No Problem Eating – More A Question Of Which Preparation We Should Make For Krsna
Hare Krsna-
Below are two conversations. The first, Srila Prabhupada explains the basic
principle of material life-sense gratification. Everyone has 4 bodily necessities- to eat, sleep, sex and defend. He explains how that pleasure is the same in all species of life. And as Human beings we need not concern ourselves with these basic bodily needs as Krsna will take care of them all very nicely. The more we work does not mean that much more we will enjoy. No-that amount is already fixed, so better to spend our time with understanding who we are, who is Krsna and how to serve Him.
Hari bol
damaghosa das
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New Vrndavana June 21 1976 Arrival address
Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām. The sense gratification is there in different bodies, but the standard may be different. Standard means our calculation; otherwise, the standard is also the same. The sex life between dogs and sex life between human beings, the pleasure is the same. There is no change. There is no change. You don’t think that when the dogs on the public street enjoy sex life their standard is lesser than our sex life in a very nice decorated apartment, and so many things, nice dress, nice bedding. No. The pleasure is the same. Just like if one has got typhoid fever. It is not that the poor man will suffer more than the rich man. No. The fever temperature is the same. The doctor, after taking temperature, he will say the temperature is the same. It does not mean that because the rich man has got typhoid fever, his suffering is less than the typhoid fever for the poor man. No. That is not possible. So we think that the standard of sense gratification is pleasure. …So economic development does not mean that you can improve the quality of pleasure. That is not possible. Therefore I was speaking that the dog is running with four legs and we are running with four wheels, but it does not mean the pleasure of running is different. The dog is also enjoying by running here and there—perhaps you have seen sometimes—with four legs. And we are also. The standard does not improve. The superficial change. I may think that this is advancement. No. That is not advancement, because the real thing is that your sense pleasure.
So sense pleasure of the dog and sense pleasure of the human being may be executed in a different way, but the pleasure derived out of it is the same. Therefore śāstra says, sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena: simply the living entity is put in a certain type of body, he’s endeavoring in a different way. Therefore he said, tat-prayāso na kartavyo yata āyur-vyayaḥ param. Simply to improve the standard of… Actually there is no improvement, but we think that we have improved. Rather we have taken so much risk. That requires knowledge, but anyone can understand. Suppose I can eat some quantity of food. Even if I am millionaire, I shall eat the same quantity. Not that because I am millionaire… Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja gave me so much nice foodstuff, but I could take only according to my appetite. One purī, two samosas, that’s all. (laughter) It is not that because Kīrtanananda Mahārāja has given so nice food, I shall eat the whole plate. No. That is not possible. I’ll have to eat so much as I can eat. So by improving the so-called standard, I shall eat the same proportion as I am able to eat, not more nor less. And that is destined. That is destined. When I came to your country I had no shelter, I had no food, no arrangement. But I was eating. And now I have got so many nice sons and daughters, but I am eating the same. So when there was nobody to tell me, I was eating; and now you are so many to give me satisfaction, I am also eating. So eating is not stopped. Eating is not stopped, in any condition. That is arranged by God. Every living entity, eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). That’s God. God is providing food for the ant and for the elephant, simultaneously. So why should we waste our time for this purpose, eating, sleeping…? That is already settled up. It is already… Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido [SB 1.5.18]. Settled up? Then we haven’t got to work? Yes, you haven’t got to work. You haven’t got to work. For Kṛṣṇa’s service, not for your eating, sleeping, mating, defending. No, you haven’t got. It is already there. It is already fixed up.
Therefore śāstra says tasyaiva hetoḥ prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ. In every life you have tried to get very nice food, nice shelter, nice sex life. That is going on. But when you have got this human form of life, if you try for the same purpose and waste your time, thinking yourself advanced in civilization, because a dog is running on the street with four legs and you are running with greater speed with four wheels, that does not mean you have improved. You are still dog. You must remember that. You are not even human being. Because the, in the form of human being your business is to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is your business. If you don’t try to understand Kṛṣṇa andsimply improve your method of running better than the dog, that is not civilization. This is our presentation. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means presenting a new life of civilization, how to become a servant of Kṛṣṇa. Then everything will come automatically. Kṛṣṇa is supplying already. Just like government. When a man is put into the jail for his criminality, the government takes care of his food, of his shelter; if he’s sick, hospital, everything—but he’s still punished for correction. Similarly, we are all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will give us food, shelter, sex facility and defense everywhere. Sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām sarvatra labhyate daivād: by the arrangement of the superior. You can see practically. The elephant is eating forty kilos at a time, and he has no attempt for economic development. He’s getting. And the ant also, a grain of sugar, he’s getting. You’ll find within your room, in a hole, there are thousands of ants. Are you giving him food? Who is giving them? Not only one, two-thousands. So this is intelligence, that God has provided for everyone these facilities, so human being, why he should not have this facility from God? It is already there. There is no doubt about it.
In the following lecture Srila Prabhupada explains how every question we may have is answered in Bhagavad gita. He gives one example-How should we live in this world? Krsna explains-annad bhavanti bhutani-grow grains and thereby solve your ecomomic problem of eating.
Mauritius Oct 1 1975 Arrival address
So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important movement. We are inviting all intelligent persons, the leaders of the society, to understand the basic principle of this movement. And if the leaders of the society lead the people in the proper channel on the basic principle of spiritual life, then everything will be solved. Everyone will be happy. These instructions are there in the Bhagavad-gītā very elaborately. Simply we have to follow the instruction. It is not at all difficult. Then all the questions—social problem, political problem, economical problem, religious problem—everything will be nicely solved. We are presenting, therefore, Bhagavad-gītā as it is. And you take any question and the answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, very nicely given. Just like, say, our first problem is economic problem. So Bhagavad-gītā says, “Yes. Economic problem will be solved very easily if you produce food grains.” Annād bhavanti bhūtāni [Bg. 3.14]. You produce food grain. Just like in your country I see there is enough land. If you people produce your food grain, within three months you can get all the necessities of life for the whole year. And the balance time you can save, nine months. And these nine months you can utilize for advancing in spiritual life, because your life or my life, this human form of life, it is distinct from the cats’ and dogs’ life. The cats and dogs, they cannot understand what is the basic principle of life. But a human being can understand. If he takes little care, he can understand that his problem of life is due to misunderstanding, accepting this body as self. This is the problem.
So we shall advise according to Bhagavad-gītā that “Make your life very simple, plain living, but the thinking should be very high.” Plain living and high thinking.
Below is some of the beans grown this summer. We also grow corn and some barley. But beans and corn are our main grains. And there is so much variety just here that it gives practically unlimited types of food to cook when you combine the beans with vegetables and milk products..