Go means cows, and khara means ass. Anyone who is living on the bodily concept of life, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke . . . the bodily concept of life is meant for the animals. The dog does not know that he's not this body, he's pure soul. But a man, if he's educated, he can understand that he's not this body, he is different from this body. How he can understand that we are different from this body? That is also a very simplified method. Here, you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said:
- dehino 'smin yathā dehe
- kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
- tathā dehāntara-prāptir
- dhīras tatra na muhyati
- (BG 2.13)
Dehinaḥ . . . asmin dehe, in this body, as there is soul, dehī . . . dehī means the possessor of this body. I am not this body. If you ask me, "What . . ." Just like sometimes we ask the child, "What is this?" he will say: "It is my head." Similarly, if you ask me also, anyone, "What is this?" anyone will say: "It is my head." Nobody will say: "I head." So if you scrutinizingly analyze in all parts of the body, you'll say: "It is my head," "my hand," "my finger," "my leg," but where is "I"? "My" is spoken when there is "I." But we have no information of the "I." We have simply information of "my." That is called ignorance.
So the whole world is under this impression of taking the body as the self. Another example we can give you. Just like some of your relatives. Suppose my father has died. Now I am crying, "Oh, my father is gone. My father is gone." But if somebody says: "Why do you say your father is gone? He is lying here. Why you are crying?" "No, no, no, that is his body. That is his body. My father is gone." Therefore in our present calculation I am seeing your body, you are seeing my body; nobody is seeing the actual person. After death, he comes to sense: "Oh, it is not my father; it is my father's body." You see?
So we become intelligent after death. And while we are living, we are in ignorance. This is the modern civilization. While living . . . just like people have insurance policy to get some money. So that money is received after death, not during life. Sometimes during life also. So my point is that so long we are living, we are in ignorance. We do not know, "What is my father, what is my brother, what I am." But everyone is under the impression, "This body is my father," "This body is my child," "This body is my wife." This is called ignorance.
If you study the whole world, during living time everyone will say that, "I am Englishman," or "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim." But if you ask him, "Actually are you so?" That . . . because this body is Hindu, Muslim or Christian, because by accident the body is produced in a society of Hindu, Muslim, or the body is born in a particular country, therefore we say: "I am Indian," "I am European," "I am this," "I am that." But when the body is dead, at that time we say, "No, no, the person which was within the body, that is gone. It is a different thing."
Just try to understand how much ignorant we are. We are all in ignorance. This education is wanted because people, by this ignorance, they're fighting with one another. One nation is fighting with another, one religionist is fighting with another religionist. But it is all based on ignorance. I am not this body. Therefore śāstra says, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Ātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape, this is a bag of bones and muscles, and it is manufactured by three dhātus. Dhātu means element. According to Āyurvedic system: kapha, pitta, vāyu. Material things. So therefore I am a spirit soul. I am part and parcel of God. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is the Vedic education.
Try to understand that you do not belong to this material world. You belong to the spiritual world. You are part and parcel of God. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). In the Bhagavad-gītā God says that "All living entities are My part and parcels." Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). He's undergoing a great struggle for life under the impression, under the bodily impression that he is this body. But this kind of impression or understanding is animal civilization. Because the animals are also eating, sleeping, having sex intercourse and defending in their own way. So if we also, human being, if we are engaged with all these business, namely eating, sleeping, sex intercourse and defending, then we are not better than the animals.
The special prerogative of the human being is to understand, "What I am? I am this body or something else?" Actually, I am not this body. I have given you so many examples. I am spirit soul. But at the present moment every one of us is busy on this understanding that I am this body. Nobody is working on the understanding that he is not body, he's spirit soul. Therefore try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are trying to educate every man without any distinction. We do not . . .
Because we do not take consideration of the body. The body may be Hindu, body may be Muslim, the body may be European, body may be American, or the body may be different style. Just like you have got a dress. Now, because I am in saffron dress and you are in black coat, that does not mean we shall fight together. Why? You may have a different dress, I may have a different dress. So where is the reason for fighting?
This understanding is wanted at the present moment. Otherwise, you'll be a civilization of animals. Just like in the jungle, there are animals. There are cats, dogs, jackals, tigers, and they always fight. Therefore, if we really want śānti—śānti means peace—then we must try to understand "What I am." That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are teaching everyone what he is actually. But his position is . . . everyone's position, not only my or yours. Everyone. Even the animals. They're also spirit spark.