View source for The difference between animal society & human society is that a human being, whoever he may be, he can, if he is taught, trained and educated, he can understand his real position, that he is not this body, but he is pure consciousness; he is spirit soul

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{{terms|"Human society is not animal society. The difference between animal society and human society is that a human being, whoever he may be, he can, if he is taught, if he is given training, if he is educated, he can understand his real position, that he is not this body but he is pure consciousness: he is spirit soul"}}
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{{compiler|Visnu Murti}}
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{{first|2015-02-19T05:08:36Z}}
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[[Category:Difference Between]]
[[Category:Human Society and Animal Society]]
[[Category:Human Beings]]
[[Category:Whoever]]
[[Category:May Be]]
[[Category:Taught]]
[[Category:Training]]
[[Category:Education of Human Beings]]
[[Category:Can Understand]]
[[Category:Real Position]]
[[Category:I Am Not This Body]]
[[Category:Pure Consciousness]]
[[Category:I Am Spirit Soul]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966 - 1977]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, Bhagavad-gita As It Is]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - in USA, New York]]
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<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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Human society is not animal society. The difference between animal society and human society is that a human being, whoever he may be, he can, if he is taught, if he is given training, if he is educated, he can understand his real position, that he is not this body, but he is pure consciousness; he is spirit soul.
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<mp3player>https://vanipedia.s3.amazonaws.com/clip/660328BG-NEW_YORK_clip2.mp3</mp3player>
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[[Vanisource:660328 - Lecture BG 02.46-47 - New York|660328 - Lecture BG 02.46-47 - New York]]:
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''Brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ''. One who knows the constitution of the soul, he is called ''brāhmaṇa''. Because the soul is Brahman: soul is not matter. So one who knows the constitution of the soul, he is called ''brahmin''. We have already discussed this matter, that ''brahmin'' does not mean a particular class or born in a particular country. A ''brahmin ''means who knows the position of the soul, or the constitution of the soul. He is ''brahmin''.

Just like a person who is conversant with medical science, he is called medical man or a doctor. It doesn't matter whether he is born in India or born in America or whether he is black or white. It doesn't matter. One must have the qualification of a medical man, and he is called a doctor. Similarly, ''Bhagavad-gītā ''also accepts the brahminical culture. The brahminical culture. Brahminical culture means the social position in which everyone is assisted to elevate himself to the highest position of understanding the position and the constitution of the soul. That should be the aim of human society.

Human society is not animal society. The difference between animal society and human society is that a human being, whoever he may be, he can, if he is taught, if he is given training, if he is educated, he can understand his real position, that he is not this body but he is pure consciousness: he is spirit soul. But in the animal society, however a big animal may be, either he may be a lion or a tiger or an elephant or any other big animal, he cannot be taught about the constitution of the soul, although he has got the soul also. A lower animal, he has also got the consciousness. He has got also a soul. But unfortunately he hasn't got the facility, the bodily facility or developed intelligence, by which he can understand that what he is.

So that is the difference between animal and human being. So in the human society, if they do not care to understand this factual position of his soul or consciousness, then he is no better than the animal. Yes. That is the Vedic version.

:''āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca''
:''sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām''
:''dharmo hi teṣām adhiko viśeṣo''
:''dharmeṇa hīnaḥ paśubhiḥ samānaḥ''
:(''Hitopadeśa'' 25)

The ''āhāra ''. . . ''āhāra ''means eating, ''nidrā ''means sleeping, and ''bhaya'', ''bhaya ''means fearing, and ''maithuna'', ''maithuna ''means sexual intercourse. So these four things, four principles of life, there is in the animal kingdom and in the human kingdom. But the human kingdom, the human body is distinct from the animal body in the respect . . . in this respect, that in human society there is religion. Religion. Generally we understand as religion. Religion means a culture of the spirit soul. It may be in different way understood in different countries, but the whole idea is to understand the spirit soul.

So ''dharmeṇa hīnaḥ paśubhiḥ samānaḥ''. If the human society is not very eager to understand the real position of the soul, or consciousness, then he is no better than the animals. That is the version of the Vedic, and actually it is so. Our developed consciousness, our developed life, should be used, should be utilized in this human form of life to understand "What I am." The whole trouble, whole trouble is, the whole trouble of the human society is because they have forgotten the constitutional position of his self.

So we have already discussed all these points in previous meetings, but because today we have got some new friends, ladies and gentlemen, therefore I have given you a summary of the last, I mean to say, meetings. Now, today we have to consider that simply theoretically knowing that "I am consciousness" will not do, simply theoretical knowledge, because the position of consciousness is activity. Activity. Now, my body is active. I am speaking to you: you are hearing to me. We . . . congregationally we chanted ''saṅkīrtana'' just now. Why? Because the consciousness is present. If there was no consciousness either in you or I, then I could not chant, neither you could hear, or neither you could chant, neither I could hear. So therefore the position of the consciousness is activity. Activity.
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