Rags to riches story-and then some
May 31, 2012 in Articles, Damaghosa Dasa by Damaghosa dasa
A jobless man applied for the position of ‘office boy’ at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. ‘You are employed’ he said. Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start.
The man replied ‘But I don’t have a computer, neither an email’. ‘I’m sorry’, said the HR manager. If you don’t have an email that means you don’t exist. And who doesn’t exist, can’t have the job.’
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10Kg tomato crate.
He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60.
The man realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.
5 years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US. He started to plan his family’s future, and decided to have a life insurance.
He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan.
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his email. The man replied, ‘I don’t have an email.’
The broker answered curiously, ‘You don’t have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been If you had an e mail?!!’ The man thought for a while and replied, ‘Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!’
Below is some spring pictures right now of the garden fields and basically getting it all ready
below-cold frame with so much lettuce we cant eat it all
one of the over wintered cauliflowers-huge isnt it? and very flavorful as well
this below is the last of the hubbard squash- 14 pounder ! and also very sweet and
according to Ayurveda-its a rasayana food, just like milk
below is field #1 with greenhouse at back with about 175 potato plants in front-most all
coming up-this is enough for us all year, all the programs we do and then some…
foreground is peas on the wire mesh
inside the greenhouse with about 65 tomato plants, some peppers and eggplants
here is way too many basil seedlings for the space they’re in-we make pesto sauce
from what we done eat fresh
two kinds of grapes on vines-makes great raisins too
below is 6 frames for about 400 pole bean plants
18 blueberry plants-a great antioxidant food
except for the rice, all of this beautiful plate came from the garden
►740525mw.rom Conversations Prabhupada: Yes. (break) …encouraging in our society to take to agriculture to support this center. I am purchasing land in Vrndavana and Mayapura to become self-sufficient. Whatever production you make, you be satisfied. Little vegetable, little grain and little milk. That is sufficient.
►740525mw.rom Conversations Prabhupada: Yes, that was Gandhi’s philosophy, village organization. These people, they are attracting villagers to work in the factory, and they are exploiting them…. our philosophy. Make your life successful. By becoming Krsna conscious, you become free from all these troubles of material condition. This is our education. Don’t be after these motorcars, television, and all nonsense things, sporting, wine, women. Don’t be after these. Simply eat sufficiently, keep your health nicely, chant Hare Krsna, realize Krsna, and go back to home This is our philosophy…
►740527mw.rom Conversations Prabhupada: Yes, it will go on, but when they will see that your ideal community is better than city life, people will take to it. Param drstva nivartate. When one gets a better standard of life, naturally he will give up the lower standard of life.
740602mw.gen Conversations 364211/530501 Prabhupada: Wasteful, yes. Therefore I say they have no brain. All, they are rascals. Rascal leaders. A little labor in agriculture will be sufficient to produce the family’s food stock for the whole year. You can stock. You work only three months, and you get sufficient food for your whole family.And less nine months, you chant Hare Krsna. But these rascals will not do that. They will work hard like ass simply for eating. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti. They will not accept easy life.
►740621mw.ger Conversations Prabhupada: Most unnatural life. City life, most unnatural.
►750403mw.may Conversations There are so many land. Come here and grow food. Grow fruit. That is… That is the desire of Krsna. Annad bhavanti bhutani. Produce food and eat in sufficiently, be strong, and chant Hare Krsna. That is our philosophy. Why you are producing bolts and nuts, tire and tubes? Eat. Rascal. They do not know that first of all you must eat. No, everyone is engaged in industry. Why? Krsna does not say that “Take to industry.” Krsna says, “Produce foodstuff.” Annad bhavanti bhutani. If you produce foodstuff, then both your animals, yourself, will be happy, becoming strong. Why do they manufacture other things?
