"But you cannot say at any stage that “I am independent.” That is not possible. Your constitution is to remain dependent. Therefore the Vedas says, eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman. He’s maintaining you. God is maintaining. That’s a fact. We cannot maintain ourself. He has given heat, light, air, water, fruits, flowers, grains, everything. Everything is there for you. There is no scarcity. Simply being less intelligent, taking shelter of lusty desires, false prestige, we are mismanaging the gift of God. Therefore we are in scarcity, therefore starvation. By God’s arrangement there is everything. Purnam idam. Everything is complete. Purnam adah. This creation is complete. Purnat purnam udacyate. Because it is created by God, it is complete, so you cannot find out any deficiency. Purnat purnam udacyate, purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate.

Just like you require water. That is very essential. Especially in the tropical countries, they use water very profusely for cleansing the whole house, for cleansing the body, for cleansing the utensils, cleansing the cloth. That is Vedic civilization, cleanliness. “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Everyone should take thrice bath, cleanse everything. In India, not in the city but in the villages, the woman’s first duty is to cleanse the whole house, still. Early in the morning they’ll sweep over the whole house, not this apartment, three feet, no, but it is a good house. There is courtyard. Without courtyard, it is pigeon’s hole. But you like pigeon’s hole, this big, big skyscraper building containing so many pigeon’s hole. That’s all. So in India still, although poor country, they have got a courtyard, a little garden. That kind of house, in the village that is the system. So the first business is cleanliness. Everything should remain clean.

And it is said by Canakya Pandita that if you want worldly happiness, then these things are required. Murkha yatra na pujyante. Don’t worship rascals and fools, murkha. Murkha yatra na pujyante dhanyam yatra susancitam:(?) “And food grains are properly stocked.” That is the Vedic civilization, that you work for three months, not very hard, simply till the ground and sow some food grain seed, and within three months it will grow, and you will have ample food grains, and you’ll keep it in stock. And keep some cows. Dhanena dhanavan. They say that a rich man means one who has got sufficient stock of food grains. Food grains. Dhanena dhanavan. That is Vedic economic system. Gavayah dhanavan. Gavayah means by possessing some number of cows one is supposed to be rich. It is actually the fact. Everyone should possess some land for growing food grains and some cows to take milk. Then the whole economic problem is solved. But the asuras, they, as we have discussed in the previous verses, ugra-karmanah.

Bhagavad-gita 16.10
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Hawaii, February 6, 1975