The brāhmaṇas' duty is to give education, intelligence, up to the understanding of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Brahman. The Absolute Truth is called Brahman. So one who knows Brahman, or the Absolute Truth . . . knowledge means the end of knowledge should be up to the understanding of the Absolute Truth, the original source of everything. Absolute, not relative. Relative truth, everyone knows, but when one comes to the point of understanding the Absolute Truth, the original source of everything . . . there must be original source of everything. That is Brahman.
Those who have read the Vedānta philosophy . . . the Vedānta philosophy describes Brahman. The first aphorism in the Vedānta philosophy is called athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta philosophy says that this human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth. One must be . . . human being must be interested to know the Absolute Truth. That is perfection of human life. Because in the cats' and dogs' life . . . unfortunately, at the present moment, people do not know what is the distinction between cats and dogs and a human being. That is another defect of the modern education.
The distinction between cats and dogs . . . they are also living beings. Of course, in some quarter they say that the cats and dogs and lower animals, they have no soul. No. That is not the fact. Everyone has got soul, but the cats and dogs and animals, they are not advanced in consciousness. As soon as there is soul, there must be consciousness. These things are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, and you can perceive also. I am existing in this body; you are existing in your body—how it is known? By the consciousness. If I pinch your body, you feel pain. You pinch my body, I feel pain. Similarly, cats and dogs, they also feel pain or pleasure. So that is the proof of existence of the soul even in cats and dogs and human beings. The only difference is in the human form of life the consciousness is developed.