►760912rc.vrn Conversations Prabhupada: No, they’re thinking that so many people are coming to the cities, how we shall provide them? That’s a problem. After all government has to supply them rations. Where is so much foodstuff? And if they are not supplied, then there will be resentment. That’s a fact. What they are doing in the city, so many scooter (makes motor sound), going here and there. Actually no engagement. The girls are loitering in the street by dressing. It will become more and more problems, city life. So this is the solution, that they must go back to the village. But they are trained up to enjoy the facilities, so-called facilities, of the city. They are not going to village. But if we can introduce this hari-sankirtana, and if they have little taste, that is success. It’s a great program. And that taste will come–ceto-darpana-marjanam. If he simply becomes little sober that “I want to eat, I have to sleep, I want some sense enjoyment and defense. So if I can get easily in the village, why shall I go three hundred miles away? Just keep in mind the psychology. So that simple life will be possible if one is bhakta. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat. Only by devotion. Not by otherwise. Not by artificial means, by manufacturing toilet. Only bhakti. If they get little attachment for
Krsna the questions will be solved automatically. And they will be happy. Undoubtedly. That is the Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s first instruction. Ceto-darpana.
760916rc.vrn Conversations 452281/530501 Prabhupada: Yes, also. Otherwise, we have seen in our childhood how happy people were. They were. Simple. If one has five rupees income per month he’s happy. I’ve seen it. Husband, wife, a small family. If he has got five rupees income, they can maintain very nicely, happily. Why not? Suppose he has got five rupees income. The rice was selling at four rupees. So two person, say one-fourth kg., one-fourth share each. A gentleman cannot eat more than that. So means half a share. And the whole month, fifteen share. It is about one rupee eight annas. And further, one rupees eight annas add for vegetables and other things. With three rupees they can maintain, the husband and wife. And two rupees still there. He can spend for other purposes. I have seen it. Fresh vegetables, rice, this and… Just like with banana leaf. The pots were of earthen, the wife is cooking and she’s utilizing dry foliage as fuel, a little temperature, everything is cooked. The husband takes one banana leaf and spreads, and the wife gives sufficient rice, vegetables. And things were so cheap. I have seen it. And fresh.
►761102rc.vrn Conversations Prabhupada: How they can defeat us? We have got so solid ground. How they can defeat, these rascals? We consider them simply rascals and fools. And we call them rascals and fools. What do they know of religion? What do they know of God? They know slaughterhouse and killing and illicit sex, and killing the fetus. That’s all. What do they know? They are not even civilized. We have come to make them civilized. They should understand. They are not civilized. They do not (know) how to eat even. The first principle of life is eating. They do not know how to eat. We are teaching them how to eat. They simply challenge, that’s… When men are uncivilized, they do not how to grow food, they kill animals in the jungle and eat. When they are civilized, they know how to grow food now and the nice food grains, fruit, flowers, now why should say, “You eat the meat.” The meat-eating is meant for the most uncivilized persons. That means they do not know even how to eat. They do not know how to eat. How to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex. Nothing. They’re having sex like cats and dogs.
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►761102rc.vrn Conversations Prabhupada: No, we don’t care for Indians and Europeans. We care for Krsna, that’s all. I didn’t care for anyone. I simply care … s protection, that’s all. That is wanted. Guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija. We want two favours. One from guru, one from Krsna. That’s all. We don’t want anyone’s favour.
760814rc.bom Conversations 446983/530501 Prabhupada: :So people are being trained up to become mad, pramattah. And do anything, bring money.This is the modern civilization. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma. Things which are forbidden, they are doing that. Why? Indriya-pritaya aprnoti, only for sense gratification. They have no other ambition. Bring money and gratify senses. This is modern civilization. This is the exact explanation–nunam pramattah kurute vikarma. Black money, white money, this money, that…, never mind, bring money. Indian Doctor: (laughter) By any way. Prabhupada: Yes, this is modern civilization. Big man, big rich man means bring money some way or other. This is big man. This is Kali-yuga. Because if you have got money, you have got respect, you have got honor, you are recognized. So therefore they are after money. Bring money, that’s all right. When I shall get money, I may have done black money, force money, this money, nobody will remember it. Bas. This is modern civilization. Bring money and enjoy sense. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma. What for it is, struggle so much working
hard? Yad indriya-pritaya. Only for the satisfaction of the senses. They have no other ambition. Because most of them, they do not believe there is next life. Most of them, 99.9 percent, they do not believe. Big, big professor, I have talked with so many big, big men in Europe.
