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Animals are also living beings. They fight for their life. They eat, drink, sleep, and procreate. They are very active. O man, if you are acting in this world merely for survival, then there is very little difference between animals and humans. One philosopher said, "We eat for living; we are not living for eating." That should be human consciousness. I have a question here. I do not know if it is asked by a boy or a girl. The question is like this: "My friend argues with me that killing animals is the same as killing plants," and the person who asked said, "I have no argument back." We should not put forth any arguments. Just say: first become vegetarian and develop love towards creatures. Then we will speak about plants. In the Vedas, in Vedic Dharma and in Hinduism, it is declared that every plant has a life. Even the stone has a life. Where is there no life? Respect life. Therefore, it is strictly prohibited to destroy vegetation. What does vegetarian mean? A vegetarian understands fruits and vegetables. Those fruits which you take, which are given by nature, always fall down. Nuts and grains, milk, and if you do not destroy the whole bee families, then take the honey without harming them, as it is said in the Testament. Ill people used to go to Lord Jesus to get help, and Jesus said, "You are ill because you do not eat what you should eat, and you are eating what you should not eat. You should eat the grains from the fields, nuts and fruits from the trees, honey and milk; you will be healthy." This is according to the Ahiṃsā principle. If you read the teachings of Swami Vivekānanda, these flowers are not allowed to be broken. There are certain religious branches in India, and many saints do not accept flowers. In one of the books of the Jainas, which is also a branch of Hinduism, it is said, "Do not walk on the young grass." If you walk on the young grass, it is the same sin as if you step on the stomach of a pregnant woman. And Buddha, when he was going for bhikṣā, he was moving so carefully that he did not step on any creature; no creature was harmed by his movement. Therefore, in Āyurveda, there are two words: Jaḍībūtī and Vanaspati. When you learn Āyurveda, then you will know. Vanaspati are those trees or plants which give fruit but do not die. Like an apple tree gives fruit but still remains. Next year, it will give again. You should not destroy that tree. But you can utilize the leaves of that tree. That is called Vanaspati. Jaḍībūtī are herbs which give the seeds or the fruits and then die, lasting only one season. And so you can utilize this būtī when it begins to renounce or becomes yellow or is drying, and the jaḍī means the roots. Then you can take the roots of that plant, not before. There are holy saints who feel pain when you pull a plant out. Therefore, there is a limitation where we cannot feel. And now, according to the human population, people will begin to starve if they do not eat all kinds of vegetables. Therefore, it is said the vegetation consciousness is different than animal consciousness. Buddha describes, when he got enlightenment, his name was Siddhartha. But when his buddhi was enlightened, that is called Buddha, the enlightened one. So, the translation of Buddha means "the enlightened one." At that time, he said he traveled from that higher consciousness back to the stone consciousness. And he observes the development of consciousness: stone, coal, metals, plants, sea plants like corals, fish, birds, animals, and humans, and then higher consciousness. This is how the progress, the development of the consciousness, goes. Humans have a highly developed consciousness. Humans have an ability which animals do not have, and that is called intellect. But the human intellect needs education, and you can educate a human as you like. To educate in which society one is, one will behave accordingly. The best education is the education of the mother and father. Why does criminality begin in the world? Because their parents were not capable of giving them that love. They did not have that education. In the New York Times newspaper, they interviewed me and asked me one question. "Swamiji, nowadays the young generation is using one word. What do you say about that? What? If you ask them, 'Please be nice or be good to others,' the answer is this: 'Why should I be good?'" This movement, this blackmailing, is going around the world in all young people. And when you say thank you, they just look, or when you say thank you, they say, "So?" We need that kind of education which develops the human consciousness towards a positive way of life and protection. I think the Creator has created, out of 8.4 millions of different creatures, one, the human. And humans are created as protectors, not destroyers. Humans are the protectors of the entire planet. And then humans can understand what the soul means. Who am I? The beginning is from Ananta, from the endless universe. As I used to say always, the universe is endless. We do not know where the beginning is and where the end is. That is without border, but we are limited ones. How should we know? In the very beginning, the universe was known as śūnya ākāśa. Śūnya ākāśa. Śūnya means there is nothing, not even vibration. Empty, void space. That is called the mother body. That is the mother, which we call Ādyāśakti, the universal mother. And within that endless universe, in Śūnyākāśa, there is another thing that is called Caitanya, consciousness. Now, the consciousness is within the space, not the space in the... Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, Universal Consciousness, not a Universe Consciousness. So Mother and Embryo, not Embryo and Mother, but in that Embryo there is hidden Father or Mother. Between consciousness and space, there is another power, energy, which keeps them balanced perfectly, holding them together. That is called Śakti energy, Ādyāśakti. That Śakti, it means the Yoga. God Kṛṣṇa speaks in the Bhagavad Gītā, "Arjuna, from time to time I manifested Myself through My Yoga Śakti." Krishna means the Consciousness. The manifestation of that Consciousness in this Universe takes place through that Śakti. So yoga means balancing, balance, and harmony, and uniting. So literally we understand yoga as a union, but union means the individual consciousness merges into the cosmic consciousness. And practicing yoga means the practice of reunion. When you are meditating, you are trying to reunite. Why? Because you are a part of that Universal Consciousness. The Vedas said that in that Cosmic Consciousness, the Tendency awoke. That is called awakening. "Eko'haṃ bahusyāmi." I am one, and now I will multiply. That means the multiplying of that consciousness, the awakening of that consciousness. Through what? Nāda, sound. The Vedas say, "Nāda rūpa para-brahma." The form, if you want to see how God, Parabrahma-Paramātmā, looks like, then it is a resonance, the sound. And that nāda is declared by great saints: Aum. That Aum, manifestation of the Aum, you may call Svayaṃbhū. Svayaṃbhū means one who has manifested himself, no mother, no father, out of nothing. That is called Ādi Śiva Swayambhu. That means the exhalation, the exhalation of that universal consciousness, immediately, within no time, different within a second. In the entire endless universe, the vibration began, like a mosquito's buzz, and you feel. In the whole body, without no time, one without second, and that vibration, the resonance, out of that the four elements begin to develop: fire, air, water, and earth. That is our origin when we began. But many times this planet, this creation in the five elements, completely merged into the oneness and again came back. Now we all are here, a universal being in an individual body. So we divided ourselves into two parts: a mortal being and an immortal being. The jīvātmā, the jīva, the body is mortal. Ātmā is immortal. The jīva is an individual, and ātmā is a universal one. That is why it is said, ātma-jñāna, know thyself. Ādiguru Śaṅkarācārya said, "Who am I? From where do I come? What is the purpose of my coming here? And where will I go?" Who am I? That is the purpose of the human life, to free this consciousness again into the Universal Consciousness. Therefore, on this planet, 8.4 million different creatures are created with this resonance. Good and bad qualities developed. That is called Devī Śakti and Āsurī Śakti. Āsurī Śakti is negative, and Devī is positive. And the same begins to develop on our planet, too. Negative Āsurī Śakti is functioning throughout the whole universe, and Devī also. So there is a protection between; it is called protection. The creatures are divided into three categories: Jalchar, the creatures in the water; Thalchar, on the ground; and Nabchar, in the sky. In the Vedas, there is a mantra to protect all creatures and thyself in the water, on the ground, and in the space. You know this mantra. That is called to protect creatures in the water, on the earth, and in the space. Modern science and modern technology developed also a protection for the water creatures, in the water enemies called the navy, on the ground the ground force, and in the air, the air force, linked directly to that supreme power, coming from there. Out of 8.4 million different creatures, one is the human. There is no racism, there is no race, no differences, only one race, and that is called human. That is why we call... The highest religion, and the one religion to which we all belong, is humanity. Humans should learn to protect themselves, so the human is born here as a protector. And now, recently, modern science also declared there are no races, there is only one, and that