Devotee (7) (lady): Śrīla Prabhupāda, there was a fish on Laksmi's hand yesterday. The Deity in the temple, where Laksmi had her hand up like this, there was a fish here across her hand. What is this?
Prabhupāda: That is a mark, mark.
Devotee (7): Its not a fish.
Prabhupāda: Not actual fish.
Devotee (7): (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Not that Lakṣmījī eats fish. (laughter) There are many other marks also.
Devotee (7): So, it's an auspicious mark. Would it be better if we gave up the eating of vegetables then?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Devotee (7): Would it be better if we gave up eating vegetables?
Prabhupāda: You cannot eat anything accept Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Even if we eat vegetables, that is also sin. Bhagavad-gītā clearly says, bhuñjate te tv agham pāpā, ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (BG 3.13). If you prepare very nice pure foodstuff for eating yourself, then still you are eating sins. You have to prepare anything very nicely, offer it to Kṛṣṇa, then you take, then you will be free from all sin. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo. Even there is sin... Sin there must be. Just like you are cooking, you are taking water from the jug, there are so many germs you are killing. The killing responsibility is there. In the higher sense, "Thou shalt not kill", means you have to take the prasādam of Kṛṣṇa.
Nara-Nārāyaṇa: Jaya!
Prabhupāda: Otherwise, even you do ordinary killing, vegetable killing, you are killing so many germs. So in higher sense if you take this principle of Bible, "Thou shalt not kill," that means you must eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam, otherwise you will be killing. And whichever you do, it will be killing. So our process is perfect, take Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Hm?
Viśākhā: What happens to the jīva souls who were fruits and vegetables that were offered to Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Yes, there is jīva also. I say that even vegetable you are killing, but that killing responsibility goes to Kṛṣṇa. We are killing for Kṛṣṇa. Suppose in the vegetable there is life, but we are preparing food for Kṛṣṇa.
Nara-Nārāyaṇa: I think she wants to know what happens to the soul. Supposing that a plant, we are killing the plant and offering in prasādam to Kṛṣṇa. The jīva soul who is living in the plant, what happens to him?
Prabhupāda: Because he is killed for Kṛṣṇa's purpose so he gets immediately liberation.
Devotee (lady): This is a very sinful life they're living unless we offer everything to Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Not anything. Kṛṣṇa, whatever says (indistinct). Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26). You can offer these things which is asked by Kṛṣṇa.
Devotee: Do they just get liberation or do they go directly to Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Devotee: They go to Kṛṣṇa or do they only get liberation? Do they go to Goloka Vṛndāvana?
Devotee: What kind of liberation?
Prabhupāda: Well, liberation not always means that he goes directly. In the lower stage liberation means to come out of the lower stage to the human form of body. Then he gets chance for directly serving Kṛṣṇa, then real liberation takes place. (break) (indistinct) All right. (end)