What Will Max Muller Understand About the Vedas? 72/12/09 Ahmedabad, Bhagavad-gita 18.67-69

What Will Max Muller Understand About the Vedas?

72/12/09 Ahmedabad, Bhagavad-gita 18.67-69



Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada



Prabhupada: ...about Krsna's forbidding Arjuna not to speak this Bhagavad-gita to a person who is not very much advanced in austerity and penance. The verse is on the Eighteenth Chapter, verse number 67, in which Krsna says to Arjuna:

idam te natapaskaya
nabhaktaya kadacana
na casusrusave vacyam
na ca mam yo 'bhyasuyati

Krsna says, "This confidential knowledge may not be explained to those who are not austere or devoted or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me." So Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He knows very well that there will be so many rascals who are envious of Him. Actually, everyone is trying... Because Bhagavad-gita is very popular book of profound knowledge, everyone is trying to prove his own theory through the medium of Bhagavad-gita, excluding Krsna. This is going on. They want to kill Krsna, demonic. Anyone who is trying to kill Krsna, he's a demon. So to warn the devotees from these demons, this sloka was spoken by Krsna Himself.

Atapaskaya. Actually, one who is sinful, who is not undergoing the method of austerities, penance, what he will understand about Bhagavad-gita? It is not a table talk. People are taking it as a table talk. By so-called scholarship... That is not possible. Just like it is said that unless one is a brahmana, qualified brahmana, he should not touch the Vedas. That means what he'll understand? Unless one has attained the brahminical qualification: truthfulness, cleanliness, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, simplicity, tolerant, full of Vedic knowledge, practical application in life, and full faith in the Vedas... This is, these are the brahminical qualifications. So unless one has attained the brahminical qualification, what he will understand, the Vedas? It is not that Mr. Max Muller translates Vedas. This is all nonsense. What Max Muller will understand Bhagavad, uh, Vedas? It is, these are not the subject matter of advanced in A-B-C-D. No. These are transcendental subject matter. Tat. Om tat sat. Unless one is advanced... Everything... Just like on our ordinary life also, unless one has graduated, he cannot enter into the law college. So it is not prohibition. The law college is open for everyone. But he must be properly qualified to get entrance. Similarly, one must be properly qualified to enter into the transcendental subject matter. Everyone and anyone cannot. Sudras, those who are in sudra qualification, how they can understand Vedas? It is not possible.

Therefore Krsna knows that mostly they are persons contaminated. Therefore He said, idam te na atapaskaya. Those who are too much contaminated with the material qualities, three qualities: sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna... So generally, people are contaminated with tamo-guna and rajo-guna. Hardly, at the present moment, hardly we shall find out one is qualified with the sattva-guna, brahminical qualification. Sastra says, kalau sudra-sambhavah: "In this age, Kali-yuga, mostly all of them are sudras." No brahmana, no ksatriya, no vaisya, according to qualification. You can, by force, you can say, "I am brahmana; because I am son of a brahmana, I am brahmana." That you can do, but that is not the qualification. If somebody says, "My father is high-court judge. Therefore I am a high-court judge," is that very nice proposal? One must attain the qualification of high-court judge, even though he's a son of a high-court judge.

So these things are mentioned in the sastras, but we are defying. Narada Muni says... Not ordinary authority.

yasya yal laksanam proktam
pumso varnabhivyanjakam
yad anyatrapi drsyeta
tat tenaiva vinirdiset
[SB 7.11.35]

The purport is that there are symptoms, characteristics, of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra. That is mentioned in Bhagavad-gita: satyam samo damas titiksa, satyam saucam, samo damas titiksa arjavam, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.42]. Similarly, for ksatriya, there are seven qualification. Similarly, for the vaisyas, three qualification: krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. And for the sudras, only one: paricaryatmakam karyam sudra-karma svabhava-jam. So the..., this is sastras. This is the injunction of the Vedic literature. And Narada Muni says, yasya yal laksanam proktam. The symptoms, the characteristics, varnabhivyanjakam, to indicate, or to decide, in which varna, whether this person belongs to brahmana-varna, or ksatriya-varna or sudra-varna, like that. So there are symptoms. So Narada Muni says if these symptoms are found elsewhere... Yad anyatrapi drsyeta. Suppose a sudra, or a vaisya, but he has got the qualification, symptoms, of a brahmana. So he should be accepted as brahmana, not as sudra, as vaisya. Similarly, a person born in brahmana family, if he has got the symptoms of a sudra, he should be accepted as sudra. This is the injunction in the sastras. And Sridhara Svami, he says that simply taking birth in some particular family, brahmana family or ksatriya family, one does not become so. It is the qualification. That is required.

