Human life exists for performing yajña—work offered to Krishna—not for slaughtering animals in sinful degradation.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.16.20 — July 10, 1974, Los Angeles 740710SB-LOS ANGELES [38:09 Minutes] SB-01.16.20_740710SB-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: [leads singing of Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava] [prema-dhvani] [break] [05:21] Read that verse. Where is book? One copy? Nitāi: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] pādair nyūnaṁ śocasi maika-pādam ātmānaṁ vā vṛṣalair bhokṣyamāṇam āho surādīn hṛta-yajña-bhāgān prajā uta svin maghavaty avarṣati [SB 1.16.20] [a few devotees recite, then Nitāi begins synonyms]
Prabhupāda: Others will recite. Others will recite. Practice. [recitation restarts] Nitāi: [leads synonyms] [break] [09:54] "I have lost my three legs and am now standing on one leg only.
Are you lamenting for my state of existence? Or are you in great anxiety because henceforward the unlawful meat-eaters will exploit you? Or are you in sorry plight because the demigods are now bereft of their share of sacrificial offerings because no sacrifices are being performed at present? Or are you grieving for the living beings because of their sufferings due to famine and drought?" Prabhupāda: These are the symptoms of this Kali-yuga.
The first thing is that "I have lost my three legs, now standing on one leg only." At the present moment in the Kali-yuga, practically there is no religion. So the bull is the representative of religious ceremony, so he is saying that "Now I have lost my three legs. I am standing, only one leg." So in the Satya-yuga people were very religious, full, four parts full. In the Dvāpara-yuga, then one part was missing, only three parts.
Then Tretā-yuga. Satya, Tretā, then Dvāpara. But in the Kali-yuga, the one part of religiosity, that is also diminishing. This is one of the symptom.
And another symptom: "Or are you in great anxiety because henceforward the unlawful meat-eaters will exploit you?" The unlawful meat-eaters, they will eat cows and bulls. This is predicted in this verse. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was written five thousand years ago. So at that time the prediction is there that in the Kali-yuga the meat-eaters will be unlawful and they will especially eat cows and bulls. So what is the unlawful and lawful?
Lawful means so those who eat meat under the religious regulation. Just like lawful sex. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, dharma aviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi [Bg. 7.11]. Sex life which is not illicit, according to the regulative principle of Vedic literature, that kind of sex life, Kṛṣṇa says, "I am that." That means that is pious, that is not sinful.