[Posted April 18, 2008]

Overhaul the Society

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Generating prosperity means growing foodgrains

International Herald Tribune April 18, 2008 - MARC LACEY

Across globe, hunger brings rising anger

The food crisis is not only being felt among the poor but is also eroding the gains of the working and middle classes, sowing volatile levels of discontent and putting new pressures on fragile governments.

In Cairo, the military is being put to work baking bread as rising food prices threaten to become the spark that ignites wider anger at a repressive government. In Burkina Faso and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, food riots are breaking out as never before. In reasonably prosperous Malaysia, the ruling coalition was nearly ousted by voters who cited food and fuel price increases as their main concerns.

"It's the worst crisis of its kind in more than 30 years," said Jeffrey Sachs, the economist and special adviser to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. "It's a big deal and it's obviously threatening a lot of governments. There are a number of governments on the ropes, and I think there's more political fallout to come." go to story

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Consequences of an Industrial Era

Bankrupt Economy for the People, By the People A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

There is enough of everything by the will of the Lord, and we can make proper use of things to live comfortably without enmity between men, or animal and man or nature. The control of the Lord is everywhere, and if the Lord is pleased, every part of nature will be pleased. The river will flow profusely to fertilize the land; the oceans will supply sufficient quantities of minerals, pearls and jewels; the forest will supply sufficient wood, drugs and vegetables, and the seasonal changes will effectively help produce fruits and flowers in profuse quantity. The artificial way of living depending on factories and tools can render so-called happiness only to a limited number at the cost of millions. Since the energy of the mass of people is engaged in factory production, the natural products are being hampered, and for this the mass is unhappy. Without being educated properly, the mass of people are following in the footsteps of the vested interests by exploiting natural reserves, and therefore there is acute competition between individual and individual and nation and nation. There is no control by the trained agent of the Lord. We must look into the defects of modern civilization by comparison here, and should follow in the footsteps of Maharaja Yudhishthira to cleanse man and wipe out anachronisms. more

Who is producing foodgrains?

excerpt from lecture on Bhagavad-gita 4.13, Bombay, April 2, 1974

If you want peaceful life in the society, then you must accept this program. Chatur-varnyam maya srishtam [Bg. 4.13]. There must be brahminical class of men, kshatriya class of men, vaishya class of men.

The vaishya... Generally, we understand, vaishya means the mercantile class of men. No. At the present moment the so-called vaishyas are shudras, less than shudras. Why? Now the vaishya business is krishi-go-rakshya-vanijyam vaishya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. The vaishyas must be engaged in producing foodgrains, but they are not interested. They are interested for opening factories for bolts and nuts and tires, Goodwheel tires, Goodyear tires. Now you eat tire and bolt nut. No, you cannot eat. You have to eat rice, and rice is ten rupees per kilo. That's all. Because no vaishya is producing food grains. This is the defect. They don't see the defect. They're simply howling, bawling, "Oh, it has increased price". Why not, increased, price? There are millions of people in Bombay city. Who is producing food grain? But they are known as vaishya. What kind of vaishya? There is no brahminical culture; there is no brain. There is no kshatriya who can give you protection. There are so many defects.

So if you want to remodel your life, the society, the human society, nationally or internationally—everything is spoken here, international—then you have to take to the advice of Krishna. This is the purpose of Krishna consciousness movement: wholesale, thorough, overhauling of the human society. We have not manufactured anything, concocted things. It is very scientific. If you actually want to fulfill the mission of your life, then you have to take to this advice of Bhagavad-gita, very scientific and spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without any defects.

Sri Guru and Gauranga

The vaishyas must be engaged in producing foodgrains, but they are not interested. They are interested for opening factories for bolts and nuts and tires...

Overhaul the Society

Across globe, hunger brings rising anger

Who is producing foodgrains?