MOTHER/SERVICE ECONOMY- THE BENIGN BY-PRODUCT OF KARMA-YOGA .

MOTHER/SERVICE ECONOMY is here explicated by an ‘economist’ who took his B.Sc in Business Administration  from Syracuse University USA and Masters Degree in Public Finance from Columbia University.  Mother Economy is  based only on  Truth  & Non-violence. The following paragraphs sizes up  various economic perspectives and behaviors, starting with animals, and thereafter mapping similar behavior patterns onto  individual humans and subsequently groups, organizations and even nations. At the end it becomes clear that Mother Economy differs entirely from  Modern Conventional Economic Theory and Practices.

Economic activities may be grouped under five categories, after careful observation of certain actions, connected to foraging (food) and shelter,  of

animals around us.

(1)  Parasitic -  An animal  or plant  which lives in or on another and draws  its nutriment  directly from it, harming it in the process is called parasitic. Eg  Tiger.  It gets its food by killing other animals. And it consumes without production.

(2) Predatory-  What is predatory behavior ? Given to or  living by plunder or marauding, ruthlessly acquisitive at the expense of others, rapacious, exploitative, unfairly competitive or aggressive in business- these are the dictionary definitions of predatory behavior. Eg. Monkey. The monkey does not kill the source of its food but takes what is available. Here also there is consumption without production. Both the monkey and the tiger mentioned above are self-centered. They have no sense of duty.  They act only in terms of  their hunger-selfishness and self-centeredness  based on rights.

(3) Enterprising Stage – Here there is a balancing of rights and duties. The consumption of certain things is done after self-production. Eg. A bird building its own nest, to lay eggs.

(4) Gregarious Stage-  Here there is an excess of a sense of duty as against a feeling of right. Eg : A bee collecting honey and depositing the same in the honey comb , which could be used by the other bees also. Production is greater than consumption and the surplus is meant for others. There is an excess sense of duty as against a feeling of right .

(5) Mother Economy or Service Economy – Suppose that the eggs in the nest got  hatched and baby birds are born. The mother bird  flies around and collects whatever food it can find, and brings it to the nest to feed the baby birds. It does this to keep the tiny birds alive, allowing it to grow. And does this action/karma without expecting any return or reward. That is, without giving any thought to the result or fruits of karma, the bird is mechanically doing its  duty towards its young. This action is wholly motivated by a sense of duty. This is what may be called a Mother Economy or Service Economy.

A one-to-one correspondence between the above five behavior patterns of 

animals/birds  TO  human economic activities (individual stage) may be drawn out.

    1.    Parasitic activity- In the parasitic stage, consumption is all self-centered and  right-centered, and takes place without production. It also mostly results in physical harm/violence to the host or victim, leading to death. Eg. Thieves and robbers, murdering for gain.

   2.    Predatory activity – Here also there is consumption without  production, but physical violence is almost absent. Eg. The thieving  by a pick-pocket.

3.    Enterprising activity – Example is  subsistence farming: serving only to support the farmer's household directly without producing a significant surplus for trade. What is produced is consumed.

4.    Gregarious economic activity – The Hindu Joint Family system affords an instance of gregarious economy. The brother works, not for himself  but for the whole family. The individual works and he does not think that the wealth created belongs to him personally  because he himself has labored.

5.    Service Economy – A mother is the best instance of this. The mother works for the child. She does not expect any return. SERVICE IS ITS OWN REWARD. (But in these trying times (modern/post-modern/Kaliyuga), even mothers and fathers are expecting to be taken care of in old-age. In many cases the expectations are much above this ‘threshold-level’.)

The above economic activities applied to group life, to MNC’s, in government, in nations etc may be considered.

“Group life based on destruction of life or the suppression of the rights of other people- which Imperialism is, is jungle economy. By this other countries are subjugated and the mighty get something out of the weak. It is a parasite economy 

(1) India had been subjected politically to Great Britain. This is an illustration of Parasite economy 

(2) Economic subjugation of others -Financial penetration of America is a good instance of predatory economy.

(3) Enterprise – The agricultural economy which had been practised in our country in olden days is an instance of the enterprising economy . It is a self-sufficient economy.

(4) Gregarious economy -Soviet Russia And Nazi Germany come under this category to a large extent.

(5) We do not have in history an instance of a stage of Service Economy , but Gandhiji was working towards that stage."

