Morning Walk — September 30, 1972, Los Angeles

Prabhupāda: …making scientific advancement why? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Because, they want to explore the wonders of nature but… 

Prabhupāda: The wonders of nature that means the wonders are already there in the nature. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes and they want to know more. 

Prabhupāda: Eh? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They want to know more and more. 

Prabhupāda: What is the use of knowing? Kevala-bodha-labdhaye [SB 10.14.4], there are so many wonderful things, so wonderful things are being done by somebody else. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yeah. 

Prabhupāda: You simply… Because you know that’s your success of life? There are so many wonders still to be known, cannot know, so what is the aim of your life? Simply to know the wonders? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: That is, that is. 

Śrutakīrti: That is the rain. 

Prabhupāda: Eh? 

Śrutakīrti: That is the rain. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: That is why these scientists are working so hard. 

Prabhupāda: Ah. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Because they want to explore more and more the unknown facts of nature so they say, “God created the universe and he gave all the physical laws.” 

Prabhupāda: This knowing means that if you cannot come to the conclusion, wonders there are but you do not know how the wonders are being… 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Being created. 

Prabhupāda: Created or happening. So unless you come to that point then this study is simply labour of love. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Labour of love? 

Prabhupāda: What it’s called? Labour of love. Working for workings sake without any… 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Ah. 

Prabhupāda: We have a chapter in our Kṛṣṇa Book, “Kṛṣṇa the wonderful.” We are not only satisfied to see the wonders but we want to see who is the player of these wonders. Who is the wonderful, so who is better? Those who are externally seeing the wonders and the ones who know. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The wonders. 

Prabhupāda: The wonderful or the player of the wonder. Who is in better position? 

Devotee: If they can understand that the cause as well as the effect then it is [indistinct]. 

Prabhupāda: Yes. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: That is how the modern scientists, most physicists they said, “God created the universe,” and then the scientists discovered these laws of natural laws physical laws so they said, “in order to understand more,” they said, “God is not necessary.” Because they said, “God created the universe with these physical laws.” And then the scientists discovered the physical laws and tried eh… 

Prabhupāda: What you nonsense, what you have discovered? What discovered something new? Eh? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So they think that they are the doer or the creator of a… Not creator they think they are the doer of activities. 

Prabhupāda: [indistinct] Without them how the birds and beasts and acting? How they are flying? How they are swimming? How they are diving in water? So your activities are like the Pacific divers and what is the wonderful there? The Pelican birds they also dive so what wonderful you have done? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They fail to see that. 

Prabhupāda: Eh? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They fail to see that. They completely… 

Prabhupāda: Therefore they are rascals they do not know how to see the wonders. You have created aeroplane but you do not see how the small insect is flying, neither you can create. 

Śrutakīrti: They say that they are able to do all these things. 

Prabhupāda: That is nonsense. Future… Future there is no proof. That is not science, science is positive not that you hate the matter by future hope. That is not science that is childish. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So yesterday when that scientist he was telling me that the ultimate aim of human society the modern so-called modern society they say, “it depends on the hands of the scientists.” 

Prabhupāda: No, not at all. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Because he says, “because of the influence of science the modern all political, social, economic all these factors are completely controlled by science.” 

Prabhupāda: No. Not at all. How this is possible. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: For example the scientists discover something and the political leaders use these scientific results in their pursuit of the so-called a… 

Prabhupāda: Well the scientists discovered… Some rational scientists are discovered, a motor car. So we are riding on motorcar it does not mean when there was no motorcar my work was stopped and similarly when the motorcar will stop again my work will not stop. I may take advantage of it, whether it is advantage or disadvantage that is another question but when there was no motorcar I was doing well and when there will be no motorcar I will still do well. So what is the benefit actually? It is temporary. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. 

Prabhupāda: Passing phase only. Suppose the stock of petroleum is stopped so then what is the use of this machine? It will lie down as garbage. Then another thing is why do you discover motor cars’? What is the idea? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Because they say the time and the circumstances about 150 years ago they say, “is not the same as the present time.” So they say, “according to the changing time and place and circumstances,” they say, “we have to adjust accordingly.” 

Prabhupāda: What is that timing? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So for example about. 

Prabhupāda: In Africa there are still not many motorcars, so are they dying for want of motor cars? 

Devotee: No the purpose of discovery is… 

Prabhupāda: What is this nonsense? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: [laughs] 

Devotee: …to increase their sense gratification. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So they see… They fail to see… They neglect completely one side. 

Prabhupāda: How fool they are, first of all try to understand. They’re attempt is… It can be taken they’re attempt is to give facilities to the human society. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Hm. 

Prabhupāda: Facility means I am in want of something for want of which I am feeling suffering and if you give me some facility that suffering is mitigated. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Hm. 

Prabhupāda: So conclusion is that scientists are trying to mitigate the sufferings of the human society. Is it not? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes that is one of the ultimate aims. 

Prabhupāda: Yes, but whether they have been able to mitigate the sufferings of the human society, then it will be tested, yes. You have not been able, you have aggravated the sufferings. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. 

Prabhupāda: Then what is the use of your science? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: But still they will not stop. 

Prabhupāda: That is nonsense they will spoil their lives, spoil money, spoil energy and bluff people that is their business. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So they are saying that in future when there is no food supply available one can survive by just taking a tablet. They will make in such a way that… 

Prabhupāda: Where from the tablet will come? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: [laughs] 

Prabhupāda: Nonsense when there is no supply how you will manufacture the tablets? And who will live there to manufacture the tablets? How foolishly they are thinking. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They have so many plans to… Actually just to fight against nature. They have developed such a… 

Prabhupāda: The thing is… No the conclusion is that… Honestly speaking they are trying to mitigate the… 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Sufferings. 

Prabhupāda: Difficulties or sufferings of the human society that may be kept but they do not know what is the actual suffering of the human society. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Hm. 

Prabhupāda: They’re… Actually it is happening just like in your country they advertise so many tablets for tranquillity. 

Devotee: Yes. 

Prabhupāda: Tablet for this, for this, for this, for this. But the rascal does not know where from all these symptoms of sufferings are coming. He has no medicine for that. Just like if you are… you have got a fever therefore there is headache, there is [indistinct], there is a so many sensations, this that. But if the fever is treated then all the concomitants sufferings also will be immediately cured. But they do not know the root cause of the suffering. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes just like in English proverb, “prevention is better than cure.” 

Prabhupāda: Eh? 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The English proverb says, “prevention is better than cure.” So instead of preventing… Ah by the right way they didn’t do that. So when they suffer they just [indistinct]. 

Prabhupāda: Cure. And that is failure no doubt. 

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Another object of the scientists is to not only to try good for the so-called humanity they also try to earn so-called prestige. False prestige. 

Prabhupāda: That is the disease, the material disease not only the scientists everyone wants that. A child wants that amongst the children one child wants to become hero. 

Devotee: [indistinct] 

Prabhupāda: Eh? 

Devotee: They play a game in this country called King of the Mountains and [indistinct] 

Prabhupāda: So that is the disease. Lābha, pūjā, and pratiṣṭhā, three things everyone is trying to gain some material profit. Everyone is trying to be reputed and everyone wants to be adored by others. That is the material way of life these people or everyone is trying to get money by hook and crook because he knows, “if I get money then I’ll get this.” [break] [end] 

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