Back to natural living!

http://www.thehindu.com/sunday-anchor/story-of-farmer-couple-karpagam-and-sriram/article7188754.ece

Karpagam points outside her window: “This is the view I wake up to every morning.” Ragi and neem seeds are drying in the sun. Parrot green paddy fields roll out into the distance, their borders dotted with palm trees. A gentle breeze drifts in — there is no need for a fan, even though it’s peak summer in this quiet village near Maduranthakam in Tamil Nadu.

A commerce and management graduate, Karpagam was a top-ranking executive in a shipping company, her job taking her around the world. While volunteering with a non-profit organisation, she met her husband Sriram “We both wanted the same things in life,” she says. Sriram is an IIT-IIM graduate, degrees he dismisses. “Why is it important?” he asks. “What is more important is what I was doing (or not doing!) for society.”

Five years ago, the couple quit their lives in Bombay to take up farming. How did their families react? “Violently,” Sriram laughs. “They were shocked,” says Karpagam. Eventually their parents came to respect their decision.Reading Gandhi and Kabir, Sriram realised that “Nature, and not human beings, is supreme”. What bothered him most was the chemicals in the food he ate everyday. “It’s poison,” he stresses. He was sure he wanted to quit and “do something with food”. Karpagam says, “I had an out-of-body experience one day,” when she was sales manager in a company. “I suddenly thought, ‘will the world stop because a new model of car is not sold every six months’?”

The transition itself wasn’t difficult. “We hit the ground running,” smiles Sriram. “Farming is physically taxing, that was our only worry. Mentally, we were both prepared.”

Today, they grow rice, groundnut, sesame, ragi, green gram, and urad dal. They distribute some of the produce to family members; the rest they sell. “We spend about Rs. 15,000 on one acre of paddy and make about Rs. 25,000. Commercially, I can make much more but there’s no point escaping an exploitative society only to return to it,” says Sriram.

They farm and drive away parrots and cows from their field. In the evenings, they read, blog, or do their accounts. These well-educated farmers quote Dharampal, Wendell Berry and Gandhi, but don’t consider them as inspirations. “Less than 200 years ago, this is how people lived. Our inspiration is our farmers. We are alive because of them,” they say.

What Makes Marwaris Successful in Business?

http://profit.ndtv.com/news/your-money/article-what-makes-marwaris-successful-in-business-697204?pfrom=home-business


New Delhi: From musty establishments in the dusty lanes of Kolkata's Burra Bazaar to towering office blocks in the financial nerve center of the country, Mumbai, the Marwari community plays a crucial role in turning the wheels of the country's economy as innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Their extraordinary success forms the primary subject for Thomas A Timberg in his book 'The Marwaris: From Jagat Seth to the Birlas'.

Speaking at a recent panel discussion here with author Gurcharan Das, Mr Timberg attempted to answer the fundamental question that cropped up: What makes the Marwaris so successful as a business community?

"One of the reasons they are so successful, I think, is because of their ability to adapt to situations. A flexibility of mind is surely an important trait responsible for their extraordinary success" he said.

"The answer also probably lies in the fact the commercial communities in general, and Marwaris in particular, have successfully implemented attitudes, skills and support systems," he added.

Elaborating further, Gurcharan Das enumerated a few characteristic traits which he attributed to the community.

"Their entrepreneurial instinct, credibility as businessmen and their community spirit are big factors in their success," he said.

He also highlighted their risk-taking ability.

"The business world rewards those who take risks. The incredible achievements of the Marwaris have often been credited to their extraordinary risk-taking ability."

Mr Das discussed the pitfalls of the socialist era and how that led to stagnation in the growth of the market and saw a downturn in the fortunes of business communities as a whole.

"Competition is the school in which companies learn to perfect their skills. By closing the economy and discouraging competition, socialism made Indian business houses complacent and insensitive to customer needs. They lost the incentive to improve their products and acquire marketing skills."

In his book, Mr Timberg chronicles the journey of a community that, from the desert sands of Rajasthan, slowly spread out to all the corners of the country, and eventually achieved phenomenal success in their trade.

Touching on this aspect, Mr Das writes in his foreword to the book, "With their enormous appetite for risk, the Marwaris controlled much of India's inland trade by the end of the First World War. Gradually they turned to industry after the war, and by 1970 they controlled much of the nation's private industrial assets, and by 2011 the Marwaris accounted for a quarter of the Indians on the Forbes list of billionaires."

The book is part of a series edited by Gurcharan Das about Indian businesses. The previous books include 'Arthashastra', 'East India Company' and 'Money in Ancient India' among others.

Russia bans GMOs

Russia Completely Bans GMOs

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently announced that Russia will no longer import GMO products, stating that the nation has enough space, and enough resources to produce organic food.

If the Americans like to eat GMO products, let them eat it then. We don’t need to do that; we have enough space and opportunities to produce organic food.” – Medvedev

Russia has been considering joining the long list (and continually growing) of anti-GMO countries  for quite some time now. It does so after a group of Russian scientists urged the government to consider at least a 10-year moratorium on GMOs to thoroughly study their influence on human health.

“It is necessary to ban GMOs, to impose moratorium (on) it for 10 years. While GMOs will be prohibited, we can plan experiments, tests, or maybe even new methods of research could be developed. It has been proven that not only in Russia, but also in many other countries in the world, GMOs are dangerous. Methods of obtaining the GMOs are not perfect, therefore, at this stage, all GMOs are dangerous. Consumption and use of GMOs obtained in such way can lead to tumors, cancers and obesity among animals. Bio-technologies certainly should be developed, but GMOs should be stopped. We should stop it from spreading. ” – Irina Ermakova, VP of Russia’s National Association for Genetic Safety

(RIA Novosti/Ekaterina Shtukina)

A number of scientists worldwide have clearly outlined the potential dangers associated with consuming GMOs. I recently published an article titled “10 Scientific Studies Proving GMOs Can Be Harmful To Human Health,” you can read that in fullhere.  These are just a select few out of hundreds of studies that are now available in the public domain, it seems that they continue to surface year after year.

Russia completely banning GMOs, such a large, developed nation is a big step forward in creating more awareness with regards to GMOs. Ask yourself, why have so many nations banned GMOs and the pesticides that go with them? It’s because evidence points to the fact that they are not safe, they are young, and we just don’t know enough about them to safely consume them. They just aren’t necessary, so why produce them?

Within the past few years, awareness regarding GMOs has skyrocketed. Activism has played a large role in waking up a large portion of Earths population with regards to GMOs. People are starting to ask questions and seek answers. In doing so, we are all coming to the same conclusion as Russia recently came to.

In February, the State Duma introduced a bill banning the cultivation of GMO food products. President Putin ordered that Russian citizens be protected from GMOs.  The States Agricultural Committee has supported the ban recommendation  from the Russian parliament, and the resolution will come into full effect in July 2014.

This just goes to show what we can do when we come together and demand change and share information on a global scale. Change is happening, and we are waking up to new concepts of our reality every day. GMOs are only the beginning, we have many things to rid our planet of that do not resonate with us and are clearly unnecessary. We are all starting to see through the false justifications for the necessity of GMOs, no longer are we so easily persuaded, no longer do we believe everything we hear and everything we’re presented with. Lets keep it going!

For more CE articles on GMOs, click here.

For more CE articles on glyphosate, click here.

 Sources:

BJP may form ministry for cow protection in Rajasthan

http://www.livemint.com/Politics/BF9tT7SUT4sk7E0xqyKduK/BJP-may-form-ministry-for-cow-protection-in-Rajasthan.html

New Delhi: The new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Rajasthan is likely sticking to its promise and creating a ministry for cow protection even as the party, ahead of the Congress in the race to form the next government in the Centre if opinion polls are to be believed, has decided that it will stress its bovine-friendly image in the Hindi belt during the campaign.

