View source for That is not very essential. Essential is how to think of Krsna. Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah. He doesn't say that you become vegetarian

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[[Category:That Is Not]]
[[Category:Not Very]]
[[Category:Very Essential]]
[[Category:How To]]
[[Category:Thinking of Krsna]]
[[Category:Krsna Says]]
[[Category:Krsna Does Not]]
[[Category:You Become]]
[[Category:Vegetarian]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SHARMISTHA]]
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<h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<h3>1976 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The argument is sometimes put forward that not everyone will be able to embrace Kṛṣṇa consciousness fully. Therefore it may be better for them to accept some portion, like, for example, taking up vegetarianism or even doing haṭha-yoga, or something like this is better than nothing.

Prabhupāda: No, that is not very essential. Essential is how to think of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. He doesn't say that you become vegetarian.
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[[Vanisource:760415 - Morning Walk - Bombay|760415 - Morning Walk - Bombay]]
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Prabhupāda: Yes. So therefore how it is possible? Because, after all, apart from Mātanga Muni, if this is the rule, that one living entity is the food for another living entity . . . this is the law of nature. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. You cannot starve and live.

Dr. Patel: But sir . . .

Prabhupāda: And practically . . . eh?

Dr. Patel: We are killing the body and not . . . the soul is inkillable.

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Don't go to the philosophy. First of all come to the practical. (Dr. Patel laughs) Come to the practical point of view, that after all, you have to eat; otherwise you cannot live. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam (Hitopadeśa 25). So if you have to live another living entity, then how you can practice this ahiṁsā? Mean on the basic principle, the ahiṁsā paramo dharma, where is ahiṁsā? You have to kill. Either you kill vegetable or animal, you have to kill. Then where is the standing of ahiṁsā? That is my point.

Dr. Patel: When you kill purposelessly, without any useful . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no. No interpretation. They say that, "No killing." So no killing is not possible. That is my point. Then where is the thesis stands that, "We are for not . . . no killing"?

Dr. Patel: Every action, sir, is, I mean, entangled in this.

Prabhupāda: So then our Vaiṣṇava's philosophy is perfect, because we take Kṛṣṇa prasādam. We don't say vegetables. We are not advocating vegetarianism. We are advocating that, "You take Kṛṣṇa prasādam." How perfect it is. We are not so nonsense that, "Because we have become vegetarian, we are perfect." The goats are vegetarian.

Dr. Patel: (laughter) And we are indirectly vegetarians if we eat goats.

Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Even if we vegetarian are, then how you become big? The goats are vegetarian. Huh? Apadāni catuṣ-padām ([[Vanisource:SB 1.13.47|SB 1.13.47]]). This vegetable is meant for the catuṣ-padām, for the animals, four-legged animals. If somebody says that, "Why shall I take this vegetable? It is meant for the animals. I shall take the animal," that is a good argument. Yes. So to become vegetarian is not ahiṁsā at all. It is a bogus theory. To become a devotee and take Kṛṣṇa prasādam, that is perfect. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati ([[Vanisource:BG 9.26 (1972)|BG 9.26]]). So automatically . . .

Dr. Patel: He does not say, "Give me a, I mean, a . . . (indistinct Hindi)"

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam.

Prabhupāda: That. Then there is perfection, if you take Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate ([[Vanisource:BG 2.65 (1972)|BG 2.65]]). So this vegetarianism is no, mean, good position.

Dr. Patel: No, no, the Jains have, I mean, pushed the vegetarians to a very, I mean, to an extent which is . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no. What is the benefit? The benefit? The goats are vegetarian. Eh? There are so many animals, they are vegetarian. The monkeys are vegetarian.

Dr. Patel: They are perfect vegetarian. Perfect.

Prabhupāda: And they live in the forest.

Dr. Patel: They are sannyāsīs. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: But number-one rogue. Each of them keeping one dozen women, at least, and no discrimination between wife or daughter. No discrimination. Just like hogs. That's all. No discrimination.

Yaśomatīnandana: Cows are also vegetarians.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Yaśomatīnandana: Cows, they are also vegetarians.

Prabhupāda: Cows are vegetarian. That's all right. There are many animals, vegetarian. So there is no perfection of life unless we come to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply by becoming vegetarian, simply by becoming nonviolent, simply by . . . these are all theories only. It has no value.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The argument is sometimes put forward that not everyone will be able to embrace Kṛṣṇa consciousness fully. Therefore it may be better for them to accept some portion, like, for example, taking up vegetarianism or even doing haṭha-yoga, or something like this is better than nothing.

Prabhupāda: No, that is not very essential. Essential is how to think of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. He doesn't say that you become vegetarian.

Dr. Patel: That said, tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara ([[Vanisource:BG 3.9 (1972)|BG 3.9]]): "You must do everything for Him, even eating."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: That is vegetarianism.

Prabhupāda: Then, then you are . . . then automatically he'll become vegetarian. Automatically he'll become vegetarian. If he takes Kṛṣṇa prasādam, then he is vegetarian automatically.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So it may seem like these other things are stepping-stones to Kṛṣṇa, but is it necessarily so?

Prabhupāda: No stepping-stone. This is the ultimate, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru ([[Vanisource:BG 18.65 (1972)|BG 18.65]]), these four things. Unless you come to this point, there is no question of perfection.
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