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Prabhupada: So similarly, soul is everywhere.

Brian Singer: And in the animal also? In the dog?

Prabhupada: Oh, yes.

Brian Singer: Yeah? And how far down in the animal world? Like you have the worm and also bacteria and the virus. Is also true?

Prabhupada: That is the difference. I have already told you that the soul is in the child, and the soul is in the body of the father, but the child’s soul is…. Or…. Soul is everywhere, but the proportionate consciousness is not developed. Just like wood. In every wood there is fire. Do you admit?

Brian Singer: In every…?

Pusta Krsna: Wood.

Brian Singer: Oh, yeah, yeah.

Prabhupada: Now, if a small piece of wood, a small piece of fire. And big piece of wood, big piece of fire. Similarly, according to the body, the consciousness of the soul is present.

Brian Singer: In proportion to the form of life.

Prabhupada: In proportion to the body the…. The same fire, but the proportion of the fire is different, in proportion of the piece of wood. Similarly, according to the body, the consciousness is manifest. The consciousness of a child is different from the consciousness of the father because the body is different. So in the human form of life it is expected that the consciousness should be fully developed. If it does not develop by some reason or other, then it remains like animal. In the human form of life it is expected that the consciousness should be fully developed.

Brian Singer: In animals…

Prabhupada: Yes.

Brian Singer: …it’s there, but it isn’t developed.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Devotee (2): Yes, that’s correct. In animals the soul is there, but the consciousness is not developed.

Prabhupada: Not developed. But you cannot say there is no soul. Sometimes they say foolishly that the animal, there is no soul. That is foolishness. Everywhere there is soul. It is not developed. So just like a child is as good as animal, but you cannot say in the child there is no soul. The consciousness is not developed. You can say like that. Similarly, there are 8,400,000 species of forms. They are different on account of different development of consciousness. A tree, there is consciousness, but it is very, very covered. If you cut the tree, it does not protest, because the consciousness is not developed. I have seen in children surgical operation. They do not require anesthetics. I remember. My eldest daughter, when she was child, she had some boil here. So the doctor wanted to operate. So I asked him that “Apply anesthetic or do something.” “No, no, they don’t require.” And so the doctor cut the boil, and the child simply, “Ehhh, ehhh,” no crying. I have seen it when they did…. No crying. Because the consciousness is not developed. Now, what do you mean by…? When you are unconscious, if your head is cut off, you do not understand. That is practical if by medicinal process you are made into unconsciousness, chloroform anesthetic, so that you don’t feel. This is practical. So unless the consciousness is developed, one’s soul’s full-fledged function does not develop. So this is a chance in the human form of body that the consciousness should be developed. Therefore we are presenting these books. They can understand. We are not presenting the books to the cats and dogs. They cannot understand. Those who are developed conscious, they can understand, and they can understand the value of life, what is the objective of life. Then he acts accordingly, and his life becomes successful. Otherwise, if we do not develop consciousness, simply eat like animal, sleep like animal, enjoy sex life like animal, and try to defend ourself like animal, then where is the difference between man and the animal? At the present moment they are busy with these four things: how to eat, how to sleep, how to have best process of sex life, and how to defend by atomic bomb. This is their advancement of civilization. And this is dog’s civilization. A dog is also trying for the same purpose, how to eat, how sleep, how to have sex, and how to defend. That’s all. Any animal is trying. Any small insect, it is trying for the same thing. So human life should be utilized only for these four things? No. To understand himself, “What I am? Why I do not like death?” Just like we make some arrangement, struggle for existence for becoming happy, stopping the impediments. So this question should be there in the human form of life, that “I don’t want to die. Why death comes upon me? What is the superior power that is enforcing death upon me? I am young man. I don’t want to become an old man. Why? Why I am forced to become an old man?” These are the questions of human life. A dog cannot think. A dog cannot think that “Why I have become dog? Why I am barking, and why I am chained?” He doesn’t think. And if we remain unconscious like the dog, then where is the advancement of civilization? Dog civilization is not human civilization. Human civilization should be different from the doggish life.