May 13 1973 LA morning walk
May 13 1973 LA morning walk conversations
Paramahaṁsa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, when you are not present with us, how is it possible to receive instructions, for example, on questions that may arise?
Prabhupāda: Well, the questions…Answers are there in my books.
Paramahaṁsa: Other than that, for example, that we would ask you in…
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Paramahaṁsa: Do you direct us also through the heart? Besides the Paramātmā?
Prabhupāda: If your heart is pure. Everything depends on purity.Whether there.
Prabhupāda: So you are writing book by chance. Then what is the value of your book?
Karandhara: The book is also by chance.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone can write chance,so what is your credit? Anything nonsense can be written.
SvarūpaDāmodara: Monod is his name. He got Nobel Prize in 1965 from… He is Frenchman, physiologist. And his, chance and necessity about life, he said everything started by chance.So he is saying that by chance these chemicals combined together, forming these molecules, the basic molecules…
Prabhupāda: But wherefrom the molecules came?
Prabhupāda: Chance. So everything is chance.So what is the necessity of your writing book?
SvarūpaDāmodara: Then necessity arises, so these molecules re-orient, change as a fashion because of necessity.
Prabhupāda: Why? If everything is by chance, where is the necessity? What isthe meaning? Let the chance take place. Why necessity?
Paramahaṁsa: He is hoping for another Nobel Prize by his chance.
Prabhupāda: All fools’ paradise. That’s all.Why do they send their children to school? Why not let them grow by chance? Is there any excuse if I say, “By chance I have violated this rule?” Is that the cause of excuse?
Prabhupāda: That is chance. That is chance. Because I am ignorant, therefore there is chance.
Paramahaṁsa: It would be just as stupid as saying a beautiful instrument like a car was made by chance.
Prabhupāda: Yes.Yes. That is the most regrettable condition, that these rascals are getting recognition; talking all foolish, and they are getting recognition.
SvarūpaDāmodara: It’s so strange. When I read that book. He defines the difference between the living and the non-living by a term called teleonomy.I tried to find out in the dictionary and I couldn’t find any word like that. But I understood that what he meant was…
Prabhupāda: Hyerpolosvel. (Prabhupāda’s mythical scientific word) (laughter)
SvarūpaDāmodara: He was trying to present the difference between organic beings and the non-organic beings. So he goes in such a round about fashion just to differentiate.
Prabhupāda: Petitio principii. This logic is called petitio principii. He has to prove something, but he is taking his premises from that something. (end)
Some Conclusions–This business of proposing that chance determines everything is foolish. Prabhupada gives the nice example of why send your kids to school when just by “chance” they will become educated? And why if everything is run by chance then where does the word “necessity” come into play if everything is run by chance? Or if I just throw my shovel out into the back gardens then by chance everything will just grow so nicely?
I wish it were so but unfortunately work is involved and without work we get nothing because that is how this material world is set up. And Krsna tells us in His BG that work done as a sacrifice for Lord Vishnu must be doneotherwise all our work binds us to karma.
So there are two points in this conversation the first one is the most important that Supersoul and Srila Prabhupada will guide us and our actions-if we are pure.
How to become pure? Chant Hare Krsna and follow the 4 regulative principles under the directions of Krsna’s pure representative Srila Prabhupada.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
Note-as a side note–why does nobody in iskcon understand Guru tattva? And by their own admission? After 40 years???
