Svarūpa Dāmodara: I was going to ask that this soul, the nature of the soul, we find that...
Prabhupāda: Salt?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: No, no, the soul, the ātmā, jīva. We get a description that the soul, the size of a soul is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. We were just discussing whether does this imply that it can be measured.
Prabhupāda: Yes, this is the measurement.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But we are claiming that it is nonphysical.
Prabhupāda: No, nonphysical, that doesn't mean it has no measurement. It has measurement.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: So measurement... Actually, Sadāputa calculated from how much the size is. Now from electron microscope, actually we can get an idea about the tip of the hair, how much it is. Now you divide it by one ten-thousandth part, so it (will) come out the size of the soul is about two angstroms, by calculation like that.
Prabhupāda: Two atoms?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: No, angstroms. Angstrom is the smallest scale that science can imagine. It is smaller even than the hydrogen atom. So actually it is atomic, it is very small in size.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But we were wondering whether that is reasonable.
Prabhupāda: Reasonable? Yes. It is given in Upaniṣads and Padma Purāṇa, authorized.
Rūpānuga: It's just that this one ten-thousandth tip of hair has no material quality. It is nonphysical but still can be measured.
Prabhupāda: Nonphysical... Just like axiomatic truth point has no length, no breadth, but it has length and breadth. You cannot measure it.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But does this not imply—one ten-thousandth the size—does that not imply measurement, that it can be measured?
Prabhupāda: Yes, measurement, measurement is there. This is closed?
Vipina: Yes, this is the service road, but up here is a very nice way to look at the waterfall. (break)
Prabhupāda:
- keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya
- śatadhā kalpitasya ca
- bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ
- sa cānantyāya kalpate
- (CC Madhya 19.140)
In the microbe there is soul. If it is not so small, how in the microbe there can be soul?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, it is small.
Prabhupāda: This is the falls?
Devotee: Yes.
Vipina: Manmade waterfalls.
Prabhupāda: Manmade?
Rūpānuga: This is the dam part. The other part, this is manmade dam here. There's other parts where it flows freely.
Prabhupāda: Airplanes. (laughter)
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Little flies.
Prabhupāda: They can manufacture airplanes like this with pilot.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But they can manufacture bigger ones.
Prabhupāda: That's all right, do it.