►760731r2.par Conversations … little cottages, grow little vegetable, little barley or wheat and milk. That is sufficient. We don’t require much. We don’t want luxury. We want just to subsist. Yavad artha prayojana. We hate the idea of luxury, unnecessary.
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►760802rc.par Conversations … of how to utilize the whole land. The situation is very good, good prospect. I want that self-independent here, as far as possible. But you have got enough materials. With woods you can make cottages. Then land becomes clear, then utilize it.
►760812mw.teh Conversations Prabhupada: No, that work is recommended. Your question is how Krsna is giving you instruction. Just like food, Krsna says annad bhavanti bhutani. You produce anna. Krsna never said that you produce tire tubes. Never says.
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.►760714iv.ny Conversations … So we get enough milk, enough food grains, enough fruits. So there is no economic problem. Our purpose is to save time from unnecessary necessities of life, from unnecessary necessities of life, to save time and utilize the time for developing Krsna consciousness. And so far the body is concerned, as much as it … is required take and maintain the body. That’s all.
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690511rc.col Conversations 321594/53 Prabhupada: Yes. Farming, agriculture, that is nice. There is a proverb: agriculture is the noblest profession. Is it not said? Agriculture is noblest, and Krsna was farmer, His father.
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►770527rc.vrn
We want two favours. One from guru, one from Krsna. That’s all. We don’t want anyone’s favour.
760427rc.auc Conversations 419704/530501 Prabhupada: Not only one, you hundreds of temples construct. Village to village, town to…. At the same time, man. And it will revolutionize the whole rascal situation. At the present moment, it is rascal situation. They’re simply satisfied by driving the motor…. putputputputputputputputput! (Prabhupada makes the sound of a roaring motor). They are thinking, “Oh, how highly I am situated.” All crazy. But this has been taught to them that “This is civilization. If you have got a motorcycle and you can come like the wild cat, (all laugh) then you are civilized.” They are thinking how great civilized they are; we are thinking how wild cat he is. And what is the difference between wild cat and running dog and this motorcycle? Put-put? What is the difference?
►760120mw.may Conversations Prabhupada: A devotee will never accept materialism, even if he dies of starvation. You’ll see so many still. They are sticking … that. They don’t care for any bodily care. “Some food comes; I shall eat. Never mind.” Still you’ll find. They are sitting in their place and chanting or meditating …
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Prabhupada: Hm? Yes. So you have to preach all over the world that “You are simply wasting time by so many department of knowledge. You are so foolish, rascal.” Srama eva hi kevalam. Simply wasting time. I think I explained that to that gentleman last morning? He said in one hour, two hour you should devote… Not two hour. Twenty-four hour. Did I not say? Yes. Because that is the only business. We have no other business. Our Society is practically demonstrating that this is the only business and no other business. We therefore do not try even to earn our livelihood. That is the natural instinct of every animal. But we do not try even for that. Is it not? Prabhupada: Yes. Let them see practically. We are not busy how to go to the office, how to the business place. We are not interested. We are simply interested for mangala arati, for class, for chanting, dancing. That’s all. Practically see. We are not going to any office
►760731rc.par Conversations Prabhupada: Vasan danto guror hitam. The beginning of life is how to become cent percent obedient to guru. That is Gurukula. That training should be given. The whole process is that our life will be successful when we strictly follow guru and Krsna. Guru means Krsna; Krsna means guru. Not Mayavada, but guru means one who follows Krsna, he is guru. ————————–
►761102rc.vrn Conversations Prabhupada: No, we don’t care for Indians and Europeans. We care for Krsna, that’s all. I didn’t care for anyone. I simply care … s protection, that’s all. That is wanted. Guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija. We want two favours. One from guru, one from Krsna. That’s all. We don’t want anyone’s favour.