According to Vedic civilization, if one approaches before you with a straw in his mouth, that means he is fully surrendered. That is the sign. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he is speaking that "With a straw in my mouth," dante nidhāya tṛṇakam. Dante, "teeth"; padayor nipatya, "I am just falling down at your lotus feet, and I have come before you with this straw very humbly." Dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca (Prabodānanda Sarasvatī): "And I am flattering you hundred times." Then naturally any rogue, any rascal will be pleased: "All right, you can speak something." If you become so humble and meek, there is no man in the world who will say, "No, no, I am not going to hear you." Of course, there are many rascals. They will say so, that "I have no time." (laughter) So anyway, generally people will hear. So when he says, "All right, what do you want to say?" Dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca ahaṁ brav. . ., he sādhavaḥ, again flattering: "O the great sādhu, you are. . .," although you know he is a great rascal. (laughter) Still, I will have to speak to him.
This is the process of preaching. Is that all right? You tell him, "Oh, you are a great sādhu." Then he will be: "Oh, yes, yes. (laughter) You are right. You are right. What do you want from me? Tell me." (chuckles) Then you can say, he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrād: "What every rascaldom you have learned, please forget. (laughter) Please forget." "Then what I have to do?" Caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam: "You become adhered to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. That is my. . ." That's all. "So I have brought this Caitanya-caritāmṛta, seventeen volumes. If you kindly take this. . ." So they will take. They have got money. And if he reads one line, he'll be perfect. This should be your process of preaching.
Devotee (5): Śrīla Prabhupāda, I heard you ask earlier. . . You say that by. . . Animals, they have no inferior act. So after death, what kind of birth will they get?
Prabhupāda: According to your karma. That I have repeatedly said. Did you not hear?
Brahmānanda: No, he's asking about the animals. What kind of body will they take in their next birth?
Prabhupāda: They have got evolution by nature's process. They have got evolution by nature's way. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ (Padma Purāṇa). First of all aquatic. Because the whole world was filled with water, so there was animals, aquatics. So as the land became visible, then jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Sthāvarāḥ means the living entities which cannot move. That means trees and plants, vegetables. So from aquatics to vegetable life, then worm, reptiles, then birds, and then beast, then human being, then civilized men. There is chance of becoming perfect. So nature brings you up to the point of human form of life. Now you make your choice. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. And if you misuse like cats and dogs, then again go. Again go to the aquatics or cats and dogs, according to your karma. That they do not know. Therefore they are called mūḍhas. They are very much advanced in knowledge and science and money-making, but what they are going to take the body next life, they do not know. Mūḍho nābhijānāti. This is their advancement. Therefore they refuse to believe that there is next life. That is one solace: "Oh, there is no next. . ." Bhasmī-bhūtasya dehasya kutaḥ punar āgamano bhavet (Cārvāka Muni): "Oh, this body will be burned into ashes, and who is coming back again?" They don't believe. Because if they believe the śāstra, then it will be horrible affair for them. But therefore they do not believe.
But you believe or not believe, things are going to happen. That's all. That is laws of nature. If you don't believe that you are going to die, it doesn't matter. You have to die. If you don't believe that "I am not going to become an old man," no, you believe or not believe, you must become old man. This is nature's law. So you believe or not believe in the next life, you have to accept it. Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). So your believe or not believe doesn't matter. Nature's work will go on.