is human or animals, different birds or other animals. And it is said the first human race began from Tibet, Himālaya, and again we are there. Śiva manifested himself in the Himālaya and the Kailāśa mountains. Slowly, slowly, science is coming back to the ancient wisdom, the yogic science. So, within this body, one great saint, Swami Śivānandajī of Ṛṣikeśa, said, within you is the ocean of bliss. Within you is the fountain of joy. Within you is the immortal ātmā. Kill this little "I" and lead a divine life. Human life is given to serve, to help, and to achieve the highest goal of self-realization. And that is what, in our chakra science, it helps us to do: it helps us to overcome our weakness; it helps us to overcome our mistakes. And it helps us to create more energy in the body, and it helps our consciousness to expand more, and jīva to the Śiva, changing this jīva change into the consciousness, the Śiva. Śiva means consciousness. Śiva means liberation. Śiva means bliss. Śiva means the truth. And Shiva means the beauty. Satyam Śivam Sundaram Mantra said. And therefore, Yoga is the science of the body, mind, and consciousness. It is a science for humans: how to live life and how to fulfill the completeness of your life after awakening from Mūlādhāra, the Śakti, Kuṇḍalinī. Finally, comes to the gate, the main gate, and that is the Viśuddhi Chakra. And the Viśuddhi Chakra, if you can come through, then you need not be afraid; you are already taken off. But it can happen, the Viśuddhi Chakra can suppress you down again. But if you practice correct techniques, no dangers. Awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī is never dangerous. Many people said, "Oh, it is very unpleasant when you feel something moving in the spine." High time to go to some neurologist if you feel... Something hot and cold? You have to go to the cardiologist. And if you feel that something is crawling up in your spinal column, then you have to go to take a shower. Awakening of the kuṇḍalinī means awakening of love, universal love awakening, of the wisdom, the contentment, and the bliss. These are the four petals of the Mūlādhāra Cakra, which represent love, light, contentment, and wisdom. And when this awakens, you feel comfortable, safe, and happy. So yoga in daily life is that science which is an ancient wisdom for modern life. Modern time leads you very safely, and be sure that you will be in enlightenment, and never hurry to come to enlightenment. This life is given to enjoy. Enjoy your life, be happy, eat, sleep, walk, talk according to yogic principles. And ask God, "Govind, merī yaha prārthanā hai ki bhūlon mein nām." This is your name, I sing day and night. "Govinda, dāmodara, dharmā, dhāveti dehaṁta kāle, you are in front of me. Bansi bajate, man ko lubhate, gaate yahi naam, tananath tyagun, Govind damo, dharma dhaveti." O Lord, O Krishna, it is my request, my prayer that I never forget your name in my life, your mantra, your mantra. All the night and day, I repeat your name, my Lord. You are in each and every atom of my body. And at the end of my life, this physical life, I do not want anything to be seen. Only your divine form, my Lord. And you are playing beautiful flute, you attract my mind, that universal sound while singing thy name, oh Lord. I give up my body. When you will have self-realization complete, then you do not want to live anymore, so you experience. Sometimes, and again back and go, and back and go, and back, but do not forget the technique and the path that will lead you there, Gurudev's guidance. Without Gurudev's guidance, you cannot come through. If you want to cross the ocean, and you try to swim with your own arms you cannot cross. We need the boat. And therefore, Guru Nānak Sāhib said, "The name of the Gurudev is a boat. Who will sit in this with confidence and faith? Be sure, Gurudev will bring you to the other shore." And therefore, it is said to their divine consciousness. Lord, come to me. Finally, to that moment when I will need you, the door of my heart is open wide. I wait for thee. Wilt thou come? Wilt thou come? Just once, come to me. Night and day, night and day, I look for thee. Wilt thou come? Wilt thou come? The door of my heart open wide, I keep for thee. The great yogī Paramahaṃsa Yogananda said this song. Will Thou come just for once, come to me? Will Thou come, will Thou come just for once, come to me? Will my days fly away without seeing Thee? Will my days fly without seeing the night? Night and day, night and day, I look for the night. Deep Nārāyaṇa Bhagavānakī. Therefore, five points. Think every day, "I am human. What makes me human?" Which qualities are the human qualities? And what does it mean for me to be a human? And what is the mission of human life? Not money, not fighting, not war, no divisions, no conflicts, only one mission: ātma-jñāna, self-realization.