These Atheistic Vultures Want to See God Dead
This article explores the striking metaphor of the vulture as utilized in the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda. In Vedic literature and practical observation, the vulture represents a creature with high capabilities but base, degraded desires. By comparing atheists, meat-eaters, and false gurus to scavenging birds, he illustrates the tragic irony of modern society: despite soaring technological and intellectual advancements, godless humanity remains fixated on the rotting corpse of material existence.
The Futility of Atheistic Curses
Atheistic philosophers and demoniac individuals constantly try to disprove the existence of the Supreme Lord. They find the concept of a supreme controller inconvenient because it restricts their unrestricted sense gratification. Śrīla Prabhupāda cites a traditional Bengali proverb to expose their foolishness: a vulture may sit in a tree and curse a cow, hoping the cow will die so it can feast on the carcass, but the healthy cow will not die simply to oblige the vulture. Similarly, atheists who want God to be dead so they can do whatever they like are completely powerless.
- There is a Bengali proverb that says: sakuni sape gorumarana. The word sakuni means vulture. Vultures enjoy dead animal carcasses, especially the carcass of the cow. Sometimes a vulture may go for days without a carcass.
- There is a Bengali saying that if a vulture curses a cow to die, the curse will not be effective. Similarly, accusations made by demoniac persons against devotees of Krsna cannot have any effect.
- The vulture curses the cow, wishing him to die. But this does not mean that the cow will die just to oblige the vulture.
- These atheistic vultures want to see God dead so they can take pleasure in thinking - Now God is dead, and I can do anything I like.
High Soaring but Low Desires
The physical nature of the vulture serves as a perfect analogy for materialistic advancement. A vulture has incredibly keen eyesight and can fly miles high into the sky. Yet, despite this elevated position, it uses its vision for only one purpose: finding a rotting corpse to eat. Śrīla Prabhupāda applies this analogy to modern scientists and mundane philosophers. They may soar high in intellectual speculation or space travel, but because they lack Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their ultimate goal remains grounded in temporary bodily maintenance, searching for dead matter just like a scavenging bird.
- Vultures or hawks can go very high in the sky, but can see a small body on the ground very clearly. This means that their eyesight is so keen that they can find an eatable corpse from a great distance.
- The vulture, they have got a very good eyesight, very good eyesight. You... Seven miles away from the surface, they can see where there is a dead corpse. So they have got good eyesight, but they are searching after dead corpse only.
- Eyes - the vulture goes seven miles up to see where there is food for the stomach. Is it not? Then the wings fly there, and the jaws catch the food.
- We are not expert in any way, unless you take to Krsna consciousness. There are many animals, they are far more expert. There are, just like a vulture goes three miles, but the business to find out where is a corpse. Just see.
The Scavengers of Human Society
Vedic civilization strictly outlines what constitutes proper food for a human being. When people descend into eating meat and engaging in unrestricted sense enjoyment, they abandon their human dignity and adopt the consciousness of lower animals. Śrīla Prabhupāda frankly states that animal-eaters are akin to jackals, dogs, and vultures. A society that glorifies such habits is not an advanced civilization, but rather a "hog civilization" or a society of "civilized" scavengers whose bodies, after a lifetime of consuming corpses, will simply turn into vulture stool or ashes.
- After the death, we have to give somebody, some living entity. So generally, it is given to the vultures. So why to the vultures? Take the civilized men, who are as good as vultures. The so-called civilized men. Yes.
- The animal-eaters, they're like jackals, vultures, dogs. They're similar to these animals, the animal-eaters. It is not human food.
- Not vultures; it is called hog civilization. The hog, they eat anything and they have sex with anyone.
- In different societies there are different ways of dealing with the human body at the time of the funeral ceremony. In some societies the body is given to the vultures to be eaten, and therefore the body ultimately turns to vulture stool.
False Gurus and Unauthorized Gods
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam compares the material world to a dangerous forest. Conditioned souls, fearful of the roaring lion of time and death, often seek shelter in the wrong places. They place their faith in pseudo yogīs, bogus swāmīs, and man-made incarnations of God. Śrīla Prabhupāda compares these unauthorized figures to herons, crows, and vultures. Instead of delivering the innocent soul from the cycle of birth and death, these cheaters act as predators. By refusing to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and rejecting the authentic Vedic path, the bewildered soul is cheated by these scavenging false leaders.
- The lion (in the forest of material existence) is the wheel of time, and the herons, crows and vultures are so-called demigods, pseudo swamis, yogis and incarnations. All of these are too insignificant to give one relief.
- He (the living entity) sometimes takes shelter of so-called gurus and sadhus who are like crane, herons and vultures. Thus he is cheated both ways by not taking shelter of the Supreme Lord.
- The conditioned soul instead takes shelter of a man-made god described in unauthorized scriptures. Such gods are like buzzards, vultures, herons and crows. Vedic scriptures do not refer to them.
- We cannot accept the unauthorized ways of so-called incarnations, gods, cheaters and bluffers, who are described here (SB 5.14.29) as crows, vultures, buzzards and herons.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda's use of the vulture metaphor powerfully illustrates the fundamental defect of material existence devoid of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Whether it is an atheist foolishly cursing God, a brilliant scientist seeking answers only within dead matter, a meat-eater acting like a beast of prey, or a bogus guru preying on innocent followers, the nature of the vulture is always the same: attraction to death and decay. To rise above this scavenging mentality, human society must adopt the life-giving principles of the Bhagavad-gītā, chant the holy names, and seek shelter in the eternal, spiritual reality.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Vulture. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.