THE  FIVE STAGES OF ECONOMIC BEHAVIOUR REFLECTED  IN OUR DAILY LIVES

“These five stages can be found in our individual daily action also. It is easy to laugh at others, but when we come to think of ourselves, we are sometimes tigers, sometimes  monkeys, sometimes this and sometimes that. When we eat untidily, and throw out all sorts of things, we belong to the tiger stage. We should ask each night as to how many times during the day we have been a tiger, etc., and if there is a growing tendency towards the mother economy, we are moving towards civilization. Otherwise, we are going towards the jungle stage."

VARNASHRAMA AND ITS ADJUNCTS – THE BASIS OF THIS SYSTEM OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS.

“The analysis given is nothing very novel, because it is found in the Hindu order of society. You have the Mlechchas, Shudras, Vaishyas, Kshatriyas,and Brahmins . If your desire is to help your fellowmen, even though you may be a Mlechha by birth, you belong to the Brahmin group. If you are born a Brahmin and are doing Government service, for the fat salary you get you are in effect a Mlechcha. These Mlechchas are at the tiger stage. The Shudras are predatory. The Vaishyas, who deal justly, belong to the enterprising stage. The Vaishya, who gives wrong weights and measures, belongs to the tiger economy. The mill-owners belong to the tiger economy. If we divide our society into these five broad stages, based on actions and not birth, it is possible for the Mlechcha to be a Brahmin in the service of his fellowmen. Gandhiji's plan was to develop human beings step by step from the Mlechcha plane onwards to the Brahmin stage. The upward progress will be according to one's moral and physical development. That is the purpose of all education. At the time when rights disappear and duties take their place, we reach the Brahmin or service economy.”

DR. J.C KUMARAPPA
This Economic Analysis was done by Dr.J.C.Kumarappa. (1892-

1960). The last three major paragraphs (within inverted commas, sans the Sub-headings) are borrowed per-se (rather quoted) from the book of J.C.Kumarappa, published in 1951.  Book Name is ‘Gandhian Economic Thought’ and this resource is available on-line. (http://www.scribd.com/doc/8693162/Gandhian-Economic-Thought-by-JCKumarappa)Dr. Kumarappa is frank enough to acknowledge that the original source/inspiration   of  his fundamental economic thoughts were obtained from knowledge and observations of ‘the Hindu order of society’. And he had with abandon used all the technical terms related to Varna-ashrama-dharma.

Kumarappa’s caution regarding the US. (where he did higher studies)

Kumarappa was also perfectly aware that in the post-War era, British imperialism was being replaced by American imperialism. His analysis of the 'financial imperialism' of the United States and its modus operpandi, written in 1953, remains fully valid after six decades. "Britain came to India with a feudal background ....which took the form of political imperialism. ...A little later came the Americans. They appeared on the scene with a tradition of slavery. Hence their mode of control of 'underdeveloped' countries took on a different colour to the British one. They are following a financial imperialism, which is practically irresponsible for the welfare of those who come under its grip....

"The USA is proceeding on various plans to entrap the nations by guile, by compulsion, by coercion and financial entanglements. These methods are not calculated to liberate its victims but to carry on its nefarious purposes like the spider. The webs are woven so well and close that the victim hardly realizes what is happening, and all its struggles only make the end come sooner....

"At the present time America represents the menace to the world. It is leading in active violence all over the east of Asia, and if we wish to halt this danger, we should knock at the very roots of war. This will mean giving up the use of products of centralized industries, and in particular the use of all American-made articles." (source of above three paragraphs http://www.frontierweekly.com/articles/vol-45/45-14-17/45-14-17-Back%20to%20Basics.html )

 Final Days Spent at Gandhi Niketan Ashram at T.Kallupatti, Madurai Dist, T.N

Vinoba Bhave, while on his Bhoodan march went to see Kumarappa in 1956. Kumarappa took Vinobaji into his hut. In the hut was a picture of Mahatma Gandhi. When Vinoba looked at the picture with affection and concentration, Kumarappa broke the silence and said, 'He is my master' and pointing at another one he said, 'And here is my master's master'. That picture was of a poor farmer.

On 30 January 1960  evening Kumarappa breathed his last and merged with the soul of his Master. (Gandhiji’s death anniversary falls on 30^th Jan) (source of the last two paragraphs http://www.mkgandhi.org/associates/jck.htm)