The cause of all causes. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Vedānta-sūtra says, "The Absolute Truth is that which is the origin, original cause." Original cause. The scientists, they are trying to find out the original cause of creation, but they are creating their own imagination. "There was a chunk, and it burst out, and then planets came out." Like that. (laughter) And wherefrom this chunk came, you nonsense? So this is going on.
So if you actually want knowledge, then you have to take knowledge by this disciplic succession, because you cannot speculate. By speculation, you can never arrive to the Absolute Truth. That is not possible.
- athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvayaṁ
- prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
- jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno
- na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan
- (SB 10.14.29)
Ciraṁ vicinvan. Ciram means perpetually you can speculate, but you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. You have to know God from a person who knows God or God personally. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's name is mentioned in the Bhāgavata..., Brahma-saṁhitā. That means Brahmā knew Kṛṣṇa. That means Kṛṣṇa was before Brahmā's birth, original. Aham evāsam agre. Before creation, Kṛṣṇa was. Not that Kṛṣṇa is a product of this material creation. Just like we are product of this material creation. This body, everyone knows it is a product of material creation. My father and mother created this body. My father and mother's body also created by somebody, somebody, somebody. Kṛṣṇa's body is not like that. Kṛṣṇa's body is beyond creation-aham evāsam agre—because there was no creation and Kṛṣṇa was existing before creation, then how you can say Kṛṣṇa's body is material? That is not possible.
So when there was no material creation, Kṛṣṇa was there. Therefore His body is not... Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma ajo 'pi san avyayātmā: "I am born," avyayātmā, "eternal body; still, I take birth." Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san: "I am the Lord of everyone; still, I appear." These things are to be understood. And if we can understand Kṛṣṇa, janma karma me divyam... (BG 4.9). These are all transcendental knowledge. They are not ordinary knowledge. Divyam, transcendental. His appearance, His disappearance, His work, His activity, His pastimes, they are all transcendental. So anyone who can try to understand Kṛṣṇa in His transcendental position beyond creation, beyond creation... Even Śaṅkarācārya, the impersonalist, he says nārāyaṇa paraḥ avyaktāt: "Nārāyaṇa is beyond this material creation." Avyakta. Avyakta means there is a total stock of material elements beyond this universe. There are so many things to be learned. This universe we see just like a ball, and this ball is covered by layers of water, fire, air, earth, like that. Circling. And each layer is ten times bigger than the previous layer. In this way the universe is covered. And beyond that covering, there is another sky. We are prisoned here within this universe. We are thinking that we are very free to move in the sky with, what is called, sputniks. But you cannot go beyond your limitation. That is not possible. They are going to the moon planet, again coming back. You see. That is our conditional life, that you are conditioned, packed up under certain regulations. If you violate, then you are punishable. You cannot violate. You have to remain within the conditions of material nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama... (BG 7.14). You cannot violate. If you want to violate the laws of nature, then you will create another difficulty. Another difficulty.