Highways

Expressions researched:
"highway" |"highways"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.11.14, Translation and Purport:

The highways, subways, lanes, markets and public meeting places were all thoroughly cleansed and then moistened with scented water. And to welcome the Lord, fruits, flowers and unbroken seeds were strewn everywhere.

Scented waters prepared by distilling flowers like rose and keora were requisitioned to wet the roads, streets and lanes of Dvārakā-dhāma. Such places, along with the marketplace and public meeting places, were thoroughly cleansed. From the above description, it appears that the city of Dvārakādhāma was considerably big, containing many highways, streets and public meeting places with parks, gardens and reservoirs of water, all very nicely decorated with flowers and fruits. And to welcome the Lord such flowers and fruits with unbroken seeds of grain were also strewn over the public places. Unbroken seeds of grain or fruits in the seedling stage were considered auspicious, and they are still so used by the Hindus in general on festival days.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.27.29, Purport:

The word karma-vinirmitam means "manufactured by fruitive activities." This entire material world, especially in these days, is the result of fruitive activities. Everyone is fully engaged in decorating the world with highways, motorcars, electricity, skyscrapers, industries, businesses, etc. All this appears very nice for those who are simply engaged in sense gratification and who are ignorant of spiritual identity. As described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.4):

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma

yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti

na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam

asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ

Those without knowledge of the spirit soul are mad after materialistic activities, and they perform all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense gratification. According to Ṛṣabhadeva, such activities are inauspicious because they force one to accept an abominable body in the next life. Everyone can experience that although we try to keep the body in a comfortable position, it is always giving pain and is subjected to the threefold miseries.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.16.24, Purport:

The prosperity of humanity does not depend on a demoniac civilization that has no culture and no knowledge but has only gigantic skyscrapers and huge automobiles always rushing down the highways. The products of nature are sufficient. When there is a profuse supply of milk, yogurt, honey, food grains, ghee, molasses, dhotis, saris, bedding, sitting places and ornaments, the residents are actually opulent. When a profuse supply of water from the river inundates the land, all these things can be produced, and there will not be scarcity. This all depends, however, on the performance of sacrifice as described in the Vedic literature.

SB 5.26.27, Purport:

In the Twelfth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is said that in this age of Kali everyone will be extremely disturbed by three kinds of tribulations: scarcity of rain, famine, and heavy taxation by the government. Because human beings are becoming more and more sinful. there will be a scarcity of rain, and naturally no food grains will be produced. On the plea of relieving the suffering caused by the ensuing famine, the government will impose heavy taxes, especially on the wealthy mercantile community. In this verse, the members of such a government are described as dasyu, thieves. Their main activity will be to plunder the wealth of the people. Whether a highway robber or a government thief, such a man will be punished in his next life by being thrown into the hell known as Sārameyādana, where he will suffer greatly from the bites of ferocious dogs.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 12:

One of them said, “Yes, what you say is true. This animal's upper lip appears to be just like the sunshine, and its lower lip is just like the reflection of red sunshine on the ground. Dear friends, just look to the right- and left-hand side of the mouth of the animal. Its mouth appears to be like a big mountain cave, and its height cannot be estimated. The chin is also raised just like a mountain summit. That long highway appears to be its tongue, and inside the mouth it is as dark as in a mountain cave. The hot wind that is blowing like a hurricane is his breathing, and the fishy bad smell coming out from his mouth is the smell of his intestines.”

Krsna Book 64:

The brāhmaṇas were well qualified, and since none of them were rich, their family members were always in want for the necessities of life. A real brāhmaṇa never hoards money for a luxurious life, like the kṣatriyas or the vaiśyas, but always keeps himself poverty-stricken, knowing that money diverts the mind to materialistic ways of life. To live in this way is the vow of a qualified brāhmaṇa, and all of these brāhmaṇas were well situated in that exalted vow. They were well learned in Vedic knowledge. They executed the required austerities and penances in their lives and were liberal, meeting the standard of qualified brāhmaṇas. They were equally friendly to everyone; above all, they were young and quite fit to act as qualified brāhmaṇas. Besides the cows, they were also given land, gold, houses, horses and elephants. Those who were not married were given wives, maidservants, grain, silver, utensils, garments, jewels, household furniture, chariots, etc. This charity was nicely performed as a sacrifice according to the Vedic rituals. The King also stated that not only had he bestowed gifts upon the brāhmaṇas, but he had performed other pious activities, such as digging wells, planting trees on the roadside and installing ponds along the highways.

