What gold is to minerals, milk is to food. LAND, COW, MAN and GOD. Simple living, high thinking (LAND, COW, MAN, GOD).
If Prabhupada’s ISKCON is to be successful, it will be possible only if some leading devotees will demonstrate the meaning of land, cow, man and God—complete perfection of economic development and balance with nature.
We must show by actual example how one can live peacefully in the world and simultaneously prepare one’s self for solving all life’s problems (birth, death, old age, disease) and in the end go back home, back to Godhead.
There is no need of sophisticated preachers presenting esoteric, pedantic and contrived lectures. Prabhupada has given the essence of all Vaishnava philosophy and Vedic culture in his books. Now we, as his OBEDIENT and FAITHFUL disciples, followers and friends, must do the work by demonstrating all his teachings in daily life.
Those who are actually sannyasis and brahmacharis should be strictly engaged in book distribution and temple life of study, austerity and sacrifice. All others must live exemplary lives of simple living, high thinking by keeping cow, oxen and producing food, cloth, shelter and give education.
One must resign himself to be satisfied with God’s arrangement of land, cow, man and God. When one does not work in the arrangement of GOD (NATURE), he will inevitably invent some mischievous arrangement for earning his livelihood. There is no need of machines and computers.
There is nothing to be won in the mad pursuit of economic development and technological advancement. The aim of life is to get free from birth, death, old age and disease. Everyone is struggling to overcome these four problems, but they do not know the technique. They do not know the process or the method. Everyone speculates and makes experiment, and all are failures, because they fail to accept the Supreme Lord, who is the master mind behind material nature and who is the greatest living being amongst all living beings.
Prabhupada used to say, “I am Marx, and you are Lenin. I am writing the play, and you will dance on the STAGE.”
Our preaching will consist of example. We still have to do the work, and that will be our austerity: to walk the path of ordinary conditioned souls, simultaneously exhibiting the high standard of Krishna consciousness.
