The government policy is to develop these places for industry in future. This industry is the cause of falldown of the human society

Trading in Junk

Industry and technology distracting human society from the aim of life

PRABHUPADA: The government policy is to develop these places for industry in future. This industry is the cause of falldown of the human society — industry. So the reaction is.... The industry, four things required: land, labor, capital, and organization. So now the industry is going on, and the capitalists and labor, there is fight. The laborers, they are finding out that "We are working. Why the capitalists will take the profit?" This is communism. Is it not?

AKSAYANANDA: Yes.

PRABHUPADA: So the Communists, they are thinking, "By changing the hand, things will improve." But they do not know that very industry is the cause of falldown. They're simply trying to change the hand. The principle should go on, industry, only the proposal is that the capitalists should give up and the workers should take it.

DEVOTEE: Which way is India headed towards? The capitalists or the Communists?

PRABHUPADA: India has no, had no such ideas. They are borrowing ideas. India's idea is self-realization. Live very simple life — brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra. The brahmanas, they are living simple life, becoming very learned scholar, pure character, advanced in spiritual life — one class, ideal. And kshatriyas, they are supposed to be the king. They distribute the land on nominal taxation, and the vaishyas utilize the land for cultivation and cow-keeping, and the shudras, they are engaged as weaver, blacksmith, goldsmith, mean other necessities of life. In this way the whole society is simplified, and the central point is how to become advanced in Krishna consciousness by cooperation. This is India's civilization.

There is no question of industry. Ugra-karma. It has been condemned in the Bhagavad-gita as ugra-karma, laboring very hard for livelihood. This industry means engage the poor worker class to work very hard, and there is huge profit, and some directors of the capitalists, they take it. And they have one dozen motorcars, palatial building, no work, simply wine and woman, that's all. This is going on. And the others, they are seeing: "There is no classification, neither real brahmana nor kshatriya nor vaishya. So he is enjoying like that. He has got so many cars. He has got such a nice apartment. Why not me?" There is struggle. This is actual picture.

Our Vedic advice is that make life very simple. You must have some means of livelihood. Keep your body and soul together. So according to quality, guna-karma-vibhagashah [Bhagavad-gita 4.13], there must be division and then simple life. The real aim is how to become Krishna conscious. Everyone is engaged cooperatively. Brahmana is guiding, kshatriya is ruling, and vaishya is producing food, and shudra, they have no brain; they are helping. In this way the society is very peaceful, and everyone is advanced in Krishna consciousness. This is India's civilization.

Now, due to this association of the rakshasas [demons]... Even up to Mohammedan time this civilization was being continued. Mohammedan did not touch the Indian culture. Sometimes by, what is called, fanaticism, there was fight. Not like this. The Aurangzeb began this. Otherwise, from, what is called, the first emperor? Akbar. Akbar, Jahanghri, then Shajahan, there was no trouble. They did not touch. Even there was some marriage connection. They wanted to remain as kshatriya king, that's all. The other things were not interfered. So instead of a Hindu kshatriya, the Musselman kshatriya. People were satisfied: "A kshatriya... We have to work. Somebody must be king." So in this way the Indian people accepted the Britishers. "All right, you remain king. Don't interfere." But later on, to exploit the whole country, they began to plan.

AKSAYANANDA: Industry.

PRABHUPADA: Yes. The industry, railway, and this way, that way, European way of life. And the result was they were kicked out. And India is now trying to perfect...

AKSAYANANDA: The same thing.

PRABHUPADA: Same thing. Yes.

AKSAYANANDA: Tragedy.

PRABHUPADA: Tragedy, yes.