So Bhagavad-gita also... It is Vedic literature, spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Veda apauruseya. Veda means the knowledge given by God, Krsna, First the knowledge was given to Brahma. Tene brahma hrda adi-kavaye [SB 1.1.1]. Brahma received the knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vedic knowledge. Therefore it is called apauruseya. Veda does not mean it is written by some ordinary man, as we write some books. No. It is not like that. Apauruseya. Coming directly. So similarly, the Bhagavad-gita is also coming directly from Krsna. Therefore it is Vedas. Vedanta-vid vedanta-krd ca aham. Krsna says, in the Fifteenth Chapter, that:

sarvasya caham hrdi-sannivisto
mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham
[Bg. 15.15]

He is actually the Vedanta, compiler of Vedanta, Vedanta-sutra. The most important philosophical theses -- not theses, but actually... So Krsna knows what is Vedanta. And what He says, that is Vedanta. Veda, Veda means knowledge. Anta, anta means the last word. So what is the last word of Vedanta? Last word is to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vedais ca sarvaih. Not only Vedanta-sutra, but also all the Vedas. Sama, Yajur, Atharva, Rk, the ultimate objective is Krsna, to know Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15], Krsna says. So Bhagavad-gita is also Vedanta because the Supreme Person, who spoke Vedanta... As, as Vyasadeva, incarnation of Narayana. So Narayana and Krsna, the same, identical. So therefore incarnation of Narayana, Vyasadeva, wrote Vedanta-sutra. Therefore Krsna knows what is Vedanta. And if we accept Krsna as He's saying, that, then we become actually vedanti. Not artificially.

So here Krsna says that idam te na atapaskaya na abhaktaya. Abhakta, rascal, will not understand what is Bhagavad-gita. Nabhaktaya. In the beginning also, Krsna, before speaking Bhagavad-gita, He selected Arjuna because... He said, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me rahasyam etad uttamam: [Bg. 4.3] "The mystery of Bhagavad-gita, it is very transcendental subject matter. Therefore I shall speak to you." "Why? Why You are selecting me? I am not a Vedantist. I am not a sannyasi. I am ordinary grhastha. That also, I am a soldier, fighting man. Why You are selecting me?" Bhakto 'si: "Because you are My devotee." Nobody can understand Bhagavad-gita unless he's a devotee of Krsna. It is not a rascaldom, that you speculate some interpretation, speculation. No, these things are not allowed, strictly. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is, without any malinterpretation. This is the significance. And people are appreciating. Macmillan Company, our publisher, they printed fifty thousand copies of this book in August, and it was finished by October. Not in this country, of course. In Europe and America. We have got very good demand for our books, all these books. We are selling twenty-five to thirty thousand rupees' worth books daily all over the world.

So Krsna warned... Here, the gentleman, he's not present here, who wrote me this letter? So it is the warning. Because ordinary man, they will simply spoil. They do not know what is the purpose of Bhagavad-gita. The simple thing, Bhagavad-gita, is that God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the origin of everything, and we are also part and parcel of God, and our business is to serve God. That's all. Where is the difficulty to understand? Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. The business of finger is to carry out my order. I ask the finger: "Please come here." "Yes, I am ready." "Come here." "Yes, I'm ready." Similarly, we should be like that, always ready to carry out the order of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. Just like Arjuna did. Arjuna, in the beginning, he denied to carry out the order of Krsna. Krsna wanted fight. He said, "No. Krsna, I cannot fight. I cannot kill my kinsmen, the other side, my brothers, my nephews, my grandfather. No. I stop." Then Krsna explained the actual position and He asked him: "Now, what is your decision? You can do whatever you like. I have explained everything." He said, "Yes, karisye vacanam tava [Bg. 18.73]." This is Krsna consciousness. One must be ready to do anything for Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. Not that "According to my whims, I shall decide." No, this is position. We must be ready because we are part and parcel of Krsna. Just like my hand is moving because we are part and parcel of Krsna. Just like my hand is moving because I want to move it, similarly, we are all, all living entities, we are part and parcel of Krsna; therefore, our duty is simply to move according to the will of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness.

