Difference between the animal and higher, developed consciousness living being

Expressions researched:
"consciousness" |"difference between"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase research query: "difference between consciousness"/10

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

The only difference between the animal and higher, developed consciousness living being is that they are God conscious. They accept the Supreme Lord. That makes the difference between lower animals and others.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 9, 1966:

Prabhupāda: The body may be different. Just like your body is different from me.

Woman: Yes, but we're the same in...

Prabhupāda: That does not mean, because you have got a different body, therefore you are not a living being. Or because I have got a different body from you, I am not a living being. So body... Because a living soul is not the body, he might have different body. That doesn't matter; that doesn't matter. Why should we consider, identify with the body? The whole question is there. The body, you'll find your body is different from animal body. Animal is different from human body. Or the so many difference of body. But the four principles of bodily wants, āhāra... Āhāra means requiring some foodstuff, and nidrā, sleeping, and fearing and mating. These four principles you'll find in the birds, in the animals, in the human beings, or even the devatās, or gods, or everywhere you'll find, these four principles. The only difference between the animal and higher, developed consciousness living being is that they are God conscious. They accept the Supreme Lord. That makes the difference between lower animals and others.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The more you develop your consciousness, the more you become a freedom lover. Just like in the human society, there is fight for freedom. But in the animal society, they do not know what is freedom. Ours also, the so-called freedom. But still, we have got some consciousness that we fight for freedom. And they fight for eating.

Lecture on SB 2.4.2 -- Los Angeles, June 26, 1972:

So, virūḍhāṁ mamatām. Virūḍhām. Just like you have seen some big trees, standing for so many, many years. The root is firmly captured. You have seen, experienced. The business is to stand up for 10,000 years, but the root is capturing the earth like anything, strong. This is called virūḍhām, attraction. Suppose when you have got sense, improved consciousness, human being, if one asks you to stand up here for one hour, it will be so troublesome. And even if you are forced to stand up for one hour, you'll feel so much uncomfortable. But this tree, because it has not developed consciousness, it is standing up for 10,000's of years, and in open atmosphere, tolerating all kinds of excessive heat, rain, snowfall. But still, it is capturing. This is the difference between developed consciousness and undeveloped consciousness. A tree has also consciousness. Modern science, they have proved, they have got consciousness. Very much covered, almost dead.

But it is not dead. There is consciousness. So the more you develop your consciousness, the more you become a freedom lover. Just like in the human society, there is fight for freedom. But in the animal society, they do not know what is freedom. Ours also, the so-called freedom. But still, we have got some consciousness that we fight for freedom. And they fight for eating. That's all.

Philosophy Discussions

This is the difference between lower consciousness and higher consciousness. An animal eating, he is also eating. A man is eating. The man should be developed consciousness that eatable is given by Kṛṣṇa.

Philosophy Discussion on The Evolutionists Thomas Huxley, Henri Bergson, and Samuel Alexander:

Śyāmasundara: On the mental level, we are capable of enjoying objects; they give us pleasure, but we are unable to understand them as they are. But in this higher level, he says that people will be able to understand things as they are, as well as enjoy them.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our philosophy. Just like common man is seeing a rose flower, but a devotee is studying that rose flower, "How God's energy is acting that through His energy such a nice thing has come out. Therefore it should be offered to Kṛṣṇa. It is Kṛṣṇa's property." Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). "It is Kṛṣṇa's production, it is Kṛṣṇa's property. So it should be offered to Kṛṣṇa." And devotee, after offering it to Kṛṣṇa, then, as prasādam, he smells. This is higher consciousness. In the lower consciousness: "Oh, here is a beautiful flower. Let me take it and enjoy it."

Śyāmasundara: Pure enjoyment without any understanding.

Prabhupāda: This is the difference between lower consciousness and higher consciousness. An animal eating, he is also eating. A man is eating. The man should be developed consciousness that eatable is given by Kṛṣṇa. As it is stated in the Vedas, eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. "The Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life." So "Kṛṣṇa has given me these necessities of life, so first of all let me offer it to Kṛṣṇa." That is called yajña. That is called yajña. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyanti sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Yajña means Viṣṇu. For Viṣṇu, for Kṛṣṇa, everything should be done. Otherwise, he will be entanglement. So this is called higher consciousness, fructified consciousness. Just like the flower has got different stages: bud stage, then little grown, then little... Once you'll find it fully grown, nice, beautiful rose, and fragrant. That is, when a human being comes to that full grown consciousness, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Śyāmasundara: His idea is that the whole world, the process of world evolution is moving toward that point.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Toward that point, nature is giving chance, but because you are living entity, you have got independence, you may not take the chance.

Mirage, sometimes mirage, if you see in front of the water in the desert. you know, you are human being, you know that there is no water, you don't go after it. But the animal will go after it and he'll lose his life. So that is the difference between man and animal. So the human consciousness, when it is developed, you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you become detached with this material mirage.

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Śyāmasundara: He says that all of nature as we see it is only illusory sense material reflecting the ongoing moral necessity of reality of the universe.

Prabhupāda: That is our philosophy. Mirage, sometimes mirage, if you see in front of the water in the desert. Actually there is no water in the desert, but you see under illusion. But you know, you are human being, you know that there is no water, you don't go after it. But the animal will go after it and he'll lose his life because (indistinct). He wants to take that water, and the water also goes ahead. In this way when he's too thirsty in the midst of desert he becomes dead. So that is the difference between man and animal. So the human consciousness, when it is developed, you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you become detached with this material mirage. He does not run after the false water. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Others may go after the false water. That is called māyā, or illusion.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

A person who is not in developed consciousness, he is suffering. And they commit sinful acts also. They commit sinful acts also in ignorance. That is the difference between man and animal. Animal means not developed consciousness.

Room Conversation with Reporter -- June 3, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Prosperity, no prosperity. Happiness, not happiness. They are ignorance and knowledge.

Reporter: They have.... Is it that they have confused materialism with happiness?

Prabhupāda: Not Material, I mean, I mean to say. Happiness is knowledge.

Reporter: Hmm.

Prabhupāda: Happiness is knowledge. Man who is in ignorance, he is suffering, and that you say material and spiritually. A person who is not in developed consciousness, he is suffering. And they commit sinful acts also.

Reporter: I beg your pardon?

Prabhupāda: They commit sinful acts also in ignorance. That is the difference between man and animal. Animal means not developed consciousness. They.... Some of them, they say the animal has no soul. That is foolishness. Animal has soul, but the consciousness is not developed. Just like a child. Father's consciousness and the child's consciousness different. Why it is different? The child's consciousness is not developed. Father's consciousness is developed. Because the child is talking some nonsense, you cannot say there is no soul. There is soul, but the consciousness is not developed.