October 20th, 2024. Vedic Heartland.

mad-āśrayāḥ kathā mṛṣṭāḥ śṛṇvanti kathayanti ca
tapanti vividhās tāpā naitān mad-gata-cetasaḥ

"Engaged constantly in speaking and hearing about Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sādhus do not suffer from material miseries because they are always filled with thoughts of My pastimes and activities." (Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.25.23)

https://www.bitchute.com/video/JgQqdFDeuHkF

"Those who desire to give up all that is not essentially real move systematically, by negative discrimination of the extraneous, to the supreme position of Lord Viṣṇu. Giving up petty materialism, they offer their love exclusively to the Absolute Truth within their hearts and embrace that highest truth in fixed meditation."

(Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.6.32)

“The mind of even an uncultured man attains to clarity by performing pilgrimage to holy places, or by coming into the presence of yogis and sages, or at the end of his sleep, or when left to himself in solitude. In the case of a cultured man, the mind attains to serenity by such activities even more readily.” (Parama-Samhita Pancharatra, 30.69-70)

"Every person should act like this: when he meets a person more qualified than himself, he should be very pleased; when he meets someone less qualified than himself, he should be compassionate toward him; and when he meets someone equal to himself, he should make friendship with him. In this way one is never affected by the threefold miseries of this material world."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 4.8.34)

“As we engage in the process of spiritual sadhana, we should monitor our progress every day by asking ourselves if today we have improved ourselves in some way. This improvement can be achieved incrementally by either positively gaining a more profound insight or experience of devotional consciousness, or else by progressing in the negation of a negative fault that we have in ourselves.”

(Sanatana Dharma: The Eternal Natural Way, pgs. 341-342)

Farming, cattle raising and business are the qualities of work for the vaisyas, and for the sudras there is labor and service to others. - Bhagavad Gita 18.44

The role of the Vaishya is crucial to the stability of the Earth and the well-being of all people. Vaishyas engage in farming and protect cows, ensuring these animals receive the purest food. This care results in high-quality milk, vital for nourishing everyone. A content and well-cared-for cow population contributes to a thriving, healthy society.

Vaishyas also prioritize ethical farming practices, avoiding toxic chemicals that harm the soil. They focus on producing nutritious, high-quality food rather than merely high-yield crops. By maintaining this delicate balance, Vaishyas provide for the world while acting as guardians of the land. They take pride in cultivating and preserving fertile, healthy soil. The vaishyas are those who, to borrow a quote from Tolkien, delight in well-tilled earth, because the earth that is prepared in the most natural way, with care and attention, for the production of high-quality, sattvic foods is the best. The earth is crying out for vaishyas.

Where women are honoured, there the gods are pleased; but where they are not honoured, no sacred rite yields rewards.
- The Laws of Manu