The word prajā is used both for progeny and for citizens, so Kṛṣṇa belonged to the prajā, both as a grandson of Mahārāja Ugrasena's and as a member of the Yadu dynasty. Thus He voluntarily accepted the rule of Mahārāja Ugrasena. He informed Ugrasena, "Being cursed by Yayāti, the kings of the Yadu dynasty may not occupy the throne. It will be Our pleasure to act as your servants. My full cooperation with you will make your position more exalted and secure so that the kings of other dynasties will not hesitate to pay their respective revenues. Protected by Me, you will be honored even by the demigods from the heavenly planets. My dear grandfather, out of fear of My late uncle Kaṁsa, all the kings belonging to the Yadu, Vṛṣṇi, Andhaka, Madhu, Daśārha and Kukura dynasties were very anxious and disturbed. Now you can pacify them all and give them assurance of security. The whole kingdom will be peaceful."
Revenue
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
They spoil their lives in animal propensities to eat, drink, be merry and enjoy. Such an irresponsible life is adopted by the people in the age of Kali because of a sinful desire to condemn brahminical culture, God consciousness and cow protection, for which the state is responsible. The state must employ revenue to advance these three items and thus educate the populace to prepare for death. The state which does so is the real welfare state. The state of India should better follow the examples of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the ideal executive head, than to imitate other materialistic states which have no idea of the kingdom of Godhead, the ultimate goal of human life. Deterioration of the ideals of Indian civilization has brought about the deterioration of civic life, not only in India but also abroad.
SB Canto 3
Formerly, the brāhmaṇas were given all the necessities of life by the kṣatriyas and vaiśyas because they had no time to spend making a living. The kṣatriyas would collect taxes from the vaiśyas and śūdras, but the brāhmaṇas were exempt from paying income tax or land revenue. That system of human society was so nice that there were no political, social and economic upheavals. The different castes, or varṇa classifications, are therefore essential for maintaining a peaceful human society.
SB Canto 4
The process of tax exaction is very nicely explained in this verse. Tax exaction is not meant for the sense gratification of the so-called administrative heads. Tax revenues should be distributed to the citizens in times of need, during emergencies such as famine or flood. Tax revenues should never be distributed amongst governmental servants in the form of high salaries and various other allowances. In Kali-yuga, however, the position of the citizens is very horrible because taxes are exacted in so many forms and are spent for the personal comforts of the administrators.
Kings and emperors used to keep a private treasury which was known as ratna-bhāṇḍa. The ratna-bhāṇḍa was a special treasury room which contained special jewelries, such as bangles, necklaces and so on, which were presented to the king by the citizens. This jewelry was kept separate from the regular treasury house where all the collected revenues were kept. Thus Pṛthu Mahārāja offered his stock of private jewelry to the lotus feet of the Kumāras. It has already been admitted that all the King's property belonged to the brāhmaṇas and that Pṛthu Mahārāja was simply using it for the welfare of the state. If it were actually the property of the brāhmaṇas, how could it be offered again to them? In this regard, Śrīpāda Śrīdhara Svāmī has explained that this offering is just like the servant's offering of food to his master. The food already belongs to the master, for the master has purchased it, but the servant, by preparing food, makes it acceptable to the master and thus offers it to him. In this way, everything belonging to Pṛthu Mahārāja was offered to the Kumāras.
SB Canto 5
The demigods are servants who assist the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one worships the demigods, the demigods, as servants of the Supreme, carry the sacrificial offerings to the Lord, like tax collectors collecting revenue from the citizens and bringing it to the government's treasury. The demigods cannot accept the sacrificial offerings; they simply carry the offerings to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: ** since the guru is a representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he carries to the Lord whatever is offered to him. Similarly, all the demigods, as faithful servants of the Supreme Lord, hand over to the Supreme Lord whatever is offered to them in sacrificial performances.