Therefore this philosophy cannot be understood by ordinary person. Therefore He said, na atapaskaya. Tapasya. This life is meant for tapasya, not to lead a life like hogs and dogs. This human... That is not human life. That is hogs' and dogs' life. That is a state..., the statement of Rsabhadeva:

nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam
[SB 5.5.1]

We are all hankering after happiness. But we do not know how to get happiness. That is advised by Rsabhadeva, father of Maharaja Bharata, under whose name this planet is called Bharata-varsa. This planet, not this country. Bharata-varsa. Formerly it was known as Ilavrta-varsa. So after the reign of Maharaja Bharata, Emperor Bharata, this planet is called Bharata-varsa. But because we have lost our culture now, we are now a small piece of land. Just like Pakistan went. We could not maintain our culture. Formerly, the kings were maintaining the culture and controlling the whole world. So it is warning that those who have not undergone austerities, as Rsabhadeva says, that this human form of body... Everyone has got a material body. The cats and dogs and hogs and trees and everyone has got. But ayam dehah nrloke, especially in the human society, it is not meant for gratifying the senses, working very hard, whole day and night, like the hogs. The very example is given: hogs. Vid-bhujam. Vid-bhujam means hogs, the stool-eater. The stool-eater, you'll find the stool-eater, the whole day and night searching after stool: "Where is stool? Where is stool?" At night also, you'll find engaged. Day also, engaged. These are the examples by nature. What for? What is the business? Now, eating stool. And then, as soon as he gets some strength, then sex. Never mind, mother, sister, or anything. This is hog civilization. "Eat whatever you like, no discrimination even up to stool, and then have sexual intercourse. That's all."

So this is the warning of Rsabhadeva, that this human life is not meant for this purpose, like hogs and dogs. Then what it is? Tapa. That is state..., stated here also: natapaskaya. One who has not undergone austerities and penances according to the Vedic system, what he can understand Bhagavad-gita and the Vedas? Therefore He has warned. And what is the result of tapasya? To become bhakta, devotee. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. One who has actually undergone austerities, penances, then the result will be that he will surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is bhakta. So after tapasya, one becomes bhakta. And as soon as one becomes bhakta, he enjoys life. He enjoys life. Natural stage. That is mukti. Hitva anyatha-rupam. Muktir hitva anyatha-rupam. Anyatha-rupam means defying the authority of God. That is anyatha-rupam. Because we are a part and parcel of God, therefore our business is to abide by the orders of God. But as soon as we defy God, that is anyatha-rupam. So mukti means hitva anyatha-rupam. That is mukti. Mukti means hitva anyatha-rupam, giving up this nonsense practice, defying God. Anyatha-rupam. Sva-rupena vyavasthitih, to be situated in his own constitutional position. What is the constitutional position? The constitutional position is to serve. Just like part and parcel of my body, this finger, is to serve the body. This is constitutional position. If the finger denies, "No, I am God. Why shall I serve you?" that is anyatha-rupam.

So mukti means to give up anyatha-rupam. And that is the demand of Krsna. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "You have manufactured so many rascaldom in the name of religion. Give up all this nonsense. Simply surrender unto Me." This is wanted. But Krsna knows that "If I say to the rascals, 'Surrender unto Me,' he'll take otherwise." A big scholar says, "Oh, this is too much, sophistry." Krsna is demanding: "Simply surrender unto Me," and the commentor, commentator is remarking, "Oh, this is too much." And actually we are feeling: "Why we shall surrender to Krsna? We have got many other... We have got another Krsna, another this, another this... Why alone to Krsna?" Because he cannot understand. Because he has not undergone penance and austerities and not has become a devotee, how he can understand Krsna? Therefore He's warning, "Don't talk this thing, this surrender unto Me, or surrender to Krsna, to the rascals and nonsense. They'll not accept it." Therefore He has warned. But if you say, "Why you are preaching?" we are taking the risk. We know that ordinary person, they'll not understand, but it has become our duty because we are servant of Krsna. The servant of Krsna, we are going from country to country, from door to door, and flattering them, falling them, falling down on their lotus feet.

