Lots of peas and zucchini coming in now-who needs eggs?June 23 1975 LA conversation with Dr John Mize
John Mize: The question has been asked about the unfertilized eggs, why they should not be eaten.
Prabhupāda: Unfertilized, but there is potency of fertilization. You check the progress of one living entity coming out of it.
John Mize: Once the egg is laid, there is no chance for it to be fertilized.
Prabhupāda: No, egg is... The living entity is already there. Just like a woman is pregnant means the living entity is already there. So as soon as there is egg, the living entity is already there. It is taking time to come out. Just in the womb of the mother, the child is taking time to grow and become fit to come out.
John Mize: True, but the egg in the mother has been fertilized by the male sperm, whereas the egg laid by a chicken was not fertilized...
Prabhupāda: Not necessarily. They have got that potency. There are four kinds of birth: from the egg, from the vegetable, from fermentation, and from embryo. So from any of these four kinds of sources the living entity come out. Aṇḍa-ja, udbij-ja, jaraya-ja, and sveda-ja, the Sanskrit name. Sveda-ja, simply by perspiration. Just like unclean bed they produce bugs. The man gets perspiration, bad perspiration, and in contact with air, with this perspiration, the living entity comes. That is bug. This is called sveda-ja, "out of perspiration." Your coat, shirt, if you don't cleanse, or your body is unclean, you will find so many moths within the shirt. How it is coming? From the perspiration, bad perspiration, bad smell. Not that every time the male female combination required. There are other sources also.
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, that is called spontaneous generation and scientists have so-called proven that that cannot occur. It's called a folk myth or something like this, folklore, that birth can take place without the male and female union.
Prabhupāda: No. How it is coming from the bed, unclean bed. How it is coming the grass? They are also living entity. The seeds are already there. They are like egg. And as soon as there is watering then it is fructified and it comes. Similarly, the egg..., fermentation, what is called, fermentation?
John Mize: Fertilization.
Prabhupāda: Fertilization. Not fertilize. The birds sit on the egg.
John Mize: Incubation.
Prabhupāda: Incubation, yes. They are artificially incubating, and the chickens are coming from the egg.
John Mize: If it's been fertilized.
Prabhupāda: Yes. No, not fertilized. They are keeping in certain temperature.
John Mize: It has to have both, fertilization and incubation.
Prabhupāda: Both?
John Mize: Both. The egg cannot become a chicken unless it has been fertilized.
Prabhupāda: Anyway, that... It is coming out of that egg, so there is life. We do not recommend, prohibition of eggs because living entity. It is not very good food. It agitates the senses. Therefore we prohibit. Yes?
Some Conclusions—Srila Prabhupada gives 4 reasons why we don't eat eggs
1.) So as soon as there is egg, the living entity is already there.
2.) John Mize: True, but the egg in the mother has been fertilized by the male sperm, whereas the egg laid by a chicken was not fertilized...
Prabhupāda: Not necessarily. They have got that potency. There are four kinds of birth
3.) Not that every time the male female combination required. There are other sources also.
4.) We do not recommend, prohibition of eggs because living entity. It is not very good food. It agitates the senses. Therefore we prohibit. Yes?
And one other I always like to add is—the egg is the menstrual cycle of the female chicken-so why would you eat that?
Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das