Krsna Book 69:

When Nārada arrived in Dvārakā, he saw gardens and parks full of various flowers of different colors, and also orchards overloaded with a variety of fruits. Beautiful birds were chirping, and peacocks crowed delightfully. There were ponds full of blue and red lotus flowers, and some of these ponds were filled with varieties of lilies. The lakes were full of nice swans and cranes, and the voices of these birds resounded everywhere. In the city there were as many as 900,000 great palaces built of first-class marble, with gates and doors made of silver. The pillars of the houses and palaces were bedecked with jewels such as touchstone, sapphire and emerald, and the floors gave off a beautiful luster. The highways, lanes, streets, crossings and marketplaces were all beautifully decorated. The whole city was full of residential homes, assembly houses and temples, all of different architectural beauty. All of this made Dvārakā a glowing city. The big avenues, crossings, lanes and streets, and also the thresholds of every residential house, were very clean. On both sides of every path there were bushes, and at regular intervals there were large trees that shaded the avenues so that the sunshine would not bother the passersby.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Los Angeles, July 11, 1974:

So this is civilization, this is culture. So at the present moment there is no respect for brahminical culture. Just like we are trying to make our disciples perfectly men of character. No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating. And people will take it very lightly. They laugh. Because they do not know what is brahminical culture, what is the perfection of human life. So all these are happening and will continue to happen till the end of this age, very, very dangerous. We must always consider. Don't be allured by big, big highways and skyscraper building with full advertisement of wine and cigarette. This is not life. This is not life. Life, here is life. Let anyone come and compare this life in this temple and outside. This is life.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Hawaii, March 21, 1969:

So this materialistic way of life is not human life. It is less than animal life. Animal also does not work so hard. You see? And the people are engaged, wherever you go, the very big highways. What is called? Freeways. Four lines of motor cars running this way and four lines of motor cars running this way at the speed of seventy miles, and everyone is busy. You see? And they take, "It is a very good civilization." And if you shortcut your hard labor, sit down and discuss what is the Absolute Truth, what is the philosophy of life, "They are nonsense." You see? And if you work day and night, hard labor, and to get that energy, inject some medicine or some tranquilizer and this and that... You see?

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

So this kind of changing the course of discomfort... Actually, it is a place for discomfort. You cannot expect real comfort within this material world. It is a place... Because Kṛṣṇa Himself certifies this place duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). It is a place for miserable condition of life. Now, how you can make it a happy place? That is not possible. So our attempt to make us happy, the example is given, just like to take the heavy burden from head to the shoulder. That's all. Changing the place. Now we are creating so many problems, you know. You have got many cars, many roads, but still, you have to construct highways or flyways, one road after another, one road after another. Still, there is congestion. Still, there is accident. So in this way we cannot be comfortable. This is a vain endeavor. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They are unnecessarily, hopelessly trying to become happy within this material world. And people, the so-called scientists, so-called advancement of material education means... Now, the scientist says that they have finished their business; they have no more to discover. But the discomforts of life still is there.

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 21, 1970, Surat:

Haṁsadūta: Once you said we are making solutions to self-created problems, and we think it's advancement.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Haṁsadūta: We've created a big thing and then make so many solutions.

Prabhupāda: Just like we just take example from your country. You are constructing so many highways, freeways. Still, there is problem. Still, even in the highways, sometimes blocked. Aiye. (Hindi) Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido (SB 1.5.18). (Hindi) We do not dissuade persons to stop work. No. That is not our... You do your work, but be Kṛṣṇa conscious. That's it. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was a fighter. Kṛṣṇa never stopped him from his occupation, but he was taught Kṛṣṇa conscious even in the battlefield. (Hindi—break) You want to see? Yes. Where is that book?

Haṁsadūta: Here, Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: Kiñcid adhīta. (break) ...a thousand pages of this size. This is four hundred pages, but that Gītā will be thousand pages. But we shall use very thin paper. Yes. It is available after some time.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Mister Popworth and E. F. Schumacher -- July 26, 1973, London:

Haṁsadūta: Anyway, our point is... We're speaking in general. In general, because the center, factually the center, God, is missing, somehow or other, He's missing, therefore people are also giving it up. They can't take it. Because it's not practical. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is practical. It's not a sentiment or a dry philosophy. It's a practical philosophy of life, absolute philosophy of life, how to do everything without any pollution, without any contamination. Just like we are experiencing by our so-called advancement that we have created so many modern facilities for comfort, but the result is, alongside, simultaneously, there's an equal disadvantage. Just like we create a motor car. But we create air pollution. Or you create a highway. But you have to create snowplow to clear the highway. You have to create police. You have to create so many other things.

Prabhupāda: And there is list of accidents, injuries.

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Revatīnandana: And just like yesterday, Mahādeva's parents came here, his mother came here along with a Jesuit family priest, about sixty years old. And she accused us that we had come and kidnapped him out of the university. And we said, "Actually, we didn't kidnap him. He came to our temple and didn't want to go away," which is what happened. She said, "Well, that's because he took some LSD and he had a false religious experience."

