Prabhupada: Yes. Farming, agriculture, that is nice. There is a proverb: agriculture is the noblest profession. Is it not said? Agriculture is noblest, and Krsna was farmer, His father.
Allen Ginsberg: The cow.
Prabhupada: Cow, yes. And in Vedic literature you'll find, a man is... Richness of a man is estimated by the possession of grains and cows. Dhanyena dhanavän. If he has got sufficient quantity grain, then he's to be... Formerly, even still in India, when a daughter is offered to a family, they will go and see how many morais(?) there are. Grain stock. If he sees that he has five, six, big, big grain stock, then he can... "Oh, this is nice house." You see? "They can feed." So in India still, the arrangement is that every family has got at least two years grain in stock. You see? And cow at least one dozen. No economic problem. And actually, that is the fact. You keep cows and have sufficient grains, whole economic problem solved. Eating. And sleeping, you can take some wood and four pillars. Of course, in your country it is not...
Allen Ginsberg: It's very cold.
Prabhupada: Very cold. (laughing) India, all the year they are lying on the flat sky.
Kirtananda: But still, it is very simple. We also experimented with that. You can build a nice shelter very... for ten, fifteen dollars.
Allen Ginsberg: Well, it depends. You see, where we are we're twenty below.
Kirtananda: Well, we have pretty near that in West Virginia.
Allen Ginsberg: In Minnesota gets thirty, forty, sometimes, below.
Kirtananda: There has to have sufficient wood sawed up.
Allen Ginsberg: Yes.
Prabhupada: Formerly, in Europe they were also living.
Allen Ginsberg: Man lived this way for 20,000 years, 30,000 years until the 19th Century.
Prabhupada: So we have to live that. Plain living, high thinking. The necessities of this bodily existence, that should be minimized and not unhealthy. Healthy. To keep oneself fit. But the time should be utilized-develop Krsna consciousness, spiritual life. Then his whole problem is solved.
Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg; May 11, 1969, Columbus, Ohio
