Utilize for Krishna

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Technology Won't Help Us

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Hridayananda: ...If there could be a Krishna conscious society, would this mean to stop the industry and technology?

Prabhupada: Industry, technology you can continue, but practically it has no use. [break] Just like there is the bench, you can sit down on the ground, and to sit down little comfortably you manufacture the bench. So for sitting down, you can utilize the ground, but you are unnecessarily wasting your time and manufacturing... This is industry. [break] Our philosophy is that we have to save time for becoming fully Krishna conscious. That is our necessity. And if we divert our energy for sitting down comfortably, then time is wasted. That... There is natural mattress, and there is a natural pillow, so why should you manufacture pillow and mattress? This is Sukadeva Gosvami. And there is natural food, fruits. So... And if you want still nice home, go to the cave. It is already made. Why should you waste your time? This is the Bhagavata philosophy. But they are wasting time simply how to live in nice apartment, how to manufacture nice mattress, pillow. This is... So the whole philosophy is: save your time and make your life perfect within this short duration of life which you have obtained in this human form of life. Durlabham manusam janma. It is very rarely you have got. Utilize it. And if you don't utilize, if you waste your time in these bodily comforts and next life you become a cat and dog, then what is the benefit? They do not understand this. [break]

Hridayananda: Sometimes they raise the question... Just like you pointed out in the preface of the Bhagavatam that we're no longer in the Dark Ages in the sense that previously there was no communication due to the geographical boundaries and that even though other forms of technology may be useless, at least it's very beneficial to have different forms of communication such as telephone, telegraph, things like this, television. This is actually necessary.

Prabhupada: But that you can utilize for spreading Krishna consciousness, not for sense gratification. That is the defect. They are simply wasting time in sense gratification. If the telephone and the telegraph, television is used for propagating Krishna consciousness, then it is all right. But they are not doing that. We are utilizing the modern press facilities for printing Vedic scriptures. But they are utilizing the press for sex literature, Freud's philosophy. [break]

Hridayananda: What is our policy towards the problem of overpopulation and food shortage in the world now when the world leaders are not willing to do anything? What is our policy towards these problems?

Prabhupada: Produce food. But you are producing bolts and nuts. You eat them. Motor tire, you are producing motor tire, bolts and nuts. You eat it. [Hridayananda translates into Spanish] [laughter] The energy is spoiled, creating problem. Everyone is engaged in manufacturing motor parts.

Guest: [Hridayananda translates] He's saying that he himself is involved with political leaders, and he said he's found that they're completely unwilling. They don't want to hear anything about the solution, and they're completely stuck to their own way. So what can ISKCON do?

Prabhupada: They will suffer, that's all.

Hridayananda: He said is there anything we can do in the political field to try to...

Prabhupada: If they will not take, they don't want to hear, then they must suffer.

Hridayananda: He's saying all the human race is suffering due to the bad points of the leaders.

Prabhupada: Yes, because the rascal leaders.

Hridayananda: So there's nothing that we should do? This food relief program that you started in India could also be used in other countries where there are also economic problems.

Prabhupada: Why not? But prasadam, not ordinary food. From all our centers you can distribute food, prasadam, because that prasadam means they will gradually become Krishna conscious. Otherwise if you give them ordinary food, they will get strength, and they will increase their sex desire, that's all, problems.

Hridayananda: If someone were to join the movement who previously had been expert in mathematics, how could he use that for Krishna's service if he's expert in mathematics?

Prabhupada: Mathematics? So you can calculate, "After so many years the whole universe will be destroyed." [laughter] Not of the universe but everyone's life. This body will be destroyed. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bhagavad-gita 8.19]. And again you get another body. It will stay for so many years. Again you annihilate. Again you get. In this way eternal time is being wasted.

Hridayananda: In the modern world the engineers are designing everything. So how can an engineer use his talent for Krishna?

Prabhupada: Design a temple, nice temple. There are wonderful temples, very expert engineering. And they were ordinary men but the engineer was so nice that nobody can manufacture such temple in the whole world, still.

Hridayananda: Prabhupada, that was really wonderful, what you explained, that previously the people would build a very wonderful temple, and the ordinary people would just live in a very common, simple house.

Prabhupada: Not for themselves. They knew the art how to manufacture nice building, but they did not care for personal use. It was used for Krishna. Sometimes only the kings, in order to keep their position, they used to have gorgeous building. Otherwise ordinary men, cottage. To live in cottage means to save time.

Mexican devotee: Srila Prabhupada, in one of the magazines I read that there was a saint who he didn't even construct a rug?

Prabhupada: Yes. Romaharshana. Bhagavad-gita it is said, yajnad bhavanti parjanyah, yajnad bhavanti parjanyah. If there is timely cloud and rainfall, this ground can be moistened very easily. But they won't perform yajna [sacrifice]; therefore there is scarcity of cloud and rain. Now they have to manufacture this sprinkler. And it is not perfect.

Hridayananda: Another question, Prabhupada. He said that you have stated that Kali-yuga will last for around 400,000 more years and then it will be finished and that the culture will gradually degrade, people will become very short and so on and so forth. So he's wondering if there will be geographical changes in the world or if the culture as we know it now will simply disappear and how the people will be... More or less, he's wondering what will become of the earth.

Prabhupada: Because they will not get sufficient food, shelter, bodily necessities. Just like it is already declining, already declining. Just formerly in our childhood we saw the Western people very tall. Now they are not tall. They are decreasing already. In the Western countries, still there are some but in other countries they are very lean, thin and drawn. Stature of the body will decrease. Memory will decrease. It is already taking place. So in this way, you just imagine, in 400,000 years after, what will be the condition. You take mathematical calculation. [laughter]

Hridayananda: He's asking again about geographically, what will it be like as far as temperatures and the different continents. That's what he's interested in.

Prabhupada: Yes, gradually everything will be barren. At the end of annihilation everything will be barren and by scorching the sunlight will be twelve times higher. So everything will be barren and burned into ashes.

Devotee: Hiranyaksha was taking the gold from the earth. Now they are taking the oil. So the weight, the oil makes weight in some parts of the globe, no? So when they take it and they put it some place else or they convert it in the earth, the earth is losing weights in some parts. That is no going to cause...

Prabhupada: I think I have explained this. Instead of contemplating what will happen to this world, you have got a short duration of life, say fifty, sixty years. You chant Hare Krishna and go back to home, back to Godhead. Don't consider what will happen to this world. The nature will take care of it. You don't puzzle your brain with these thoughts. You utilize whatever time you have got in your possession and go back to home, back to Godhead. You cannot check it. Best thing is that you mold your life and go back to home, back to Godhead. "Oil in your own machine." Instead of thinking what will happen... They will happen. Because people will go on with their rascal civilization, natural consequences will be there. You better take advantage of whatever time you have got and become fully Krishna conscious and go back to home.

They are thinking that we are crazy, and we are thinking, "You are crazy. You are losing the opportunity of life." Therefore I wrote that "Who is Crazy?" They have got this opportunity, human form of life, to make a solution of all problems, but they do not care for it. They are simply allured, the temporary happiness of this body, and the body will finish within some years. That they do not take care. They think it is all in all, body.

Hridayananda: So that's animal life.

Prabhupada: Yes. Animal civilization. The animal is running without motor car. We are running on motor car. That is the difference.