SB Canto 7
Although the kṣatriyas are almost as qualified as the brāhmaṇas, even they cannot accept charity. This is strictly prohibited in this verse by the word apratigraha. What to speak of the lower social orders, even the kṣatriyas must not accept charity. The king or government may levy taxes upon the citizens in various ways—by revenue duties, customs duties, realization of fines, and so on—provided the king is able to give full protection to his subjects to assure the security of their life and property. Unless he is able to give protection, he cannot levy taxes. However, a king must not levy any tax upon the brāhmaṇas and the Vaiṣṇavas fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13
The Bhoja dynasty refers to those who were simply interested in sense gratification and were therefore not very aristocratic. Another meaning of bhoja is "fighting." These were indications of defamation for Kaṁsa. When Vasudeva addressed Kaṁsa as dīna-vatsala, this was excessive praise. Kaṁsa would accept calves as a form of revenue from his poor constituents, and therefore he was called dīna-vatsala. Vasudeva knew very well that he could not by force rescue Devakī from the imminent danger. Devakī was actually the daughter of Kaṁsa's uncle, and therefore she is described as suhṛt, meaning "relative." It is stated that Kaṁsa refrained from killing his close relation Devakī because if he had killed her, a great fight would have ensued among the other members of the family. Kaṁsa refrained from provoking this great danger of a family fight, for it would have caused many persons to lose their lives.
A leader should train the people as brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras and engage them in various occupational duties, thus helping them progress toward Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Instead, however, rogues and thieves in the guise of protectors arrange for a voting system, and in the name of democracy they come to power by hook or crook and exploit the citizens. Even long, long ago, asuras, persons devoid of God consciousness, became the heads of state, and now this is happening again. The various states of the world are preoccupied with arranging for military strength. Sometimes they spend sixty-five percent of the government's revenue for this purpose. But why should people's hard-earned money be spent in this way? Because of the present world situation, Kṛṣṇa has descended in the form of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is quite natural, for without the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement the world cannot be peaceful and happy.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Antya-lila
The word majumadāra refers to a treasurer who keeps accounts of revenue.
“All the family members of Bhavānanda Rāya are engaged in government service, but they spend the government's revenue in various ways.
“"Because he is mad after sense gratification," the Lord said, "he acts as a government servant but spends the government"s revenue for various sinful activities.
“"The revenue of the government is more sacred than the property of a brāhmaṇa. One who misappropriates the government"s money and uses it to enjoy sense gratification is most sinful.
“"One who serves the government but misappropriates the government"s revenue is liable to be punished by the king. That is the verdict of all revealed scriptures.
“‘The King wanted his revenue paid and did not want to enforce punishment. Therefore the King is certainly very religious. But Gopīnātha Paṭṭanāyaka is a great cheat.
“‘He does not pay the revenue to the King, but he wants My help for release. This is a greatly sinful affair. I cannot tolerate it here.
"Do not again misappropriate the revenue of the government. In case you think your salary insufficient, henceforward it will be doubled."
“However, just obey one order from Me. Do not spend any of the King's revenue.
“First you should pay the revenue due the King, and then you may spend the balance for religious and fruitive activities.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So, so far our material necessities are concerned we are not badly situated. We are living in a nice house, we are eating nice foodstuff, we have got nice dress and the devotees look very nice, bright faces. What is the wrong there? What is the wrong there? But they are not busy for earning money or going to the office or going to the factory or so many other sources of revenue(?). They are depending on Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa is supplying them. Kṛṣṇa says, "yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ (BG 9.22). If anyone is completely engaged in spiritual advancement of life then yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham. I take charge of yoga-kṣemam." Yoga-kṣemam means what is not in possession, to supply that thing. And kṣema means what is already possessed, to protect, or for welfare activities. So just like if a child is completely dependent on the father, parents. The parents has the sense that, "My child requires at this time this thing." They already there, he has got to bother. The child does not know to ask from the parents but the things are there.
We have got many instances. That Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he was very rich zamindar's son, and there was a trouble between the minister of the state and his father and uncle. They were zamindars. They were raising revenues to the extent of twelve lakhs, and the tax was going to the Nawab only four lakhs. So this is the business. So the minister arrested the father and uncle of Raghunātha, and they fled away from home. So the minister arrested Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. At that time he was not Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī; he was gṛhastha, young man, Raghunātha. So he handled the matter in such a nice way that the matter was settled between the minister and his father. The idea is although he was a Vaiṣṇava, he was not a fool how to manage a state. It does not mean that a Vaiṣṇava will be fool and rascal because he's Vaiṣṇava. No. Vaiṣṇava, twenty-six qualifications. One of the qualifications is dakṣa: he must be very expert in doing things very nicely. Not that because one is Vaiṣṇava he'll be callous in the worldly things. No.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: They also get good excise tax from liquor.
