One who is paṇḍita, one who is learned, he sees every living entity on the equal footing. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava is so compassionate. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau (Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 2). They can actually do the beneficial work to the human being. They are seeing, actually feeling, that all these living entities, they are part and parcel of God. Some way or other, they have fallen in the contact of this material world, and, according to different karma, they have assumed different types of bodies.
So paṇḍita, those who are learned, they have no discrimination that, "This is animal; they should be sent to the slaughterhouse. And this is man; he will eat it." No. A actually Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he's kind to everyone. Why the animals should be slaughtered? Therefore our philosophy is no meat-eating. No meat-eating. You cannot. So they'll not hear us. "Oh, what this nonsense? This is our food. Why shall I not eat?" Because edhamāna-madaḥ (SB 1.8.26), he's intoxicated rascal. He'll not hear the real fact.
Just like in the state, because a man is lying street, poor man, has no help, can I kill him? Will the state excuse me? "No, I have killed one poor man. He had no necessity. There was no need for him in the society. So why should he live?" Will the state excuse me that, "You have done very nice work"? No. That poor man is also the subject of the citizen of the state. You cannot kill him. Why not expand this philosophy, that the poor animal or the trees, the birds, beasts, they're also sons of God. You cannot kill. You'll be responsible. You'll be hanged. Just like by killing one poor man on the street you'll be hanged. Never mind it is poor. Similarly, in God's eyes there is no such discrimination. What to speak of God, even a learned man's vision, there is no such discrimination, "This is poor, this is rich, this is black, this is white, this is . . ." No. Everyone is living entity, part and parcel of God.