Sanātana Gosvāmī gives direction in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa that: tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām. If properly initiated, he becomes immediately brāhmaṇa. Dvijatvam. Dvija means second birth. Yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ. There is a chemical process that kāṁsya, bell metal, can be turned into gold by mixing with proportionately mercury. Now here is a hint of chemistry. If anyone can prepare gold... But it is very difficult to mix mercury. As soon as there is little heat, immediately the mercury's finished. So there is a process. Everything has process. Many yogis know how to make gold from copper. Actually, chemically, copper, tin and mercury, if you mix proportionately, it will be gold. So Sanātana Gosvāmī gives this example. As the copper and tin, these two metals, mixed with mercury, there can be production of gold, similarly, by proper initiation, by the proper spiritual master, one śūdra, even though he's a śūdra, less than śūdra, varṇa-saṅkara, or caṇḍāla, he can become dvija, brāhmaṇa. So our process is to make dvija. Pāñcarātrikī vidhi. Pāñcarātrikī vidhi.
Chemistry (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Just like Arjuna. In the beginning he considered that "If I kill my kinsmen and my grandfather I'll be sinful." Yes. But the same thing he acted under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wanted. So he's free. So karma-yogī means he is free from the reaction of activities. He is karma-yogī. Similarly jñāna-yogī. Somebody is addicted to work very hard. Somebody is addicted to speculate philosophically. So for the speculator, Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). The persons who are addicted to speculative knowledge, after many, many births, he comes to the understanding: vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19), "Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything." That means termination of knowledge. That is jñāna-yoga. If by his research work he tries to understand what is Kṛṣṇa by philosophy or by science or anything, by chemistry, by physics... That is recommended in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
- ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā
- varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ
- svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya
- saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam
- (SB 1.2.13)
Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam. It doesn't matter in whatever activities you are engaged, but if you want to know whether your engagement is leading to perfection, then this is the test of perfection. What is that test of perfection? Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Whether by your work the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied. Just like Arjuna did.
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to have all kinds of knowledge. Not that we Kṛṣṇa conscious people are being carried away by some sentiment. No. We have got philosophy, science, theology, ethics, morality, everything—everything that is required to be known in human form of life. So Kṛṣṇa says that "I'll speak to you all about knowledge." So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person should not be fool. If he is required to explain how these universal planets are floating, how this human body is rotating, how many species of life, how they are being evolved... These are all scientific knowledge. Physics, botanics, chemistry, astronomy, everything. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yaj jñātvā, if you understand this knowledge, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you'll have nothing to know. That means you'll have complete knowledge. We are hankering after knowledge, but if we are in knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if we know Kṛṣṇa, then all knowledge is included.
So from the Supreme Soul all these material elements have come. Just like your body. Wherefrom it has come? It has come from the soul. In the śāstra it is said, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha-upapatti (SB 3.31.1). Jantu. Jantu means living entity, jan word(?), jantu. So jantur deha-upapatti. There... The atheist theory that combination of matter makes a situation when living symptoms come out, combination of matter, that is the present chemical theory, chemical evolution. There are so many theories based on Darwin's theory, chemical evolution. Recently, when I was in Los Angeles, one German scientist came there. He has written one book, Chemical Evolution, and he has got Nobel Prize. Now he's touring for lecturing on his theory. So in the California university there is our student, Dr. Svarūpa Dāmodara. He's my disciple. He's doctor in chemistry. So, when this German chemist was lecturing, theorizing that life has come from chemicals, so he put the question that "Suppose if I give you these chemicals, whether you can prepare a life?" He answered in the meeting, "That I cannot say." That means he's not certain; still, he's theorizing, that from chemical, life has come. No, from chemical, life has not come; from life, chemical has come. This is real theory.
Just get one small seed like the fig seed. It is very small, but it contains that big tree. Where is that chemistry? Where is that physics? So here is the answer, Kṛṣṇa says, bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ viddhi. Big, even this big, gigantic universe, that is also bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānām. It is stated in the Vedic literature. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). There are so many things. Everyone is inquisitive, "Where is the beginning of this thing?" The beginning is the Supreme Lord. That is the Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Beginning is there. So you cannot say that life has come from matter. That is not possible. Because here it is said, Kṛṣṇa says, that bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Anything which has come into existence, the original source is Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is life. He's not dead stone. Therefore the conclusion is: from life, life has come and matter has come. Not that matter has come from life. Oh, what is that? Life has come from matter. That is not the conclusion. That is wrong conclusion.
Nobel Prize. He came to California University. So he was lecturing on his theory that life has begun by combination of certain chemicals. He has mentioned those chemicals, but in that meeting, there was a member. He's my student, my disciple. He's doctor in chemistry. He has learned something about our philosophy. So he challenged that gentleman that: "If I give you all these chemicals, whether you can produce life?" The answer was: "That I cannot say." The answer was not very distinct. Actually, that is not the fact. If the scientist says that life begins from chemicals, wherefrom the chemicals came? The next question will be. You cannot get chemicals without being supplied by somebody else. So we are presenting this theory. People are being misled. It is a great question at the present moment, that the scientists says that from matter life begins. We are challenging: "No. From life, matter comes." Just the opposite.
What are the symptoms to know that one is situated in the sattva-guṇa or one is situated in the rajo-guṇa or one is situated in tamo-guṇa? By the symptoms. The symptoms are also mentioned. The sattva-guṇa means brāhmaṇa. Sattva-guṇa in brāhmaṇa, their symptoms are mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there, characteristic. You have to test it. Just like in the chemistry there is analytical study, whether it is pure or not. So every chemical has got characteristics, Its color, its formation, its taste, so many things. Those who are chemists, they know how to test. So when the characteristic and the test of the chemical is found as "Yes, it is according to the standard," then it is accepted as a pure chemical, and it can be used for the purpose. And if it is adulterated... Everything... We are cooking food. If the ghee is pure, then taste is different. If the ghee is impure, the taste is different. And if it is not ghee at all. oil, the taste is different. It is like that.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
This is the sign. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). Then you can understand what is God. God is not so cheap: "Come on, I shall show you God. You haven't got to follow any rules and regulations." People want to be cheated. Therefore there are so many cheaters. They take advantage of it. Because they want everything very cheap. That is not possible. This is the stage, prasanna-manasa. Then you can understand what is God. Bhagavat-tattva-vi... Because it is a science. If somebody says, "Come on, I shall teach you the science of chemistry within a second. Give me some money," is it possible? If somebody says, "I shall teach you mathematics. Come on, give me some money.," So why these rascals are misled? If... It is a science; it is not sentiment. It is science. There was... Understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without reference to these scientific books, Vedic literature, it is simply a disturbance, simply rascaldom. Simp... Because they are creating disturbance, always, cheating some people. They are cheated. They do not get anything. Create some disturbance. That is the instruction of Rūpa Gosvāmī.
Why this material world is called tama? Because everyone is in ignorance. He does not know what is the value of life. Everyone. In other words, all fools and rascals. Just like big, big scientists. They are theorizing that life is made out of matter. How much ignorance it is. All these Darwin's theory, chemical evolution. Simply they are basing that from matter life has come. But where is the... One gentleman in California University, he's Noble Prize holder. He came to lecture. So our disciple, Svarūpa Dāmodara, he's also Doctor of Chemistry. So when the professor explained that from such and such chemicals combination life starts, he said: "If I give you the chemicals, can you make life?" In that big assembly. So he has to reply: "That I cannot say." So what is the use of such knowledge? You are taking Nobel Prize, holding Nobel Prize on the basis of certain theorizing knowledge, and when you are challenged: "Now you produce with these chemicals," you say: "That I cannot say." So this is going on.
Just like I am now covered with this dress, cotton dress, similarly, I am now covered by these twenty-four elements. And I am working under this conception, that "I am these twenty-four elements" or "I am this body." So if I continue in that way, then I remain in the animal kingdom. Because the dog is also thinking like that, that "I am this body." He may not be able to analyze the bodily construction. He may not be a medical man or psychologist. That doesn't matter. But he thinks that "I am this body," and he is working like that. So we human being, if I study all the science, physics, chemistry, psychology, and other material science, soil expert... Soil expert means studying the earth, that's all. There are so many. So in spite of all these things, if we remain in the darkness of my spiritual identity, then I am no better than the cats and dogs. This is conclusion.
Rasa, taste, is one, but it becomes varieties by different combination of bhautikānām, material elements. This is chemistry. Chemistry means mixing of different chemicals and produce another element. Just like soap. Soap is mixture of fat and soda. So fat, oil, is something else, and soda is another thing, but if you carefully mix them together, it becomes soap. So the whole world is the mixture of these five elements: kṣitir āp... Fire, water... Tejo-vāri-mṛd-vinimayaḥ. The Sanskrit word is tejo-vāri-mṛd-vinimayaḥ. Mṛd means this earth, and tejas means fire, and vāri means water. You take earth mixed with water and put it into the fire; it becomes brick. Then you take another mixture; that becomes cement. And take the help of cement and take the help of brick; then construct a house.
