Srimad-Bhagavatam | Canto 2 | “The Cosmic Manifestation”

"And in Mexico you found some asses, carrying loads. So they are carrying loads, very heavy loads, tons, for that morsel of grass, which he can get anywhere. But he thinks, Oh, I will die. If my master does not give me a morsel of grass, I will die. So let me remain here and carry all the big loads. You see."

Prabhupada,  Los Angeles, June 15, 1972: […] The whole aim is Vishnu, how to go back to home, back to Godhead.

Not like, living like this, animals. Sva-vid-varahostra-khara. That is not human life. Sva means dependent. “Unless somebody gives me food, I cannot live.” That is the life of a dog. A street dog is never happy. One dog who has got master, he is happy. That is sva. Vid-varaha means eating everything, anything nonsense eatable. Varaha, vid-varaha. Sva-vid-varaha-ustra. Ustra means chewing or drinking his own blood, and he thinks it is very tasteful.

And similarly ass. Ass is working hard for the washerman, not for himself, and still, he thinks he is happy. Therefore these four nice animals has been exemplified. That is our life. The karmis are compared with the ass. Big, big businessmen, day and night working hard, earning money, not for himself.

What he will eat? Two capatis, that’s all. Or little milk or little… Not that he has earned 1000 dollars every day and he will eat it. No. He will eat, out of that 1000 dollars, he will eat fifty cents, and balance will be eaten by others.

You see. But still, he is working hard. And the example is ass. The ass takes a morsel of grass. It is worth nothing. The ass can get anywhere the morsel of grass. But still, he thinks that the washerman is feeding me. So he remains there. And in Mexico you found some asses, carrying loads. So they are carrying loads, very heavy loads, tons, for that morsel of grass, which he can get anywhere. But he thinks, “Oh, I will die. If my master does not give me a morsel of grass, I will die. So let me remain here and carry all the big loads.” You see. Similarly, the karmis, they remain at home. They think that “My wife, my children, my family—without them, I shall die. So I have to work to maintain them like an ass.” That’s all.

The karmis, they are working, accumulating bank balance, more, more, more, more, more, more. But forgetting the real mission of life. Therefore ass. Ass means fool. Whenever one man is called, “You are ass,” that means he’s a fool. So this human form of life, so valuable…

To realize Krsna and go back to Him, that should be our main business. But these karmis, they do not know what is the mission of this human form of life. They are busy working hard, day and night, for a morsel of grass. That’s all. Yan maithunadi-grha…

There are many other verses. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45] So sastra, intelligence, knowledge, means one should study everything very critically, “What is my position? What is my duty?” We should not be like the animals. Sva-vid-varahostra-khara.

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