TEXTS 1a2a
sarvesam eva jantunam
satatam deha-posane
asti prajna samayatta
ko visesas tada nrnam
labdhvehante manusyatvam
hitva dehady-asad-graham
atma-srtya vihayedam
jivatma sa visisyate
SYNONYMS
sarvesamall; evacertainly; jantunamof animals; satatamalways; deha-posaneto maintain the body; astithere is; prajnaintelligence; samayattaresting on; kahwhat; visesahdifference; tadathen; nrnamof the human beings; labdhvahaving attained; ihahere; anteat the end of many births; manusyatvama human life; hitvaafter giving up; deha-adiin the gross and subtle body; asat-grahaman incorrect conception of life; atmaof spiritual knowledge; srtyaby the path; vihayahaving abandoned; idamthis body; jiva-atmathe individual spirit soul; sahthat; visisyatebecomes prominent.
TRANSLATION
A desire to maintain body, wife and children is also observed in animal society. The animals have full intelligence to manage such affairs. If a human being is simply advanced in this respect, what is the difference between him and an animal? One should be very careful to understand that this human life is attained after many, many births in the evolutionary process. A learned man who gives up the bodily conception of life, both gross and subtle, will, by the enlightenment of spiritual knowledge, become a prominent individual spirit soul, as the Supreme Lord is also.
PURPORT
It is said that man is a rational animal, but from this verse we can also understand that rationality exists even in animal life. Unless there is rationality, how can an animal maintain its body by working so hard? That the animals are not rational is untrue; their rationality, however, is not very advanced. In any case, we cannot deny them rationality. The point is that one should use ones reason to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for that is the perfection of human life.

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