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- July 1, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is nice. It requires good leader, that's all. (break) ...Kṛṣṇa we must prepare very first-class foodstuff, and where is the complaint if it is first class?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's all a concoction. Certain devotees have concocted. They have taken advice from other masters, food masters, what to eat, what not to eat, all concoction. It's clearly written in Bhagavad-gītā, those foods which are sattvic-juicy, fatty. Everything is mentioned there.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Guide them. (break) ...here the main business is slaughterhouse.

Brahmānanda: In this state.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Cow country, it's called. They call it that. On the highway you see that, "Cow country."

Prabhupāda: Chicago is also this...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, very bad. That is very bad.

Brahmānanda: There's one area of the town that there's a bad odor.

Prabhupāda: Here also they say. Just like in Bombay, the Bandra(?).

Room Conversation with the Mayor of Evanston -- July 4, 1975, Chicago:

Mayor: No. I know about the article on the crime and I have it at home, but I have not read it as yet. But we certainly know that it's a tremendous problem in the United States, perhaps throughout the world and certainly here.

Prabhupāda: It is not a problem. Just like there is disease, and there is remedy also. And as much as the disease is chronic, the remedy is also costly. So in the western countries—do not mind—they are not trying to educate first-class men, and that is the difficulty. This advancement, technical knowledge, to have nice motor cars or big, big buildings, highways, this is very good, but this is not the aim of life.

Mayor: No, material things should not be.

Prabhupāda: They are missing the aim of life. That is the... The aim of life is, an..., not according to Vedic, but anyone, the aim of life is how to realize God. That is aim. In the animal life or in other lives less important than the human being there is no question of God realization. In the human life, the civilized human life, there is religion. It doesn't matter whether one is Christian or a Hindu or a Muslim or a Buddhist.

Room Conversations -- July 26, 1975, Laguna Beach:

Prabhupāda: We say that. But ask the professor that "You are engineer; you are not so powerful. There is another big engineer who has done it. So God means you try to understand who is that biggest engineer."

Devotee (4): They were saying that all the highways and all the nice buildings...

Prabhupāda: And all the oceans? Here is the highway, and there is the ocean. Which is important? (laughter) You might have created these highways, but another engineer has created that ocean, side by side. So who will get the greater credit?

Devotee (4): They say that there's a limited amount of resources here on this planet, that unless we use these resources wisely, then they will all be used up. They say that there's very limited amounts, so therefore they must be careful.

Prabhupāda: But this... Who supplied the resources of this ocean? They say that water is combination of hydrogen and oxygen, so wherefrom this hydrogen-oxygen supply came?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- June 5, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. There are many government men. Why not? Human psychology is the same. How many lines in...?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How many lanes.

Rāmeśvara: Four lanes.

Prabhupāda: That is biggest.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, there is a highway with six lanes, and there's even some with seven. Yes, fourteen lanes. In other words, fourteen lanes both sides.

Rāmeśvara: Every family has to have two or three cars; otherwise, they are not respected.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Also every family has to have two or three televisions; otherwise, there's fighting. Because the husband wants to see one show, the wife another, and the children another. So at least two or three televisions. Two or three cars.

Prabhupāda: In India also, those who are rich.

Morning Walk -- June 6, 1976, Los Angeles:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You said, I think it said, he was a thousand times greater. You wrote that in the purport.

Prabhupāda: Nature's law is not like that, that you suffer for me. No. I suffer for my. It is magnanimity that I'll suffer. Sometimes they do so, but actually nature's law is different. If you have committed theft, you will suffer; why I shall suffer? Even if I say in the court that "I'll go to jail," he'll not go. (break) ...city in the world except in America, such nice roads.

Hari-śauri: The Americans are expert at building highways.

Prabhupāda: They have got money and all these.... They want to do it (laughs) (unclear) money.

Rāmeśvara: They use these arguments that they are civilized, that they are making progress.

Prabhupāda: Who?

Rāmeśvara: Americans.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that I say also. That you are fortunate. Take Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be the best nation in the world. Simply you take Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Morning Walk -- June 18, 1976, Toronto:

Prabhupāda: From tar, you find paper?

Viśvakarmā: Yes. All different types of packaging have (indistinct) as well.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They keep salt in here for...

Prabhupāda: Salt?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: When it snows on the highways, trucks come and they pour salt so it keeps the snow melting. More friction on the road for the tires.

Prabhupāda: Wine and cigarettes, just like here you can purchase by slot. What is called?

Hari-śauri: Machine.

