Devotee: In the Bible they say that the animals don't have soul; therefore it's not the same as killing.
Prabhupāda: I do not know whether it is said. (break) ...expert in calling Bible, but where it is said, he does not know. He is so expert in Bible. (laughter) How do you know? Now, apart from Bible or any scripture, how do you find that the animal has no soul? How do you consider it? What is the symptom of having soul? That is very easy, but you do not know. When the soul is gone from the body, it does not move. And when the soul is there, it moves. This is the understanding of soul. So do you think the animal does not move? The animal has no blood? The animal has no bone? How do you say that animal has no soul? This is foolishness. The soul is there. Even one small ant, there is soul. Otherwise how it is moving? So long the soul is there, the dull material body is moving. And as soon as the soul is gone, you will cry, "My father has gone away." Why your father gone? It is lying there. Why do you say, "My father has gone away"? This is ignorance. We do not know what is soul. We see the body. So long I have seen the body of my father. Now the soul has gone. I am crying, "My father has gone away." But did you see your father? "Yes, that body." The body is there. Why you are crying?
So it is very commonsense affair to understand where there is soul. A big stone, a big mountain, it cannot move although it is so big. And a small ant is moving. Why? There is soul. So how can you say the animals have no soul? This is ignorance. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). The soul being within the body means it is changing the body from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, like that. And if the child is born dead—no more change of body. That is the proof that there is soul. Soul means the living force which is moving the body. That is soul. How you can say the animal has no soul? Everyone has soul. Even the grass has soul, because it is growing, changing body. (break) ...simple thing. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Because all dirty things are within our heart, on account of dirty things we are thinking that "I have got soul, and the animal has no soul." This is due to dirtiness of the heart. So if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, the heart will be cleansed. Just like a mirror with a dust, you cannot see; but if this dust is cleansed, then you can see your face very nicely. Similarly, because on account of material contamination our heart is unclean, we cannot see things as they are. But the chanting process will cleanse your heart, and then you will see everything in order. Then you will not say the animal has no soul.
Devotee: Prabhupāda, before this movement came here we were so caught up in sinful activities. How is it that we were so fortunate to be benedicted with this great Hare Kṛṣṇa movement?
Prabhupāda: It is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to give you. Now He has come here. You take advantage of it. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is kind to everyone. He has no discrimination that this cult should be spread only in India or amongst the Hindus or amongst the brāhmaṇas. No. He wanted to spread this movement to all living being, never mind. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. So now He has come. If you want, accept Caitanya Mahāprabhu's order, "Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That is sufficient. But if you want to know more, further, through philosophy, through science, we have got already thirty or fifty books. Read them. Everything is there. Either you accept directly, or if you want to accept through science, through philosophy, through knowledge, there are books. Both ways, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is ready to help you. Now you take advantage of it. And we are glad that you are taking advantage. Now some of you, they have already joined. And in the educational institution, universities, they are also very much appreciative of our literature. So gradually it will be appreciated. But the sooner you take advantage of it is better. Hmm.
Guest: Śrīla Guru, I would like the name of the tenth avatāra of Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Devotee (2): He wants the name of the tenth avatāra of Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: I think Kalki. Tenth avatāra is Kalki. He will appear in the district of Śambhalapur. His father's name will be Viṣṇu-yośi, and He will be dressed like a prince and cut all the heads of the demons.
Devotees: Jaya! Haribol! (Laughter)
Prabhupāda: Because gradually we are so advancing that we shall remain only animals. So there is no need of preaching. Cut the head. Finish them.
Guest (2): What does the name Jehovah mean?
Prabhupāda: That you say. You say. I do not know. What is the meaning of Jehovah? I do not know. Yes? Who will say what is the meaning of? You do not know?
Guest (2): I think it's a name for God.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So why...? What is the... Give the word meaning, Jehovah. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's the word meaning—all-attractive. So God must be all-attractive; otherwise how He can be God? If God is attractive for me only and not to others, then he is not God. God should be attractive... Just like God's knowledge. Kṛṣṇa is giving this Bhagavad-gītā. It is attractive all over the world, among the scholars, among the religionists, public. Not that simply my Bhagavad-gītā is being read. There are many other editions of Bhagavad-gītā. It is widely read, because the knowledge is so perfect. So knowledge is an attraction. Riches, wealth, that is attraction. If a man is very rich, just like in your country Ford, Rockefeller, they are attractive. A man, if he is beautiful, if he is strong, if he is wise, they become attractive. So you will find in Kṛṣṇa all these attractive features. Therefore He is God.
