## Four Varṇas to Solve Four Problems Māyāpur, February 15, 1977 - Evening Darśana **ISKCON Farm report...on varṇāśrama farm project, four varṇās solve four problems of social life...Indian farm life...British transportation improvements: a trick to exploit India** **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** **Actually I brought you a very nice report which I think you may like to keep and show to visitors. It's notarized, all about the production at that farm. **So if anyone wants to see what... **Prabhupāda:** **Pennsylvania.** **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Yes. And it's a notarized report, giving everything, the value of the farm as well as the production for one year. So I can give it to Satsvarūpa. **Prabhupāda:** Yes. What is that? Read. Light is not sufficient. **Hari-śauri:** Get that torch in the back. **Prabhupāda:** Torch? **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** I originally composed this for Mahāṁsa Swami, but I thought I would bring a copy for your... You know, so when guests come. Should I read it? **Prabhupāda:** Yes. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** **"ISKCON farm report: Port Royal, Pennsylvania, report for year 1976. ISKCON Incorporated of New York owns a prime farm in Juanita County of Pennsylvania. The land is nearly four hundred acres in size, valued at around five hundred dollars per acre, or two hundred thousand dollars.** In addition the buildings on the property consist of the following: barn worth $40,000; outbuildings worth $10,000; calf barn $25,000; equipment $50,000; residential building $45,000; guesthouse and public kitchen and *prasāda* pavilion $75,000; and silos $20,000. Total, including land, $465,000. The purpose of this land is to produce foodstuffs to meet all the needs of the farm community as well as the needs of our temples in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Another purpose is to demonstrate the principle of cow protection, as we are strict vegetarians and do not believe in slaughtering cows. **Our herd of cows is Brown Swiss, and they are rated amongst the top one percent of dairy cow herds in the United States.** All of the cows are pedigreed. Our farm holds fifty milk cows and fifty young cows, heifers. The milk cows milk an average of 40 kilos of milk per day in their first month of lactation and average 25 kilos per day over the whole year. We have 140 acres of crop land and 30 acres of pasture, the balance being woods, primarily hardwood, which is excellent for fuel.** On our land we grow not only all the food for the residents but also for the cows. **The following is the yield for 1976: corn—200 tons, soybeans—10 tons, barley—10 tons, oats—10 tons..." **Prabhupāda:** What do you do with the soybeans? **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** The soybeans are ground and given to the cows. **Brahmānanda:** In the winter. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** In the wintertime. This way... **Prabhupāda:** They're very nutritious. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Very nutritious. **The cows give more milk according to how much nutritious foods you give them.** **Prabhupāda:** Oh, yes. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** **So much of this, what we produce, is given for the cows, because the cows cannot graze year round. Because for about four or five months there's too cold weather.** Four months. So they have to have stock of food. "Oats—10 tons, wheat—10 tons." The wheat is... **You tasted the *chapāti*.** **Brahmānanda:** Excellent. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Very tasty. **Brahmānanda:** **Nearby there's a mill, and they grind the wheat fresh.** **Prabhupāda:** Hm? **Brahmānanda:** Near to our farm is a mill where they grind the wheat fresh. **Prabhupāda:** Our mill? **Brahmānanda:** No. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** We are going to get one now. It is not difficult to have a mill. "Hay—45 tons." **Prabhupāda:** **In India the practice was hand grind daily. The women will do that. That's exercise for them, and they keep their body fit and beautiful.** **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Oxen can also grind, I think. Can oxen also? **Prabhupāda:** No, there is no need oxen. Individually, small grind ing—*chapki*(?). And in the morning they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and grind. (sings) Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare... This is very nice process. **Whatever they require for the day, they grind fresh. Very nice system. And actually, by this exercise, they keep their body beautiful.** **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Keeps them well engaged. **Prabhupāda:** And engagement. **Yaśodāmāyi was doing that, even she is the queen of Nanda Mahārāja, what to speak of other women. Churning milk, grinding the wheat, this is their household. We have got that picture. Full engagement. Otherwise gossiping...** **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Trouble. **Prabhupāda:** Trouble. And whisping for laugh. That's all. (laughs) Whisping or whispering? **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Whispering. **Prabhupāda:** (chuckling) "Idle brain, devil's workshop." Then? **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** **"In the year 1976 we cultivated 5 acres of vegetables, including 24 tons of potatoes.** We also have 25 beehives, which produce 100 pounds of honey per hive. There is also a fruit orchard with 150 trees, including apples, pears, peaches, and plum trees. Lastly, we are fortunate..." **Prabhupāda:** Those fruits are nice fruits. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** "Lastly we are fortunate to have two natural pure water mountain springs running continuously all year. The water is being bottled and then distributed." And we take that water to New York. **Prabhupāda:** Very digestive. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Oh, yes. And water sells now for a dollar a gallon now in New York. A good market. **Prabhupāda:** Just see. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** "So we at ISKCON farm look forward to an even more bountiful harvest in the year 1977. This is subscribed and sworn before me by a notary public." So it is official report. **Prabhupāda:** **Very good report. It is worth seeing, worth considering our... If we develop our farms in India on this basis, it will be very nice. **We have got greater land. You have got 450 acres; we have got 600. No? Now it requires development. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Mahāṁsa was calling for this because he said that by showing this... He wants to get a big grant of money. **Prabhupāda:** They simply want money. That's all. Money will only be supplied. Let them show some work. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Paramānanda may be able to come to help there. **Prabhupāda:** Yes, to give them direction. It will be very nice. If Param ānanda comes, we can invest money without any hesitation. He has got experience. **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** Well, I'll certainly... When Ādi-keśava comes here, I'll be talking to him about this point. He may be able to come in the winter time. **Prabhupāda:** Similarly, we can develop farm here also. **Farm development is Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Kṛṣṇa is tending cows, and Balarāma is plowing. Therefore the plow and flute, flute for tending cows and plow for agriculture—Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma. **In Africa also you have got good opportu nity for these farm projects. **Brahmānanda:** Yes. Actually one of our members in Mombasa, he wanted to buy us a farm. Unfortunately Cyavana rejected it. Anyway, he went and bought the farm for eighty thousand, and now he's developed it, and it's a wonderful farm. We went there for a program. It's very productive. He has one manager, an Indian manager, and the Africans do all the work. He has cows and mangoes, growing vegetables. He's very thankful to us because we helped... **Prabhupāda:** Gave the idea. **Brahmānanda:** Yes. But he's our good friend and supporter. He will help us in Mombasa very much. **Prabhupāda:** Yes. **Farm project is very nice. Kṛṣṇa gives.* Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya- vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam.*** [Bg [[bg/18/44|18.44]]]: "Farming, cow protection and trade are the natural work for the *vaiśyas*...] **This is economic problem solved. And *brāhmaṇa*, brain problem solved, and *kṣatriya*, protection problem solved, and *śūdra*, labor problem solved. Four things combined together, live peacefully, happily. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Introduce this farm project.** In America there is enough scope. So much land is lying vacant. And if there are jungles, cut the jungles; use the wood. Just like our Virginia. Big, big jungles. You cut the woods, you get ground, open field, and utilize the logs for house-making. Food, shelter, everything there. In Africa, everywhere, the nature's way. *Pūrṇam idam* [Īśopaniṣad, Invocation]. Everything, complete arrangement by Kṛṣṇa. We have to little work. *Śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ*. [From *Bg.* [[bg/3/8|3.8]]: "Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not working. One cannot even maintain one's physical body without work.] If you sit idly, then you'll starve. Otherwise everything is there.** You work little and get your all necessities.* ****Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān*. [*Kaṭha Upaniṣad* 2.2.13: "The Supreme Lord...maintains innumerable other individual living beings.] **That one person, God, He's supplying everyone whatever necessities. You have to simply work little. **That is material world. In the material world you have to work... **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** **When was the railway first built?** **Prabhupāda:** Oh, I think about 1928, long ago, because about twenty years ago there was centenary, hundred years.** So the local produce was not exported. Everything was cheap in the village because you have to consume. Whatever is produced in the village you have to consume. And these Britishers, they introduced railway and drew everything in the village to the town. And they would not sell in the village because they would get good price in the city.** Otherwise in the village, everything was very cheap, very, very cheap—milk, vegetables, rice, *dāl*, everything. **And the Britishers, they had no food. They have got only the potato. In England what they produce? No food. So everything was exported. Their policy was to supply manufactured goods and take raw materials from India. So they supplied cotton goods. They saw that all Indians are using cotton cloth. Iron they introduced. **They introduced railway line, all iron, the carriage, the wheel, the road. Everything was... In this way they became prosperous.** And the Indian people, they saw... They were educated because they are fond of going to pilgrimage by walking. They would go... Suppose from here, Navadvīpa, one has to go to Vṛndāvana. He would make his will, because he does not know whether he'll come back or not. Long distance, thousand miles, you have to go by, on leg. They used to go. So they were advertised that "No. Now you'll have not to walk. The Company, they're making very easy going railway."** So they received it, "Oh! (Hindi)" (laughs) **But their idea was to draw all the raw materials from villages and send it to England.** **Tamāla Kṛṣṇa:** But they advertised, "Now you can go..." **Prabhupāda:** "Now you can go to *tīrtha* by nice railway." **Brahmānanda:** British Railway. **Satsvarūpa:** Company. **Prabhupāda:** **And they thought, "Oh, how beneficial the English, British Company. They're giving us so much facility."** From the Cities to the Villages, May 27, 1977, Vṛndāvana, Conversation Pieces