Prabhupāda: Machine. Yes. You pay and get cigarette and tin can. There are many boxes like that on the street, public street. And they pass urine on the road. There is no restriction, standing apart.

Conversation in Airport and Car -- June 21, 1976, Toronto:

Kīrtanānanda: I've always felt that, but it makes it difficult to live with him in the meantime. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Is that railway line? No. (break) There are some roads in Los Angeles (indistinct) That is America. Everywhere.

Kīrtanānanda: Big cars and big roads.

Prabhupāda: Opulence.

Hari-śauri: America seems to be one big highway.

Prabhupāda: They have got cars and they have got roads also. Very good. That's all right. But why they should give up the real business of life?

Hari-śauri: I don't think it's so much that they gave it up; they didn't ever know what it was.

Prabhupāda: There was no preaching. There was no education on this subject. The Christian priests, they are unable to...

Kīrtanānanda: They have no knowledge themselves. How they can teach?

Hari-śauri: They are all giving up out of hopelessness themselves.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are now asking... In Melbourne the priest asked me, "Swamiji, why Christian religion is dwindling? What we have done?" I told them, "What you have not done?" (laughs) They were little insulted.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Discussion about Kumbhamela -- January 8, 1977, Bombay:

Gurudāsa: How can they get jobs easy, when so many people are lying on the...

Dr. Patel: It is at least they can have some food. In the small villages they're not having.

Gurudāsa: In small villages food grows out of the ground.

Dr. Patel: They don't want to grow. They want to just give up, go to here.

Gurudāsa: That is an anomaly.

Dr. Patel: I tell you, this vicious propaganda of the government... I have got a small hill, fifteen bigas, on a highway, Bombay highway, with canal waters irrigating my land and a well with pump and everything. Last year we spent nine thousand rupees on fertilizer and all things and other paraphernalia, and pay for the servants. And they got paddy worth six thousand rupees.

Prabhupāda: Three thousand lost.

Room Conversation -- January 22, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Gargamuni: Maybe the same size. I think it's the same size. And there's bathroom and porch.

Prabhupāda: Then?

Gargamuni: It's nice. It's peaceful and quiet.

Abhirāma: No trucks going. Prabhupāda was complaining a little bit.

Gargamuni: No. There's no... You're off the main road, very much so. Then you go at least two miles off the highway. Then you make another right turn and you go through a village. And then you come to a big opening, and the temple is there with bathing ghāṭa. There is also tube well where you can get very good water. And the cottage is just on the other side of the mandir.

Prabhupāda: Very nice place.

Gargamuni: Yes. It's very nice. Very peaceful.

Prabhupāda: Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed there, and Nityānanda Prabhu stayed. Mādhavendra Purī stayed. It is very important place.

Room Conversation -- February 2, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Yugadharma: I would like to do also, set a large business up if the prasādam...

Prabhupāda: It will be very nice.

Satsvarūpa: Oh.

Yugadharma: That would... Yes.

Prabhupāda: So you teach them that before Gaura-Nitāi, let them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam.

Yugadharma: Yes. I would like to do this in Laguna Beach on the highway.

Prabhupāda: And if you do this, it will be great service, great service. They can take Gaura-Nitāi at home. So let them offer vegetarian food to Gaura-Nitāi and then take it. If you can introduce home to home, it will be great service.

Yugadharma: Because it is a very arty community. They are very interested in art there and bogus impersonalism. There seems to be a lack of enthusiasm in the gṛhasthas in Laguna Beach.

Prabhupāda: No if they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra...

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Hanuman Prasad Poddar -- Los Angeles 4 March, 1970:

For the present, I have got ambition to start at least 108 centers. My disciples are already scattered from Hamburg to Tokyo, and from Tokyo to Sydney. And more youngsters are joining us daily in this movement. By the grace of Krsna this Society is purchasing a very big church estate on the Venice Boulevard, one of the important highways of Los Angeles, and we shall remove there next April. When we go there, we shall be able to invite many important men of the city and try to convince them about our high philosophy. The atheist class of men foolishly inquire "Where is God?" And we present them Krsna—here is God, and if you have got sense and intelligence just try to understand Krsna, whether He is not God.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Paris 25 July, 1972:

I am very happy to hear that the things are going on very nicely, especially at Gurukula. I have heard from Bhagavan dasa that you want to move the deities from Detroit. That is not a very good proposal. In general, deities are never removed from one place to another simply for show. Once the deity is installed in India, it can never be removed under any circumstances, even they must build the highway around it. But in our case we may sometimes have to change houses, so we may once have to move the deity from one house to another, but we shall not move them from one city to another just for our own convenience. We are always thinking these kind of changes, why is that? I simply want things to be developed which we have got, not to make so many big big plans and changing all the time, that is not very practical.