Guest: If man wasn't meant to eat meat, why in nature do the other animals kill to eat?
Prabhupāda: Are you other animal?
Guest: Well, we're all animals.
Prabhupāda: You count amongst the animals? You classify yourself with the animals?
Guest: Well, we're all animals.
Prabhupāda: No, not all. You may be, but we are not. Do you like to be classified with the animals?
Guest: You don't?
Prabhupāda: No, no. Do you like yourself, do you like to be...
Guest: I don't feel that I'm better than the animals, no.
Prabhupāda: Why? Why are you talking then?
Guest: Because I have respect for all of God's creatures.
Prabhupāda: Why you have come here? You respect for all and you kill animals?
Guest: I didn't say that I kill animals.
Prabhupāda: Then why do you say that? What is your question?
Guest: I said why, if man is not meant to eat meat, that in nature the animals eat meat? They eat each other.
Prabhupāda: What is the question? I cannot...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's saying if man is not meant to eat meat, then why is it that some animals eat meat? He's saying that we are animals also. Now, we're not meant to eat meat, but other animals are permitted to.
Prabhupāda: Other animals, they (eat) meat, but they follow the nature's law. They don't eat grain.
Guest: We don't follow nature's...?
Prabhupāda: No. You don't follow.
Just like a tiger. A tiger eats meat, but tiger does not come to eat grains and fruits. But you eat meat and grains, fruits, milk, whatever you can get you eat. Why? Is that natural? Tiger will never come to claim on the grains, "Oh, you have got so much grain. Give me." No. Even there are hundreds bags of grains, you don't care, but he'll pounce upon a... That is his natural instinct.
But why do you take grains, fruits, milk, meat, and whatever you get. What is this? You are neither animal or human being. Misusing your humanity. You should think that what is eatable for me? A tiger may eat meat. It is a tiger. But I am not tiger. I am human being. And if I have got sufficient grains, fruits, vegetables, and other things, God has given, why should I go to kill a poor animal?
This is humanity. You are animal plus human. If you forget your humanity, then you are animal. So we are not simply animal. We are animal plus humanity. If we increase our quality of humanity, then our life is perfect. But if we remain in animality, then our life is imperfect. So we have to increase our human consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious.
What is the purpose of eating? To live. If you can live very peacefully, very nicely, with good health, by eating so many varieties of foodstuff given by Kṛṣṇa, why should I kill an animal? This is humanity. Why should I imitate an animal? Then what is the difference between animal and human being? If you have no discretion, if you have no consciousness.
Besides that, scientifically, your teeth is meant for eating vegetables. The tiger has teeth for eating meat. Nature has made it like that. It has to kill another... Therefore he has got nails, he has got teeth, he has got strength. But you have no such strength. You cannot kill a cow like that, pouncing like tiger. You have to make slaughterhouse and sit down at your home. Somebody may slaughter, and you can eat very nicely. What is this? You do like tiger. Pounce upon a cow and eat. (laughter) You cannot do that. You cannot do that.
Guest: What you're saying, then, you believe that nature's perfect.
Prabhupāda: Nature's law. That is... A tiger is made by nature's law in that way; therefore he can do that. You cannot do it. Your nature is different. You have got discrimination, you have got conscience, you are claiming civilized, human being. So you should utilize these things. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, perfect consciousness. So human life is meant for raising oneself to the perfection of consciousness, and that is Kṛṣṇa conscious. We cannot remain in tiger consciousness. That is not humanity.