Interviewer: Let me ask you. If through technological means mankind is somewhat improved, in other words, the average man is much more intelligent, what you would consider now to be an intelligent man . . .
Prabhupāda: But intelligent man . . . if one understands that he is not this body—he is within the body . . . just like you have got one shirt. You are not the shirt—anyone can understand—you are within the shirt. Similarly, a person who understands that he is not the body—he is within the body . . . that anyone can understand, because when the body is dead, what is the difference? Because the living force within the body is gone, therefore we call the body dead.
Interviewer: But there are some very intelligent men who are not spiritually enlightened, perhaps even men who understand that they are not you know . . . or the body is not all, the body is dead and there is something else. Why aren't these men spiritually aware?
Prabhupāda: If one does not understand this simple thing, that he is not body, then he is no better than animal.
Interviewer: But . . .
Prabhupāda: That is the first understanding of spiritual platform. If he thinks that he is body, then he is in the same category as the animals are.
Rāmeśvara: Her question is . . . suppose someone has some faith in life after death, and he also may be an intelligent man by material standards, why isn't he automatically . . .?
Prabhupāda: No, material standard is no intelligence. Material standard is that "I am of this body." "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am fox," "I am dog," "I am man." This is material understanding. Spiritual understanding is beyond that, that . . .
Interviewer: Did you . . .
Prabhupāda: "I am not this body." And when he tries to understand that spiritual identification, then he is intelligent. Otherwise he is not intelligent.
Interviewer: So does this mean that . . .
Prabhupāda: They have been described as mūḍha. Mūḍha means asses. So this is the first understanding, that one should not identify with this body.
Interviewer: What understandings come after . . .?
Prabhupāda: Just like dog. Dog understands that he is body. If a man also understands like that—he is body—then he's no better than the dog.
Interviewer: What other understandings come after this one?
Bali-mardana: After you realize that you're not the body, then what comes next?
Prabhupāda: Hah! That is intelligent question. Then one has to find out that, "I am engaged only in this bodily concept of life. Then what is my engagement?" That is the inquiry of Sanātana Gosvāmī that, "You have relieved me from this material engagement. Now let me know what is my duty." For that reason one has to go to the spiritual master, to know, understand, that what is his duty now. "If I am not this body, then what is my duty? Because I am busy whole day and night for this body. I am eating, I am sleeping, I am having sex, I am defending—these are all bodily necessities. If I am not body, then what is my duty?" That is intelligence.