Understanding Krṣṇa and Christ
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ter of the development of consciousness. But the soul is there within all living beings.
Cardinal Daniélou:  But metaphysically, the life of man is sacred. Human beings think on a higher platform than the animals do.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  What is that higher platform? The animal eats to maintain his body, and you also eat in order to maintain your body. The cow eats grass in the field, and the human being eats meat from a huge slaughterhouse full of modern machines. But just because you have big machines and a ghastly scene, while the animal simply eats grass, this does not mean that you are so advanced that only within your body is there a soul and that there is not a soul within the body of the animal. That is illogical. We can see that the basic characteristics are the same in the animal and the human being.
Cardinal Daniélou:  But only in human beings do we find a metaphysical search for the meaning of life.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Yes. So metaphysically search out why you believe that there is no soul within the animal—that is metaphysics. If you are thinking metaphysically, that's all right. But if you are thinking like an animal, then what is the use of your metaphysical study?  Metaphysical  means "above the physical" or, in other words, "spiritual." In the  Bhagavad-gītā  Krṣṇa says,  sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya : "In every living being there is a spirit soul." That is metaphysical understanding. Now either you accept Krṣṇa's teachings as metaphysical, or you'll have to take a third-class fool's opinion as metaphysical. Which do you accept?
Cardinal Daniélou:  But why does God create some animals who eat other animals? There is a fault in the creation, it seems.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  It is not a fault. God is very kind. If you want to eat animals, then He'll give you full facility. God will give you the body of a tiger in your next life so that you can eat flesh very freely. "Why are you maintaining slaughterhouses? I'll give you fangs and claws. Now eat." So the meat-eaters are awaiting such punishment. The animal-eaters become tigers, wolves, cats, and dogs in their next life—to get more facility.