Suppose some danger is coming. So shall I take care of you: "How you will be saved? How you will be saved?" How I will be saved—that is my first business. That he does not know. There have been many cases. There is all of a sudden fire. The man has left everything, and his baby was there. He was crying, "Oh, I have left my..." The natural tendency—"First of all save me." Self preservation is the first law of nature. So why did he forget about his baby? Now, when he comes out, he is thinking about baby. This is natural, that he does not think about himself; he is thinking about future generation.
"What nonsense will come as my son or grandson?" Just see. This is fourth-class man.
Amogha: So he should first save himself, then think about how to save others.
Prabhupāda: Yes. First of all he must know what will actually saving. That he does not know. He is thinking of his country. Suppose next birth he becomes a cow and his countrymen will send him to the slaughterhouse. So what is the use of having your country? The same country, the national... The cow is also national, you are also national, but the law is the cow is to be sent to the slaughterhouse. Therefore they have been all described as mūḍhāḥ, rascals, only rascals. Except a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, all persons are rascals. Do you admit or not?
Paramahaṁsa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is authoritative statement of Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). So these classes of men do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa. So anyone who has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he comes within these categories. This is a plain description if we believe in Bhagavad-gītā. All rascals.
Paramahaṁsa: But he would say, "There are many people also like me who... We don't harm anybody. We just live our own life, and..."
Prabhupāda: But you harm yourself. Because you are a rascal you do not know what is your future. You do not harm others, but you are harming yourself. You do not know what you are and how you are harming yourself. You are such a rascal. You pose to be that you do not make any harm to anyone, but you are doing harm to yourself. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). You do not know what is the harm to yourself. You are such a fool. So what is the use of...? Nobody can do any harm to anyone. Everything is going on nature's law. But you are doing yourself harm for your interest. You are such a fool.
Paramahaṁsa: But I feel pretty happy. Everything seems to be... I have a good job.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, the ass also feels happy, dog also feels happy, so you are like ass, dog, like that. They also feel happy.
Paramahaṁsa: They don't go to cinema.
Prabhupāda: This is not... There are many living entities in the cinema. There are ants, the lizards, rats. So what is the use of being in cinema? So you are also one of them, that's all. There are no rats in the cinema house? (laughter)
Amogha: At the drive-ins they also have birds.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Paramahaṁsa: But man has been progressing for so many years. Surely they can't all be bad.
Prabhupāda: They are not progressing. They are rascals. What their meaning of progressing, these fourth-class men? That is our verdict, Kṛṣṇa's verdict. What progress? If you have made progress, then you are thinking, "What will happen, future?" Where is your progress? You rest assured that "We have made so much progress. Now there will be no more problem." So why you have engaged so many so-called rascals again to solve the problems? Where is your advancement? If you are full of anxiety, then where is your happiness? Is anyone who is full of anxiety he is happy? Is he happy?
Paramahaṁsa: Well, not... But if he takes some intoxicant or he goes to cinema, then he feels better.
Prabhupāda: You are adding rascal upon rascal. (laughs) They do not know. They are fools. They are rascals. The same philosophy: if you have got enemy in the front you close your eyes and he kills you. The rabbit, they do that. As soon as they find some big animal, they close.