[Posted December 22, 2007]

Land of Plenty

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Tighten your belt

CNN Money 20 Dec 2007 - AARON SMITH

Food prices soar in America

Even with gasoline prices soaring, milk still tops gas prices. The nationwide average for a gallon of whole milk is $3.80, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That dwarfs the nationwide average of $2.99 for a gallon of unleaded, according to AAA.

"A lot of basic foodstuffs seem to be going up and dairy products are going through the roof," said Norris of Oakworth Capital.

It's not just milk-drinking kids - coffee drinkers are taking a hit from higher dairy prices as well. Back in August, Starbucks Corp. (SBUX, Fortune 500) chief executive Jim Donald blamed "rising expenses, particularly higher dairy costs" for a 9-cent rise in the price of coffee drinks. For the first time in three years, Starbucks reported a 1 percent drop in customer visits to their stores, even as the value per transaction increased 5 percent. go to story See related news story Pasta panic strikes Italy

Sri Guru and Gauranga

Produce sufficient food grains and protect the cows

excerpt from Press Interview, Chandigarh, October 16, 1976

INTERVIEWER: So if you don't mind, what is bad about eating, people who are eating beef? What is bad about it?

PRABHUPADA: Bad means you become bad. That's all. You can see these things are...

INTERVIEWER: But we can eat goat's meat, and other animal's meat.

PRABHUPADA: Yes. And the thing is that cow is especially recommended in the Bhagavad-gita, krishi-go-rakshya vanijyam vaishya-karma svabhava-jam. [Bg. 18.44]: "Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the vaishyas..."] That you must produce enough food grains by agriculture and give protection to the cows. That means if you have got enough food grains to eat and if you have got enough milk to get fatty substance, then your whole economic question is solved. Annad bhavanti bhutani. [From Bg. 3.14 :"All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajña {sacrifice}, and yajña is born of prescribed duties."] If you get sufficient food there is no question of agitation. Everyone is satisfied. Animal and man. So you must produce. That is recommendation in the Bhagavad-gita.

INTERVIEWER: Sir, in the modern technological...

PRABHUPADA: Modern, we are not talking of modern or... We're talking...

INTERVIEWER: In this age, how has the, you know, instrument of production because of this tractor, mechanization of agriculture...

PRABHUPADA: So that is your interpretation. But we are trying to present Bhagavad-gita as it is. That is our mission that you produce food grains sufficiently and give protection to the cows so that food grains and milk will give you all benefits of economic question. You'll be satisfied. That's all. Not only that, I have practically seen that by God's arrangement there is so much land on this planet that you can produce ten times food stuff of the whole population. But they are not doing that. They are utilizing land... Just like in Africa I have seen, enough land is there, but what they are doing? They are keeping some cows and bulls, and when they are grown up... They are not given anything to eat. There is enough grass. And as soon as they are fatty, they are taken to the slaughterhouse. Not for their own eating, but exporting. This business is going on. Similar business is going on in Australia and New Zealand. Unnecessarily they are killing these cows, and this shortage of foodstuff and shortage of milk, this is not good arrangement. The recommended process in the Bhagavad-gita, that annad bhavanti bhutani [Bg. 3.14]. If you have sufficient foodstuff, then everyone is satisfied. And it is the duty of the vaishya class, krishi go-rakshya vanijyam; go-rakshya vanijyam vaishya-karma svabhava-jam. [Bg. 18.44]: "Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the vaishyas..."] According to Bhagavad-gita, this is the business of the vaishyas. The brahmanas, they should be very much highly educated, enlightened in spiritual knowledge. The kshatriyas, they should govern, give protection. The vaishyas, they should produce enough food. And those who are neither brahmana nor kshatriya—shudras—they can help. That's all. This is their [occupation]. Then everyone will be satisfied. The society will go on. Just like in your body you require brain, the head, you require arms, you require belly, you require legs. Similarly, brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra. That is essential. If you have simply brain and no leg then it is also useless. There must be brain and leg also. There must be brahmana, there must be shudra, there must be.... Then the social arrangement is perfect.

INTERVIEWER: Would that mean that you support the ancient caste system?

PRABHUPADA: Huh? It is not caste system. It is division of labor. It is not caste system. A class of men must be intelligent, a class of men must be strong to give protection. And a class of men must be to produce food, and a class of men, general worker. It is not caste system. Bhagavad-gita never says "caste system": Chatur-varnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagashah. [Bg. 4.13]: "According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me..."] According to quality and work. You have made it caste system. You have no qualification of a brahmana, you are [claiming], "I am brahmana." That is caste system. But if you have got the quality of a brahmana and you work as a brahmana, that is necessary. That is necessary. Guna-karma-vibhagashah.