They are also life - the fruits, the vegetables, the food grains, the milk, the sugar. They have got enough food value, and the human being should be satisfied within this group

Expressions researched:
"they are also life—the fruits, the vegetables, the food grains, the milk, the sugar. They have got enough food value, and the human being should be satisfied within this group"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Actually, in this material world there is no happiness; everything is distress. But on account of our ignorance we accept distress as happiness. That is called māyā. Māyā, mā-ya, "that is not." We are accepting something . . . The same example. Just like a hog is feeling happiness by eating stool. But it is not happiness actually. One who is not in māyā, one is not in the hog's body, he says, "Oh, what nasty food he's taking." That is also food. From food value, the stool is very valuable. It contains all hypophosphates and so on, so on. The doctors, they have analyzed. But that does not mean because it has got very big food value the human being will agree to take stool. Sometimes it so happens that in the last war in the concentrative camp, the human being was obliged to eat his own stool. So this is called karma. This is karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa, jantor deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1).

760619 - Lecture SB 07.06.03 - Toronto

Arthadam means the purpose of life. So those who are not taking part of bhāgavata-dharma from the beginning of life, their artham is different, and whereas a person taken to bhāgavata-dharma, artham is different. The bhāgavata-dharma artham, bhāgavata-dharma artham is to go back to home, back to Godhead. And the material life artham: sense gratification. This is the difference. They do not know that there is life after death and there is eternal life, there is eternal happiness. They do not know. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya.

So this type of happiness, different types of happiness, and distress also. Actually, in this material world there is no happiness; everything is distress. But on account of our ignorance we accept distress as happiness. That is called māyā. Māyā, mā-ya, "that is not." We are accepting something . . . The same example. Just like a hog is feeling happiness by eating stool. But it is not happiness actually. One who is not in māyā, one is not in the hog's body, he says, "Oh, what nasty food he's taking." That is also food. From food value, the stool is very valuable. It contains all hypophosphates and so on, so on. The doctors, they have analyzed. But that does not mean because it has got very big food value the human being will agree to take stool. Sometimes it so happens that in the last war in the concentrative camp, the human being was obliged to eat his own stool. So this is called karma. This is karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa, jantor deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1).

So we must rectify our karma. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (BS 5.54). If you cultivate bhāgavata-dharma, then your karma can be changed. Otherwise, it is not changing. Otherwise, it is not possible. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate (SB 1.5.18). Everyone is born with the resultant action of some past karma. But that also, people in modern days, they do not understand what is past, what is future, what is present. They're simply animals. The animals, cats and dogs, they cannot understand. Therefore human form of life should not be wasted like the animals. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kasṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This should be . . . there should be responsibility, and the state, the father, the elderly persons, the guru, they must be very responsible. And what is that responsibility? That the person under one's control should be trained up in such a way, because he has got this human life, he can be elevated to the highest position. That, how it can be done? By bhāgavata-dharma. Not otherwise. Not by karma or jñāna or yoga. No. You cannot change. Simply by acting in devotional service, bhāgavata-dharma, anyone can be raised to the highest position.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Just hear me. But when you come to the form of human being, you should have discrimination. If you have no discrimination, simply you live like animal, then where is the difference? My only point is the lack of brain. Human being, he has been given by nature . . . they are also life—the fruits, the vegetables, the food grains, the milk, the sugar. They have got enough food value, and the human being should be satisfied within this group. Why they should maintain slaughterhouse and do not think that they are not sinful, and still they want to be happy without caring for God? That is lack of brain.

740531 - Conversation B - Geneva

C. Hennis: Well, I suppose they are adopting the principle that you yourself advocated just now. You said that the proper society is one which is based on . . .

Prabhupāda: That means lacking brain, lacking brain, lacking brain.

C. Hennis: But the whole world, apart from the human beings, the animal world is entirely composed of beings that eat one another. The only beings that are never eaten are whales and elephants. All of the others are eaten by some bigger animal, and I suppose that the justification that they have for maintaining slaughterhouses is that it is just a cleaner way of killing than for a lion to jump on the back of an antelope.

Prabhupāda: What is that? What is the supposed . . .

C. Hennis: It's just a cleaner way of killing.

Yogeśvara: It is the natural order, that all animals . . . there are many species of animals that eat flesh, and that man is simply following the natural order.

Prabhupāda: Natural means, that means he should become animal. Like, he should imitate like the animal. That is man's progress, do you mean to say?

C. Hennis: Well, that's no doubt the rationale that they use.

Prabhupāda: I understand your point. That we also say, that any living entity has to live by eating another living entity. That is natural. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam (SB 1.13.47). It is said in the Vedic literature that one living entity is the food for another living entity.

C. Hennis: That's true . . .

Prabhupāda: Just hear me. But when you come to the form of human being, you should have discrimination. If you have no discrimination, simply you live like animal, then where is the difference? My only point is the lack of brain. Human being, he has been given by nature . . . they are also life—the fruits, the vegetables, the food grains, the milk, the sugar. They have got enough food value, and the human being should be satisfied within this group. Why they should maintain slaughterhouse and do not think that they are not sinful, and still they want to be happy without caring for God? That is lack of brain.

C. Hennis: My organization is not directly concerned with giving people brains.

Prabhupāda: No, your organization may not be directly concerned, but the human society, if it is brainless, however organization you may make, it will never become happy. That is my point.

C. Hennis: But it is concerned with taking away the obstacles which prevent people from attaining brain.

Yogeśvara: This is the obstacle.

Prabhupāda: No.

C. Hennis: One of the obstacles is just plain poverty. One of the obstacles is overwork.

Prabhupāda: No, no. A human being should be considerate. Everyone has got religion. Either he is Hindu or Muslim or Christian, it doesn't matter, there must be discrimination between sinful activities and pious activities. Human being should be engaged for pious activities, not for sinful activities. That is human society. If the human being does not discriminate what is pious activities and what is sinful activity, that means lack of brain. He has no brain. He is no better than the animals.