Śrīla Prabhupāda Says – [Regarding the actual meaning of ‘material advancement’]
[Letter to Rūpānuga: Hawaii 14 March 1969]
Your seventh question, “How is it that there is so much material “advancement” in the USA even though there is no formal demigod worship? Is a man after economic development automatically worshiping Lord Śiva whether he is making Yajña or not?” Actually there is no material advancement in the USA.
Material advancement means there is amply opportunity for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Superficially, it appears that in the USA there is sufficient provision of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, but actually nobody is safe even in his good apartment. I have got practical experience in New York. Several times my typewriter and tape recorders were stolen and the police could not take any action. There are many persons in the Bowery street, they have no shelter to live. So if a certain fraction of the people are supposed to be very materially happy at the cost of others, that is not material advancement.
Had it been so, then why there are so many persons confused and frustrated? So actually there is no material advancement here. Here, I am seeing practically that Gaurasundara, such a nice intelligent and qualified boy, he has to work hard 12 hours simply for his subsistence. I think there are many instances like that, so this is not material advancement. You can call it capitalist advancement, and the reaction for such advancement is communism. Such movement is simply suppressed in your country, but actually the reaction is this.
So the Western type of civilization, industrialism and capitalism, is no material advancement. It is material exploitation. When one gets the bare necessities of life, namely peaceful home, sumptuous eating, necessary sex life, and feeling of security, then it is called material advancement.
In the absence of such four preliminary necessities of life, it is not at all material advancement—just try to understand. According to Vedic civilization, a man is supposed to be rich when he has got sufficient grains and cows. Here we have neither sufficient grains or cows, but you have got sufficient quantity of papers only—falsely thinking that it is money. When there is some catastrophe, this bunch of papers will neither supply milk or grain. They will be seen only and the man will starve.
And now on the other hand-the program that Srila Prabupada has been trying to push for everybody is simple living and high thinking-not hard working with no thinking. Growing your own food, IS the VEDIC PROGRAM. Not working in some congested unsafe polluted city for papers, which is called
“money” which ultimately has to be transferred into—food, the real necessity.
Consider the wisdom of this approach…..
All we need is 4 chapatis and 6 feet of floor–SP
1.) Foolish work(Ugra Karma) makes one toil too hard-and without that-we still can daily eat only a few chapatis
2.) We work so hard (for that big/expensive house) but we all need is only 6 feet to lay down in at night.
3.) The tendency NOT to work so hard (for maya) is– a spiritual tendency.1.) Brahma Samhita lecture- NY july 31 1971So Prahlada Maharaja was very much sympathetic that “I am simply anxious for these rascals who have created a humbug civilization for temporary happiness,”maya sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43]. They have created ugra karma. This is stated in the Bhagavad- gita ugra karma.Huge factory, day and night melting iron, andthey are working, working. The special technologies, getting some money, they’re happy. They do not know how they’re wasting their valuable life. This is called maya. Why so much work? Why you are working so hard? Do you think if you’ll get hundred dollars per day you can eat more capātīs than myself? (laughter). Rascal does not know that he will eat the same number of capātīs, four or five or six, but he’ll work so hard. So we are the best intelligent class. We don’t work, but we get our capātīs. (laughter) Let the rascal work, but we get our capātīs. maya sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43].
2.) We work so hard (for that big/expensive house) but we all need is only 6 feet to lay down in at night.
3.) The tendency NOT to work so hard (for maya) is– a spiritual tendency.1.) Brahma Samhita lecture- NY july 31 1971So Prahlada Maharaja was very much sympathetic that “I am simply anxious for these rascals who have created a humbug civilization for temporary happiness,”maya sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43]. They have created ugra karma. This is stated in the Bhagavad- gita ugra karma.Huge factory, day and night melting iron, andthey are working, working. The special technologies, getting some money, they’re happy. They do not know how they’re wasting their valuable life. This is called maya. Why so much work? Why you are working so hard? Do you think if you’ll get hundred dollars per day you can eat more capātīs than myself? (laughter). Rascal does not know that he will eat the same number of capātīs, four or five or six, but he’ll work so hard. So we are the best intelligent class. We don’t work, but we get our capātīs. (laughter) Let the rascal work, but we get our capātīs. maya sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43].
2.) 720907SB.NV Lectures
Prabhupada: Twenty-five percent of the land. Suppose we owned the
twenty-five percent of the whole world, but at the time of occupying
the land I require only six feet? That’s all. So they…, is he not
ass? He knows that “I want only six feet land to lie down. Why I am
trying to acquire the whole world? And working so hard?” That is ass.
Similarly, I’m so working hard. What I am eating? Perhaps I am not
eating. When I come home, I take a piece of bread and a cup of tea,
bas, finished. But he does not think “Why am I working hard? I am not
eating more. I am not occupying more place. I cannot enjoy fully sense
grat…” Simply an idea: “More money, more money, more money.”
Therefore he’s ass. Ass does not enjoy life, but works very hard. We
have got… Several times explained. In India, the washermen keep an
ass, and the ass bears ten tons of loads on the backside and goes to
the ghata, for washing ghata. And he is let loose there, and a morsel
of grass, a little, few pieces of grass. And he’s eating there,
standing, for again returning with ten tons of load. He is given
freedom. He does not think that “Why shall I work so hard? This grass
is available everywhere. I can go. Why I am working for this
washerman?” But he has no sense. Therefore he is called ass.
Similarly, all these karmis, they are working so hard, but they are
eating, say, two pieces of bread and a cup of tea or milk. That’s all.
Or something else. They have been collared.
3.)750304mw.dal Conversations
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.
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.
civilization. And this is not civilization, to get the necessities of
life, sense gratification, and work like hog and dog. That is
condemned.
Oct 5 1975 Mauritius
So far we are concerned, we shall live very simple life, simply in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa does not go to construct big, big house. He simply constructs his character, and the other kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, they offer him, “Please come here and sit down.” Therefore the division is… One who is unable to become a brāhmaṇa, let him become kṣatriya. If he cannot become kṣatriya, let him become a vaiśya. Otherwise let him remain a śūdra. But there should be ideal class. So we are trying to create an ideal society of brāhmaṇas. Then people will be benefited. And if everyone is śūdra, rascal, then what people will be benefited? They do not know how to live. The brāhmaṇas will give idea, “Live like this. You will be happy.”
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
