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Problem is scarcity of God consciousness. This is the problem. Therefore we are suffering

Expressions researched:
"Problem is scarcity of God consciousness. This is the problem. Therefore we are suffering"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

There is no scarcity of food. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. God is so kind. He is feeding many, many millions and trillions of living entities. In Africa there are millions of elephants. Who is feeding them? Kṛṣṇa is feeding them. So these economic questions, overpopulation question, these are not actually problems. Problem is scarcity of God consciousness. This is the problem. Therefore we are suffering.
Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Hyderabad, April 21, 1974:
So actually, there is no scarcity of food. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. God is so kind. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He is feeding many, many millions and trillions of living entities. In Africa there are millions of elephants. Who is feeding them? Kṛṣṇa is feeding them. So these economic questions, overpopulation question, these are not actually problems. Problem is scarcity of God consciousness. This is the problem. Therefore we are suffering. It is not my manufactured word. It was said by my Guru Mahārāja. He said that "I don't find any scarcity in the world except the scarcity of understanding Kṛṣṇa. That's all." So this jñānam... This is jñānam. Jñānam means that "I don't belong to this material world. This... My body is material, but I am different from the body." This is jñānam. So the necessities of my body, it must be supplied. It should not be neglected. But we should not be busy simply for the necessities of the body. We are spirit soul. The spirit soul has got its necessity. We must fill up that. Then we will be happy.

So this can be done, as it is prescribed here that,

vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
(SB 1.2.7)

The first thing, jñānam and vairāgyam... This human form of life is meant for jñāna and vairāgya. Jñāna means vairāgya, and vairāgya cannot be achieved without jñāna. These two are relative terms. So jñānam means that "I am not this body, and my relationship with my body, they are also not my necessities." This is called jñāna. And as soon as we understand that the simply necessities of my body are not required, that is called detachment, or vairāgya. Without jñānam, we are simply thinking that we must satisfy the senses. Body means the senses. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ (BG 3.42). So in the bodily concept of life, or in ajñāna, this ignorance, our business is to satisfy the senses, that is called ajñānam, ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), sense gratification. This whole world is going on on the basis of sense gratification. A man and a woman, or a male or female, they develop this idea of sense gratification. Therefore as soon as a girl is grown up or a boy is grown up, the father, mother get them married, because the sense of sense gratification is very strong. Therefore the system is, Vedic system is, or any..., this human civilization system is, to get them married. So puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8). So as soon as they are married, so tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ, that sense of sense gratification becomes too much tied up. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim. We have got already attraction. A man has got attraction for woman; woman has got attraction for man. Now, as soon as they are united, that attraction becomes more and more strong. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. Then ataḥ gṛha, as soon as they are married and united, they require one apartment, gṛha; ataḥ gṛha, kṣetra, then land for cultivating for producing foodstuff. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta, children; āpta, friends. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ, and money. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). In this way the living entity becomes entangled and his sense of aham, "It is... I am this body and this property is mine," this sense increases, moha. It is called moha. Moha means actually nothing belongs to him. As soon as death will come, he has to change this body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). He has to change the body. As soon as he changes the body, then everything is finished. His property, his wife, his children, his country, his society, everything, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. Kṛṣṇa comes as mṛtyu. Kṛṣṇa comes as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmasundara, dvi-bhuja Muralīdhara. He comes occasionally, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7), for the devotees. The devotees want to see Him. Therefore He comes. But for the nondevotees, He also comes, but they cannot see. But Kṛṣṇa comes as death. Then they can see, "Here is Kṛṣṇa." Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). They're... Like Nṛsiṁha-deva. Nṛsiṁha-deva... God was challenged. Prahlāda Mahārāja was devotee. He was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and his father revolted: "Why you should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa? Where is Kṛṣṇa? Where is God?" This is the atheistic temperament. They'll simply defy God, or Kṛṣṇa. So the atheistic and the theistic persons are always there. But the theistic persons, they see always God. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). That is the theistic. Santa, those who are theistic, advanced in devotional service, they are called santas, saintly person, premāñjana, because they have developed love of Godhead. In the previous verse it has been described, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That culture required. You may belong to any type of religion. It doesn't matter. You may become Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya... Whatever you may be, it doesn't matter. But if you are a religious person, the test is how much you have developed love of Godhead. Then it is tested. "Yes, you are nice." Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is the test. Otherwise it is useless. You may be Hindu, Muslim or... Whatever stamp you like, you can have it. But the real test is whether you have developed love of Godhead. That is wanted.

Page Title:Problem is scarcity of God consciousness. This is the problem. Therefore we are suffering
Compiler:Vaninetti
Created:05 of Oct, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1