Cow protection will be a major issue in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in many parts of North India (Rajasthan, Haryana and some areas of western Uttar Pradesh), senior leaders of the BJP said.

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has already criticized the Union government for promoting India’s “pink revolution”—the export of meat.

“Vasundhara Raje (now the chief minister of the state) had promised people that the BJP would form a cow protection ministry (when elected); the state government has already started working on this plan,” said Prabhu Lal Saini, animal husbandry minister of Rajasthan. “There are 12.1 million heads of cattle in Rajasthan, the highest in the country. There are 1,304 cow sheds in Rajasthan and more than 500,000 cows are provided food in cow sheds. Some of the NGOs are also helping the government and working for protection of cows,” the minister added. Senior BJP leaders said the protection of cows—animals considered holy by most Hindus—is an issue close to the hearts of voters in parts of north India, and will be made an election issue in Rajasthan, Haryana and some areas of western Uttar Pradesh.

The three states are important for BJP’s bid to topple the ruling Congress in the general election because they account for 115 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha.

Western Uttar Pradesh constituencies being targeted by the BJP for its cow protection campaign include Agra, Mathura, Hathras, Aligarh, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Amroha, Saharanpur, Rampur, Badaun, and Pilibhit.

“Even if the BJP doesn’t raise it during the election, people will make it an election issue this time because it is such a sensitive issue,” said Satpal Malik, the BJP vice-president who is a prominent leader from western Uttar Pradesh.

“I attended a public meeting of Narendra Modi in Surat in which he told the gathering that the state government was busy in green revolution and white revolution (milk), but the Union government was busy giving subsidy for a pink revolution. We asked Narendra Modi to raise the issue during his visits in western Uttar Pradesh,” he added.

Malik pointed out that BJP president Rajnath Singh had also worked for cow protection when he was chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Malik alleged that there were several illegal abattoirs in western Uttar Pradesh where animals, stolen from farmers, are slaughtered.

BJP leaders from Haryana said the issue would resonate in their state, too.

“Most people in Haryana are vegetarians and people value cows as their mothers. But now we get to hear and read cases of theft and deaths of these animals. This will be major issue,” said Om Prakash Dhankar, convener of the farmers wing of the BJP and a prominent leader in the state.

Political analysts say the BJP will make a special effort to raise the twin issues of cow protection and Hindutva with voters and potential supporters in order to differentiate itself from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has plans to field candidates against both the BJP and the Congress.

“There is a historical perspective also because the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (the BJP’s predecessor party) had led a major movement in 1950s and 1960s on cow protection. The BJP wants to be seen as different to the AAP and it wants to attract voters. These are issues which are close to people, so the BJP is trying to use it to win their support,” said Jai Mrug, Mumbai-based political analyst.

Go green - get started!

A very nice article and very nice effort by Shyamagopala Das.

Congratulations!

I remember H.H.Bhakti Rasamrta Maharaj had initiated Green temple project

for sub-continent. Might be good to make a database of green temples of

ISKCON worldwide and encourage others to catch on.

ys, BCD

_______________________________________________________

D.C. Gardener Encourages City Temples to Go Green

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 19 Jul 2012

As environmentally-friendly living becomes more and more of a concern in a

modern society where Earth's resources are fast running out, ISKCON has an

increasing responsibility to set a good example.

After all, our philosophy is based upon our founder's oft-quoted aphorism

"Simple Living, High Thinking"—the practice of living naturally from the

land while focusing on solving life's mysteries.

This responsibility doesn't fall solely on the shoulders of ISKCON's rural

communities—it's also something city temples can join in on, thus lending

our society much greater credibility in the eyes of the public.

One of those stepping up to the plate is Shyam Gopal, gardener at ISKCON of

Washington D.C.

As well as offering good advice for other temples interested in going green,

Shyam is walking the walk himself. That's something U.S. First Lady Michelle

Obama—

who encourages home gardens and planted one on the White House's South Lawn

just 17 miles from the ISKCON temple—would appreciate.

Shyam, 34, comes with quite a pedigree. The son of a gardener and a forester

in Berkeley, California, he studied environmental science at UC Santa

Barbara, worked as a park ranger and an eco-tourist guide, and served at the

ISKCON farm in Mauritius before moving to D.C. in March of this year.

On only one third of an acre at the temple in Potomac, Maryland—a D.C.

suburb—Shyam has already coaxed an impressive bounty from the earth.

"We have heirloom and lauki squash, golden and green zucchini, hybrid and

cherry tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, and Thai, serrano, habanero,

and cow-horn chilis," he says. "We also grow eggplant, cabbage, okra,

bitter-melon, cucumber, cantelopes, pole beans and bush beans, beats,

carrots, mixed lettuce, various pumpkins, and two-foot long watermelons."

He has to pause for breath, before reeling off a spiel that sounds like a

Simon and Garfunkel song. "Then there are all the herbs: basil, sage,

rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, dill, fennel, fenugreek, and cilantro."

With all these, the garden is ISKCON D.C.'s main source of organic

vegetables, its sole source of herbs, and a considerable supplement to its

overall food purchases.

And that's not all: the temple doesn't have to buy any flowers for its

presiding Deities in the summer time, when rows upon rows of African,

Mexican hybrid and double bloom marigolds, as well as red roses, white Tuber

roses, and even seven-foot-tall sunflowers are available to make beautiful

garlands with.

All this abundance is no accident. Shyam Gopal cares so much about the

plants, which he calls his "children," that he's often spotted talking or

singing to them. In the future, he'd like to set up some outdoor speakers to

play them Srila Prabhupada's kirtan.

This is nothing to laugh at. Shyam's holistic, natural gardening techniques

are no conconction— they're embedded in both scientific and Krishna

conscious principles.

"In trying to debunk the old research done on playing music for plants to

improve their growth, researchers, for instance on the TV show Mythbusters,

have only found that they couldn't disprove it," Shyam says. "It actually

works."

Plants, he explains, respond to music of all types—classical, ragas, heavy

metal, and poetry— as well as simply being spoken to, with vigorous growth,

more flowers and larger fruit development. They don't have favorite genres;

they simply like the interaction and are stimulated by the vibration.

"As I'm checking the plants for fungus, damage and pests every day by hand,

I talk to them," says Shyam. "I just say, 'How are you doing?' or 'Oh, you

have a problem here.' And when I harvest from them I say 'Thank you, we

appreciate what you're giving us for the Deities. You're doing a great

service.' After all, they're souls, just like me. I was a plant before. It

was a rough life. So although they may not understand my words, I want them

to feel on some level that they're not living in vain."

Shyam, following the best practices in permaculture, organic gardening, and

biodynamics,

is considerate in all areas of his work. Seeing the soil as a living system

full of complex, interdependent relationships, he avoids tilling once his

garden beds have been made so as not to destroy this infrastructure.

Instead, worms, which are carefully protected, do the tilling for him.

He also avoids walking on the beds in order to let the roots breathe. And

rather than feeding the plants directly, he feeds the soil—considered to be

"the stomach" in natural organic farming— with "Actively Aerated Compost

Tea."

This is made by blowing a household air pump, such as those used for an

aquarium or air mattress, into a tank of water holding a "tea bag" made from

cheese-cloth. The "tea bag" is filled with worm castings, a high quality

compost created by feeding worms vegetable scraps and manure. This liquid

compost mixture is aerated for 24 hours, then molasses and seaweed are

added.

