Now, in the last meeting we have discussed that this life is meant for self-realization. This human form of life especially . . . we must always remember that many, many years ago—not thousands; millions of years ago . . . in the modern civilization they have no history more than three thousand years. Some of the rascals, they say that ten thousand years before, there was no human being. So this is going on, mental speculation. But we have got Vedic history, millions and millions years. There are different species of life always. It is not that . . . that only one species of life was existent, and then gradually they have come to . . . this theory is not reasonable, neither acceptable. That is a long story.
All different forms of species of life, as they are existing at the present moment—you'll have aquatic animals, you'll have plant life, microbes, insects, birds, beasts, human beings, uncivilized human beings, civilized human beings—as they are presently existing, they existed even from the very beginning of creation. Not that in the creation there was no human being. From Vedic history we understand that in the creation, when everything was all water, at that time, a lotus flower grew out of the abdomen of Viṣṇu and there was creation of Brahmā.
So Brahmā is supposed to be the most intellectual personality within this universe. My point is that in the beginning the creation was the most intelligent personality, not that in the creation there was lower animals. No. Lower animals were there. The . . . just like at the present moment, all kinds of living entities are there. If there is dissolution of this universe, everything will be destroyed, but again, when there will be creation, all the species of life, they'll take birth in the same way if they have not fulfilled their mission.
The mission is that living entities are given chance to develop consciousness. They develop consciousness from the lowest form of life up to the brightest and the most intellectual form of life, like Brahmā, and above that also, transcendental. That is called spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So this chance is given to the living entities who are aspirant for material enjoyment. You should always remember that all living entities, 8,400,000 species of life, every one of them after material enjoyment. So they are given a chance. Vedic knowledge means that you have desire for material enjoyment, so therefore you can . . . you are given the chance here for material enjoyment.
Material enjoyment means eating, sleeping, mating and defending. You can make these four principles in different varieties or different grades, but these are the principles of material enjoyment. A dog is eating; you are also eating. So your eating and dog's eating, difference is that a dog can eat even stool, but you cannot. But you cannot. You have to arrange for palatable dishes just befitting human consumption. So there . . . there are different kinds of eating, but the eating principle is there, that's all. One is satisfied with stool-eating, and one is satisfied by eating kṛṣṇa-prasādam. That is the difference. And between the stool and kṛṣṇa-prasādam, there are many varieties and grades, according to different kinds of . . .
Similarly, sleeping. Sleeping also, the dog is also sleeping on the side of a street without any difficulty, and the king is sleeping on the palace, very nice apartment. And a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he's also sleeping. But there are different grades. The Kṛṣṇa conscious person is sleeping, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This can be done. If you practice this Hare Kṛṣṇa, even in sleeping you'll chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.