Springtime–a time for hope

March 30, 2012 in Articles, Damaghosa Dasa by Damaghosa dasa

Hare Krsna to all

Pranams

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

For those of you who read that dire report sent yesterday from the Indian writer about the degraded conditions present now in India, this report will cheer you up !

Most people can understand and see that the governments of the world are corrupt and getting worse as we speak. But most people don’t see any solution to these complex problems thinking, “what can I do?”

(that answer at the end of this report)

Fortunate for those who are fortunate and listen to the perfect words of advice given by the Lords pure representatives, such as Srila Prabhupada His Senapati Bhakta, for those of us who do listen to his instructions, we will get the material and spiritual benefits-right now in this lifetime and the next one for sure.

I was reading over some past articles this morning and saw two that caught my eye because it totally related to the one sent yesterday. Doom and gloom yesterday and today- how to solve it. There is only one sure way to solve material problems. We have to go to the only One who can alleviate these problems which we create.

Isvara parama Krsna-that supreme controller, Lord Brahma says is Krsna, Govinda, Shyamasundara, our only real friend in times of need. So please consider these words of advice from Srila Prabhupada and the photos I have included at the end are one major way we can solve these problems. Practical, simple and a lot of fun doing it.

Hare Krsna

Damaghosa das

————————–

740928SB.MAY Lectures

They have now discovered this democracy. Democracy… “Demon-cracy.” Shortcut of “demon-cracy” is “democracy.” All the demons and rogues, they gather together, somehow or other votes, and occupy the seat, and the business is plundering. The business is plundering. If we talk very much upon this, it will not be very favorable, but according to sastra… We, we talk according to sastra, that the democracy means assembly of rogues and plunderers. That is the statement in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Dasyu-dharmabhih. The government men will be all dasyu. Dasyu means plunderer. Not pickpocket. Pickpocket, somehow or other, if you do not understand, takes something from your pocket, and the plunderer, or the dasyu, he catches you and by force, “If you don’t spare your money, I shall kill you.” They are called dasyu. So the, in the present age of Kali, the government men will be dasyu. This is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Dasyu-dharmabhih. You can, we can see practically. You cannot keep your money. You earn with hard labor, but you cannot keep gold, you cannot keep jewelry, you cannot keep money. And… They will take it away by laws. …

…Anyone who is within this material world, he is condemned. Simply there is division. Just like in jail also, there are first-class prisoners, there are second-class prisoners and third-class prisoners. The first-class prisoners, they are given some facilities. Just like political prisoners, they are given separate bungalow and servants, newspaper, book. But they cannot go out of the prison. That is called first class. Similarly, there are second class. And third class, ordinary.

So it is the duty of the representative of Krsna to reform these condemned persons to Krsna consciousness. This is their duty. Krsna wants that “These rascals, these condemned persons, who are suffering in this material world, and they cannot understand that ‘We are suffering…’ They are making plan. No plan will be successful.” Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya. You can make your plan, but it will never be successful. The only plan will be successful. What is that? Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te. That is the only plan. There is no other plan. But these rascals, they are being put into severe penalties. Duhkhalayam asasvatam. More and mo… The more they are forgetting God, they are put in, they are put into more and more miserable condition. Practically we see, with the advancement Kali-yuga, people are forgetting his relationship with Krsna, and the price of commodity and the food grains, the price is increasing. They cannot eat sufficiently. So many people are dying of starvation. If they cannot eat, how they will live? Therefore Krsna gives His instruction. He’s the supreme ruler. He gives this order: annad bhavanti bhutani: “You require food grains.” This is practical. Who will disagree with Krsna, that “We don’t require food grains; we require bolts and nuts in the factory“? Who will say? This is practical. So they do not… Just like we see here that, that they do not grow food grains. They are growing jute because they will get some money, more money. But the rascal does not know that “I will get more money, and it will be taken away next by the food grain seller.” So similarly, we are interested in industry, in plan-making, this, that, so many things. But Krsna does not say that “You open slaughterhouse and industries and brothels and cinema.” No. Krsna does not say.Krsna says, “Grow more food, rascal! You’ll eat and become strong.” And nobody is obeying Krsna. Is it not? Practically try to understand Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavata. Not by sentiment. And preach this philosophy all over the world. What Krsna says, that is practical. Annad bhavanti bhutani parjanyad anna-sambhavah.

… So people are so rascal, they will not even chant Hare Krsna mantra… Personally He’s teaching us, “Perform this yajna, you rascal, and you’ll get everything. You’ll get everything.”

