I said yesterday that under no circumstances can humans be called animals. God has created different beings: humans, animals and plants. Among each of the three groups are different variations – all animals, all plants and all humans are not equal.

Sarve ca pashavah santi talavad bhútale naráh,
Teśáḿ jiṋánaprakásháya viirabhávah prakáshitah
Viirabhávaḿ sadáprápya kramena devatá bhavet.

Every human being goes through a period of infancy after birth. At that stage, as the intellect is not yet formed, there is no developed faculty of judgment and one remains infantile in all respects. Therefore, we always pardon a small child who has done something wrong. We do not rebuke the child as its intellectual faculty is still undeveloped. No one hates a baby for passing urine or stool, just as no one hates an animal for doing the same.

When the baby grows up and becomes a little child it develops some intellect and begins calling its elder sister by her name. It sounds pleasing and the elder sister enjoys it. But when that little child becomes older, neither the sister nor the other members of the family further appreciate that. The elder sister then complains, “I don’t mind if you call me by my name anywhere else, but not in the house of my father-in-law. There you must call me ‘elder sister’.” But when children are little, no one [[condemns]] their faults, and neither should they.

Usually, when a child develops some maturity of mind, it is initiated into a spiritual path according to Vedic system. The inner spirit of this initiation is that one should pray to Parama Puruśa, “O Lord, show me the right path.” Well, the one who seeks a path will surely find it. In the Gáyattrii Mantra it has been said:

Oṋḿ bhúr bhuvah svah tatsaviturvareńyaḿ
Bhargo devasya dhiimahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayát oṋm.

That is, “Oh, Lord, guide my intellect along the right path.”

After receiving this initiation according to the Vedic system, one is said to have attained a little maturity of mind. The next stage is the initiation according to the Tantric system which occurs when one is eligible to be taught Iśt́a mantra and guru mantra. The initiate becomes a more evolved person, a new personality. In fact, after the prayer is made to the Supreme Entity, it is Iishvara who makes arrangements for imparting diikśá (initiation) and the Iśt́a mantra. He alone is the Guru (spiritual preceptor) and that’s why it is said, “Guru is Iishvara and Iishvara is Guru.”

Those who have not joined the path of spiritual practice remain undeveloped beings. Though endowed with a human body, they are no better than animals. At that stage they should pray to the Lord in all earnestness, “Please elevate us from this life of animality. Please show us the right path.” In this early stage the devotees call Parama Puruśa, “Pashupati” (“pashu” means “animal” and “pati” means “Lord”) or Lord of the Animals.

Later on, after joining the path of spiritual practice, one is confronted with obstacles and hindrances on all sides. Even one’s families, friends and relatives create obstacles. But one must fight against these and other obstacles which come from different corners and move on courageously. No-one can be victorious without fight: victory without struggle is unthinkable. Now, the question arises, “Who is fit to fight in battle?” Only a hero can fight. One who rises above the level of animality becomes a “viira” or a hero. At this stage one addresses Parama Puruśa as “Viireshvara.” To the devotee having attained the mentality of a hero, He is no longer known as Pasupati. Such a devotee can never tolerate sin and injustice and can never commit any crime or sin.

“Kramena devatá bhavet.” One becomes God in due course. That is, one attains Godhood. Rising step by step from viira bháva (heroic stance), one becomes a veritable god and reaches divya bháva. We call such a person whose conduct becomes ever noble, a godly person or a Shiva-like person. Such a person proceeds far along the path of evolution and one day merges in Parama Puruśa, and becomes Parama Puruśa Himself. These are the different stages of spiritual practice.

Even though human beings may not be very highly evolved, there is the potential in them to attain the height of evolution. Those who utilize this potential are intelligent but those who do not, and live like animals, will be born as even more inferior creatures in the next life. Animals have no intellect and therefore cannot work intellectually. Humans, however, are already endowed with intellect and the faculty of judgement. So if they do not act properly or fail to follow the path of spirituality, they are no better than animals. It is therefore the duty of every sádhaka to propagate dharma so that humans will not make this mistake but will follow the path of spirituality. This should be our inherent nature.