Man-made Food Shortage

Ethanolism

Addiction to Technology Hansadutta das

Hansadutta: For every technological advantage there is also a disadvantage, and that disadvantage obliges us to create another technological program to counteract it, which creates still another disadvantage, which obliges us to create another technological program. We are caught up in a chain of programs to counteract the technological disadvantages. For the original advantage of the automobile, we have to suffer the resultant congestion, pollution and accidents. It is best to be satisfied with what God gives us an meet the necessities of life in the simplest and most expedient way, thus using the time we save to make spiritual progress. That is the permanent solution. Material progress is only temporary. more

"The supreme occupation, or dharma, for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self."

Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokshaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6]

Atma means this body. Atma means the mind also, and atma means the soul, and, above that, the Paramatma, Bhagavan. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti shabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. So yaya atma suprasidati. Su means very much. Not only prasidati but suprasidati, very much. Everyone. The body becomes satisfied, the mind becomes satisfied, the soul becomes satisfied, and the Supreme Paramatma [the Supreme Lord, who resides in the heart of every living being], He also becomes satisfied. So that is called paro dharmah. Paro dharmah means... Parah means superior, and dharmah means occupational duty. Everyone has got occupational duty. It doesn't matter, either you are a brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra, brahmachari, grihastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. Everyone has got occupational duty. That is human society. Human society means when the society is divided into these eight divisions[1]: brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra, brahmachari, grihastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa. Varnashrama-dharma. That is Vedic civilization.

varnashramacharavata
purushena parah puman
vishnur aradhyate pantha
nanyat tat-tosha-karanam [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 8.58]

Unless the human society comes to the standard of executing Varnashrama-dharma, it is not human society; it is animal society, no regulative principles. The animals, they have no regulative principles, but human society must follow regulative principles. That is called Varnashrama-dharma.

So Varnashrama-dharma is also material. That is not spiritual. Varnashrama-dharma is the beginning of spiritual life. How one can come to the standard of spiritual life? It is a regulated life, when executing... The spiritual life is vishnur aradhyate panthah. When one comes to the platform of worshiping Vishnu, that is spiritual life. But the people, they do not know what is the aim of life, what is the goal of life. They do not know. Not only nowadays, the material world is meant like that. They have forgotten, forgotten. They are thinking, those who are too much materialistic, they are thinking that "I am this body, and satisfaction of the bodily senses is the ultimate goal of my life." But that is not the goal of life. The goal of life is to find out the ways and means how to satisfy the Supreme Lord.

That is also stated in this chapter, atah pumbhir dvija-shreshtha varnashrama-vibhagashah... This meeting was presided by Suta Gosvami, and there were many learned brahmanas, learned scholars, sages. Therefore he was addressing the audience, dvija-shreshthah. Dvija means twice-born: first birth by the father and mother, and the second birth by samskara, or by culture. Brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya—they have got samskara. Shudras have no samskara. Samskara-varjita means shudra. In this age nobody observes the samskaras. Therefore in the shastra it is said, kalau shudra-sambhavah. In the Kali-yuga almost every person is a shudra. Therefore there is so much chaos. The government is managed by the shudras or less than shudras, mleccha. Mleccha-rajendra-rupinah. Mlecchas have taken the post of government. It is meant for the kshatriyas, means qualified kshatriya, very brave, very powerful, very charitable, not going away when there is fight. That is kshatriya's position. Brahmana means satyam shamo damas titiksha. So people should be trained up as brahmana, as kshatriya, as vaishya. Krishi-go-rakshya-vanijyam vaishya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. The vaishya's duty is to produce food grains, agriculture, and give protection to the cows, and if you have got surplus foodstuff, you can make trade where there is shortage.

So actually this statement of the shastras, that kalau shudra-sambhavah, hardly there is brahmana or kshatriya or vaishya because nobody is doing their duty. Instead of producing food grains, vaishyas are engaged in running on big, big factories. So factory cannot produce food grains. Therefore there is food shortage or people are not getting ample foodstuff, they are starving, and there must be agitation. There is no brahmana's guidance, there is no kshatriya kings, and shudras are also not executing their duty. Then what will be the result? This is the result. This is the result. Therefore this is material dharma. Atah pumbhir dvija- shreshtha varnashrama-vibhagashah. That vibhaga, or division must be there. Otherwise there must be chaos. Just like in your body there is division, the brain division, here, the brain division, the arms division, and the belly division, and the leg division. So these divisions are required. If you have no brain, then how you can control your other senses? If you have no strength in your arms, how can you protect yourself? If you have no digestive power, there is no food, how you live? And if there is no leg, or the laborer class, how you will walk? This is natural division. Therefore varnashrama-vibhagashah, the varnashrama division must be there. That is human society.

Everything is described very nicely in the Bhagavad-gita. Annad bhavanti bhutani. Annad bhavanti bhutani parjanyad anna-sambhavah. Parjanyad anna-sambhavah, and yajnad bhavati parjanyo yajnah karma... [Bg. 3.14]. [break] And the animals, as soon as they are fatty and grown up, they are sent to the slaughterhouse. This business is going on. So why there should not be crisis in food grain and crisis in human...? There must be. Because we are not abiding by the orders of the Supreme Lord, and dharma means to abide by the orders of the Supreme Lord... Dharmam tu sakshad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. You cannot manufacture dharma: "This is this religion; this is that religion." These are all bogus. Real dharma is sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja [Bg. 18.66][2]. This is dharma. All bogus type of dharma—Hindu religion, Muslim religion, this religion, that religion—they are not dharma.

Therefore it is said here, sa vai pumsam paro dharmah. Parah means Supreme. What is that? Yato bhaktir adhokshaje, "Wherein this is taught, 'Just surrender to the Supreme Lord, Krishna, that is first-class religion." All other religions, they are bogus. That is not religion. Just like good citizenship means to abide by the laws of the state, of the government. That is good citizenship. Similarly, a real religious person means who is abiding by the orders of the Supreme Lord. Unfortunately, they have no information of the Supreme Lord.

1. Eight divisions of human society: four varnas or social orders—brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras—and four ashramas or spiritual orders —brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa are all called varnashrama dharma, or division of society according to occupation and regulative principles. The four social divisions correspond to the parts of the social body: the brahmanas represent the head, giving spiritual guidance and conducting sacrifice and spiritual ceremonies; the kshatriyas represent the arms and upper body, offering strength for the protection of the citizens; the vaishyas represent the belly, providing food grains and wealth; and the shudras represent the feet insofar as they lend assistance to the other social orders. Of the spiritual orders, brahmacharya is unmarried, celibate student life, grihastha is married household life in accordance with the regulative principles of religion, vanaprastha is semi-retirement from family life, and sannyasa is full renunciation from family and worldly connection. Back to Text

2. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." [Krishna speaking to Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita 18.66] Back to Text