Just like Prabodhananda Sarasvati said, dante nidhaya trnakam padayor nipatya. He was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya. Caitanya and Krsna, the same. So he says, "I have taken a grass on my mouth." That is a Indian system, you know. To accept a grass, that means to become very humble. Dante nidhaya trnakam padayor nipatya. "And falling down on your feet," kaku-satam krtva caham bravimi, "I am flattering you hundred times. I am just appealing to you one thing." "What is that?" He sadhavah: "You are a very great man. You are a very pious man. But I request you: 'You give up everything. Whatever you nonsense, you have learned, please give up.' " "Then what I have to do?" Caitanya-candra-carane kuruta anuragam: "Just become a devotee of Lord Caitanya." And becoming Lord Caitanya, devotee of Lord Caitanya, what, what is the business? Lord Caitanya says, amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa, yare dekha tare kaha krsna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Just that "On My order, you become a guru." And what is the business of guru? The guru's business is, yare dekha tare kaha krsna-upadesa: "You simply spread what Krsna has said, or what is said about Krsna, krsna-upadesa." Upadesa means instruction. The instruction which is given by Krsna, or the instruction given about Krsna, that is called krsna-upadesa, krsna-katha.

So Bhagavad-gita is krsna-upadesa. Directly Krsna giving the instruction. And Srimad-Bhagavatam is the instruction about Krsna. So this is our business. We have become guru, spiritual master, not with a false position, that "I have become God." No. We are servant, simply servant, ordinary servant. Just like post peon. Not very high salaried servant. Ordinary, third-class servant. What is our business? To deliver the letter. That's all. "Here is your letter, sir." So to become spiritual master is not very difficult. Any ordinary man can become, provided he becomes a pure servant, delivering the letter. "Here is Krsna's message, sir. You surrender to Krsna." Krsna says, "Surrender unto Me." We, spiritual master, we say, "Surrender to Krsna." Where is my difficulty? I haven't got to manufacture things by high meditation and tapasya. This is tapasya, simply to become a faithful servant of Krsna. That's all. So where is the difficulty? This is tapasya, that "I shall not speak anything beyond what Krsna has spoken." This is tapasya. But if I want to adulterate, "Oh, I am bigger than Krsna. I am greater than Krsna. I am Krsna," then you spoil the whole thing. That's all. Therefore it is warned: idam te na atapaskaya nabhaktaya kadacana. "Never speak to rascals." Na ca asusrusave. One who's not... Here is another opportunity, one is eager to hear.

So we are speaking to persons who are at least eager to hear. Susrusave. Vacyam na ca mam yah abhyasuyati. Abhyasuyati means one who is envious. So this is right warning. But still, our Krsna consciousness movement is to create the situation so that people may kindly hear about Krsna. That is our business. Although it is warned that if we discriminate in that way, that here is a person, he has not undergone any austerities. He's not a devotee, he's not, I mean, prepared to hear, then where we shall find our customer? The whole world is like that. (Hindi) Phag gause sei gan oja.(?) If, if, if A gentleman tried to find out who is the thief in this village, and after scrutinizing, he saw everyone is thief. So what to discriminate? So world is so situated now -- no tapasya. Just like we are simply asking people, requesting people: "Kindly give up these four principles." What is that? Illicit sex and meat-eating and intoxication and gambling. Oh, it is very difficult. People find it very difficult. Even a person like Lord Zetland. He was proposed that... He, he inquired... One of my Godbrothers went to London, and he was talking with Lord Zetland, Marquis of Zetland. So Marquis of Zetland inquired, "Well, Swamiji, can you make me a brahmana?" "Yes, we can make you brahmana." "How?" "Now, you just give up illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling." "Ohhh, it is impossible. This is our life. This is our life, to have boyfriend and girlfriend and drinking and meat-eating and gambling. If we give up all this, then where is our life?"