Woman guest: In the Christian Bible it says that God created all of earth.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Woman guest: He created the waters, he created the animals, but He created the human being in His image, which was the same.
Prabhupāda: That's nice. That's nice.
Woman guest: Explain to me then why you say...
Prabhupāda: Then the God is person. God created human beings after His own image—that means He has also two hands, two legs, like us.
Woman guest: No.
Prabhupāda: Why not? You say. (laughter) You say, "God has created human being after His image." Therefore His image must be like you. Why do you say no?
Woman guest: Well, then that's controversy to the...
Prabhupāda: Why controverse? First of all let us settle this.
Woman guest: Controversy not to your religion, but to the other religions that say that we are...
Prabhupāda: Other religion... Why you are concerned with other religion? Talk of what God says in your Bible.
Woman guest: What it says in my Bible?
Prabhupāda: Yes. You are saying that God created human being after His image. Is it not?
Woman guest: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Then God, His image is like human being.
Woman guest: Not according to way, way back, because...
Prabhupāda: That is another thing, but... (laughter) God has got His two hands and two legs, one head, like human being; but that hands and legs and head may not be exactly like us. But He has got the image.
Woman guest: I have never seen Him. I do not know.
Prabhupāda: Then why you are speaking? You do not know. Don't talk. (laughter) Then you learn. If you do not know, then you learn who knows. Don't talk.
Woman guest: I'll listen to you.
Prabhupāda: That is the defect of the modern civilization. One does not know, and he wants to teach. (laughter)
Woman guest: I want to teach only to understand.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. To understand the God is... We are worshiping the God's image. He has got the two hands, two legs, like us. But His hands and legs are not like our hands and legs. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad aham aśnāmi (BG 9.26). God hand is so expansive, universal, that although He is in His kingdom, in His abode, when you offer something to God, He takes. He can expand His hand in that way. Not only one devotee, but at the simultaneously many millions of devotees are offering Him, and taking, He is taking. That is His hand. And my hand? Only three feet, that's all. So there is God's hand, but that hand is not like my hand. This is understanding. He can expand His hand millions and trillions of miles. That is His hand. That is explained in the Vedic literature... īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). God is vigraha, is form, exactly like our form. But His form is sat cit ānanda. Sat means eternal, and cit means full of knowledge, and ānanda means bliss. So our body, this hand, this leg, this body, is not sac-cid-ānanda. It is not eternal; it will be finished. But God's body will never be finished. That is the difference. He has got His body, and I have got my body. But this body will be finished at a certain date, but His body will remain eternally. That is the difference between God's body and my body. Sat and cit.
His body or He Himself knows everything, past, present and future, but I do not know what is beyond this wall. Therefore my knowledge is always imperfect, and God's knowledge is perfect. This is sac, cit. And ānanda. You see in our temple is... God is in dancing always. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you will never see there is crying. No. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is enjoying. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying in the company of Rādhārāṇī. This is blissfulness. And although we have got our wife, there are so many difficulties to maintain. That's it. He has got His body, but His body is different from our this body. Although apparently He has got two hands, two legs, but they are unlimitedly potential, full of bliss. That's a... God can expand. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61)... "The Lord is situated in everyone's heart." But we cannot do that. I cannot even know what you are feeling, pains and pleasure. But God, He can know. Otherwise why we offer prayer to God? He knows.
In this way you have to study what is God. Although apparently He has got two hands, two legs, but that hands and legs are not like ours. We have got our hands and legs. That is within this body. Just like your coat has got hand, but that hand is not real hand—the real hand is within the coat; similarly, we have got also hands and legs, but that is within this material body. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yau... (BG 2.13). Within this body. We should not be concerned with your coat and shirt. We should be concerned with you. Similarly, we are now materially dressed. We should not be concerned with the dress. We should be concerned what is there within the dress. That is knowledge. That is knowledge.
So it is a science, and the science is very nicely described in all scriptures, especially Bhagavad-gītā. So as a human being, we have got this privilege to understand, to go to the right person to take the meaning. The meaning is very clear, but we create some mismeaning. That is another thing. Just like in the Bible it is said, "Thou shall not kill." It is very clear and simple thing, but we make some interpretation... "This, that, this." Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Don't make the meaning perverted. Take it as it is. Then you become perfect. "Thou shall not kill"—if you take this as it is, then you become perfect. But if you add your own meaning and go on killing and still you become a Christian, that is your business.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Atlanta, March 2, 1975)
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