"Molasses increases good bacteria, and seaweed has natural plant growth

hormones, which helps plants to uilize sunlight and photosynthesize better,"

says Shyam. "It also acts like a B complex vitamin, boosting their immune

system and reducing stress when you transplant."

As he develops his garden, Shyam Gopal will also add Rishi-Krishi, the

ancient farming techniques of sages described in the Vedas, to his

practices.

Some of these techniques, written about by the great Parashara Muni in

Krishi-Parashara and by Kashyapa in Kashyapiyakrishisukti, coincide with

biodynamic principles, and thus are already being practiced in the ISKCON

D.C. garden.

For instance, Shyam Gopal works by the lunar calendar, planting seeds as the

moon is waxing, and pruning, transplanting and composting as it is waning.

He also plants different items on the days the waxing moon goes through

different constellations: for vegetables it's the fire sign; for leaf crops,

the water sign; for flowers, the air sign; and for roots, the earth sign.

This, amongst all his other practices, makes for tastier and healthier

crops.

Shyam encourages other devotees, at any level of experience, to start their

own natural organic gardens at their temples or homes.

For beginners, he advises, "Start small. Don't get overwhelmed by giving

yourself way too much work. Start organic—there may be a pest or problem you

can't control organically at some point, but at least start organic and

learn that way. And start with things that are easy to grow: herbs,

tomatoes, a few flowers for your Deities."

Specific local knowledge is key in gardening, Shyam says, so get advice from

local gardeners in your area who know the local conditions. Your nearest

university's agriculture extension office or its website can also be an

excellent resource for this.

Another key to gardening is awareness. "Observe how your plants are growing

in different conditions," Shyam says. "Go outside and check the weather

every day. Get to know how reliable your local weather report is, compared

to the actual weather. Get a simple rain guage and measure the rain. Get in

touch with the cycles of the sun, moon, and seasons."

Finally, Shyam encourages ISKCON temples to go green by purchasing

biodegradable silverware and plates, since so many are used at every Sunday

Feast and festival. He also suggests using shredded paper and cardboard

boxes in the garden as mulch, and using all rotten vegetables as compost,

not allowing anything to go to waste.

"Once you get started and build your knowledge base, it only gets better and

better," he says.

Shyam Gopal is happy to help other ISKCON temples go green and increase

their fruit, flower and vegetable production. To speak with him and receive

educational resources which he says have benefitted him greatly, please

contact him at syamagopaldasa@gmail.com.

Beat any recession with Cow urine!

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-07-12/news/32648877_1_cow-
urine-organic-farming-panchagavya


Cow urine aids treatment of cancer, asthma?
ET Bureau Jul 12, 2012, 03.47AM IST

KOCHI: It is a coup of sorts as far as innovation and product branding is
concerned! A veterinary science college in Wayand has opened up a world of
opportunities for business by packaging and branding cow urine.

The College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Pookot in Wayand district, has
launched two products in the market - 'Cow Urine' and 'Panchagavya' -
targeted at the organic farming sector.

"Cow's urine is meant to improve the plant resistance while Panchagavya will
help the growth of favourable soil bacteria and thereby improve soil
fertility," said Dr Joseph Mathew, who is in charge of the instructional
farm in Pookot. According to him, the two products can help reduce the use
of pesticides and chemical fertilisers to a great extent.

The college, which has found a direct use for cow urine in organic farming,
markets the neatly packed product for 5 per litre. Panchagavya, which is a
cocktail of milk, ghee, curd, cow urine and cow dung, is sold for 50 per
litre.

Interestingly, the product quality is ensured by collecting the first urine
of the cow everyday. "The production is as per requirement," said Dr Mathew,
adding that only local varieties of cows are used in the production of the
two organic farming aids.

Apart from its application in organic farming, cow pee is an important
ingredient in many ayurvedic medicines. "It is used in the treatment of
several major ailments like peptic ulcer, certain type of cancer, liver
ailments, asthma etc," said Dr Satish Namboodiri, director, Dhanwanthari
Vaidyasala, Thodupuzha.

However, the cow urine produced by College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences
cannot be used for pharmaceutical applications, said Dr Mathew. "For
pharmaceutical use it has to be produced under the supervision of an
ayurvedic doctor, he pointed out.

The initiative by the Wayand veterinary college has major significance in a
country like India, which has a large bovine population. If cow pee actually
emerges as a natural resource with farm and pharma application, its
harnessing and marketing would end up as an economic activity that can beat
any recession!

Milk played an important part in the diet of these prehistoric pastoral people

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article3551216.ece?homepage=true

Molecular and isotope analysis of absorbed food residues on potsherds revealed the details

Researchers from the University of Bristol and other institutions have found the “first unequivocal” chemical evidence of dairying practices by Saharan people about 5,000 years ago — at a time when the region was in a humid phase and had plenty of plant cover.

The story so far

Researching the earliest evidence of dairying has so far been confined to Europe, Near East and Eurasia. This is the first time an attempt is made to study African samples. The results are published today (June 21) in Nature.

Till date evidence of domestication of cattle, sheep and goats came from faunal samples. But faunal remains have been “highly fragmentary and poorly preserved.” Reconstructing evidence of herding has therefore been difficult.

Even indirect evidence of dairying is “missing.” Of course, rock paintings and engravings have provided some compelling indirect evidence.

The researchers therefore turned to molecular and isotope analysis of absorbed food residues found on potsherds to know the details. The rationale is simple: analysing food residues is a sure way of understanding diet and subsistence practices of humans a few thousand years ago.

Making the study possible has been the exemplary preservation of absorbed organic residues, particularly lipids, on potsherds. This is unlike in the case of European sites where only 40 per cent of potsherds provided any evidence of lipids, and that to at very low concentrations. “This remarkable preservation [in the case of African samples] is likely to be related to the extremely arid conditions prevailing in the region” in the last hundreds of years.

The researchers used carbon 13 isotopic ratios to study the major alkanoic acids of milk fat. The lipids belonged to three categories — “high abundance” of C16:0 and C18:0 (lipid numbers) fatty acids derived from degraded animals fats. There were carbon isotopes (C13 to C18) which are demonstrative of “bacterial origin” and diagnostic of “ruminant animal fats.”

In the second category, the carbon isotopes found were diagnostic of plant oils and a certain kind of wax of vascular plants. The third type of residue indicates the “drying reaction of plant oils,” and reflects either “processing of both plant and animal products in the same vessel or the multiuse of the vessels.”

Of the three types, only those indicative of degraded animal fats were taken up for detailed analysis. Compared with present day animal fats, about 50 per cent of lipid samples recovered from the potsherds fall within or on the edge of isotopic range of dairy fats. About 33 per cent fall within the isotope range for ruminant adipose fats.

“The unambiguous conclusion is that the appearance of dairy fats correlates with the abundant presence of cattle bones in the cave deposits, suggesting a full pastoral economy,” they write.

They also found unequivocal evidence for “extensive processing of dairying products” in pottery in the Libyan Sahara between 5,200-3,800 years ago. This confirms that “milk played an important part in the diet of these prehistoric pastoral people.”

This is quite surprising considering the fact that these people were able to consume milk despite suffering from lactose intolerance. The study thus provides a window to the “evolutionary context for the emergence of lactase persistence in Africa.”

India top rice exporter

This is presented as though it is somehow good news, but what this means is that agribusiness has bought up land in India for the export market. Financial speculators have artificially pushed up the price of grain 40%

above the average cost in the past 10 years. Although the global prices for rice fell when India relaxed its rule prohibiting export of non-basmati rice.

As we have posted earlier, the biodiversity of rice is dramatically reduced by growing for export. Sri Lanka has gone from having more than 110varieties of rice to a mere 6 or 7 constituting more than 90% of their crop due to export.

