Go-kharaḥ. Go means cow, and khara means ass. This is the verdict of the śāstra that, "If anyone is in the bodily concept of life, he is no better than the animal go and khara, ass and cow."
So this ignorance, when this ignorance prevails, that is called dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata. Kṛṣṇa said, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). When people are become like cats and dogs, the bodily concept of life, and working whole day and night without any spiritual understanding, without the aim of life . . . so this human life is not meant for that purpose. This is the mistake. It is not that the dogs and cats are eating in a different way. Now we eat in a nice table, in nice plate, and very nicely dressed, and you are eating . . . but the eating process is there. Either you nicely eat or wrongly eat, but you have to fulfill your bell(y) and satisfy your hunger. That is not advancement of civilization. To eat nicely, to sleep nicely, to defend nicely and to have sexual life nicely, that is not advancement of civilization. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ narāṇām (Hitopadeśa). Sexual intercourse with beautiful woman and sexual intercourse with the female dog, the pleasure is the same. That is not advancement of civilization. Advancement of civilization is ātma-tattvam. Ātma-tattva.
That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Śrotavyādīni rājendra (SB 2.1.2). Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "Now I am going to die. What is my duty? What I shall hear from you?" So at that time Parīkṣit Mahārāja . . . yes, Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: "My dear King," śrotavyādīni, nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ, apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām that, "Those who are gṛhamedhī . . ." Gṛhamedhī means has made the home, country, society, family as the only means of advancement. They are called gṛhamedhī. But there is another word, what is called gṛhastha āśrama. Āśrama. Brahmacārī āśrama, gṛhastha āśrama, vānaprastha āśrama, sannyāsa āśrama. Āśrama. As soon as . . . any common man can understand. As soon as we say āśrama, there is some spiritual idea. Āśrama. Here is a āśrama. So gṛhastha āśrama is different, and gṛhamedhī is different. Gṛhamedhī means one who does not know what is the ultimate goal of life, and living like . . . cats and dogs also, they live with their children, wife. They also find out food. They also try to defend, protect. Simply with these ideas if we live, that is called gṛhamedhī. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2).
Therefore our Vedānta-sūtra is there to give enlightenment. As our student Śrīman Pradyumna dāsa Adhikārī said, athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is not meant for wasting time like cats and dog. Because after all, we have to give up this life. But before giving up this life, we must gain something. That is described in the Upaniṣad: etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti sa brāhmaṇaḥ (Gargopaniṣad). We'll have to die, like cats and dogs, but we have got the chance to understand what is the value of life. The cats and dogs have no chance. So simply if we waste our time like cats and dogs and do not know what is the aim of life—sa kṛpaṇa. Etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti, aviditvā yaḥ prayāti sa kṛpaṇaḥ.
There are two things: brāhmaṇa and kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. A person who got this valuable body . . . just like if you get millions of dollars, if you do not utilize it, if you simply see in the treasury that you have got so much money, then you are kṛpaṇa. It is practical. But if you utilize that money and instead of one crore you make ten crores, then you are called intelligent. Similarly, if we think that, "I have got this human form of life, better standard of eating, sleeping and mating," then you remain kṛpaṇa. You could not utilize it. But if you know in this life, which is possible, "What is the value of this life? What is Brahman? What I am? What is my connection with Brahman? Why I have come here? Where I shall go again? Why I am put into the miserable condition of life? I do not wish to die. Why death is enforced upon me?" this is called brahma-jijñāsā, inquiry, "Why?" Therefore there is a Kena Upaniṣad, "Why?" Unless this "why" inquiry comes in the human body, then he is failure. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam (SB 5.5.5). Whatever we are doing, we are being defeated, because we are doing everything in ignorance. "I am this body. This is my country. This is my kinsmen." And in this way I die like cats and dog.