Therefore we require tapasya. This is tapasya. Here is only four simple things. And if you ask anybody give up drinking tea, oh, you will find a thunderbolt. Thunderbolt. "Oh, what you are speaking? I shall give up tea-drinking?" "At least, you are a sannyasi." "No, I have to drink tea in the morning, at least, so big cup. (laughter) And then smoking ganja. And I become God." This is going on. This is going on. Therefore it is warned: "Don't talk this, the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, to the rascals who has no austerities, who has no devotion, who is not prepared to hear." But the servant of Krsna, they take all risk for Krsna's sake. Just like Ramanujacarya. Sri Ramanujacarya, his spiritual master said, "My dear son, the mantra which I am giving, you shall silently chant and you'll be delivered. It is so powerful. Don't chant this mantra loudly so that others can hear." So Ramanujacarya thought, "If the, this mantra is so powerful, that if others hear they'll also be delivered, so why not?" He immediately went to the market and began to chant the mantra. So his spiritual master became very angry, that "I told you not to chant loudly so that others may not hear." So he said, "My Lordship, I have done offense unto you. That's all right. For this, I can, I am prepared to go to hell. But if this mantra is so powerful, I must speak to everyone."

So that is our proposal. Although we are warned not to speak to the rascals, but still, we are flattering, "My dear sir, please hear, please hear, please hear. Please give up this habit. Please do it." So to turn one man to Krsna consciousness we have to shed hundred tons of blood. So therefore it is warned. We are not easy-going, that not to preach. We have taken the risk to preach. And it has, it is becoming successful. People will take it. So although Krsna warns, "Don't speak to these classes of men," we take the risk. Because our philosophy is that -- not my philosophy; that is Vaisnava philosophy -- that others may go, they may be delivered. Prahlada Maharaja said that "My dear Lord, for my personal self, I do not bother. I have no problem. I am simply thinking of these fools." Maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan: [SB 7.9.43] "Simply for maya-sukha, temporary happiness, they are working so hard, like dogs and hogs. I am simply concerned for them. For me, I have no concern. I can chant Your holy name anywhere." So this warning of Krsna is all right, but a pure devotee, in spite of warning of Krsna, they approach the atapaskaya, abhaktaya, and flatter them: "Please take to Krsna consciousness." That we should do. Krsna will be pleased.

That is explained in the next verse:

ya idam paramam guhyam
mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati
bhaktim mayi param krtva
mam evaisyaty asamsayah
[Bg 18.68]

And next sloka He says: na ca tasman manusyesu kascin me priya-krttamah: [Bg. 18.69] "Anyone who tries to preach this Bhagavad-gita philosophy, nobody's dearer than him to Me." So we, our business is to become a little recognized by Krsna. So we shall go on preaching like this at all risk.

Thank you very much. [break]

Guest (1) (Indian man): Some of the latest findings of the psychologists says that when child grows and becomes a man, his ego also develops and it also becomes a man. Now, if the, if it is all the ego and his personality and identity also dissolved, and, and how he can live or how we can develop or how we can progress? Because the whole, whole progress is this, the progress of ego.

Prabhupada: First thing is that ego, if you are qualified with false ego, that ego development is dangerous for you. Suppose you are..., you are falsely thinking that you are king. Although you are a servant, you are thinking, "I am king." This is false ego. And if you increase this false ego, then where is the benefit? You are misled. Is it not?

Guest (1): That is the personality of man today.