The manner in which the IMF and World Bank have manipulated the economies of countries they are "helping" has caused the poorest nations to pay the most for food. Listen here: UN's Dawe Says Poor Nations Spend Most on Food  

http://media.bloomberg.com/bb/avfile/News/Surveillance/v_fzmoEp4V7E.mp3

India to Dethrone Thailand, Vietnam as Top Rice Exporter

By Pratik Parija and Prabhudatta Mishra - May 9, 2012 12:07 PM GMT+0200

India, the largest rice grower after China, is poised to rival Vietnam as the world's biggest shipper, ending Thailand's 30-year reign, afterfavorable weather and higher government prices boosted the harvest to a

record.

Exports may climb to 7 million metric tons in the year ending Aug. 31, said Samarendu Mohanty, a senior economist at the International Rice Research Institute. That's more than double the 2.8 million tons shipped in

2010-2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Vietnam will export 7 million tons and Thailand 6.5 million tons, USDA data show.

Rice, the staple for half the world, has slumped 18 percent since reaching the highest price since 2008 in September after India ended a three-year ban on exports of non-basmati varieties. Prices will probably stay under pressure in coming months as global production outpaces demand for an eighth year. That may extend a decline in global food costs, which fell for the first time this year in April, United Nations data show. Thailand was the top shipper last year with 10.6 million tons.

from:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-09/india-set-to-pass-thailand-rival-vietnam-as-top-rice-exporter.html

Timeless Stories of Gomata

Have you ever wondered why and how Laxmidevi resides in cow dung? Why cows
are considered most significant of all animals? How come cows have varied
horns? How were cows created? How cows got their position in Goloka?...

Yes, all these are narrated in our scriptures and each story makes a
wonderful read! Would you like to read them all in one place? Then read this
article further...

"To make the mind austere is to detach it from sense gratification. It
should be so trained that it can be always thinking of doing good for
others. The best training for the mind is gravity in thought. One should not
deviate from Krsna consciousness and must always avoid sense gratification.
To purify one's nature is to become Krsna conscious. Satisfaction of the
mind can be obtained only by taking the mind away from thoughts of sense
enjoyment. The more we think of sense enjoyment, the more the mind becomes
dissatisfied. In the present age we unnecessarily engage the mind in so many
different ways for sense gratification, and so there is no possibility of
the mind's becoming satisfied. The best course is to divert the mind to the
Vedic literature, which is full of satisfying stories, as in the Puranas and
the Mahabharata. One can take advantage of this knowledge and thus become
purified."
[Srila Prabhupada, Purport, SB17.16]

The latest books released from ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama Ministry in an
attractive paperback book is bound to engage readers of all sections, young
and old equally!

"Timeless Stories of Gomata" is a compilation of 35 stories from various
scriptures such as Mahabharata, Vishnu Dharmottara Purana, Skanda Purana and
other classics. One can derive principles of cow protection in these
chapters and relish the inherent teaching in the stories.

Do you know the story why little Krsna in Goloka never wore footwear? Do you
know the story of sage Chyavana who was caught by fishermen and gave a hard
time to King Nahusha but settles down for a right price? Do you know about
how Lord Shiva made the Bull as his vehicle? Find all this and more in this
publication.

This publication was made possible with the help of an ardent lover of
Gomata,Shri Mahesh Advani.
"Being a businessman I can vouch that generally we are selfish. We
calculate profit in everything we do. However, it must be understood that
serving cows is a deal with 100% profit! Beyond such a material calculation
is a fact that serving cows is very dear to Lord Krsna. It is a devotional
service. This compilation, "Timeless stories of Gomata" woven through
wonderful stories convinces us of this truth!"
Shri Mahesh Advani, Govindas Restaurant, LLC Dubai (UAE)

His Holiness R.P.Bhakti Raghava Swami released the book on May 10th.
"Cow care and cow protection, especially in today's misdirected and
ill-governed society, remains crucial to the survival of humanity. It is but
sheer madness and gross ignorance to think otherwise. It was in Bali where
we conducted the Second Annual Varnasrama Seminar that Bharat Chandra Das
narrated the story of how Lakshmi devi came to reside in the body of the
cow. Seeing all the demigods having been awarded a particular dwelling place
in the body of mother cow, Lakshmi devi also desired to reside in her.
Although initially refused, after repeated insistences from Lakshmi devi,
mother cow explained that the only place left where she could reside was in
her dung. Since Lakshmi devi Herself resides in cow dung, cow dung is
considered the greatest of wealth, a goldmine. The Timeless Stories of
Gomata is yet another important addition to recent books glorifying mother
cow! May we all benefit from this compilation and may mother cow bestow her
mercy upon us all."
His Holiness R.P.Bhakti Raghava Swami


For details, write to: globalvarnasramamission@gmail.com

Big bucks drive professionals to farming in Gujarat

Great thanks to Sridhari Madhava Prabhu for this wonderful post!

Visit: globalvarnasramamission@blogspot.com

---------- Forwarded Message ----------
From: Sridhari Madhava (das) JPS (Manama - BH)
Date: 26-May-12 16:01 (19:01 +0300)
To: Bharat Chandra (das) BRS (NC VAD Ministry - IN) [19837]
Subject: FW: Timesofindia.com: Big bucks drive professionals to farming in
Gujarat
_______________________________________

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//articleshow/13428636.cms?intenttarget=no

Big bucks drive professionals to farming in Gujarat
Bharat Yagnik & Himanshu Kaushik, TNN | May 24, 2012, 06.36AM IST

AHMEDABAD: Gujaratis are going back to their roots. And, it makes good
business sense too. A buoyant agriculture in the state is luring an
increasing number of professionals and entrepreneurs to switch to farming.

Mahendra Patel, 42, recently closed down his electronics goods showroom.
Patel, who owns an acre of land on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, found growing
Dutch roses more lucrative than his business. "My income has grown many
fold," says Patel, who made a neat Rs 30 lakh this year.

Arvind Patel, a practising doctor put down his stethoscope to pick up a
plough. Patel, 70, now grows exotic vegetables in Gamdi village in
Ahmedabad. "I initially did it to break the monotony. But, now it turns out
that this is good business," says Patel, whose son is settled in the US.

Official data shows there is a 9% growth in the number of farmers in Gujarat
over the last five years - there are 46.61 lakh farmers in the state. The
growth in numbers is largely driven by consistently good monsoon over the
last decade. A portion of it could also be realtors turning to farmers to
buy agriculture land.

State agriculture minister Dileep Sanghani says the number of farmers is
increasing since a large number of people who switched over to other
professions are returning to farmlands. "The number is higher in Saurashtra,
where farmers forced their sons to join other professions due to perennial
water crisis. Water availability is luring them back," says Sanghani.

Krupesh Pandya, 44, who worked as a godown manager for a tea firm left his
Rs 10,000 job to take up farming fulltime. "My income has increased five
fold," he says.

D M Vaghela, deputy director of state horticulture department, says a number
of subsidy schemes on net and greenhouses is a major pull.

Amusing and revealing article about gold

By Samba Das

Happy Nrsimha Caturdasi!

The tale of the modern Hiranyakasipu's!

"This is a picture of an epic struggle between the party of
world-controllers that wants to hold down the price of gold during this
enormous crisis of Western civilization, and the party composed of
individuals, institutions and finance ministries around the world that are
scared witless about losing their precious capital. Equally frightened are
the controllers of the gold price, for with a soaring price of gold their
world-control will evaporate."

