Animal protection (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"animal" |"animals" |"protect" |"protecting" |"protection" |"protects"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase research query: "animal* protect*"@10

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Government should give security of life and property. That is government. Not only for the human being, but even for the ant. This is government. Not that I give protection to my brother, and not to others. Just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was giving protection to the animals also.

Lecture on BG 1.1 -- London, July 7, 1973:

So what is the rightful ownership of the living entity? That is to be understood. Birthright, what is called birthright. Just like everyone has got right to live under the protection of the government, everyone. That is good government. Government should give security of life and property. That is government. Not only for the human being, but even for the ant. This is government. Not that I give protection to my brother, and not to others. That is not... Just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was giving protection to the animals also. When he was on his tour, as soon as he saw that a black man was trying to kill one cow, oh, immediately he took his sword, "Who are you? You are trying to kill?"

So this is good government. Unless the government is equal to everyone... Just like God is equal to everyone. The king or the government must be representative of God. Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, king is offered as good respect as to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. King is called nara-deva, nara-deva. That means "God in human form." King is given... Why? Because he acts as the representative of God. He cannot be jealous to any living entity, at least, born in his kingdom. That is called praja. Praja means one who has taken birth, or, in other words, national, national. So that was the duty.

As the kṣatriya's business was to give protection to the citizens, similarly, vaiśya's duty was to give protection to the animals.

Lecture on BG 1.12 -- London, July 13, 1973:

They are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, brāhmaṇa qualification, kṣatriya qualification, vaiśya qualification, śūdra qualification. So... Very nice arrangement, Vedic civilization. Everyone is guided by the superior. The brāhmaṇa guides the kṣatriyas, the kṣatriya guides the vaiśyas, and the vaiśya employs the śūdras. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). In this way, four divisions of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they manage the whole society so nicely. The kṣatriyas, as the kṣatriya's business was to give protection to the citizens, similarly, vaiśya's duty was to give protection to the animals. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44).

Vaiśya, they should engage themselves in agricultural production and giving protection to the cows, especially mentioned, go-rakṣya. Go-rakṣya, cow protection, is one of the items of state affairs. And now there is no cow protection. Poor cows, they deliver milk, and later on they become slaughtered. How much sinful the modern society is, and they still want peace and prosperity. That is not possible. The society must be divided—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—and they must execute their proper duty. And the vaiśyas, they should give protection to the cows. And the śūdras, they should work under the direction of the higher three divisions. In this way there will be nice management.

It is the duty of the kṣatriya to protect every living entity born in the land, in his kingdom. It is not that, as it is going on now, that only the human beings should be protected and not the animals.

Lecture on BG 2.2-6 -- Ahmedabad, December 11, 1972:

Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Arjuna's grandson, when he was touring in his empire... The whole world was at that time Indian empire. Not Indian exactly. Bhārata-varṣa. Now we have imitated some name, Bhārata, the "Indian," "Hindustan." But formerly the whole planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa. So when he saw that one black man was trying to kill one cow, immediately he took his sword: "Immediately I shall kill you. Who are you, killing cows in my kingdom?" This is kṣatriya's business. So... But there is no kṣatriya now because so many cows are being killed. Nobody is protesting. It is the duty of the kṣatriya to protect every living entity born in the land, in his kingdom. It is not that, as it is going on now, that only the human beings should be protected and not the animals. No animal could be killed except in sacrifice, as prescribed. Unnecessarily, there was no need of killing animals. That is great sin.

To give protection innocent citizen or animals from being injured by the rascals, the government or the king should take his sword and kill immediately.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:

Kṣatriya means who gives protection the citizens from being hurt by the irreligious person. That is called kṣatriya. Kṣat. Kṣat means injury, and tra means deliver. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. When he saw that a black man Kali was going to kill a cow, so he was going to inflict injury to the cow, and immediately Mahārāja Parīkṣit took his sword, that to give protection to the cow from the injury of black man. So that violence required. Tit for tat. One who is going to commit violence unnecessarily, the king, government, should immediately take the sword and kill that person. That is government's duty. Had it been Vedic culture prevailing now, all these persons who are unnecessarily killing the cows in the slaughterhouse, they would have been killed by the king. "You have done so sinful." So that kind of killing is pious. To give protection innocent citizen or animals from being injured by the rascals, the government or the king should take his sword and kill immediately. This kind of killing is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Not that general killing. You can capriciously kill anyone and give the evidence, "Oh, it is Bhagavad-gītā. It is there." How... See how rascals, they are interpreting. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without interpreting in a rascal's way.

Vaiśya means the mercantile community. They are meant for giving protection to the animals, and produce grain, and distribute and make trade on them.

Lecture on BG 2.46-47 -- New York, March 28, 1966:

In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find that the mercantile class... Who are mercantile class? Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Vaiśya means the mercantile community. They are meant for giving protection to the animals, and produce grain, and distribute and make trade on them. That's all. Because formerly there was no industry—people generally depended on agricultural work—therefore the mercantile community, they used to produce food grains and distribute them, and protection of cow was their duty. As the king was entrusted to protect the life of the citizens, similarly, the vaiśya class, or the mercantile class, they were entrusted to protect the life of cow. Why particularly cow is protected? Because milk is very essential food for the human society, therefore cow protection is the duty of the human society. That is the conception of Vedic literature.

Nobody dies of starvation. That is a false theory. Have you seen any animal dying of starvation? Have you got any experience?

