Practicing Yoga in the Age of Quarrel 163

Mr. Faill: So the recognition of the spiritual spark comes first?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Recognizing the existence of the spirit soul
within the body is the first step. Unless one understands this simple fact,
there is no question of spiritual advancement.

Mr. Faill: Is it a question of just understanding it intellectually?

Srila Prabhupada: In the beginning, yes. There are two departments of
knowledge: theoretical and practical. First one must learn spiritual
science theoretically; then, by working on that spiritual platform, one
comes to the point of practical realization.

Unfortunately, today almost everyone is in the darkness of the bodily
conception of life. Therefore this movement is very important because it
can lift civilized men out of that darkness. As long as they are in the
bodily conception of life, they are no better than animals. ‘‘I am a dog,”’
‘Tam acat,”’ ‘‘Iamacow.”’ Animals think like this. As soon as someone
passes, a dog will bark, thinking, ‘‘I am a dog. I have been appointed here
as watchdog.” Similarly, if I adopt the dog’s mentality and challenge for-
eigners—‘‘Why have you come to this country? Why have you come to my
jurisdiction?” —then what is the difference between the dog and me?

Mr. Faill: There is none. To change the subject a little, is it necessary to
follow certain eating habits to practice spiritual life?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, the whole process is meant to purify us, and eat-
ing is part of that purification. I think you have a saying, ‘‘You are what
you eat,’ and that’s a fact. Our bodily constitution and mental at-
mosphere are determined according to how and what we eat. Therefore
the Sdstras recommend that to become Krsna conscious, you should eat
remnants of food left by Krsna. If a tuberculosis patient eats something
and you eat the remnants, you will be infected with tuberculosis.
Similarly, if you eat krsna-prasdda, then you will be infected with Krsna
consciousness. Thus our process is that we don’t eat anything im-
mediately. First we offer the food to Krsna, then we eat it. This helps us
advance in Krsna consciousness.

MT. Faill: You are all vegetarians?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, because Krsna is a vegetarian. Krsna can eat
anything because He is God, but in the Bhagavad-gita [9.26] He says, ‘‘If
one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I
will accept it.’” He never says, ‘‘Give Me meat and wine.”’

Mr. Faill: How about the tobacco question?

Srila Prabhupada: Tobacco is also an intoxicant. We are already intoxi-
cated by being in the bodily conception of life, and if we increase the in-
toxication, then we are lost.