See full article at:

http://www.plata.com.mx/mplata/articulos/articlesFilt.asp?fiidarticulo=186

 

27/April/2012

The gold price: the reds against the blues

Hugo Salinas Price

I do not have a crystal ball to tell me the future, nor do I have any special input from insider sources to inform me of what is going on; as a gold-bug I read what all the other gold-bugs are reading.
This past week I downloaded six graphs from kitco.com. They are the daily gold graphs for April 19, 20, 23, 24, 25 and 26, 2012.
The background to these graphs is the titanic bankruptcy of Europe and the impending end of the Euro, alongside the catastrophic condition of the US with its outlandish fiscal deficits for which no end is in sight, and an interest rate policy that cannot return to reality without causing instant collapse – all suspended for the time being in a condition of hypnotic levitation.

Thursday, April 19

This is a picture of an epic struggle between the party of world-controllers that wants to hold down the price of gold during this enormous crisis of Western civilization, and the party composed of individuals, institutions and finance ministries around the world that are scared witless about losing their precious capital. Equally frightened are the controllers of the gold price, for with a soaring price of gold their world-control will evaporate.
These emotions are visible in this graph.
About 9 a.m. (NY time) the controllers decided to hit the gold price good and hard; the controllers are not out to short gold because they want to make money by doing so – their motivation is not profit, but keeping the price of gold down and in a falling trend. Whatever fiat money is lost in controlling the price of gold is totally insignificant to the controllers, because if gold is allowed to trade unhampered it will rise who knows what height and destroy the value of paper money, and paper money is one of the pillars of world control. Losing paper money means nothing to the world-controllers – more can always be produced.
So at about 8:15 a.m the controllers hit gold and brought its price down about $8 dollars to $1,632 in a few minutes.
However, fifteen minutes later, as soon as the controllers stopped selling gold, those who are scared witless about losing the capital they own piled in furiously and bought gold hand over fist taking it up to a peak of $1,658 just before 10 a.m.
This is far more exciting than watching a Wimbledon tennis match! World control is wearing red, private property is wearing blue. At $1,658 the controllers smashed the ball back and down about $6 bucks. The buyers responded weakly and the controllers proceeded with a take-down to $1,640 by 1 p.m., exactly where it was the preceding midnight.

Friday, April 20

Wow! What a match! Furious buying on the part of the blues – private property - and equally furious selling by the world-controllers, the reds.
Just look at the action! Spikes up answered by slams down! This is literally the “World Cup” that’s in play. Desperation and determination on both sides.

Monday, April 23

The reds start early, just after 3 a.m. NY time. The blues – private property - let them come on, waiting for a good price to start bidding. The blues hold their fire until about 8:30 a.m. and at $1,624 begin to buy, bringing the price of gold up to $1,639 just before 5 p.m., with little response by the reds.

Tuesday, April 24

This time the private property blues come on strong about 3 a.m., and start buying at $1,634. The world-controllers are taking a rest and let the blues bid up the price to $1,649, when the controllers decide to punish them and spoil their day; the reds bring the price down to $1,641.

Wednesday, April 25

The game today was dramatic! The price of gold was hovering around $1,642 from midnight to noon, when shortly after 12 noon NY time the world controllers had a tantrum and blasted the gold ball down vertically in the space of an hour to $1,625 – we can hear them saying: “That’ll teach you buggers!” But the response of the private property blues was equally vicious: a vertical streak of buying from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m raised the price of gold to $1,646. Not to let the blues have the last word, the reds responded by taking it down again in the next 60 minutes to $1,638. Blues came back again and took it back up to $1,643 by 3 p.m. No gain for the blues but no win for the reds, either.

Thursday, April 26

The price of gold stood at $1,646 at midnight, NY time. The private property blues had the upper hand, the world controller reds batted the ball back but in general the blues carried the day, with the price of gold at 3:30 p.m at $1,657.50, a gain of $11.50 on the day’s graph.

***

The objective of the reds in this game is to keep the price of gold down during this huge crisis in the financial system of the West. If they can keep this game going until August, with the price of gold remaining about $1,650, we will then begin to read and hear comments that “the gold dummies haven’t made a nickel since August last year! While the stock market has outperformed and is way up at…..” And they will claim that gold is now in a “falling trend” – Jeff Christian recently crowed that “the top in gold is in!” Well, Jeff, remember “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings!”
The world controllers are hoping to take the wind out of the private property blues’ sails, hoping to stamp out the idea that gold has any possibility of future appreciation in terms of fiat money.
In the meantime, from my own point of view, the world controller reds are doomed to defeat; while they may toss billions of paper money away trying to stamp out interest in gold, they are actually providing cheap prices for the private property blues to acquire precious and scarce gold at bargain-basement prices.
I read comments that the physical gold off-take is heavy and draining the stocks of gold available for delivery. At some point, therefore, there may not be enough gold to go around at present prices. Those who purchase physical gold tend to hang on to it and will not resell, especially at present prices. Therefore, something is going to have to give…and that means much higher gold prices.
We blues are looking far ahead, where the smashes and paralysis of the gold price mean nothing against the looming crisis to beat all crises which faces our civilization.
Watching the antics of the world controllers is amusing, and nothing more.
I do have a suspicion that we may witness a singularity, an unexpected event that stampedes the private property blues into buying physical gold hand over fist and that we may see a very hefty breakout of the gold price. This can happen at any time now, it seems to me.

3rd Vedic Ecology Convention 2012

http://www.dandavats.com/?p=10509#more-10509

By Divesh Maharaj
ISKCON Vaishnava Research Forum
Durban
South Africa
The 3rd Vedic Ecology Convention organized by the ISKCON Vaishnava Research Forum (I-VRF) was held at the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple of Understanding, in Chatsworth, south of Durban, on Sunday 22nd April 2012. Many educators from the surrounding schools as well as various academics from the institutions of higher learning were in attendance. Members of the public, devotees and well-wishers of ISKCON also attended.
The convention was officially opened by Mrs S. Rajbansi, an influential public figure in the political landscape of KwaZulu-Natal and a prominent and longstanding well-wisher of ISKCON in South Africa. She highlighted the importance of understanding environmental challenges and indicated that the Convention provided an important platform for dialogue in which to brainstorm possible solutions to such challenges. In her address, Mrs Rajbansi invited the organizing committee to engage further with her in order to take the concepts of Vedic Ecology forward in a practical manner within the local region.
The programme director, Haridev Das, introduced the keynote speaker, His Grace Govardhan Das giving details of his deep interest in the harnessing of environmentally-friendly energy resources. Govardhan Das was instrumental in the development of the Darling Wind farm, the first experimental wind farm in Africa. He also highlighted Govardhan Das’s various high profile positions in the petroleum industry and his participation on the task team investigating the bio-fuels strategy, and his chairing of the government Committee for the removal of lead from petrol and his managing the “Clean Fuels One” program in South Africa.
Govardhan Das started his talk by highlighting the “perils of the planet” such as deforestation, climate change, urban development, rising sea levels and adverse weather patterns. He then spoke about the great paradox of modern times, “we don’t want industrial pollution, but we wants jobs, economic growth, wealth, energy security, etc.” Govardhan Das explained that all of these things come at the risk of great environmental damage as we are currently witnessing. He then proceeded to highlight various important points relating to Ecology and the Vedic literature.
In a lecture in London, in July 1976, Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness said, “This is not a good civilization. It will not stay. There will be catastrophe, waiting. Many times it has happened, and it will happen because transgressing the laws of nature, or the laws of God, is most sinful.”
The next speaker was Her Grace Prasuti Devi Dasi, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Prasuti Dasi spoke about ancient Vedic village life and she made a comparison between the tranquil and peaceful Vedic village lifestyle and the congested, materialistic and consumer-driven modern day city life.
In his book, Vedic Ecology, Ranchor Prime quotes Srila Prabhupada, “Human prosperity flourishes by natural gifts and not by gigantic industrial enterprises, which are the products of a godless civilization and cause the destruction of the noble aims of life. The more we go on increasing such troublesome industries to squeeze out the vital energy of the human being, the more there will be unrest and dissatisfaction of the people in general.”
Mayapur Chandra Das spoke next, on the Global Eco-village movement – a future beyond the fear based economy. He shared many practical aspects supported by an open invitation to the audience that he is willing to participate in knowledge-sharing programs at schools and other institutions. His presentation was followed by Akhanda Kirtan Das, who is currently managing the Krishna Conscious Center in Umlazi, south of Durban. He spoke about the implementation of food gardens in Umlazi, and the need to assist the local people to overcome the challenges of everyday life and to bestow upon them the gift of Krishna Consciousness.
The last two presentations were made by Smita Krishna Das and Acarya Das. Smita Krishna Das spoke about Epistemology and Ecology – what you see is what you do. He discussed the various processes in which knowledge is disseminated and explained that if one acquires knowledge from persons who are materialistic and exploitive, then this will have the adverse effect of cultivating an exploitive society.
Acarya Das presented various slides showing the decay of the Yamuna River in India. He explained that parts of the surface of the river close to the city of Delhi is heavily contaminated with a white toxic foam from industrial wastes that makes it resemble an Antarctic environment. A dam has been erected in the Haryana area which greatly impedes the natural flow of the river, leaving very little water to flow towards Delhi. After the city of Delhi, the sacred river can be equated to a mere drain. Acarya Prabhu mentioned that Mother Yamuna is sacred to the followers of the Vedic culture and impeding her natural flow is similar to Ravana capturing Mother Sita in the Ramayana epic. He invited the audience to help save the Yamuna by signing the online petition via the website www.saveyamuna.org
Two intense and engaging question & answer sessions allowed the speakers to further share their knowledge and vision with the audience. The conference concluded with a summary of the key points of both the keynote address and the five presentations by Her Grace Krishni Devi Dasi. For further information, please e-mail: vaishnava.research@gmail.com

