ant, doesn't kill

Imported quote 15070

Although Jaḍa Bharata was forced to carry the palanquin, he did not give up his sympathetic feelings toward the poor ants passing on the road. A devotee of the Lord does not forget his devotional service and other favorable activities, even when he is in a most distressful condition. Jaḍa Bharata was a qualified brahmana, highly elevated in spiritual knowledge, yet he was forced to carry the palanquin. He did not mind this, but while walking on the road, he could not forget his duty to avoid killing even an ant. A Vaisnava is never envious or unnecessarily violent. There were many ants on the path, but Jaḍa Bharata took care by looking ahead three feet. When the ants were no longer in his way, he would place his foot on the ground. A Vaisnava is always very kind at heart to all living entities. In His sahkhya-yoga, Lord Kapiladeva explains: suhrdaḥ sarva-dehinam. Living entities assume different bodily forms. Those who are not Vaisnavas consider only human society worthy of their sympathy, but Krsna claims to be the supreme father of all life forms. Consequently the Vaisnava takes care not to annihilate untimely or unnecessarily any life form. All living entities have to fulfill a certain duration for being encaged in a particular type of material body. They have to finish the duration allotted a particular body before being promoted or evolved to another body. Killing an animal or any other living being simply places an impediment in the way of his completing his term of imprisonment in a certain body. One should therefore not kill bodies for one's sense gratification, for this will implicate one in sinful activity. (More...)

Imported quote 15589

When the two great sages, Narada and Parbut, came to the place of the hunter, and the hunter saw his Spiritual Master coming from the distance, he began to go to him with great respect. But while he was going to receive the great sages, there were ants on the field, and it was a hindrance to his passing. When he reached the sages, he wanted to bow down before them, but he saw there were many ants and he slowly cleared away the ants with his cloth. When Narada saw that the hunter was trying to save the lives of the ants in such a way, it reminded him of a verse from the Skanda Purana. That verse states: "Is it not wonderful for a devotee of the Lord, that he is not inclined to give any sort of pain, even to the ant?" (More...)

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It is not that, that these human... Just like here-nationalism. What is this nationalism? Nationalism means to take care of the human being and send the cows and goats to the slaughterhouse. This is going on, "nationalism." What do you mean by national? Nation... The definition is any living being born in that land, he is a national. So the cow is not born? The tree is not born in this land? But because they are not Krsna conscious, they cannot be kind to all the dehis. Sarva-dehinam. Dehi means anyone who has got this body. So somebody has got body human being, somebody has got the cow's body, somebody has a dog's body, somebody has tree's body. So the Vaisnava is so kind that suhrdaḥ sarva-dehinam. He is kind not only to the human being: to the cats, dogs, to the trees, to the plants, to the insect. A Vaisnava will hesitate to kill even one mosquito. Sarva-dehinam. Not that "I shall take care of my brother. I am good, and my brother is good." No. Suhrdaḥ sarva-dehinam. These are the Vaisnava qualification. (More...)

Imported quote 18349

So long you will have desire for sense gratification, localized or expanded, the quality does not change. The quality will change when this sense gratification will be transferred to Krsna, not sense gratification for me, for my family, for my society, for my nation, or for my species. Just like there are many philanthropists. They are busy doing welfare activities for the human race, but they are not interested for the benefit of the animal race. "Animal race should be slaughtered, and human race shall eat." This is their philosophy. But we have already discussed Kapiladeva's philosophy, suhrdaḥ sarva-dehinam. Suhrdaḥ sarva-dehinam. The animal has got also body; we have also got body. But a Vaisnava is not only a friend to the human society, but he is friend to the animal society also, the bird society, tree society, every society. A Vaisnava does not like unnecessarily a tree should be cut down. That is Vaisnava philosophy. A Vaisnava does not like to trample over an ant. That is Vaisnava philosophy. Sarva-dehinam. Titiksavaḥ karunikaḥ suhrdaḥ sarva-dehinam [SB 3.25.21]. We have already discussed this verse. (More...)

Imported quote 19828

Devotee (8): Srila Prabhupada, if we're performing devotional service and an insect is in the way, like if you're painting the walls and you find this ant and you must paint this wall to please the spiritual master, what is the attitude? (More...)

Prabhupada: I have already said. You cannot kill even an ant without permission. So if you want to kill, you should take permission of higher authorities. (More...)

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