READ SRILA PRABHUPADA'S "BE SATISFIED WITH THE SIMPLE VILLAGE LIFE". AN EVENING LECTURE GIVEN AT GITA-NAGARI FARM ON JULY 15, 1976.
So, Krsna consciousness means to follow the order of Krsna. Our life has a certain aim in this material world, sometimes we forget. Material world means forgetting our aim of life; that is natural. The basic principle of material life is forgetting Krsna. Maya means that one has forgotten his relationship with Krsna, that is called Maya. So, Krsna is very kind. According to Vedic system, Krsna consciousness is maintained to some extent if you follow the Vedic principles,then we revive our consciousness, our relationship. that is explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when he was talking with Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, that the Vedic principle is to revive our relationship with Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita also Krsna says "vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah",the real purpose of Vedic knowledge is to come to the understanding of Krsna consciousness. so this Krsna consciousness movement is trying to revive the original, constitutional position.
So one of them in the Krsna consciousness movement is village organization, as you are trying here. Krsna, in his natural life, is a village boy in Vrndavana. Vrndavana is a village. There is no factory , there is no motorcar, there is no big, big skyscraper buildings; it is village. That Krsna likes. In the sastra it is said, "Vrndavan parityaiya padam ekam na gacchati." Krsna is so fond of that Vrndavana village life, with his cowherd boys and cowherd girls, his gopis, mother Yasoda, father Nanda, and Upananda, uncles and big family, and calves, the trees, the Yamuna river. He is satisfied in that life. So, at least those who are Krsna conscious, they should be satisfied with the simple village life. Thatis part of Krsna consciousness. But it does not mean we shall avoid city life or town life, no. Everything, every place is Krsna's place. Everywhere there should be Krsna consciousness. We should keep ourselves within the village and properly organize as Krsna personally showed us the example. He was personally taking care of the cows and the calves. When He was a child He was taking care of the calves. When He was grown up He was taking care of the cows, even though he was the son of a very rich man, Nanda Maharaj, the village king. But still He was working hard the whole day, going in the morning to the pasturing ground and returning in the evening. Then he used to take his bath, change dress, and immediately go to sleep. This was Krsna's pastime. So we should follow in his footprints. What is that verse? Asraddadhanah purusa dharmasyasya parantapa aprapya mam nivartante mrtyu samsara-vartmani (BG 9.3) So whatever Krsna has taught by His personal life, by His teaching, to follow that is Krsna consciousness.
Everything is there in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. His personal life is there, and Bhagavad-gita, His teachings are there, and he comes for this purpose: paritranaya sadhunam vinsaya ca duskrtam. To deliver those thar are naturally God conscious, to make their life perfect in this life. This life should be the last material life, and the next life they should go directly to Krsna. Mam eti... tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so'rjuna... if we become fully Krsna conscious. Simply try to understand what is Krsna. There is no difficulty, Krsna is the supreme controller, thats all. There is a supreme controller, that we have to accept. There is no way out. There is no way out that you will deny the supreme controller; that is not possible. So there is a supreme controller. If you are a sane man you will understand very easily, and that supreme contoller is Krsna. He comes personally and says, "Mattah parataram nanyet, kincid asti dhananjaya." There is no other controller above Krsna. Therefore, He is the Supreme Controller. He is giving us instruction. If we follow his instruction, very simple, and remain in this village, satisfied with simple life, agricultural produce, milk- how many nice things you have produced. Where is the difficulty? There is no economic problem. You are getting so much milk that it is becoming a problem how to utilize it.
In India, we are in scarcity of milk. So, "Krsi go-raksya vanijyam." So if you have got excess milk, you can make it into powdered milk and send it to India in any amount. It will be consumed. At least we can use it in our different centers, we can distibute. So there is no question. Besides that you can prepare ghee from milk. From milk, first of all, drink as much as you like. Then convert it into yogurt, next day, next day, next day and then when that is also enough, then churn it, take out butter- buttermilk and butter- and drink the buttermilk with capati. It is very palatable, very nutritious. Then butter, if you have got excess butter then turn it into ghee and ghee can be preserved for years. There's no question of preservation. You send it to the cities and towns. And we are now encouraging to open prasad distribution restaurants. They can utilize the ghee. Then where is the problem? There is no problem. Each drop of milk you can utilize to the perfect utility point.
And if there is an excess of cows, you have got some woods, so you cut out the trees and make an encirclement and keep them there. So there is no problem. Krsna was maintaining 900,000 cows. There is no problem. But give protection to the cows. That is the order of Krsna. We cannot be ungrateful- that we kill mother. The milk is so important. We are drinking milk and in exchange, if we cut the throat of the mother, that is not civilization- that is barbarism, less than animal. Animals also, they have respect for mother. So try to give protection to the cow. That is pious activity, and you will not be in scarcity.
Live village life, simple life, and be satisfied with the bare necessities. There is no need of luxuries. Save time and chant Hare Krsna. This is ideal life. So, I am very pleased that you are doing that, and do it nicely, so that others may be attrcted. This town life, industrial life, factory life, is asuric life. It is killing human ambition. It is killing civilization. So there are many other buisnesses for a Krsna conscious person, because in the Bhagavad-gita Krsna speaks all around; sociology, politics, philosophy, religion, culture, economics, everything is there. If you simply try to follow Krsna's instructions, then you get cultural life all around.