Difference between Human and Animal

January 9, 2010

by

Sushen Krishna Das, Ph.D.

Bhaktivedanta Institute

www.mahaprabhu.net/satsanga

jaga.suresh

Mob: +91-9748906907

This is our response to this message in the e-group.

Dear Dr. S. K. Maulik, MD, Ph.D.:

We appreciate very much your

thoughtful and scientific inquiry about the difference between bird and human

capacity. This is the question that every human being must inquire. If the

higher inquiry is not there then that individual is regarded as good as animal.

This is confirmed in Srimad Bhagavatam10.84.13

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke

sva-dhih kalatradishu bhauma ijya-dhih

yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij

janeshv abhijneshu sa eva go-kharah

TRANSLATION : One who identifies

his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his

wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the

land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely

the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with,

worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth -- such a person

is no better than a cow or an ass.

For an evolutionist there may not

be any difference between a human and an animal. For evolutionist both a human

and an animal are nothing but a combination of some chemicals. However, even a

child can understand that there is a significant difference between a human and

an animal. Actually all the actions of the animal are based on feelings. Animals

don’t have the capacity for advanced thoughts such as God and soul (self

inquiry – who am I?). Animals can inquire only about eating, sleeping, mating

and defending. This we can easily observe in any of the animals and birds. However,

in every civilization of mankind we find some concept of God and religion. This

is because human thoughts are much advanced than that of animal. This is also

stated in Hitopadesha:

ahaara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca

samanyam etat pasubhih naranam

dharmo hi tesam adhiko viseso

dharmena hina pasubhih samanah

TRANSLATION: Eating, sleeping,

mating and feeling afraid are features common between man and animal. The

former has religion as an extra distinguishing factor, bereft of which he is

nothing but an animal.

Animals always see everything as

the object of their enjoyment. They are totally intoxicated with sense

enjoyment. Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaja says, “If I am

given some wine or some poison, then I shall become beside myself. I shall see

things in a distorted way. I will be unable to recognize my sister or mother,

and actuated by animal nature, I will see everything as an object for my

enjoyment.” In the Laws of Manu, we find:

jalaja nava laksani

sthavara laksa vimsati

krmayo rudra-sankhyakah

paksinam dasa laksanam

trimsal laksani pasavah

catur laksani manusah

TRANSLATION: There are 900,000

kinds of aquatics, 2,000,000 kinds of trees and plants, 1,100,000 kinds of

insects and reptiles, 1,000,000 kinds of birds, 3,000,000 kinds of four-legged

beasts, and 400,000 kinds of human species.

This classification in Vedic science is not simply based on bodies;

rather it is based on consciousness. We can see that it is stated here that there

are 400,000 kinds of human species. Vedic

science even classifies humans on the basis of their consciousness. There are

souls who have human form but they have no higher thought than that of eating,

sleeping, mating and defending. They are to be considered as good as animals

according to Vedic science. An advanced

human being is he who has advance thoughts.

The advanced thinking capacity make a human being feel the necessity of

schools, hospitals, courts, etc. Trees, birds and animals can’t even think of

such things. Trees, birds and animals can’t invent theories such as quantum mechanicals,

homeopathy, gravity, etc. One poor chicken

is being slaughtered in front of another similarly poor chicken and it has no

capacity to think that its turn is also coming. In fact the poor chicken keeps

on happily eating the grains provided by the butcher who will soon make

arrangement for its slaughter. They are thus completely ignorant about reality.

This shows the major difference between beasts and human.

Similarly, there are those human

beings who are seeing repeatedly that everyday many are dying in front of themselves,

but still do not think about their real purpose of human life. In fact they are

happily engaged whole life merely in the search after so called pleasures in

this dangerous material world. Thus they are also to be considered as good as

ignorant animals. This is also explained by Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada in the purport of Srimad

Bhagavatam 7.2.57. “Yamaraja

asked Maharaja Yudhishthira, " What is the most wonderful thing within this

world? " Maharaja Yudhishthira replied (Mahabharata, Vana-parva 313.116):

ahany ahani bhutani

gacchantiha yamalayam

seshah sthavaram icchanti

kim ascaryam atah param

Hundreds and thousands of living

entities meet death at every moment, but a foolish living being nonetheless

thinks himself deathless and does not prepare for death. This is the most

wonderful thing in this world. Everyone has to die because everyone is fully

under the control of material nature, yet everyone thinks that he is

independent, that whatever he likes he can do, that he will never meet death but

live forever, and so on. So called scientists are making various plans by which

living entities in the future can live forever, but while they are thus

pursuing such scientific knowledge, Yamaraja, in due course of time, will take

them away from their business of so called research.”

However, Maharaja Parikshit is

showing us by his own example the real attitude of an intelligent human being who

is moving towards a certain death. In Srimad

Bhagavatam 1.19.37 he is asking to Srila Sukadeva Gosvami that:

atah pricchami samsiddhim

yoginam paramam gurum

purushasyeha yat karyam

mriyamanasya sarvatha

TRANSLATION: You are the

spiritual master of great saints and devotees. I am therefore begging you to

show the way of perfection for all persons, and especially for one who is about

to die.

Srila Sukadeva Gosvami replied in Srimad

Bhagavatam 2.1.1

sri-suka uvaca

variyan esha te prasnah

krito loka-hitam nripa

atmavit-sammatah pumsam

srotavyadishu yah parah

TRANSLATION: Sri Sukadeva Gosvami

said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to

all kinds of people. The answer to this question is the prime subject matter

for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists.

Thus teachings of Srimad Bhagavatam should be understood under

a bonafide spiritual master (Sri Guru) by one and all who are intelligent

enough to realize that we are moving towards death and what should we do to

achieve our real goal of human form of life.

Thanking you.

Sincerely,

Sushen

Krishna das

“in my search for the secret of life, I ended up with atoms and

electrons which have no life at all. Somewhere along line, life has run out

through my fingers. So, in my old age, I am now retracing my steps ...”

- Szent-Györgyi

(The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1937)

LET US NOT MAKE OUR STOMACH A GRAVEYARD. LET US NOT EAT FLESH. LET US BE VEGETARIANS AND STAY HEALTHY. Animals are to be loved, not eaten. Eating flesh is good neither for the mind nor for the intellect, not even for the body. It distorts the basic character of human. Think Soul is Soul and it came from the Supreme Soul...God Head Krishna

Chant:Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare