Life comes from matter

Expressions researched:
"life comes from matter" |"life coming from matter"

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 14.1, Purport:

We actually see that even those who are very great scientists in the eyes of the general public cannot understand the very simple idea that life comes from life, because they do not have the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They defend the false understanding that life comes from matter, although they cannot prove that this is a fact. Modern civilization, therefore, progressing on the basis of this false scientific theory, is simply creating problems to be solved by the so-called scientists.

The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta takes shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to describe the pastimes of His appearance as a child because one cannot write such transcendental literature by mental speculation. One who writes about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be especially favored by the Lord. Simply by academic qualifications it is not possible to write such literature.

CC Adi 16.81, Purport:

Scientists explain that water is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, but when asked where such a large quantity of hydrogen and oxygen came from and how they combined to manufacture the great oceans and seas, they cannot answer because they are atheists who will not accept that everything comes from life. Their thesis is that life comes from matter.

Where do all these chemicals come from? The answer is that they are produced by the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Living entities are part of the Supreme Godhead, and from their bodies come many chemicals. For example, the lemon tree is a living entity that produces many lemons, and within each lemon is a great deal of citric acid. Therefore, if even an insignificant living entity who is but a part of the Supreme Lord can produce so much of a chemical, how much potency there must be in the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

CC Adi 16.81, Purport:

As described in the Vedas, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām: "He is the chief eternal of all eternals and the chief living entity among all living entities." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad, 2.2.13)

Unfortunately, atheistic science will not accept that matter comes from life. Scientists insist upon their most illogical and foolish theory that life comes from matter, although this is quite impossible. They cannot prove in their laboratories that matter can produce life, yet there are thousands and thousands of examples illustrating that matter comes from life. Therefore in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī says that as soon as one accepts the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no great philosopher or scientist can put forward any thesis to contradict the Lord's power. This is expressed in the following Sanskrit verse.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 9.10 -- Calcutta, June 29, 1973:

Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. Imāni bhūtāni yataḥ jāyante. In the Vedānta-sūtra the same thing is confirmed: janmādy asya yataḥ, anvayāt (SB 1.1.1). The Bhāgavata explains, begins from this Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ (SB 1.1.1). So we have got our sufficient background to challenge this theory that life comes from matter. No. When Kṛṣṇa says... In another place, Kṛṣṇa also says:

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo

mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

iti matvā bhajante māṁ

budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

(BG 10.8)

Budhāḥ. Not the rascals and nonsense, but those who have intelligence, budhāḥ. Bodha. Bodha means knowledge, and budha means one who possesses knowledge. So those who are devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they are not rascals.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hawaii, February 3, 1975:

There are two things, something dead and something living. So what is the nature of the absolute truth? So that is replied, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). Abhijñaḥ means cognizant, living. The Absolute Truth is not dead; it is living. We are pushing forward this theory.

The modern scientists, they are of opinion that life comes from matter. We say, "No, life comes from life. Matter comes from life." This is satyam. I do not know how they get Nobel Prize, putting forward a false theory that life comes from matter. The matter... So why don't you produce life in the laboratory? Matter is there. Chemicals are there. You mix them and produce a life. When some such chemist is inquired, "Whether you can produce life if I give you the chemicals?" they will immediately say, "That I cannot say." Then why do you speak like that? So this is asuric. If they accept that everything comes from the living being, then they will have to accept God. So they want to avoid this: "Everything matter." But that is not the fact. Origin is life.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 3.25.4 -- Bombay, November 4, 1974:

That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). That source is abhijñaḥ, cognizant, not matter. Matter is not cognizant. Life. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), cognizant. So these scientists' theory, modern theory, that life comes from matter, this is wrong. The life comes from life. Because in the Bhagava..., Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is explained that janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). The identity from whom everything emanates, He's abhijñaḥ, cognizant. He can understand. So cognizant means life. Not only that. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. He instructed knowledge to Lord Brahma, about Vedic knowledge. So unless one is living entity, how he can impart knowledge?

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.1 -- Mayapur, March 25, 1975:

Yes, Life Comes From Life. That is the fact. These modern so-called scientific theory that life comes from matter, that is not fact. Because our original person, Kṛṣṇa, said, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo (BG 10.8). Aham, this aham word is applicable to a person, person. And person means living force. So Caitanya-caritāmṛta means that living force is a person, and His caritra, His characteristic, this is Caitanya. And that is amṛta. Amṛta means not dead matter. Mṛta means dead, and amṛta means not dead, living force. So he is living force; his characteristics are also living force; and they are, because living force, they are amṛta. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We have got experience what is living force and what is dead matter. That we have got experience.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 9, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Not only acintya-śakti. First of all you have to establish that life is not from matter. Matter is from life. Then they will be under your control. First of all you have to establish. Because their whole scientific advancement is going on on this basis, that life is from matter. But that is not the fact. Matter is from life, just the opposite. First of all you have to establish this. Why don't you write a theory and get Nobel Prize? This is a fact. Now you have to prove only, by their scientific words. That's all. Fact is this is. Are you convinced about this fact, that matter comes from life, not life comes from matter? Are you convinced or not? Otherwise how you can write?

Morning Walk -- May 9, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: The chemical is also matter. Just like with one matter you make... Just like we mix so many matters. Turmeric, salt, spices, they are all matter. But mixing together, the condition is that it becomes a sweet vegetable. Similarly, the chemical is also matter. And water is also matter. So if life comes from matter, then it will come from the water. Why...? There is no use of mixing another chemicals? And it will actually be: Then let the water remain for some time. When it will decompose, the life will come. The stagnant water, life will come. Just like in the ocean, there are so many lives are coming out. Who is going to put the chemical? Nonsense. Where you have got so much chemical? And you can find out tons and tons, millions of tons of fish, but nobody went to give there the chemicals.

Morning Walk -- May 12, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: But they are claiming that there is no life. That is their defect. Therefore they cannot think how there can be human being. But if you begin from life, supreme life, Viṣṇu, from another life, Brahmā came, then there is no problem. Everything is all right. Because they think that life comes from matter, so millions and millions of years ago there was simply matter. Life was not visible. That is their theory. We don't say that. We say both are the energies, God's energies, life and matter. The life is superior energy; the matter is inferior energy. That is the difference. Both of them are existing. Same thing, example: This nail and this part existing always. This is superior part, this is inferior.

Conversation with Sridhara Maharaja -- June 27, 1973, Navadvipa:

Prabhupāda: Now we are presenting through two of my scientific students, Doctor of Chemistry, that matter is, the source of matter is spirit. This is our theory. Generally they believe the life, life comes from matter...

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Life comes from matter.

Prabhupāda: Matter. But we, we are presenting, "No, matter comes from life."

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: Apparently. This is not appropriate. This is Vedānta. Vedānta...

Prabhupāda: Janmādyasya yataḥ.

Śrīdhara Mahārāja: I said that just examine the healthy body. This material world is an excema expect(?) in the healthy body.

Morning Walk -- December 9, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Just see how rascaldom is going on. What is the use of our going there? "Things are going on..." Suppose in another state, something is going on. So are you interested? Going... Let them go. What is the benefit out of it? You spend so much money, public. Simply to see. "There is a crack." Last conclusion: "There was a crack." Just see how they are spoiling hard-earned public money. Because there is no good leader, all these rascals are benefiting, taking their money, and enjoying, and giving bluff information to the public. This should be stopped. Immediately this should be stopped. What is their contribution? The same thing: a dog is already barking, and because they're imitating barking, they're being awarded Nobel Prize, "Oh, how you can bark nicely!" This is going on. There is life already. It is practical. Everyone sees that a man and woman combines and there is child, life, another life. And now, foolishly they want to prove that life comes from matter. And as soon as we offer that "You take this matter. Produce," "That we shall see later on." Just see. In this way, they're spoiling money. So because there is no good leader, these rascals are not stopped.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Robert Gouiran, Nuclear Physicist from European Center for Nuclear Research -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: You have got laboratory.

Robert Gouiran: ...can come from matter. It can come from matter.

Prabhupāda: You combine matter in the laboratory and produce a life. That you cannot do. Then why do you say that life comes from matter?

Robert Gouiran: But what is life?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Yogeśvara: He asks what is...

Robert Gouiran: What is this life we should, we could not produce?

Prabhupāda: That you are speaking, that is life. If this life is not there, you cannot speak.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Guest (1): There are a number of projects and there are a number of disciplines in which people work. Mine is experimental nutrition.

Prabhupāda: So you are also believing that life comes from matter? (laughter)

Guest (1): No, I don't think we think in those directions at all. We simply just conduct experiments, not knowing what they will lead to and try to describe whatever we see under the microscope. (indistinct) chemical matters that we use.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: But I think you have assumed that Darwin's theory or theory of evolution is already there and even to study something intermediate, higher levels, evolution is all right but...

Prabhupāda: Basic means evolution.

Morning Walk -- May 10, 1975, Perth:

Gaṇeśa: We cannot see souls, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It appears that matter comes from matter, or life comes from matter. We cannot see the soul.

Prabhupāda: You cannot see, but you can perceive. If life comes from matter, then when there is a dead body, put matter and make it alive. Or put chemicals. Chemical is also matter. Make him alive.

Paramahaṁsa: We made some, um, um...

Prabhupāda: No, no, first of all this is my challenge: that here is a dead body, so bring some chemicals. Just like a motorcar stopped for want of chemical, petrol. So you bring petrol and it will be started. Similarly, you bring some chemical and start it again.

Paramahaṁsa: Well, that will require some time to find the chemicals.

Morning Walk -- October 21, 1975, Johannesburg:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But there are so many millions and millions of people who hold the opposite view. They feel that their position is very safe because it's the general consensus opinion that life comes from matter.

Prabhupāda: General consensus of opinion... Let them say that there will be no more death, and how it will act? General consensus of opinion... Let them vote, "We do not want death anymore." Will it be accepted?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No.

Prabhupāda: Then? What is the value of your vote? You are madmen. Just like Gandhi made civil disobedience here, and government did not accept it. What could he do? (break) ...truth. If the majority says, "No, it is truth," it will be truth?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 26, 1976, Delhi:

Cyavana: Prabhupāda, in the early fifties the scientists performed an experiment which substantiates their theory that life comes from matter, and they actually created a one-celled being. They made one cell which had life in it. It moved like an amoeba.

Prabhupāda: Then why do they not do now? What is the wrong now?

Cyavana: Well, they've done it. They can do it by creating certain conditions.

Prabhupāda: But why do they not do?

Cyavana: They use amino acids and water and electricity.

Prabhupāda: Bluffing.

Morning Walk -- June 8, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes, they come. That is called sveda-ja. Just like from perspiration, bugs are coming out. Sveda-ja.

Rādhāvallabha: So isn't that life coming from matter?

Prabhupāda: Not matter. From matter is not coming, but they are taking birth.

Hari-śauri: That's the atmosphere that they get born into.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Rādhāvallabha: So are they coming from eggs, or how are they coming? Just the soul enters the dirt?

Prabhupāda: No. Just like it is a suitable circumstance from which the living entity makes his body.

Morning Walk -- July 18, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: What is that argument?

Rāmeśvara: All their arguments that life comes from matter, that the universe has no life, or at least that there are just all chemical reactions are the cause of creation of stars; that there are many suns. All these arguments.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They have in that museum many scales, and you can go on the scales and weigh yourself as you would weigh on different planets. I remember when I was a child I used to go on one scale after another.

Rāmeśvara: They speculate that if you were on the moon planet, say you weigh one hundred fifty pounds on earth, if you were on the moon planet you would weigh much less.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Devotee (1): Yes. No one has ever observed the life coming from matter.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just prove that life comes from chemicals. How is that? "I am trying to be millionaire, therefore I am millionaire." What is this nonsense? You are trying to create from chemicals. Therefore you are scientist. What's this kind of scientist? Beat them with shoes. That's all.

Guest (1) (Indian man): I have a researcher in our family, and he thinks the theory of evolution is the daśa-avatāra.

Prabhupāda: You can think like that. Your thinking has no value.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Yes, matter has come from life.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: We conclude our lecture with this. So they are all silent, (laughter) because a famous scientist said that.

Prabhupāda: So we first of all protested that matter comes from life, not life comes from matter. So when you concluded, they were silent.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yeah, they were almost pindrop silent, all of them. Normally they ask many questions, this type of lecture. But not this time. There were some at the beginning.

Prabhupāda: So our triumph is ahead.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So Sadāpūta told me that he's going to give lectures in these coming few weeks in Boston.

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That will come automatically. We are not very great scientists.(?) Let us speak important institute.

Śrīdhara: In India they have a club, and some of the famous scientists in India belong to it. It's called the "Life Comes From Matter" club.

Devotee: Really?

Prabhupāda: Challenge them.

Śrīdhara: I think you met one of the head men.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, I met a head man. He is in Trombay, the Bhava(?) Atomic Research Center. But I discussed for about three and a half hours, and he showed me all the laboratory that he is doing. And then we sat together and then we discussed the...

Prabhupāda: Did you record all the talks?

Talk with Svarupa Damodara -- April 18, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Controversial for them, not for the scientists.

Dr. Sharma: No, not but for them in the sense that (indistinct). Naturally even the subjects (indistinct) So we are waiting for the day when (indistinct) will really come.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: One of the greatest men in this "Life coming from matter" is in Russia. His name is Ino Voparin(?), A.I. Voparin(?). He's in the Moscow Academy.

Dr. Sharma: He's a biologist.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yeah, he's a biologist. He was one of the leading men who proposed this theory. He's getting old, but still, he's active. We wanted to send him all the things that we have written when it's finished.

Conversation, 'Rascal Editors,' and Morning Talk -- June 22, 1977, Vrndavana:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: This theory that life comes from matter, it is not settled up. Still, they are getting Nobel Prize.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Big amount of money goes with that prize.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Supported by all the...

Prabhupāda: Another rascal. Andhā yathāndhaiḥ. He's a rascal, and he's appreciated by another rascal. This is going on.

Room Conversation -- October 11, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Ram-tirtha. Without life, life coming is bogus. Darwin's theory. Have all been discussed?

Brahmānanda: In this booklet? I haven't see it.

Dr. Kapoor: The most wonderful thing is that they say life comes from matter, and they don't know what matter is. They don't know what matter is. They confess, "We don't know what matter is." Yet they say life comes from matter. Not one scientist till today has been able to say what matter is. Rather, they have confessed, "I know not what matter is." Even the biggest scientists, they have made this confession.

Prabhupāda: And a person from whom life is coming, He says aham ādir hi. And they will not come. Where is Tamāla Kṛṣṇa?

Hari-śauri: He's in a BBT Trustee's meeting right now, Prabhupāda.

Room Conversation -- October 11, 1977, Vrndavana:

Dr. Kapoor: Yes, both. As a matter of fact, there is no watertight compartment. They're not simply a part of each, then. They're dovetailed. Science penetrates into philosophy, you see?

Rūpānuga: But the root of the problem practically is whether life comes from matter and matter comes from life, and that is the basic theme...

Dr. Kapoor: That is the basic theme, but the philosopher will ask the question, "You must first be very clear in your mind about these basic concepts, What is life and what is matter?" You may have some idea about life. Because we are life ourselves, we have some experience, some idea of life. But what is matter? No scientist has any clear conception of matter.

Prabhupāda: Matter has no consciousness.

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Mādhava: They have such a speaker in physics. He's going to speak that life comes from matter.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. That's good. Because otherwise... I looked at the audience this afternoon. First of all, there weren't that many. There was only about fifteen men attending this afternoon's lecture.

Gurukṛpā: Scientists, fifteen.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Fifteen scientists. There were devotees. Our sannyāsīs, GBC men were there. And I looked at them, and some of them weren't that interested, mainly because it's just... It's just too one-sided, I think. There's not enough action going on to keep their attention. I'm going to speak... I haven't spoken to Svarūpa Dāmodara yet. I'm going to right now. I spoke to Rūpānuga, who was in the back, because he's helping to organize. I think it's very good, because gradually, as we hold more conferences, they'll learn to improve their presentation. This is why Svarūpa Dāmodara wanted to begin in India, so that when he finally got to the West he'd be very strong and it would be very good. Here it's a little easier.

Prabhupāda: So not all the doctors who...

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It says here the challengers want some solid proof that life comes from matter. They're not willing to be duped simply by this man's statement. They want to see some real examples. "At a three-day international conference on 'Life Comes from Life' at Vṛndāvana last week at the Bhaktivedanta Institute, it was stressed..." Śrīla Prabhupāda, do you want it Bhaktivedanta Institute or Bhaktivedanta Swami?

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's all right.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It doesn't matter. "...Bhaktivedanta Institute, it was stressed that life was independent of matter and dependent on higher principles lying beyond the present limitations of physics and chemistry. The assumption that life itself was nonphysical was the key note. The conference was opened by Dr. Prem Kripal, former president of the executive board of UNESCO.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Revatinandana -- Mayapur 5 June, 1973:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated 29-5-73, and accompanying essay, and have noted the contents carefully.

Yes, your article is very nice. It is very important that we now expose the nonsense theories of these rascal scientists who assert that life comes from matter. They say that life comes from some chemicals, but they cannot say wherefrom these chemicals have come. Actually, if we examine carefully, chemicals are coming from life, not life from chemicals. Just like the lemon tree. It is producing so many lemons. In each lemon there is so much citric acid. So, due to the presence of life, so many chemicals are being produced. Also, I have experienced, that one of my toenails has come off due to infection, but now my body is replacing that nail with another one of the exact size and shape as the one I have lost. If I have got such a potency to create, then what to speak of the Supreme Living Being lord Sri Krsna.

Letter to Karandhara -- Bhaktivedanta Manor 19 July, 1973:

Regarding Svarupa Damodara's going to the colleges, Rai Ramananda has also agreed to come. I met him recently in India and he is enthusiastic. Now we shall put this challenge against this wrong theory that life comes from matter. Undoubtedly matter has come from life, and we can present so many practical proofs of this. So let Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda think in their own chemical language how to push this fact to the scientific world. If by Krsna's grace they even partially admit it, it will be a great triumph. My point is even if they partially accept then they have to find out what is the original life. In the sastras we have information that the original life in the universe is Brahma and Brahma is also a product of Garbhodakasayi Vishnu. Garbhodakasayi Visnu is a product of Karanadakasayi Visnu and in this way we ultimately reach Krsna the Cause of all Causes.