The bodily necessities of life . . . the animals, they have also bodily necessities of life—āhāra, eating; nidrā, sleeping and bhaya, fearing or defending and maithuna, sexual intercourse. So the cats and dogs, they have got all these functions, and the human being has also the same functions. It may be little polished, but the function is the same. Then what is the extra business of this human form of life?
If you are simply engaged in these four principles of life—eating, sleeping, sex life and defending, or fearing—then what is the difference between a man and a dog? There is no difference. The only difference is athāto brahma jijñāsā. A man can come here in this temple and he can inquire about Kṛṣṇa, or the Absolute Truth. That is the difference.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are giving chance to everyone to come and inquire about Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Or, in other words, the whole activities of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is Vedānta life. Vedānta life. Anyone who is inquiring about Kṛṣṇa, inquiring about the Absolute Truth . . . now there are different stages of inquiring about the Absolute Truth. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
- vadanti tat tattva-vidas
- tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
- brahmeti paramātmeti
- bhagavān iti śabdyate
- (SB 1.2.11)
The Absolute Truth is one, but according to our understanding, some are accepting the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, some of them accepting the Absolute Truth as the localized Paramātmā, and some of them are understanding the Absolute Truth as Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to understand the Absolute Truth as the ultimate issue. That means to understand the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Person.
Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is describing the Absolute Truth in the beginning, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya (SB 1.1.1). Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva. He appeared as the son of Vasudeva. But spiritually, unless one becomes on the position of vasudeva, nobody can understand Vāsudeva. Vasudeva is the name of śuddha-sattva, pure goodness.
Not contaminated goodness. Here in this material world there are three types of status: goodness, passion and ignorance. So ignorance and passion, they're simply material. The symptom of ignorance and passion is greediness and lust. Above this greediness and lust there is another platform, which is Vedānta platform—to understand everything clearly. That is called goodness.