Devotee (2): Śrīla Prabhupāda, you mentioned three states of identification. One was like the animals. What was the other two?
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Devotee (2): One was to identify with the body as the self like the animals. And then you mentioned... You said there were three altogether.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Bodily conception, mental conception and spiritual conception. When one is ignorant, he is like animal. When he is farther advanced, he is a philosopher. And when he is farther advanced, he is a devotee. These are three different stages: like animal, like philosopher and like devotee. So when you think like devotee, that is perfection. And you think that "I am American," "I am Indian"—that is animal. So it is according to the advancement of one's life. There are three stages: animal conception, mental conception and spiritual conception. So spiritual conception is perfect, all perfect. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)