740107 - Morning Walk - Los Angeles

Morning Walks by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740107MW-LOS ANGELES - January 07, 1974 - 10:15 Minutes

Prabhupāda: . . . although it appears that he's very stern. But he's friend.

Devotee: The criminal thinks that "Oh, he's my enemy."

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Devotee: The criminal thinks, "He's my enemy."

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) They have achieved their advancement of knowledge by seeing a crack in the moon. You know that? Yes. They are now researching, "What is this crack?" For seeing the crack, they spend so much money.

Bali-mardana: They are so foolish.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Bali-mardana: When I was in Hawaii I gave a lecture at one Catholic college, and the priest in charge, he was asking me if in our philosophy we believe that animals had a soul. He's so foolish . . .

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Bali-mardana: The Christians are so foolish, even though they have big learned positions, they do not understand that the animal also has a soul.

Prabhupāda: You told? In that meeting?

Bali-mardana: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: What did they say?

Bali-mardana: They could not deny. They could not say anything.

Prabhupāda: Yes, what is the difference that you say the animals . . .? How do you say? What is the symptoms of possessing soul? The symptoms of possessing soul is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: yena sarvam idaṁ tatam (BG 2.17). The consciousness. The animals have no consciousness? How foolish they are.

Bali-mardana: Just to rationalize their sins.

Prabhupāda: Yes. No. Rational or not rational . . .

Bali-mardana: No, to rationalize their meat-eating, they say . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes, to support, yes, their sinful activities.

Bali-mardana: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: How you can say there is no soul in the animals? What is the reason? What is their reason?

Satsvarūpa: One interviewer person said to you, "They do not understand metaphysics, and the human being understands metaphysics."

Prabhupāda: Metaphysics, a child also does not understand. So therefore he has no soul. Cut him. They are doing that. They are doing that, so rascal. So do everyone understand metaphysics?

Karandhara: No.

Satsvarūpa: They should not be killed if they don't understand.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Satsvarūpa: They should not be killed just if they don't understand.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Is that any reason?

Devotee: Actually, they have no philosophical basis for that belief that the animal has no soul. It's just speculation. Yes.

Prabhupāda: No philosophy. Simply rascaldom. Simply rascaldom. And that is being preached by the priestly class. Priestly class. Just see the society, what third-class society. (pause) (break) . . . the soul enters after the birth of the child. Eh? Is it not? Therefore killing or abortion is not bad.

Devotee: Oh, they say that abortion isn't bad because the child has not fully formed and therefore is not really a life. It's not really alive.

Prabhupāda: Just see. Therefore one man who is sleeping, he has no soul.

Bali-mardana: No one . . . they do not believe that generally.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bali-mardana: They admit that they are killing.

Prabhupāda: They admit?

Bali-mardana: That they are killing the child. But they do not care. 'Cause they don't want to take the trouble to raise it.

Gurukṛpā: Just like the rabbit.

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) Rabbit philosophy. So therefore, considering from all points of view, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the best in the world. There is no doubt. You must be convinced about it. Otherwise, how you can preach?

Bali-mardana: Now is a very ripe time to push forward our philosophy.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Bali-mardana: Now is a very ripe time to push forward our philosophy.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bali-mardana: I was thinking of taking a full . . . large advertisements in New York Times, present our philosophy so that people can read. Everyone will see it.

Prabhupāda: No . . . now, you . . . why don't you publish that . . .? I have suggested that poster.

Karandhara: That poster?

Bali-mardana: We have a poster?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Karandhara: It's being worked on.

Bali-mardana: I have not seen it.

Prabhupāda: Take contribution from public . . .

Bali-mardana: Oh, yeah, yeah.

Prabhupāda: . . . for one day's advertisement. And advertise this poster in every paper. You see . . .

Bali-mardana: I want to do that.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bali-mardana: Also I was thinking to have a large-scale propaganda in all the college newspapers.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bali-mardana: Specifically. To attract . . .

Prabhupāda: The same, one advertisement. What is the . . .?

Karandhara: "Real leaders of human society."

Prabhupāda: Yes. That . . . you have seen that design I have given?

Karandhara: No, I haven't seen it.

Prabhupāda: Oh, it is not yet done?

Karandhara: No, it's being worked on.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. You can give him the rough idea. That will be very nice propaganda, to select real leaders of the society. The . . . we are misled by rascal leaders. That is the difficulty—all rascals. If the society is led by real, learned scholar, then it will be nice. Qualified leaders. That is wanted. Leader means better qualified man to lead others. That is leader. Leader does not mean he is himself a fool and leading other fools. (break)

Bali-mardana: . . . the poster could have a coupon for Bhagavad-gītā to find the real solution.

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Bali-mardana: So they can purchase?

Prabhupāda: Bhagavad-gītā there are so many. They'll purchase another rascal's Bhagavad-gītā. Simply you make propaganda that what is real leadership. Then they will inquire and we shall reply. (break) . . . so many things. So we may not create any disruption amongst our solidarity. Then things will not make progress. In a big machine, even one screw is slack, the machine stops. You know that? So we should not commit such mistake, "Don't care. It is a small screw." No. Even that small screw can stop the whole machine. (break) . . . that we are on the platform of deathlessness. Then we can be careful about falling down. And this is a fact.

Bali-mardana: And we will not want to fall down.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That, that is seriousness. Suppose you are going on a plane to Vaikuṇṭha. So your business should be that you may not fall down, the plane may not stop. It is like that. (break) . . . Bhāgavata, simply this point is being stressed that, "This is the platform of deathlessness."

Bali-mardana: Oh.

Prabhupāda: In Bhagavad-gītā also. (break) Where is that boy? No, not . . . oh, you. So you are now living in Mexico?

Devotee: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice. He's our old student.

Bali-mardana: Yeah, from New York.

Prabhupāda: From New York, yes. (break) . . . fall. Simply by following the regulation and chanting. That's all. (end)