Jayatīrtha: Yes. A very big source of revenue.
Brahmānanda: In Germany the government supports prostitution.
Prabhupāda: Germany?
Brahmānanda: Yes.
Jayatīrtha: Yes. They opened up their own prostitution houses, the government.
Brahmānanda: They now have a skyscraper in Germany. The skyscraper is a brothel, and you drive your car in, and they have television screens. And you see on the television screen what girl you like.
Prabhupāda: Ācchā.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: And then they let go?
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: They were let go.
Hari-śauri: They just want some revenue.
Prabhupāda: Yes, they are robbing, government, dasyu dharmabhiḥ. It is stated, government will be like rogues. As the rogues and thieves, they take away from you by force, the government will do that. In the court, by income tax, so many people are being harassed.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: There is a large organization called Mafia in this country.
Prabhupāda: Mafia?
Hari-śauri: And violence. So many things they'd do. They used to organize all the heroin that comes into the country, like this, for revenue, to get revenue, money. So many things. And places like Las Vegas, which is a big gambling city, that is also run by the Mafia. They control all the casinos and they control the police, they pay everyone off, like that, and if they don't agree, they kill them. So like this, their influence is spread everywhere, any illegal things that are going on.
Prabhupāda: Terrorism.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Our last President, two Presidents ago, Kennedy, he was involved with one of their prostitutes. She was getting information, and he was not investigating them because he was involved with one of their prostitutes.
Prabhupāda: They keep prostitutes also?
Prabhupāda: Then why the government doesn't...?
Hari-śauri: They're making too much revenue to stop selling it.
Prabhupāda: That is not good government.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The parents are bad also.
Rāmeśvara: They put an age limit on it. They say you can only buy liquor when you have reached a certain age.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They want the children to be good, but the parents are bad.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Prabhupāda: Therefore I am bringing before you, before probing, you try to understand what is our income. We are selling these books six lakhs rupees daily, and we are spending it fifty percent for reprinting the books and fifty percent for expanding temples all over the world. This is our activities. Now you probe it or understand it.
Interviewer (3): This is the only source of revenue for the society?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Interviewer (4): Fifty percent books and for temples fifty percent?
Prabhupāda: Fifty percent for expanding temples and fifty percent for reprinting books.
Interviewer (4): Do you have any other source, like donations or something like that for your movement?
also put a walkway around the ghāṭa with stairs.
Prabhupāda: Now, what is the position of our big project?
Jayapatākā: That's what I was going to tell you first. So what happened was that the application we had given to the Chief Secretary and the Board of Revenue, that has gone from them to Mr. Choudhuri, who in turn had sent it on to the Commissioner. The Commissioner sent to District Magistrate. The Commissioner sent to the District Magistrate. So District Magistrate, he gave a favorable reply.
Prabhupāda: He has given?
Jayapatākā: Favorable reply. He said, "This is a good project. It will help the district." He only said that they should maybe get three hundred acres instead of 350 or like that. He reduced something. Then that went back again to the Commissioner, who was a Christian. He's the one I mentioned. He wrote bad report. Then when Choudhuri got it, he wrote a very good report. He wrote a very good report. He said that there's no question of Hindu or Muslim. Just like in Bangkok they have that one big Viṣṇu Temple. Or the Taj Mahal. This is no longer any type of religious. This is for all mankind. Similarly this Māyāpura will be a monument for the whole mankind.
Prabhupāda: For the whole world.
Prabhupāda: All the year.
Mr. Malhotra: May is quite hot and April, middle of April to May. Then in June rain starts. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...legislation that fifty percent of revenues was spent in military. Bhaya-vitta. (?) (break)
Mr. Malhotra: Tad guru vijñāta...
Prabhupāda: Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12).
Mr. Malhotra: Guru-vijñāna.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Ha. So Kṛṣṇa arranged: "All right, you come together and finish yourselves." So this arrangement will be done that all atomic bomb will come in warfield-one, next, third war, finished. All these, all these demons will be finished. That is not kṣatriya. This is demonic. Kṣatriyas' business is to see that the four orders of life are maintained properly, not increasing military strength only, overburdened. Everyone is spending 75% of the revenue for military. Huh? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). So they are demons. Why so much money should be spent for military? They are not kṣatriyas. They are not kṣatriyas. They are demons. So demons... As soon as there will be number of demons increased, there will be war and finish all.