A Place from Which to Grow

A Place from Which to Grow
By Dhanesvara Das

Human life is meant for growth. Although physical growth stops before
several decades, emotional, psychological, intellectual and spiritual growth
can and should continue throughout every person's life.  In order to grow
properly however, we need a proper place. Place means not only a physical
place such as household, but proper relationships with others and proper
activity. All three of these are essential aspects for optimal growth. This
paper addresses the question of people's place in modern society and
contrasts it with place in the varnashrama culture and the different results
in society and people's lives.

A potted plant offers a very good example of having a proper place. The pot
is the physical place where the plant lives, but beyond the pot alone the
plant also requires a proper environment in terms of soil conditions,
atmosphere, temperature, water, and sunlight. When these conditions are
minimally met the plant can live, but when they are optimal the plant can
thrive.

Likewise we are meant to thrive, not just live. We need a properly clean
house and environment where we can care for and give rest to our body, along
with nourishing food. This alone will allow us to survive, but not thrive
for as it is said, man does not live by bread alone. More than mere survival
we all desire to have interesting and meaningful activity appropriate to our
nature. In the modern world we generally call this "work." Ideally that work
will be a bit challenging so that we may make use of our faculties of
understanding, ability, and reasoning. The challenge helps us to grow. If
the work is too easy we will be bored and unengaged, and if the work is
beyond our capacity or ability we will be overworked and stressed.

And we also need a place in relationship to others. These relationships must
be appropriate to our respective stages of life and theirs. Thus we will
have different relationships with those senior to us than we have with our
peers or with our juniors. Having a proper place according these criteria
will help us to be happy and balanced individuals. Like the potted plant
without water, or sunshine, if any of these aspects of life are meager or
missing, then life can run the gamut from drudgery to torture, conditions
under which growth of any kind is difficult or impossible.

Place is so important in society that the war at Kurukshetra was fought to
give the Pandavas a proper place. The war could have been avoided if
Duryodhana would have allowed the Pandavas one village each, but he denied
the Pandavas any land whatsoever, not enough for a single needle! The proper
dharma of a ksatriya requires them to provide a place to others in his
village or kingdom, and this is such a necessary and essential requirement
that a ksatriya is forbidden any other engagement, even in times of
emergency. The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna came to establish the principles of
religion (paritranaya sadhunam) and to this end He admonished Arjuna to
fight the battle to properly establish the .

Place in Ancient Cultures

Historically one's place in society was both fixed and rigid. In both
Western (Feudal society) and Eastern culture place was generally assigned
according to one's birth. Males generally did what their fathers did and
females naturally became mothers and caretakers. You would become an
aristocrat if your parents were aristocrats, and if they were peasants you
would remain a peasant. The world was fairly well fixed at those times and
there was no upward or even lateral mobility for the vast majority of
people. In one sense this was bad and in another it was good. Bad in that if
you had a different nature than your father you were unable to be fulfilled,
but it was good in that a strong social contract existed. Every person had a
definite place in society with well understood rules of behavior, knowing
what they could expect of others and the expectations of themselves. In this
sense nobody was alone in the world. Whatever their fate might have been,
they were joined together with others of their kind with whom they would
share their miseries and joys. For further insights into these types of
culture and the differences before and after the introduction of Western
influences read for example, Bhakti Vikasa Swami's "Glimpses of Traditional
Indian Life," or Helena Norberg-Hodge's "Ancient Futures: Learning from
Ladakh."

Finding Our Place in Today's World

Modern society is just the opposite-we are not given a place in society-we
have to find it, beginning even in childhood. Parents, pressed for time,
find it much easier to do everything themselves rather than taking time to
teach their children and guide them in building their skills, so that many
have never washed a floor or even a dish by the time they leave home.
Children lack a place even within their family. They are told to "go play,"
or they entertain themselves with television and electronic games. Although
they do not have an active role in life they are somehow suddenly expected
to fit right into the adult world upon graduation from school. However they
often cannot and it is taking increasing years for them to find their place
in the adult world. Today most people do not marry until they are almost
thirty years of age, indicating that this is when they are able to find
their place in society; whereas just two generations back they would marry
and begin their family lives just after high school.

Going back to the years when society was more formally structured and there
was a subsistence economy children had a part in adult society and could
take responsibility at much younger ages. For example, David Farragut (later
Admiral Farragut) was a mere 12 years old during the War of 1812 when he was
given his first command. Those who have visited India have undoubtedly
witnessed children of very young ages taking responsibility to manage the
shop of their father, the care of their siblings and even carry on
entrepreneurial activities without any adult supervision. When I see such
things I try to imagine any American boy or girl of the same age doing
similar things. I cannot. Anthropologist Joseph Campbell also observed that
many young men have great difficulty finding their place in modern society,
to which he attributed the attraction of gang membership, and later
involvement in the mafia, whose "codes of honor" do provide a place along
with attendant duties and relationships. He suggested that until adult
society finds some way to provide a place for young men they will naturally
continue their involvement in gangs.

For most people their work provides their place and their orientation to the
world-a way to think of themselves and their relationships with others. It
provides the income with which they pay for their home, another aspect of
place. Work is therefore an essential element of finding one's place.
Although we now have the freedom to choose our work, to be and achieve
anything to the limit of our ability, this is a challenge that many people
struggle with. Despite the many books to help people find the right job or
occupation, despite the many career counselors and job placement companies,
some 80 percent of workers are still unsatisfied with the work they do. This
indicates that their work is not according to their nature, their guna and
karma. Being improperly situated they can make a mess of things, especially
in positions of leadership or management, and it is almost certain that in
such situations they cannot grow.

