscious that these foodstuffs, these grains, these fruits, these flowers, this milk, it is given by Krishna. I cannot produce it. In my factory I cannot produce all these things. Anything one uses, nobody can produce, it is given by Krishna. Eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman. We are desiring and Krishna is supplying. Without His supply you cannot get it. Just like in our India, after independence the leaders thought, "Now we have got independence we shall increase the tractors and other agricultural implements and we will get enough food." Now at the present moment, since two years, there is scarcity of water. There is no rainfall. So these tractors are now crying. You see? It is useless. Simply by so-called tractors, implements, you cannot produce, unless there is favor by Krishna. He must supply water, that for want of... Recently the news is that people are so exasperated that they went to the secretary, they demanded food, and the result was they were shoot, shot down. Yes, so many people died. So actually, although we have got this arrangement that one has to work, but that work is simple. If you remain Krishna conscious... That, after all, Krishna is supplying the foodstuffs. That's a fact. Every religion accepts that. Just like in Bible it is said, "God give us our daily bread." That's a fact. God is giving. That you are dependent, you cannot manufacture bread. You can manufacture bread in the bakery house, but the wheat... who will supply you the wheat? That is supplied by Krishna. Eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman.

So we have created unnecessary problems simply by forgetting Krishna. This is the material nature. Therefore you have to work so hard. There is another verse in the Bhagavad-gita, manah-shashthani prakriti-sthani karshati: you will be struggling very hard, but ultimately sense gratification. Ultimately. In this material world means sense gratification, because kama, kama means sense gratification. Kama, the just opposite word is love. Kama means lust, and love means loving Krishna. So that is wanted. But here in this material world they are engaged in very, very hard work. They have invented so many factories, iron factories, melting the iron, these machinery, and it is called ugra karma, asuric karma [demonic work]. After all, you will eat some bread and some fruit or some flower. Why you have invented so big, big factories? That is avidya, nescience. Avidya. Suppose hundred years ago there was no factory. So all the people of the world were starving? Eh? Nobody was starving. In our Vedic literature we don't find any mention anywhere about the factory. No. There is no mention. And how opulent they were. Even in Vrindaban. In Vrindaban, as soon as Kamsa invited Nanda Maharaja, immediately they took wagons of milk preparations to distribute. And you will find in the literature they are all well dressed, well fed. They have got enough food, enough milk, enough cows. But they are village men. Vrindaban is a village. There is no scarcity. No moroseness, always jolly, dancing, chanting and eating. So we have created these problems. Simply you have created. Now, you have created so many horseless carriages, now the problem is where to get petrol. In your country it has become a problem. Brahmananda was speaking to me yesterday. There are so many problems. Simply unnecessarily we have created so many artificial wants. Kama-karmabhih. This is called kama.