Lecture on BG 3.11-19 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1968:

Guest: How do you account for the fact that man sometimes takes animals and feeds them and protects them, whereas otherwise these animals might have died of starvation or exposure or something?

Prabhupāda: Why you are anxious about the animals being starvation? You take care of yourself. You don't be philanthropic, "Oh, they'll starve. Let me eat." What is this philanthropy? Kṛṣṇa is supplying food. If he dies out of starvation, it is Kṛṣṇa's responsibility. Nobody dies of starvation. That is a false theory. Have you seen any animal dying of starvation? Have you got any experience? Have you seen any bird died of starvation? There is no question of starvation in the kingdom of God. We are manufacturing these theories for our own satisfaction, sense satisfaction. There is no question of starvation in the law of God. Elephant eats hundred pounds at a time. Who is supplying foodstuff? There are millions of elephants in the African jungle, in Indian jungles. They require one hundred pounds at a time to eat. Who is supplying food? So there is no question of starvation in the kingdom of God. Starvation is for the so-called civilized men.

In human society, so-called civilization, we give all protection to the human society, but we don't give any protection to the animal society.

Lecture on BG 4.19-22 -- New York, August 8, 1966:

Just like Arjuna is fighting. Arjuna was afraid of sinful acts by killing his kinsmen and, I mean to say, grandfather. But when he understood that "I am fighting on Kṛṣṇa's account, so I am free." Śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan na āpnoti kilbiṣam. If you simply don't try to increase your artificial demands for maintaining this body... You have every right to live, and everyone has got right to live, not only myself. Even the ant has got the right to live. But in human society, so-called civilization, we give all protection to the human society, but we don't give any protection to the animal society.

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for all living entities, not that I shall simply give protection for my brother, my sister, or my father, but even to the lowest animal we shall give protection.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

Revatīnandana: "Purport: Only a person who is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be said to be engaged in welfare work for all living entities."

Prabhupāda: Yes. For all living entities. You can open a hospital for the human being but where is your hospital for the tiger? Can any man open a hospital for the tigers, for the snakes? And why not? You are compassionate with living entities. Are they not living entities? This is the frailty of imperfect knowledge. They are giving protection, the state is giving protection, to the national, but the cows are not national. They should be killed. But the definition of national is that one who is born in that land is called national. The cows are not born in this land? Why for them killing, and only for the human being protection? This is imperfect, imperfect knowledge.

So whatever a man is doing, you will find some imperfectness. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that it has no imperfectness. It is all-perfect. It is for all living entities, not that I shall simply give protection for my brother, my sister, or my father, but even to the lowest animal we shall give protection. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, "Only a person who is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be said to be engaged in welfare work for all living entities." Why discrimination? Why protect this and not that? That is imperfectness. The human society cannot give protection to all living entities, but here is a scheme which can give protection to all living entities.

Just like these animals, they have no personal endeavor. They are depending on you. If you cut his throat, you can cut. And if you give him protection, you can give him. But they, the animals has no personal endeavor. That is full surrender.

Lecture on BG 9.34 -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Yogeśvara: Śrīla Prabhupāda? How are we to determine how much of our endeavor should be for our own personal progress?

Prabhupāda: There is no personal endeavor. There is no personal endeavor. Just like these animals, they have no personal endeavor. They are depending on you. If you cut his throat, you can cut. And if you give him protection, you can give him. But they, the animals has no personal endeavor. That is full surrender. That is our position. Remain fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and He'll give you protection. That you are thinking, how the animal will live, how these children will live. It is not the children's business, not the animal's business. He is fully surrendered, that's all. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Other things will be done. Kṛṣṇa says yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). "I shall do that." Why your personal endeavor?

Because you are not Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you are discriminating in this way, that the human society should be given protection, the animal society should be slaughtered. Is that very good?

Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). If you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you'll see that "Every living entity, not only human society, but the animal society, the bird society, tree society, the aquatic society—all living entities, they're all sons of Kṛṣṇa. Why shall I kill a fish or a cow, or a goat? He's also son of Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And you are doing humanitarian work and sending so many animals, thousands of animals, to the slaughterhouse. What is this? What these poor animals have done? Because you are not Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you are discriminating in this way, that the human society should be given protection, the animal society should be slaughtered. Is that very good? Is that good consciousness? Just like the Christian people say that the animals have no soul—because they want to eat meat. Christ says, "Thou shalt not kill." They interpret in a different way. So you can make your own mental concoction, but if you require to be right person, you have to take direction from the authorities. That is required.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Just like here, the animals, under the protection of the devotees, at least he has no fear of his life.

Lecture on SB 1.5.18 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1969:

So mukunda-sevī. Similarly, anyone who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if he falls down... Generally, he does not, but even, taking for accepted that he, somehow or other, he fallen, still, he'll not have to suffer like others. Just like here, the animals, under the protection of the devotees, at least he has no fear of his life. No devotee will kill. Here the cows, the horse, the dog, they're assured of their life. Therefore they're not like ordinary dogs. They're not ordinary cows. Therefore it is said, Śrīdhara Svāmī says, mukunda-sevī, even if he's degraded, he's not degraded as ordinary man. He's not degraded as... Mukunda-sevī na vrajet aṅga, anyavat kevala karma niṣṭhavat iti vaidharma niṣṭha.(?) Just like other karmīs. They are, according to their karma, they're given birth in a specific species of life. So their case, a devotee's case, is different.