The Consequences of Loss of Place

The sense of place, the psychological support that comes from it, and the
result of losing it was studied by the pioneer sociologist, Emile Durkheim.
Observing the rapid changes in the social and economic conditions of society
during the industrialization of the late 19th century, he found that in
rapidly changing environments people became unsure of what was expected of
them, and what they could or should expect from others. These expectations,
known as social norms, are the basic rules of the culture. Durkheim observed
that without having a place where they know the norms to guide them, people
become dissatisfied, purposeless and alienated which leads to conflicts,
crime, suicide and other social deviancies. He called this condition anomie,
and wrote about it in his books "The Division of Labor in Society" and
"Suicide."

One of the great tragedies of the modern era is the lack of place for the
hundreds of millions, even billions, of "unnecessary" and "unwanted"
people-the unemployed, the homeless, street urchins, and slum-dwellers.
Modern society affords them little if any place to give them even the simple
honor of living. Who gets a place in modern society? Increasingly only those
who can earn a profit for others, or provide money for others, that is,
those who have employable skills for which there is a market. However, the
need for employable people is diminishing with a diminishing economy. In
the1930s some 60 percent of Americans lived on farms and could provide for
themselves. Over the next 50 years 2,000 farms every week went under or were
sold, their occupants moving to the cities. Today those remaining on farms
number less than 5 percent of the population, and the other 95 percent
require jobs that produce money in order to get their food. Because of the
loss of manufacturing jobs to southeast Asia and service jobs to India and
elsewhere there are simply not enough jobs available. The official
unemployment figures are in double digits, but the real figure counting all
people who would like to work if they could is more than 20% in America.
That figure is similar throughout the world.

Worldwide more than 50 percent of the people now live in cities and the
prediction is that by the year 2020, 90 percent of the people in large
metropolitan areas will be slum-dwellers. This is almost half of the entire
global population! By definition slum dwellers do not have sufficient
earnings with which to properly maintain themselves. Either they are wage
slaves that are forced to work long hours at wages insufficient to live on,
or they have no regular job. In either case they have no place that allows
them to grow. Wage slaves generally have no money and no time for anything
else that might contribute to their growth. And no job means no place, no
place means anomie, which means increased theft, crime, drug use,
prostitution and suicide. This is what is meant by nirvishesha and
sunnyavadi, the voidism and impersonalism of the Kali-yuga. What can we
expect when half of humanity has no place? It is a house of horror. This is
seen as such a problem that there is serious discussion at high levels of
"culling" the human race to what is "needed," and eliminating the "useless
eaters." (This is actually not new. The ideas of Thomas Malthus and eugenics
have been around for several hundred years). These problems could and should
be fixed by society's leader but the policies of government only seem to
make them worse.

Finding One's Place in ISKCON

In the early days of Srila Prabhupada's movement it was easy to find one's
place in the society. Indeed, this was one of the features that made ISKCON
so attractive. Expansion was rapid and young people, or anybody actually,
could easily find a place to make their contribution, whatever that was.
Having a place and the opportunity to contribute to the effort gave the
devotees great joy that happiness was expressed on their faces in kirtan, on
harinam and in their service.

However, in ensuing years the social structure of the movement changed. As
the devotees married and began families there was no longer suitable
facility within the temples, and they were forced to live outside. To pay
for that, most, but not all, had to find their work outside the movement as
well. This generally resulted in not having close proximity to the temples,
which meant less association and less service. The result was
predictable-unable to maintain their active involvement in the movement
these devotees no longer had a place. They became the congregation:
attending the Sunday program, kirtan and taking prasadam, but that is not
enough to have a place and a feeling of contributing to the mission, and a
feeling of belonging. This trend continued through the 80s and ISKCON became
like any other church, with majority of devotees participating as the
congregation. In the process ISKCON ceased to be a counter-culture and had
gone mainstream where life was compartmentalized-work in this arena, social
life here, family life there, and spiritual life over there...

Today the vast majority of devotees have never lived in a temple, and never
had the opportunity to engage cent per cent in temple service, harinam and
book distribution. This means that many of them have never had the privilege
to experience what it means to find their place exclusively in Krishna
consciousness. It is my experience, having been both part of the
congregation and on the inside, that spiritual progress is much easier and
life is much happier on the inside. We also observe that the devotees who
are the steadiest and strongest in their devotional service are those who
have full-time devotional service that provides for their maintenance,
giving them a place in all respects: the sannyasis, the leaders, the temple
presidents, pujaris, cooks, those working with translation and book
production and distribution, brahmacaris, etc. And even among these only a
few are fortunate enough to have a place inside the movement their entire
lives. Unfortunately there is limited engagement in the temple activities
and many are forced to find a place in the dominant culture. For them
Krishna consciousness becomes another of several other aspects of their life
and may not be the most influential.

Place in Varnashrama Culture

The Vedic culture is created and arranged by what may be called "higher
authority." That is, the Supreme Lord has not only given us this world for
our activities, but has also given instruction how we can live here happily,
having meaningful work, and growing throughout our lives. Through the
hierarchy of this world He has given these principles of living in the Codes
of Dharma, or dharma shastra. The codes of dharma divide society into four
working classes called varnas, and four stages of life for spiritual
purposes called ashrama. Each of these has their specific obligations as
well as defined relationships with the other sections. This scientifically
arranged society is designed to provide everyone a place that will
facilitate lifelong growth in all spheres of life.

In the varnashrama culture occupation is not simply a means of obtaining as
much money as possible, nor is it merely a haphazard job taken simply for
survival. The entire concept of varna is that work must be appropriate to
one's nature, or guna and karma. Lord Krishna emphatically states in the
Bhagavad-gita that one must work according to their own nature and that it
is dangerous to do the work of others. (3.35, 18.47) Why dangerous? Because
by doing inappropriate work and being improperly situated we cannot fulfill
the purpose of human life, which is to grow.

There are four varnas-brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra, or the priests
and intellectuals, the political leaders, the organizers and producers and
the workers. All occupations in every human culture can be broadly
classified into one of these four. In the modern culture the relationship
between these four is determined by money almost exclusively, with
corresponding neglect of dharma, but in the varnashrama culture those
relationships are prescribed by the codes of dharma.

In regard to place the ksatriya has a very important role-he is tasked with
giving everyone a proper place in society-both in terms of housing and work.
For his exercise in caring for the citizens as if they were his own children
the ksatriya is considered the representative of the Lord. Not only is it
his duty to see that there is no unemployment in the varnashrama culture,
but everyone must also have work according to their nature. Hence besides no
unemployment there is not even any underemployment. In such a system job
dissatisfaction would approach zero percent.

Neither is there any homelessness in the varnashrama culture. Everyone has a
place to live, a place to work, and proper relationships with others. This
not only includes all human beings, but all species of life, especially
including the bulls and cows, domesticated animals who provide for the needs
of sustainable power and good nutrition.

Creating a Place for Everyone

We often repeat what one astrologer said of Srila Prabhupada, that he
created a house in which the whole world can live. This is another way of
saying that Srila Prabhupada arranged for everyone to have a place from
which they can grow. Everyone means not only the devotees of his Movement,
but all people of the world.

