After sex, the living entity takes shelter within the semina and ovum of the father and mother, and the formation is just like a small grain. That grain develops because the spirit soul has taken shelter. It is not that the body develops automatically, and at seven months there is life.

Less Than Human

Soul enters the body at the moment of conception

Without spiritual touch, nothing can develop. We have got practical experience that without the spirit soul, the body cannot develop. If a dead child comes out, the body does not develop. Because the spirit soul is there... So this nonsense theory that "Within the womb of the mother, unless the body is developed to seven months, there is no life," what is this nonsense? The body has developed to that seven months' condition because there is a spirit soul. Otherwise how it becomes seven months' developed? You'll find this description in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Therefore the knowledge received from Srimad-Bhagavatam is perfect. Any knowledge which does not corroborate with the knowledge in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that is useless knowledge. Therefore, in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam vastava-vastu vedyam atra [SB 1.1.2]. Vastava-vastu, real knowledge. This is real knowledge. In the Bhagavata it is said, karmana daiva-netrena jantor deho upapatti: [SB 3.31.1: "The Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter into the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body."] "A living entity gets a body," upapatti, "according to karma." Everything is stated there. After sex, the living entity takes shelter within the semina and ovum of the father and mother, and the formation is just like a small grain. That grain develops because the spirit soul has taken shelter. It is not that the body develops automatically, and at seven months there is life. No. Life... The consciousness may be there. That is another thing. Sometimes, if I am surcharged with anesthetics, if I am chloroformed, my consciousness is not there. That does not mean I am not there. Consciousness sometimes may be absent. One man fainted; there is no consciousness. That does not mean there is no life. There is life. The consciousness has not developed.

So this is the anupravishtah. This is the fact. Matter cannot develop without the entrance of the spirit, either the spark of the spirit or the Supreme Spirit.

Wrong notion that life is from matter

KRSNA-KANTI: As the Kali-yuga advances, the human beings will eat their children too. Srila Prabhupada?

PRABHUPADA: Yes, yes. Just like in the last war, they ate stool, their own stool, out of hunger. So when there will be no foodstuff, they will kill their own children. Already they are killing, abortion. Not only abortion, children grows... By surgical instrument, they kill and they take out the child... They are already killing.

KRSNA-KANTI: When they take the pill, the birth control pill, are they killing their children too?

PRABHUPADA: Killing means killing, what is that? What he is asking? I do not...

SVARUP DAMODAR: He is asking that they take the pill, birth control pill.

PRABHUPADA: No, no, that is one kind of killing. But directly killing. They, through some instrument, through the vagina, they kill, cut into pieces and get out. Living children. He is a scientist. That surgeon, he is a scientist, and doing this business.

SVARUP DAMODAR: Yes, medical scientist.

PRABHUPADA: Just see. He is paid for that killing.

SVARUP DAMODAR: They lost the mercifulness, the quality...

PRABHUPADA: What merciful? Animal has mercifulness. They are animals only. This modern civilization is producing animals. That's it. Who was speaking that slaughterhouse they are giving some injection that the animal may not feel pain? Rascal, he is killing him, and he is humanitarian work, he may not feel killed. If I say, "I shall kill you, but you will not feel any pain. Come on." This is their philosophy. They are killing, and they are saying, "Oh, may not be feeling any pain." Such rascaldom is going on. I therefore do not talk with any rascal except my disciples. I know they are all rascals. Waste of time. All this rascaldom is coming out of that wrong notion that life is from matter, that wrong notion.

SVARUP DAMODAR: That is why they say, "So long as I am alive, enjoy as much as you can."

PRABHUPADA: Yes, that is their philosophy. Hedonism.

SVARUP DAMODAR: If they know that there is life after death or life started from life, then they would not be doing like this.

PRABHUPADA: So many things you will change.

The Real Pro Life Movement

AUSTRALIAN DEVOTEE 2: Srila Prabhupada, in New Zealand we have a situation where the main industry is killing animals, the biggest industry, yet there is so much rain, so much nice atmosphere over there. Why is this? Why is there such a nice atmosphere but they are killing so many cows? Is that that they are innocent and they do not know and so Krishna is not punishing them so much?