. I simply request you, “Chant Hare Krsna mantra sixteen times please!” But you… We are not even following that. This is the only remedy. Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah. So Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Isvara. He’s teaching us this yajna. He’s giving us the hint. Yajnad bhavati parjanyah. If you do not accept this movement, then you’ll go on suffering, suffering, suffering, suffering. If you don’t accept this principle, then your future is simply suffering.

prayenalpayusah sabhya

kalav asmin yuge janah

mandah sumanda-matayo

manda-bhagya hy upadrutah

This is the symptoms of Kali-yuga. Manda-bhagyah, all unfortunate. All unfortunate. Everyone must suffer. This is the position. But if you chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra, perform the yajna… Because this is the instruction by the Supreme Person. Purusam tva adyam. Adyam purusam, the original person. The origin of everything. Janmady asya yatah. The Supreme Person from whom everything has come down. That is the order.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us that harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam,… We are certainly in difficult position, but the only remedy is that we must chant the holy name of the Lord repeatedly. And that will solve all the problems. You preach this cult all over the world.

750304mw.dal Conversations

In the material energy everyone is ignorant and they have to work. Karma. Karma means working. Avidya-karma-samjnanya trtiya. So here you have to work. Without working, you cannot get your… The things are ready, but you will have to work. So they have increased the working capability. That is civilization. Just like in the prisonhouse you have to work. Eh? So they think this working is civilization. This is avidya. So therefore they have created more work. From early morning, five o’clock, till ten o’clock, simply working. They do not know that “This working is our punishment.” But because ignorant, they think that “Working is life.” This is called ignorance. He does not know, “This working is my punishment. How to get out of this work?” No. To increase the work more, complicate, that is civilization. This is called avidya. Avidya-karma-samjnanya. Our tendency is not to work but get things. Therefore he has asked that question. Because he has to get cloth by working, therefore he asking, “Why God has not created?” That means tendency is not to work. That is spiritual tendency. Everything, necessities, automatically available. That is our… Therefore as soon as one man becomes rich, he does not work. He gets his thing by working others. The tendency is there, to retire from work. They go to a solitary place. They retire. They do not go out. Weekly, at least, they want to stop worker, working. So why this tendency? He does not want to die. He does not want to work. This is spiritual. Why man should work like… Therefore real civilization is that minimize work. Minimize work, save time, and go back to your spiritual life. That is civilization. And this is not civilization, to get the necessities of life, sense gratification, and work like hog and dog. That is condemned. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye. This human life is not meant for working so hard for sense gratification which are done by the dogs and hogs. Human life is meant: tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyed. Human life is for tapasya. Why tapasya? Yena sattvam suddhyed: their existence will be purified. Then you will get unlimited pleasure. Yato brahma-saukhyam anantam. We are seeking after unlimited pleasure. So that is not possible in this material life. And we are thinking, “By working very hard, like hogs and dogs, we will get happiness.” This is… The dogs and hogs, they work day and night for searching out where is stool, and as soon as he gets stool, he becomes very strong and stout. Then sex. Never mind, the mother, sister, daughter. This is hog life.

Therefore this particular animal has been… Kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye. Vid-bhujam means this hog, stool-eater. So this human life is not meant for imitating the stool-eater hogs. This is in the Bhagavata.

Ramesvara: But most people have jobs. Prabhupada: Eh? Ramesvara: Many people already have their jobs and their families. Prabhupada: All right, let them not come, but those who are unemployed, let them come. Ramesvara: But what…? For those people who already have their jobs, instead of… Prabhupada: That job… They will be very soon jobless. Don’t worry. (laughs) They will come. They will be obliged to come. Now they have got job, but as the days are advancing in Kali-yuga, they’ll be jobless. Hari-sauri: So we can expect that material conditions are going to become very much worse than this. Prabhupada: They may come or not. We don’t care for it. Let us establish an ideal society.

——————————————

OK, here is the promised answer–Grow your own food !!! This is part of the

establishment of an ideal society he calls for above.

In the above conversations Srila Prabhupada has kindly pointed out to

those who will hear-that the remedy to joblessness, the remedy to high food

prices, the remedy to most of our material problems is first of all take control

of YOUR life and grow YOUR own food. Become more independent from the

corrupt system of doing things in Kali yuga.

Its spring time now, a time of renewal, a time of hope for the future and the best time

of the year for all of us who are dedicated gardeners !! As they say, hope springs eternal !

Below is our greenhouse which came thru the winter with a lot of hope !

Within this house is 4 kinds of radishes, spinach, regular large collard greens, Indian mustard greens, 5 kinds of lettuce,multi colored collard greens, arugula, mizuna, peas,(from last year and present), siberian kale, Russian kale, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and more…