Transcending Animal Life - The True Purpose of the Human Form
Nature is incredibly strict, yet ultimately fair. According to Vedic science, the spirit soul journeys through millions of lower species, slowly evolving in consciousness until it reaches the human form. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that simply possessing a human body is not enough to be considered a true human being. If we waste our advanced intelligence on the same basic activities that the beasts of the jungle perform, we risk losing this rare opportunity and falling back into the dark, suffering condition of animal life.
The Four Basic Propensities
What do a dog, a tiger, and an ordinary materialistic man have in common? Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that they are all entirely absorbed in four bodily activities: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. A human being may build a skyscraper to sleep in or invent atomic weapons to defend themselves, but these are ultimately just sophisticated versions of animal life.
- Eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating are the four principles of animal life. These are common both to animals and to human beings. But religion is the extra function of the human being.
- These animal propensities are eating, sleeping, mating and fearing. You can analyze the trend of modern civilization: everyone is busy with these four principles of animal life.
- If we develop simply in these four principles (eating, sleeping, sex intercourse and defense) of animal life, that is not advancement of civilization.
- We have discovered many weapons to defend ourselves; therefore we are civilized. No. This eating, sleeping, sex life and defending, they are in the animal life. So that is not progress from the animal life.
The Ignorance of Suffering
One of the defining characteristics of an animal is its inability to comprehend its own suffering or seek a permanent solution to it. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that an animal will peacefully eat grass right outside the slaughterhouse door. When human beings similarly ignore the inevitable miseries of old age, disease, and death, believing they are "very well off" because of some temporary sense gratification, they are living in pure animal consciousness.
- Everyone knows animal life is full of suffering, but they cannot realize. But a human being can realize. And when the question comes, when he becomes intelligent enough that "Why I am suffering?" then his human life begins.
- Ignorance is like the animal existence. The animal's life is full of suffering, but the animal does not know that he is suffering.
- The animal, he is seeing that "One animal is being killed. Next time is mine," but still eating grass. He has no anxiety. This is called pramattah pasyann api na pasyati. This is animal life, that even though fact is there, they will close their eyes.
- Suffering without knowledge, without remedy, is animal life. One who cannot understand that he is suffering and who thinks that he is very well off is in animal consciousness, not human consciousness.
The Dawning of Human Intelligence
If building better comforts does not make us human, what does? Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that true human life officially begins the moment a person stops to ask philosophical questions: "Who am I? Why am I suffering? What is my relationship with God?" It is this capacity for transcendental inquiry, and the subsequent adoption of religious principles, that separates a human being from a beast.
- The first question is, "What is the Absolute Truth, we should inquire now." This is the beginning of human life. If one does not inquire what is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God, that is animal life.
- As long as this question (why am I suffering) does not arise in one's mind, he is simply leading an animal life. But, not when these questions arise: Why am I suffering? What am I? Am I meant for suffering? Am I meant for troubles.
- That should be the inquiry, that "Everything, I am speaking 'mine.' Where is that 'I'?" As soon as we come to this point, "Where is that 'I'?" then our human sense is developed. Otherwise we are in the animal sense of life.
- Without religion, human life is no better than animal life. Therefore, in human societies there is some form of religion which aims at self-realization and which makes reference to man's eternal relationship with God.
Regulation and Self-Control
In the animal kingdom, there are no moral laws; a tiger is not punished for killing its prey. However, humans are held responsible for their actions. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that human life requires tapasya (austerity) and strict regulation of the senses. A society that promotes complete freedom and unregulated sense gratification is systematically forcing its citizens back into the animal condition.
- Control... That is the distinction between animal and human life. Animal cannot control. The human civilized man must be, must have the capacity to control. That is human civilization. That is called tapasya.
- Apparently propaganda is being made celebrating freedom as opposed to a regulated life, but one who sees things as they are can understand that freedom from all restriction is animal life. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami recommends tapasya.
- Human beings are meant for regulated life. By nature, there is regulation in animal life also, but that is not like the regulative life as described in the scriptures or by the authorities.
- The human life is meant for austerity and penance, not for increasing the items of our sense gratification. That is animal life. Human life is meant for restraint. Laws are for the human being.
The Danger of Degradation
Nature is not forgiving to those who misuse their human intelligence. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that if a person lives exclusively in the mode of ignorance—acting like a dog or a hog in this life—the laws of karma will oblige them by providing a dog's or hog's body in the next life. This dgrades the soul back into a cycle of immense suffering that takes millions of years to escape.
- According to this verse (Bhagavad-Gita 14.15), if one develops the mode of ignorance, after his death he is degraded to the animal form of life. From there one has to again elevate himself, by evolutionary process, to come again to the human form of life.
- There is every possibility that my next life will be an animal life. And if, by chance or by a freak of nature, I get into animal life, then millions and millions of years will be required before again coming to this human form of life.
- If we simply waste our time for the animal propensities of life, then again we glide down to the animal life. That is a great loss.
- Those who are sinful in every step of life can expect only to be degraded into animal life to suffer more and more the pangs of material existence, and this is also stated in Bhagavad-gita.
The Rescue Mission of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness
The entire purpose of the Vedic literature and the global preaching mission of ISKCON is to save humanity from this terrifying degradation. Śrīla Prabhupāda promises that by simply taking to the practice of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, even for a short time, one is immediately protected from gliding down into animal life, securing their path back to the spiritual world.
- Krsna consciousness movement means to save people from this dogs' and hogs' life and to come to the real platform of understanding the value of life.
- The Krsna consciousness movement is anxious to serve human society by teaching people to perform devotional service, which can save a human being from being degraded again to animal life.
- People are in gross ignorance of animal life, and Krsna consciousness movement is trying to raise him from that animal life to spiritual life, that is the best service.
- If you chant sincerely, even for a moment, it will have great effect. It will save you from the greatest danger - becoming an animal in your next life.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda's message is a profound wake-up call to modern society. We are not simply highly evolved apes meant to struggle for survival and sense gratification. We are eternal spirit souls, temporarily placed in a human body designed specifically for self-realization. By recognizing the trap of animal life and engaging in the joyful process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we fulfill the true, divine mission of our human existence.
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 Animal Life. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.