Morning Walk Conversation
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
January 7, 1974, Los Angeles

Prabhupada: …although it appears that he’s very stern. But he’s friend.

Devotee: The criminal thinks that “Oh, he’s my enemy.”

Prabhupada: Eh?

Devotee: The criminal thinks, “He’s my enemy.”

Prabhupada: 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.

Prabhupada: 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 have a soul. He’s so foolish…

Prabhupada: 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.

Prabhupada: You told? In that meeting?

Bali Mardana: Yeah.

Prabhupada: What did they say?

Bali Mardana: They could not deny. They could not say anything.

Prabhupada: 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-gita: yena sarvam idam tatam. The consciousness. The animals have no consciousness? How foolish they are!

Bali Mardana: Just to rationalize their sins.

Prabhupada: Yes. No. Rational or not rational…

Bali Mardana: No, to rationalize their meat-eating, they say…

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

Bali Mardana: Yes.

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

Satsvarupa: At one interview a person said to you, “They do not understand metaphysics, and the human being understands metaphysics.”

Prabhupada: 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.

Satsvarupa: They should not be killed if they don’t understand.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Satsvarupa: They should not be killed just if they don’t understand.

Prabhupada: 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.

Prabhupada: 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 is not fully formed and therefore is not really a life. It’s not really alive.

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

Bali Mardana: No one… They do not believe that generally.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Bali Mardana: They admit that they are killing.

Prabhupada: 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.

Gurukrpa: Just like the rabbit.

Prabhupada: Rabbit philosophy. So therefore, considering from all points of view, our Krsna 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.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Bali Mardana: Now it is a very ripe time to push forward our philosophy.

Prabhupada: 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.

Prabhupada: No… Now, you… Why don’t you publish that…? I have suggested that poster.

Karandhara: That poster?

Bali Mardana: We have a poster?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Karandhara: It’s being worked on.

Bali Mardana: I have not seen it.

Prabhupada: Take contribution from public…

Bali Mardana: Oh yeah, yeah.

Prabhupada: …for one day’s advertisement. And advertise this poster in every paper. You see…

Bali Mardana: I want to do that.

Prabhupada: Yes.

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

Prabhupada: Yes.

Bali Mardana: Specifically. To attract…

Prabhupada: The same, one advertisement. What is the…?

Karandhara: “Real leaders of human society.”

Prabhupada: Yes. That… You have seen that design I have given?

Karandhara: No, I haven’t seen it.

Prabhupada: Oh, it is not yet done?

Karandhara: No, it’s being worked on.

Prabhupada: Hm. 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 scholars, 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-gita to find the real solution…

Prabhupada: No, no.

Bali Mardana: So they can purchase?

Prabhupada: Bhagavad-gita there are so many. They’ll purchase another rascal’s Bhagavad-gita. 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.

Prabhupada: Yes. That, that is seriousness. Suppose you are going on a plane to Vaikuntha. So your business should be that you may not fall down. The plane may not stop. It is like that. [break] …Bhagavata, simply this point is being stressed, that “This is the platform of deathlessness.”

Bali Mardana: Oh.

Prabhupada: In Bhagavad-gita. [break] Where is that boy? No, not… Oh, you. So you are now living in Mexico?

Devotee: Yes, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Oh, that’s nice. He’s our old student.

Bali Mardana: Yeah, from New York.

Prabhupada: From New York, yes. [Break] …fall. Simply by following the regulations and chanting. That’s all. (end)