Prabhupāda: So you are drawing the last drop of milk from the cow and sending her to the slaughterhouse. Is that very good civilization?
Dr. Sharma: Swamiji, the beef industry here is based more on... The argument of mother would be a little weak.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Dr. Sharma: The beef industry here is more based on steers, which are not, which are basically bulls given high estrogens and bred in that way.
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, we are layman, and we follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction that cow, milk is very important, we drink the cow's milk, therefore she is mother. So at least she should be saved from being killed. This is common sense. Apart from other big, big reasoning, we take it, Kṛṣṇa says go-rakṣya, so we take it. Besides that, so far vegetables are concerned, Kṛṣṇa says that patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: (BG 9.26) "If anyone offers Me even patram," patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam,"I eat them." So we take Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. So Kṛṣṇa says "You give Me these vegetables, plants." So we offer Him, and then we take. Besides that, everybody has to eat something. So generally, food grains, vegetables, they are recommended for eating purpose. And those who want to eat meat or fish, they can do so, but at least they can avoid the important life of cow. That is recommended. So far we are concerned, we are eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam, foodstuff offered to Kṛṣṇa, and this, there is no such thing as meat or fish, or egg, but we are living. Not that because we do not eat meat or fish, we are dying. We can eat very easily. Anna. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Actually, if we take food grains like wheat, rice, pulses, vegetables, fruits, milk, that is quite sufficient, nutritious foodstuff, full with vitamins and, what is called, protein, carbohydrate. That is sufficient. Why should we kill? At least, cow? That is our request, because Kṛṣṇa says go-rakṣya. And in His practical life He played as a cowherd boy giving protection to other cows. There is a picture, Kṛṣṇa is sitting, and the cow and the calf is feeling very safety. Kṛṣṇa is embracing. So because we want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, we want to follow His personal behavior and instruction.
Guest (1): Prabhupāda? For every animal except the cow, you said, like a..., does a person have to pay off a one-to-one ratio for the animal killed? He just has to come back one time for, like, killing a goat? Is it just one time then, instead of many times?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: His question is that is there some formula, that if you kill one animal or one thing then you get killed in the exact same ratio? You kill one thing, you get killed once. So in other words, if you are responsible for killing hundreds and hundreds of animals throughout your lifetime, does one have to take birth hundreds and hundreds of times and be killed?
Prabhupāda: Yes. For killing, you cannot kill even vegetable.
Vṛṣākapi: This is Mr., ah, what's your name?
Mr. Boyd: Boyd.
Vṛṣākapi: Mr. Boyd. His daughter is a devotee in Germany.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Mr. Boyd: Barbara. I had the privilege of going to India a month ago and bringing her home, and I met two of your...
Prabhupāda: She is in India?
Mr. Boyd: Yes, she was at Vṛndāvana, and she'd been there for about three months. She contracted malaria, I guess, and was not doing too well, and we got concerned. So we went down to see how she was. She was due to go back to Germany, so we brought her back here and got her back in shape, I guess, and sent her back to Germany. And while we were there I met one of your friends, I guess, a fellow named Mr. Dubhai?
Prabhupāda: Dubhai, yes, in Vṛndāvana.
Mr. Boyd: You know him, and Himāvatī. I told them I'd see you pretty soon. I thought maybe you might be interested in seeing a few pictures? She said she was your friend, and you were her very good friend, and sent her regards to you. (laughter) That's quite a temple in Vṛndāvana. Very impressive.
Prabhupāda: Oh, you liked it?
Mr. Boyd: Yes, it was quite startling to come up the roadway there, and things looked pretty desolate, and all of a sudden here's this beautiful temple sitting here, and it was a real experience.
Prabhupāda: Oh, here is Mr. Dubhai's picture.
Mr. Boyd: Yes. (laughter) He was quite a gentleman.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: You stayed in the guesthouse there too?
Mr. Boyd: No, I was just there a short time, I had to come back. We were only down there about four days. We had to bring back Barbara, she was in pretty rough shape. She had gotten malaria, only she wasn't doing too well.