Quotes: Crisis of Materialistic Biotechnologies (Srila Prabhupada)

General: food production crisis

(food shortage) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 4.18.7, purport. “A huge arrangement exists for the production of large-scale industrial and agricultural products, but all these products are meant for sense gratification. Therefore despite such productive capacities there is scarcity because the world’s population is full of thieves… According to Vedic understanding, men are transformed into thieves when they plan economic development for sense gratification.” https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/4/18/7/

(chemical approach to nutrition) Room Conversation with Mr. Arnold. August 7, 1971, London. In Germany they attempted to extract fat from stool, and they did it. They collected all stool, and by chemical process extracted fat from it. And from practical experience stool is very substantial food, vitamin A, B, C, D. [laughter] You see the hogs, they eat, they become very quickly fat... Because human being, eating all valuable foodstuff, they cannot digest; so that is passing into stool. So all the feed values are there. So better the scientist make some research. And they made, German scientist, and they extracted fat from stool.

(Machine addiction and the oblivion of demigods) Interview with LA Times Reporter About Travel to the Moon. December 26, 1968, Los Angeles. Because after all, however tractor, machine or farm arrangement you may make, unless there is supply of heat and water, it is all useless. You cannot produce grains just like wheat or rice or pulses in your factory or by your will, defying the nature's law. Oh, that you cannot do. Real, your life is in the hands of the demigods. If they stop supply sunshine, if they stop supply water supply, how you can produce? Therefore you have to satisfy them. People are practically forgotten their duty.

Agricultural industry

(desertification and yajnas) Morning Walk. January 31, 1977, Bhubaneswar ..obedient to God -- that means offer sacrifices -- then there will be regular rain. And if there is regular rain, any damn land is good for any purpose. Land has been made bad because there is no regular rain. They... Why the desert is? If there is regular rain, the desert will be also fertile. So it is gradually becoming desert. The whole world will be desert. No production. Suffer. Make your scientific research, godless. All rascals, full of rascals... There is a proposal. You know that? Just see how great rascals they are. They'll import water.... That is also another foolishness. How much water he'll carry by pipe? Take water from God. That is sufficient. Navadit tarims ca[?]. When there is water supplied by God, where there is no need of water there will be water. Just like on the hills, on the mountains, there is no need of water. In the ocean there is no need of water. But the God... "All right, take water here also." That is God's gift. You rascal, how much water you have got that you transport by pipe and this and that?... They will attempt so many things, simply waste their time and energy. Duskrtina. Because they are rascals. Mudha. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg 7.15].

(grain is irrationally used for meat) Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.30. October 2, 1975, Mauritius. "Simply by growing food grains, both the animals and the man, they can live very happily." You can grow food grains very easily. I have seen in the Western countries, they are growing food grains for the animals, and the food grains are eaten by the animals, and the animal is eaten by man. They are producing food grains. What is the statistics -- that the animal eating food grains, the same time, the same amount food grains can be eaten by so many men?

("Green revolution" because of vacant lands) Morning Walk. April 12, 1974, Bombay. Dr. Ghosh: They are now thinking about it. "Green revolution." Prabhupada: Yes, yes. [break] So much land is lying vacant. They could utilize for food grains. No. They do not do it. [break] ...they have been withdrawn from the villages to work in the city, in the factories, and the lands are lying vacant.

(trees) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 7.2.12, purport. “During its lifetime, a tree should not be cut for industrial enterprises. In Kali-yuga, trees are indiscriminately and unnecessarily cut for industry, in particular for paper mills that manufacture a profuse quantity of paper for the publication of demoniac propaganda, nonsensical literature, huge quantities of newspapers and many other paper products.” https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/7/2/12/

(Mechanization destroys the integrity of the system) Room Conversation on Farm Management. December 10, 1976, Hyderabad. Yes, and other bulls have been eaten up. Now we stop that eating... The Europeans have invented tractors, and the bull is a problem. Therefore they must be sent to the slaughterhouse. So we can not create that problem. How the bull should be utilized? They should be used for transport and plowing.

(Artificial fertilizers) Room Conversation. July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C. Rupanuga: Suppose like now, just like this Vedic injunction against artificial fertilizers in the soil, suppose, as modern farmers are doing, they use this artificial fertilizer and the soil becomes depleted in certain chemicals. Prabhupada: That means that becomes the same principle. You are living entity; by artificial fertilizer you are exacting something from the earth, the same principle. Rupanuga: Now suppose we take so many chemicals from the earth and they may become a little depleted. Can those chemicals be replaced by the earth itself as the ongoing process of nature? Prabhupada: Everything is coming from the earth.

Animal husbandry

(animal killing) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 1.3.24, purport. “It is nonsensical to say that animal-killing has nothing to do with spiritual realization... There is no justice when there is animal-killing.” https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/3/24/

(slaughterhouse for mother and father) Room Conversation with Mr. C. Hennis of the International Labor Organization of the U.N. May 31, 1974, Geneva. Cow is giving milk -- mother. And bull is producing food -- he is father. And they are being killed. Is that human society? How they can be happy? There is no possibility. Regularly they are maintaining slaughterhouse, especially for the cows and bulls. Why don't you slaughter the dogs and hogs and eat, if you are meat-eater? There are many meat-eaters who eat dogs. Dog is useless. You can eat. Hog is also useless. They are eating also dog and hog, everything, whatever they...

(killing of animals and wars) Room Conversation with Monsieur Mesman, June 11, 1974, Paris. “But we want to stop these killing houses. It is very, very sinful. Therefore in Europe, so many wars. Every ten year, fifteen years, there is a big war and wholesale slaughter of the whole humankind. But these rascals, they do not see it. The reaction must be there. You are killing innocent cows and animals. Nature will take revenge.” https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/740611r1par/

(cows) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 1.17.3, purport. “But in the Kali-yuga, the calves are separated from the cows as early as possible for purposes which may not be mentioned in these pages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The cow stands with tears in her eyes, the śūdra milkman draws milk from the cow artificially, and when there is no milk the cow is sent to be slaughtered. These greatly sinful acts are responsible for all the troubles in present society.” https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/17/3/

Lecture, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.10.4, Nov. 25, 1973, London. “So we have created a society for killing cows and eating the meat and maintaining slaughterhouse, in the name of religion. This is going on. So how we can be happy? There cannot be happiness. It is not a sentiment. Therefore this is most sinful activity, meat-eating, cow killing. Most sinful activity. And you have to suffer for that. Unfortunately, these rascals, they do not know that what is the result of these sinful activities. They think the life will go on, and there is no more life.” https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/731125sblon/

(cows and forest) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 5.16.25, purport. “Unfortunately, in modern civilization, men are busy killing the cows that are the source of yogurt, milk and ghee, they are cutting down all the trees that supply honey, and they are opening factories to manufacture nuts, bolts, automobiles and wine instead of engaging in agriculture. How can the people be happy?” https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/5/16/25/