Prabhupāda: Pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). Everything is complete by the arrangement of Kṛṣṇa. Simply we mismanage. That's all. I do not know why people are engaged with politics, fighting, and so on, so on. By Kṛṣṇa's grace everything is complete. You eat sufficiently, you be strong and keep your health good and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the arrangement. These rascals, they have created civilization, simply animosity-fighting, politics. This is Kali-yuga. Kali means simply unnecessarily fights. There is no need of fighting, but they'll create a situation, fighting. That's all. This is Kali-yuga, unnecessarily. Why politics? Why so much discussion, barking in the United Nations? Kṛṣṇa has given the formula. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). In America, Australia, Africa, they can produce so much grain that ten times of the population as it is now can be maintained. Similarly, Australia can produce ghee. So by Kṛṣṇa's arrangement everything is all right, the economic problem. Why they create this situation and occasionally fight and finish the whole...? Such a rubbish civilization, rākṣasa, unnecessarily increasing military power and spending all the revenues.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: I find Bombay people are a little bit more open-minded.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Bombay is the best city in India, undoubtedly. From the very beginning, and the richest city. The government revenue is collected from Bombay sixty-three percent. Bombay is so rich. Sixty-three percent from Bombay and thirty-seven percent from whole of India. That is the position.
Śrīdhara: Calcutta is also very wealthy.
Prabhupāda: No.
Girirāja: They keep the money in black.
Śrīdhara: Oh, in black money.
Prabhupāda: And religiously-minded.
Prabhupāda: This is our so-called leaders misled them. Even Gandhi misled. That Vinobha Bhave is misleading, what to speak of others.
Dr. Sharma: Many of the even small temples in villages, their revenue have been taken away after independence. There are many small temples in where I come from, our village in Rajasthan. And when I was a small boy I used to go to the temple because, you know, my grandfather and my father used to go. And there was a very rich life in the villages because, you know, early morning, we would take a shower, bath, and go to the temples and do our pūjā, and the temple also we'd get some prasādam, and there was some land grants attached to a temple, some cows...
Prabhupāda: Some contribution.
Prabhupāda: So is that all right?
Mr. Myer: Really, the fact is that the excess of expenditure is only (indistinct) thousand. So what... There are two positions we have to take. One is to increase the revenue, and one is also to curb our expenditure. These are two ways.
Prabhupāda: What is that? Come here.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says in order to make that money, you have to do two things. One is decrease the expenses, minimize the expenses, and also maximize collections. Right now...
Prabhupāda: Maximize collect... If you increase collection, that money comes, extra.
Mr. Myer: Yes.
Correspondence
1967 Correspondence
Regarding our temple affairs, as stated in your previous letter, I think Brahmananda might have written me something to my Delhi address, where I may go early next week; but in any case the temple affairs should be adjusted in the manner where the important members or all the members may work and support the temple affairs. I am getting very encouraging reports from S.F. and Montreal; but reports from N.Y. is not very much encouraging. Kirtanananda has decided to return back for preaching work in the states as he has accepted the sannyasa order of life. Acyutananda is here, but he is not eating well, so I am also put into anxiety. In the beginning Kirtanananda was also sick, and he also at the present moment is feeling some pain in his leg. On the whole, the American boys who come here become first depressed, so I do not know how far our American house in Vrindaban will be successful. I am negotiating with the Revenue Minister of Rajastan government to have some place in the very nice temple of Jaipur. This temple is very ideal place for our imagination of an American house, and it is almost 50% settled that the house may be partly occupied by us. But in any case, at least two American boys must live here and take charge of the management. I am old man. At the same time sick.
1970 Correspondence
I will be very happy to come to Hawaii New Navadvipa for this occasion if you will make all the necessary arrangements for my passage, etc.
Regarding the tax exemption from the Internal Revenue Service, I understand from Gargamuni that it is already filed and you may apply as a foreign incorporation in the state of Hawaii. I have asked him to send you all the necessary papers in this connection as well as an explanation of procedure for filing for state tax exemption. I hope this information has by now reached you and you will immediately do the needful.
| Page Title: | Revenue |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 15 of Sep, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=8, CC=10, OB=1, Lec=2, Con=12, Let=2 |
| No. of Quotes: | 35 |