In his last days Srila Prabhupada spoke to Kuladri about this:

Kuladri das:  "I was the temple president at New Vrindavan for so many
years, and Prabhupada had a vision for a pilgrimage site in North America
and a farm community. So he never emphasized book distribution to us. He
explained to me, especially at the end when I was with him in Bombay and in
Vrindavan just before he left, that the second half of his movement would be
dramatically different than the first half. The emergency tactics that he
used to distribute books and give young people sannyasa and open as many
temples as possible would end. He wanted places like New Vrindavan to
establish the culture of Krishna consciousness with colleges, grihastha
lifestyle, all of the things to demonstrate the philosophy that he was so
careful to present in his books. So he right up to the end he was telling me
that the farm communities were so important for the second half and the
vision would be very different than when his movement got started in the
Western world."

In my way of understanding this statement, Srila Prabhupada was preparing us
to lead a great social movement based on his teachings to give a place to
the millions of people that modern society discards like so much rubbish.
This is where I see the varnashrama culture playing a significant role. If
the world's unfortunate people are to be saved it cannot be that we simply
help them find a place again in the same culture that spit them out. There
must be something different that will give them hope to have a meaningful
life, and a place from which to grow. That something different is the
sustainable village life where every person has a proper place to live,
proper engagement, and proper relationships.

On various occasions Srila Prabhupada instructed that the householders
should all live on the farms. Why? Because the village can provide a proper
place for everyone to live in the context of Krishna consciousness. This is
due to the fact that agriculture can provide an economic alternative to the
city job in an environment that supports Krishna consciousness, frees the
devotee from having to associate with non-devotees, and helps them to become
free from rajas and tamo-guna and established in goodness-an important step
to rising to suddha-sattva, the transcendental plane of existence. Moreover,
the village offers many different types of engagement and it is much easier
to find work that is according to one's guna and karma. Although this
instruction of Srila Prabhupada has been neglected, the advantages of the
village life remain. Devotees who are struggling in the cities both with
earning sufficient money and in their spiritual lives may find it helpful to
find a place in the village.

The Result of Giving the Bulls a Place

Not only does the village provide the devotee with the necessities of life,
but also provides the bull with much needed engagement. The bull also is
given a place in the spiritual culture, but he has also been rejected from
the atheistic, materialistic, dominant culture, and replaced by
oil-consuming machines that wreak havoc on the environment and our sanity.
At our Gitagrad community in Lithuania, New Gaudadesha, Bhakta Petras has
taken up the care and engagement of the bulls. I asked him what he had
learned while he was training them. His reply was profound, indicating that
all of human society will benefit greatly by again giving the bull a place
in society. Bhakta Petras replied that from the bull he has learned:

1.They do not learn quickly; one must go slow as they learn slowly
day-by-day
2. Therefore great patience is required. A local man told Petras early on
that he would have to be patient, but that man himself did not even know how
patient one must be. Researching Srila Prabhupada's book Petras found that
that patience is the most important quality and the mother of all other
virtues.
3. As you are training them, they are also teaching you.
4. Because they are very regulated in their actions, they force you to be
regulated in yours.
5. The bull teaches you sattva; he is an animal of a sattva nature, and he
will not go to rajas-you cannot make him get passionate. Instead, you
yourself must come to sattva if you want to work with him-he will thus force
you to come to sattva.
6. Working with the bull may be compared to working with children or women,
in that, if you get angry with them they will refuse to cooperate with you.
If you are calm and reasonable they will work with you.
7. Rajo-guna (increasing speed) and tamo-guna (negative
reinforcement-hitting them) does not work with these animals.
8. Petras recently read from very old records how if a person had been
drinking and the bulls smell that they will refuse to work with the man.
Indeed, they will even try to gore him. They don't want to associate with
such people in the lower modes of nature.
9. The bulls and man are a team; they work together. Unlike driving a car or
tractor, where the driver simply controls the machine. With the bulls one
must learn to cooperate and work as a team.
10. There is mutual dependency between the bulls and the teamster; the bulls
depend on the man to feed and care for them, and the man depends on the
bulls to provide necessary power for accomplishing things.

Petras' comments gave me many realizations. The first is that Petras himself
is not just training the bulls, but they are also training him. By his
effort he is receiving valuable personal training in sattvic qualities,
conditioning him to sattva-guna. Such training is difficult to come by in a
world that is driven by passion and ignorance. Srila Prabhupada has taught
us that we must come to the platform of sattva before we can progress to
suddha-sattva, or the transcendental plane. How valuable are the cow and the
bull to help us stay fixed in sattva-guna.

I also realized how our dependence on the cow and the bull teaches the
entire human society sattva, and keeps them in sattva. Having abandoned the
bull we have lost our tether to sattva and are the entire human race is
drifting inexorably to rajas and tamo-guna, with the attendant terrible
consequences that we are now beginning to reap, economically, socially,
politically, etc.

Next I realized that the reason that Petras has had so many wonderful
realizations because he made room for, and a commitment to Dharma (the
bulls) in his life. He gave the bulls a place in his world. Giving them a
place means giving them a duty, and that is the birth of yajna (yajna is
born of prescribed duties). Only interested in what they can take from
others, modern man does not realize what the cow and bull have to give to
us. Neither does modern man understand sattva-guna or the tremendous
benefits that accrue to society as a whole by giving these animals their
place in human society. Indeed, that is the case with all living beings in
this world since, Om purnam ada purnam idam, this world is perfectly
equipped as a complete whole and every thing and every living thing has its
place.

Modern man instead thinks he can do better by killing the bull and
exploiting the cow for milk and the earth for oil. There is a very old bull
at New Gaudadesh, Nandi. The neighbors ask why we bother to keep an old
bull. They tell us we should kill him. Such an impoverished mentality of
selfishness denying this living entity his place does not allow them to
recognize the value of the bull, dharma, or reap the benefits of associating
with these wonderful animals.

We Are Missing Parts of the Social Machine

All devotees, but the brahmanas and ksatriyas in particular are meant to be
the leaders of society meaning that they are concerned with the welfare of
others, particularly those who are suffering:

sivaya lokasya bhavaya bhutaye ya uttama-sloka-parayana janah
jivanti natmartham asau parasrayam mumoca nirvidya kutah kalevaram

Those who are devoted to the cause of the Personality of Godhead live only
for the welfare, development and happiness of others. They do not live for
any selfish interest. (S.B. 1.4.12)

To this end Srila Prabhupada had wanted his followers, engaging what he
taught them, to correct the defects of modern civilization by establishing
daiva-varnashrama, or the divine culture of Krishna consciousness. This
daiva-varnashrama culture can give everyone a place to grow and so doing
cure all of the ills of today's society.

What is greatly needed now are men of ksatriya and vaisya natures to take
their proper place in the spiritual society, for they are essential to make
the whole scheme work. The ksatriyas and vaisyas must perform their dharma
as given by Sri Krishna in the Gita and dharma shastra. For the ksatriya
this means they must establish and take care of a village and provide a
place for the praja and insure that they have work according to their
nature. And the vaisyas are needed to organize the practical activity of
day-to-day life to see that people have food to eat, clothes to wear and the
other necessities of life. This is their dharma. Where are they? Why are
they not doing their duty? Unless and until these qualified men take up
their dharma this Krishna consciousness movement will not be able to show
the way out of the darkness of the modern materialistic way of living.
People today are becoming increasingly confused by the economic and
political changes and are looking for leadership. The needed concepts are
given in Srila Prabhupada's teachings, but unless we put them to practice
they remain nothing more than the study of an earlier grand culture that has
seen its day and remains lost in a bygone era, and this Krishna
Consciousness movement will have missed its calling of showing the way out
of the darkness of nescience in this time of great adversity.

I hope that this has helped you appreciate what place means in the life of
any person and the necessity of establishing the divine varnashrama culture
to once again provide a place for everyone. I encourage all devotees to
cooperate together to create healing communities for the benefit of all the
devotees, as well as all the people of this world.

2 May 2012
Kaunas, Lithuania