Prabhupada: No, personality, falsely, he should be personal. You, you should be egoistic in right way. As your position is. If you falsely think that "I am this," so what is the use of such increasing that ego? It is psychologically wrong. Just like madman, he is thinking, "I am the king of this Ahmadabad." And if he increases that ego, what benefit he'll get? Just like the madman does also. He falls down on the street: "I am the king." So this kind of false ego increasing is simply suicidal. If it is right ego... Therefore the Vedas says that "You are not this body. You are spirit soul. Aham brahmasmi." That is right ego. And if I am thinking I am this body, then that kind of increasing the ego is a dangerous. That is actual... The Americans are: "We are the greatest nation." The Indians are thinking, Pakistan is thinking. There is fight. You increase your ego, I increase my ego. Then we fight. What is the benefit of this ego? But if every one of us thinks that "I am servant of Krsna," increase that, then there will be happiness. Everyone is thinking, "I am a competitor of Krsna." "Why Krsna shall become God? I am God." That kind of ego is cause of falldown. It will never become any happy situation.

Guest (2) (Indian man): Sir, in this world, people like us, who are serving the people, they say..., we say that with all the people, politicians, economists, educators, schools and laborers everywhere, he says, and we repeat also, those who are just like brahmanas and laymen, that isavasyam idam sarvam yat kinca jagatyam jagat, tena tyaktena bhunjitha [Iso mantra 1]. And we say that...

Prabhupada: Do you think the politicians follow isavasyam idam sarvam?

Guest (2): Poor people...

Prabhupada: Then?

Guest (2): What is there in the poor people and...

Prabhupada: No, no. When you cite isavasya and at the same time "politicians" and "leaders," do you think the leaders and the politicians follow isavasya philosophy?
Guest (2): Serving poor people, we can serve, not by bhajana, simply by repeat some utterances of Krsna. If it is like this, and sincerely and seriously, for the whole life, it people do like this...? Now how to understand that God is there in nature, everywhere pervading, and He serves the whole body in whatever capacity, then how it can be...?

Prabhupada: So just like I say that there is butter in the milk. And I give you one mound of milk, "Find out the butter." So you have to churn it. Similarly, God is everywhere, that's a fact. Just like a tree. The tree is everywhere, in the leaf, in the twig, but if you have to find out where is the actual tree, it is the root. If you water the root, then the whole tree is nourished, and if you simply water all the leaves, the whole day you will spoil and the tree will be spoiled. That is going on. You do not know what is the root. Foolishly, you are watering the leaves. What will be the benefit? The tree will die, and your energy will be spoiled. You find out the root. The root is Krsna. Sarvasya caham hrdi... Aham sarvasya prabhavah [Bg. 10.8]. So as soon as you come to Krsna consciousness... Just like in this old age, we are traveling all over the world to do benefit to the people because we are hankering that people should become Krsna conscious. Don't you think that we are serving the people everywhere? We are not sitting idle. So anyone who will be really Krsna conscious, he'll not be idle. He'll serve the whole human society, everywhere. Not only human society, the animal society, everyone. A Krsna conscious person will not allow an ant to be killed. But the so-called humanitarians, they're sending ten thousand cows daily to the slaughterhouse. What is the benefit? They do not know what is beneficial work, what is humanitarian work. But a Krsna conscious person will think, "Oh, why these animals should be sent to the slaughterhouse?" That is the difference. You be Krsna conscious. Then everything will be automatically done. That is wanted. Krsna says, sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayo yah [Bg. 14.4]. If you are Krsna conscious, then you'll see that "Every living entity, not only human society, but the animal society, the bird society, tree society, the aquatic society -- all living entities, they're all sons of Krsna. Why shall I kill a fish or a cow, or a goat? He's also son of Krsna." This is Krsna consciousness. And you are doing humanitarian work and sending so many animals, thousands of animals, to the slaughterhouse. What is this? What these poor animals have done? Because you are not Krsna consciousness, you are discriminating in this way, that the human society should be given protection, the animal society should be slaughtered. Is that very good? Is that good consciousness? Just like the Christian people say that the animals have no soul -- because they want to eat meat. Christ says, "Thou shalt not kill." They interpret in a different way. So you can make your own mental concoction, but if you require to be right person, you have to take direction from the authorities. That is required. [break]... without being Krsna conscious, anyone who wants to serve, he serves himself only. You see? These leaders, they... Of course, they give that "We are going to serve the country..." Factually, if we study scrutinizingly, he's serving himself only. (laughter) That's all. [break] Hare Krsna. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972