Mother: We're going to almighty God when we die. We don't have to worry.
Jesuit Priest: That's in his hands.
Prabhupāda: So what is the qualification?
Mother: We know. We...
Prabhupāda: Everybody is going to God?
Mother: Yes. Everybody who believes in God. Yes. And leads a good life, does their best in this world, and that is truth for me.
Prabhupāda: Then the question comes: What is the good life?
Jesuit Priest: Obeying the commandments of God.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So if the commandment is "Thou shalt not kill," if somebody kills, so that is good life?
Jesuit Priest: No, no, no. Father, you're being a bit unfair. It isn't... Interpretation, "Thou shalt not kill," thou shalt not unjustly take away life. If a man walks in this afternoon through those bushes with a revolver, I have every right... I'm not saying I'm going to do it, but I have every right to defend myself against that unjust aggressor. And if I kill him...
Prabhupāda: Yes, you can, you can protect yourself...
Jesuit Priest: ...that is justified.
Mother: Yes.
Prabhupāda: ...from the aggressor, but when you kill innocent animal, what is the reason?
Jesuit Priest: Oh, well then... Yes. Well, again, that's got to be interpreted. We wouldn't be able to... What foo... How would we live on food? How do we live if we don't eat?
Prabhupāda: How we are living?
Jesuit Priest: Pardon?
Prabhupāda: How we are living?
Jesuit Priest: Well, I don't know...
Prabhupāda: We don't kill animals.
Jesuit Priest: I don't know what your food is, but...
Mother: No, but you have a vegetarian diet...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Mother: ...which is...
Jesuit Priest: Well, all right.
Mother: A lot of people have that.
Prabhupāda: But that is not killing.
Jesuit Priest: No, but... By, fa..., er, look at it this way. You've just said a few minutes ago there are eight million different kinds of life. Would you agree that the potato, the cabbage...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jesuit Priest: ...and what have you also has a life?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jesuit Priest: Because there's vegetative life, there's sensitive life, there's rational life...
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Jesuit Priest: :...there's supernatural life, and there's a life of God.
Prabhupāda: Yes
Jesuit Priest: All right. And therefore—I'm not being facetious—when you boil those potatoes, you are taking away the life of that potato.
Prabhupāda: So what is your philosophy? That you can take any life?
Jesuit Priest: But you said, "Thou shall not kill."
Prabhupāda: No, no. Yes. "Thou shall not kill." That's all right.
Jesuit Priest: But you kill the potato.
Prabhupāda: Now, suppose there is potato and there is your child. So would you like to kill your child in preference of potato?
Mother: No, no.
Jesuit Priest: You've not answered my question.
Prabhupāda: Why this discrimination?
Jesuit Priest: Why you've not answered my question?
Prabhupāda: Yes, I am answering you, that you are to kill, but you have to discriminate what kind of killing you shall do.
Jesuit Priest: Well, I've just said that. I gave the example of the chap who comes to you with a revolver. I can maybe protect myself. You said... You're implying...
Prabhupāda: No, no. When somebody comes with a revolver, you defend. That is another thing. But if somebody's innocent, why you should kill?
Jesuit Priest: And I say I shouldn't. God said, "Thou shalt not kill."
Prabhupāda: Then why you are killing animals?
Jesuit Priest: Well, you're doing it when you eat your potatoes.
Prabhupāda: No, the potato is not animal.
Jesuit Priest: It's a vegetable, life.
Prabhupāda: No.
Jesuit Priest: It starts with a little tiny seed. That's life.
Prabhupāda: No, no, no.
Jesuit Priest: It grows.
Prabhupāda: Potato is not animal. It is fruit.
Jesuit Priest: Is that tree alive?
Prabhupāda: It is a fruit.
Jesuit Priest: Is that tree alive?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jesuit Priest: Has it got life?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jesuit Priest: Are you doing anything wrong when you cut it down...?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jesuit Priest: ...to provide...?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jesuit Priest: ...to provide...?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, yes.
Jesuit Priest: You are doing something wrong?
Prabhupāda: We don't cut down trees unnecessarily. Unnecessarily.
Jesuit Priest: No, but, but, uh, but, uh, but, uh... I don't kill...
Prabhupāda: No. But the... I have asked this question to so many people, that "Why you are killing although it is prohibited, 'Thou shall not kill.'?" They cannot give me any satisfactory answer.