Starvation (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
starvation |starve |starved |starves |starving

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.15 -- London, July 15, 1973: That is higher intelligence, that “Why shall I ask food from God? God is supplying food to the cats, dogs, ants, elephants, and I want little food, he will not supply me? And especially when I engage myself in His service? Ordinary man pays to his servant, and I shall starve if I am engaged in the service of God?” This is intelligence. This is intelligence. “Why shall I bother God? If He likes, I will starve. That doesn’t matter. But I must engage myself in the service of the Lord.” This is intelligence. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. This intelligence comes after many, many births of endeavoring for self-realization. It is not easily comes. So there is no question of scarcity for devotee. Just like this morning I was discussing with a gentleman. So a devotee is not in need of everything. Why he should be? He cannot be. Even one who is not devotee, if he is getting supplies from God, how is it that the devotee will not get? Just like the government. The government, although there is prisonhouse, the government supplies the food. Not that because they have gone to the prisonhouse, they are starving. Rather, those who are unemployed, they prefer prisonhouse, that without any service, they will get free food.

Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973: Śūdra, unless he finds out a master to provide him, his all education is useless. Nowadays they are educated, but they must have a good service. That means he’s a śūdra. Without finding a master, his education has no value. So therefore in the śāstra it is said, kalau śūdrā sambhavāḥ. Kalau, “In this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is śūdra.” Because he cannot even live without having a master. He must have a master to provide him. But the Vedic culture is that brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they will not accept any service. No. They will die of starvation. Especially brāhmaṇa. That is enjoined in the śāstras, that a brāhmaṇa, if he is in bad position some way or other, economically, he may accept the position of a kṣatriya or a vaiśya, but he should not accept the position of a śūdra. That is doggish. This is so injunction. Therefore formerly a brāhmaṇa, when he accepts a service from anywhere, he was rejected from the brāhmaṇa society.

Lecture on BG 1.23 -- London, July 19, 1973: Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So whatever Kṛṣṇa gives you as prasādam, as His favor, you accept it and be satisfied. This is the basic principle of peace in the world. But because people are not educated in that way, everyone is wanting more and more and more and more. There is no satisfaction. So that is durbuddhi. The Vedic culture is that “You be satisfied with your position.” There is no question of starving in any position of life. People are trying to make economic development, but according to śāstra, it is not possible to develop your economic position simply by endeavor. You are destined to have some portion mixed up with happiness and distress. That is the nature.

Lecture on BG 1.31 -- London, July 24, 1973: So Kṛṣṇa is the supreme master of all mystic power. Therefore He is called Yogeśvara. He is called Yogeśvara. So if Kṛṣṇa is on your side, then you do not require to practice yoga. If you are a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, because how much power shall get. You may gain some power by this mystic process, but you cannot be equal with Kṛṣṇa’s power. Just like aṇimā, laghimā. To make everything very light, or become very light, the yogi can fly in the air without an aeroplane. He can go even in the sun planet, moon planet, without any sputnik. Simply [break] ...his wife. But he was a yogi and she was devoted, so became lean and thin, because she could not eat very nicely. A yogi cannot supply nice food. Simply starvation, starvation. (laugh) That is yogi. So he thought that this poor girl came to me, his father is king. She is not accustomed to so much trouble, so she asked her, “What you want?” “No, because I have come to you, I want some children, and a little comfortable life.” “All right.” So he made an aeroplane by yogic power, a big town. Not this 747. The 747 is the biggest plane, but not like this. A big town with lake, with palatial building, maid-servants, servants, and that big plane went all round the universe. He showed all the planets to his wife. This is yogic power. This is yogic power. So where is that yogi? So here, Yogeśvara. All these mystic powers can be attained by ordinary man if he wants, there is process. But Kṛṣṇa is the master of all yogic power, Yogeśvara.

Lecture on BG 1.41-42 -- London, July 29, 1973: When the unwanted children, irresponsible children, they do not follow any more the tradition, the family tradition, or jāti-dharma, so they create a class of population in the varṇa-saṅkara. So everything becomes topsy-turvy, hellish condition. And actually it has so happened. Now there is no more jāti-dharma. Everyone is engaged somehow or other to fill up the belly. Formerly, formerly there was stricture. The brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, and the vaiśyas, these three higher castes, there were certain restrictions. The brāhmaṇa would not do this or the brāhmaṇa must do this. So that is called jāti-dharma. A brāhmaṇa cannot accept service from anywhere. I have discussed many times. A kṣatriya also cannot. And vaiśya cannot. Only the śūdra can become servant of others. Paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam. So, at the present moment, nobody can observe the strict rules and regulations, that “I am born in a brāhmaṇa family. I cannot accept anyone’s service.” Then you will have to starve. Because he has no brahminical capacity... By education, by culture, he’s a śūdra, although falsely he’s claiming that he is a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya. So his jāti-dharma, family tradition, family rituals, everything is lost due to this unwanted children. Unwanted children make everything topsy-turvy.