PRABHUPADA: Yes, they will be punished. [break] ...so many motor accidents. And there will be war. Then wholesale punishment. Then killing, being killed within the womb of the mother. They are being punished. Nowadays these things have been introduced. Now this child which is being killed by the mother, they are all these sinful men. They cannot come out even, out of the womb of the mother. There they are killed. Nature's law is very strict.

HARI-SAURI: Srila Prabhupada, this morning we have seen already a reaction is coming about against the killing of unborn children. There is one big poster that is being put up by a protest group which says, "The Queen Victoria Hospital kills unborn babies. Protest now," like this. So there is, I think, it's the Right to Life Movement in Victoria here that is fighting against this abortion activity.

PRABHUPADA: But they are so sinful that they are unable to carry out. ...If there is a serpent, if you advise him, "Please do not kill; be gentleman," will he become? Snake. Snake will kill, unnecessarily bite and kill. Sarpah krurah khalah krurah sarpat kruratarah khalah: There are two envious living entities. One is the serpent and other is the envious man. So the envious man is more dangerous than the serpent. Why? Now, the serpent can be charmed by drugs and by mantra, but this man cannot be charmed. So this advice will not act. They are more dangerous than the serpent.

AUSTRALIAN DEVOTEE 3: How, then, can we advise them, Srila Prabhupada, if they are like serpents? How can we...?

PRABHUPADA: You can advise only, "Chant Hare Krishna. Then everything will be all right," this one medicine. You can simply make plan how they will chant and take prasadam. Then everything all right. This simple method. Bring them: "Please come here, chant, dance, and take prasadam [sanctified vegetarian food]." They will be all good men. This process. Otherwise if you give them good advice, they will not be able to carry it. They are so sinful. Their treatment, the only treatment, is this Krishna consciousness movement. Somehow or other, bring them together. Let them chant. Let them dance and take prasadam. They will be all right. Kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha: There is no other means to rectify them. We are opening centers different parts of the world just to give them chance, "Please come here, take prasadam, chant, dance, enjoy," but that transcendental enjoyment will make them correct. We are the best friends of the human society.

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [cited Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi-lila 17.21]

In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.

Anyatha means otherwise there is no means to rectify these rascals. Harer nama harer nama.

HARI-SAURI: There are so many altruistic movements, but actually there is no peace coming about.

PRABHUPADA: It is not effective. Just like the government spending to stop drug habit, millions of dollars, no use, but as soon as they come to us, immediately they give up. But still, the rascal will not pay the money to us. [laughter] We are doing so much benefit, but they will not pay. If you ask them money, "No, no, our money is not for religious purpose. For science. Our money is for science." Science means how, scientifically, you can kill cows. This is science. How, scientifically, you can become less than cats and dogs. This is their science. The cats and dogs also, they do not kill their children, but they are scientific advanced; the doctor advises, "Kill it."

AUSTRALIAN DEVOTEE 2: Srila Prabhupada, most of the people in the western world are Christians and they say the cow has no soul.

PRABHUPADA: This is not the question of Christian or western. This is the disease of the whole world. It is not that only the westerners are accused, not the others. No, it is... We don't say like that. Everyone... This is the influence of this Kali-yuga.

AUSTRALIAN DEVOTEE 2: They feel justified in killing because they say the animal has no soul.

PRABHUPADA: Just see how fool they are. Therefore we simply say these are rascals. They have not even the common sense of an uneducated man. And they are scientist. Why there is no soul? What is the proof? What is their argument? Why they say there is no soul? What is the argument?

AUSTRALIAN DEVOTEE 2: Because it says in the Bible that until one accepts Jesus Christ one has no soul.

PRABHUPADA: Jesus Christ said that animal has no soul? Has he said like that? Has he said?

AUSTRALIAN DEVOTEE 2: He says that one must be born again.

PRABHUPADA: Never he can say like that. He is not such a fool. He cannot say that.

Australian devotee 4: Like this priest said the other day, Srila Prabhupada. He said that the human being has a spirit soul, but the animal just has a soul. [laughter] PRABHUPADA: [laughs] The same thing. "Everyone is sinful, but we are pure sinful." [laughter] Pure sinful.