We are not asking money, that ‘First of all pay the fees’

Bhagavan, June 11, 1974, Paris: […] There’s a report that there’s so many Ph.D’s who are graduating from school now that there are not enough jobs for them. So they have to take jobs as truck-driver and taxi driver.

Prabhupada: Where?

Bhagavan: In the United States.

Prabhupada: Just see.

Pusta-krsna: And that is supposed to be the brahmana class too, the professors. They’re the educated class of people.

Prabhupada: No, no. They are not brahmanas. Those who give education in exchange of money, they are not brahmanas. Just like we are lecturing, educated, educating people. We don’t say that “Give us salary.”

We simply ask them, “Please come.” Therefore we are making food. I’ll give you food. I’ll give you good seat. Please come and hear. We are not asking money, that “First of all pay the fees. Then you come and learn Bhagavad-gita.”

We never say so. So those, these so-called teachers, they first of all set up salary, “What salary you’ll give me?” That is dog’s business. That is not brahmana’s business. Brahmana will never ask. Brahmana is eager to give lesson only.

That’s all. Brahmana is eager to see that people are educated. “Take free education and be educated. Be a human being.” This is brahmana’s business. I came here not to ask for any money. But I want to give lesson. This is brahmana’s business.

Bhagavan: Today the priests are afraid to speak too strongly or else they will be fired and get no salary.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Bhagavan: Today the priests, they are afraid to speak.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Bhagavan: Or like the politicians, they are afraid to speak because they are afraid that they will be voted out or get no more money to support their…

Prabhupada: Yes. They’re after money. So they are less than sudras. That is the cause that Christianity has fallen down, that they cannot speak straightly, or otherwise… It is straight commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” And because people are killing, they’re… Now they are give man-to-man marriage, what to speak of other things.

The priests, they are sermonizing this man-to-man marriage. Just see how degraded they have become. Whether any conception… At least, outside America, nobody knows that a man can be married with another man. What is this? And they’re supporting it. You know that?

Bhagavan: Yes.

Prabhupada: So what is their standard?

Yogesvara: Did he say anything before he left?

Jyotirmayi: Yeah, he said that he was in the, he was promulgating a law. So I asked him if he was going to help promulgate a law against cow-killing. So he said…

Prabhupada: Now, this is our proposal, that why you should kill cow? Cow may be protected to take milk, and use this milk for so many nice preparations. Then, so far meat-eating is concerned, so every cow will die. It is a fact. So you wait a few days only.

There will be so many dead cows. So you take all the dead cows and eat. So where is the bad proposal? If you say that “You are restraining us from meat- eating,” no, we don’t restrain you. We simply request you that “Don’t kill. When the cow is dead, you eat it.”

Pusta-krsna: Prabhupada, in the western countries now, the young people, when their parents grow old, they generally send them away to old age homes. So if they have no compassion even towards their own parents, that they would send them away, then how can we educate them to protect the cow which is just like mother if they’re even willing to practically kill their parents?

Prabhupada: So there is no question of protecting. We shall protect. Simply we ask them that “Don’t purchase meat from the slaughterhouse. We shall supply you the cow after his death.” Where is the wrong?

Satsvarupa: Not enough meat.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Satsvarupa: Not enough meat fast enough, they’re eating so much beef.

Prabhupada: No, fast, fast. Fast means you have to eat the cow’s flesh. So how you can make it fast? The cows’ number are the same. So it will remain the same. Simply you wait for the natural death. Where is the restriction? You have got a limited number of cows. Either you wait for the death, or you kill it at once, the number of cows are the same.

So we simply request you that you don’t kill them. Wait for the natural death and take it. What is the wrong? The number of cows is the same. You cannot increase it. Increase or decrease, the number of cows is there. So we simply request you that so long they’re alive, let us take it’s milk, and give nice foodstuff to the human society.

Yogesvara: If they don’t kill it, they’ll be even more cows.

Prabhupada: Eh?

Yogesvara: If they don’t kill the cow, then they will have even more meat, because then the cow will have more time to reproduce, more calves. If they don’t kill the cow right away.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Yogesvara: There’ll be even more cows.

Prabhupada: More cows. Yes. They’ll have more cows. Simply we request that “Don’t…” You propagate this. “Don’t kill, don’t maintain the slaughterhouse.” It’s very sinful. It has got very awkward reaction on the society. Stop this slaughterhouse. We don’t say that you stop eating meat. You eat meat, but don’t take it from slaughterhouse. Or don’t by killing. Simply wait, and you’ll get the… How long the cow will live?

Their maximum age is twenty years. So not that you have to wait for twenty years. There are many cows, eighteen years, sixteen years or ten years. So wait for that much time. Then you regularly get dead cows and eat. What is the wrong? You make this propaganda. You may, for few years, may not get. By that time, you can eat some dogs and cats. (laughter) Yes. The Koreans, they are using dogs.

Where is the difference between you and the Korean? You can eat also dogs for the time being. Or hogs. You eat hogs. We don’t prohibit killing of these small animals. We don’t sanction, neither prohibit. But especially we request cow protection because it is ordered by Krsna. Because we are Krsna conscious people, therefore we have to carry out the order of Krsna, go-raksya. That is our duty.

And economically also, it is very useful. Krsna has recommended for nothing, it is not like that. It has some meaning, that if you have got cows. You see. They’re… Our cows in New Vrindaban, they’re giving more milk than other cows. Because they are confident that they’ll not be killed here.

They have got sense. Not like that rascal, “They have no soul. They have no sense.” They have got sense. In other places, they do not give so much milk. But in New Vrindaban, they’re so jolly, as soon as Kirtanananda Maharaja calls, they’ll come. Yes, just like friends.

And they are confident that “We’ll not be killed.” So they are jubilant, and they’re giving much milk. Yes. So in Europe, the cows are also good, but the cow-killing system also very good.

So you stop this. We simply request that, that you’ll get the cow’s flesh. As soon as it is dead, we shall supply you free of charges. You haven’t got to pay four thousand pounds or four, this, or so much money. You get free and eat. And why you are killing? Stop this slaughterhouse. What is the wrong in this proposal? I think he could not give any counter- reasoning. Full Conversation