You are scientist, very good. You are botanist, you are physist, and so many, mathematist, and so on, so on. Because these things, laws are going on. People are studying the laws of mathematics, laws of physics, laws of chemistry, laws of botany, biology. Divide into different departmental scientific knowledge. So that, do that, very good. Become, very big scientist, very big botanist. Similarly, from other point of view, pious activities, you become very noble, a man of charity or tapasya or austerities, penance, so many things in the spiritual line, jñāna, yoga, karma. That's all right. As you deal with material science, you become big mathematician, chemist, physician, or lawyer, or so many, naturalist. Similarly, spiritually, you become karmī, jñānī, yogī. Do that. That is not discouraged.
Now, śāstra says that avicyutaḥ arthaḥ. Arthaḥ means purpose. If somebody asks, "What is the purpose of becoming scientist? What is the purpose of becoming physicist?" so different men will give different answers: "It is meant for this purpose. It is meant for this purpose." But kavibhiḥ, those who are actually learned, advanced learning, they have said that avicyuta. Avicyuta means without any failure, without any contradiction. You say that chemistry is required for this purpose. I say chemistry is required for this purpose. Another man says chemistry is required for this purpose. But difference of opinion. That is not accepted.
If you can explain the activities of Kṛṣṇa, Uttamaśloka, how He is acting, how is the chemical process is going on under His direction, if you can write a thesis on this subject matter, that ultimately Kṛṣṇa is behind that, then your this study of chemistry is perfect. Avicyutaḥ arthaḥ kavibhir nirūpitaḥ. Nirūpita means it is concluded. No more argument. That is the purpose. That means if you are intelligent enough actually, then through any source of knowledge you come ultimately to Kṛṣṇa. That mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The Kṛṣṇa says. But if by your education, if you come to the same point, that "Here is Kṛṣṇa. He is in the background, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1), cause of all causes," then that education is perfect. Otherwise it is śrama eva hi kevalam. Otherwise it is simply laboring for nothing, waste of time. This is the purpose.
So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Very, very big chemistry, physical laws, mathematics—everything is required to understand the potency of God, how He is working. Actually, everything is being done by His potency. Here the different tastes, the material is the same, but the method of mixing the material and different tastes are coming out in existence—so how that expertly management of mixing is going on, if we can explain by our chemistry, by our mathematics, then our studying of chemistry is perfect. Then we are perfect. Idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā (SB 1.5.22).
Hari-toṣaṇam is the ultimate goal. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā... Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). You become a chemist; it doesn't matter. You become physicist, mathematician. It doesn't matter. Unfortunately, due to the Kali-yuga, as soon as one become a big chemist, doctor of chemistry, he says, "I am God. There is no need of God." As soon as the little... Svapari jala-matrena phala phariyate.(?) You'll see the small fishes. They are practically on the edge of the water and making, "fut, fut, fut." The big fishes, they are down the water. So these so-called material chemists, they are nothing, a small fish. Those who are big chemist, big scientist... Just like Professor Einstein. He used to accept how God's brain is working. He appreciated. He was a great scientist.
This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, First Chapter, verse number six. (SB 6.1.6) In the course of conversation... Not conversation. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Śukadeva Gosvāmī. This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the summit of all knowledge. Vidyā bhāgavatāvadhiḥ. Amongst the Vedic scholars, the topmost knowledge means to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Everything is there. (aside:) This noise has to be stopped. So in all subject matter—physics, chemistry, astronomy, religion, politics, sociology—everything has been fully described, and above all, the science of God is also described. Therefore it is called Bhāgavatam. Bhāgavatam, the word is derived from bhagavān, bhāgavatam. Bhagavān is the first nominative case from the word bhāgavata, and from bhāgavata-Bhāgavatam. Bhāgavatam means in relationship with God and in relationship with the devotees of God. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam.
Our Svarūpa Dāmodara... There was one professor. He came to California. He was speaking how from matter life can be there. He has written one volume, book, and he has got Nobel Prize, and the book's name is Evolution of Chemicals and Life. So he is also doctor in chemistry, our Svarūpa Dāmodara. He was also present there. As soon as he asked, "Sir, if I give you the chemicals, can you manufacture life?" at that time he said, "That I cannot say." "Why you cannot say? You are speaking that 'Combination of chemical brings in life.' " We are writing one book that life is from life, not from matter. That is not possible. These rascals are simply bluffing that "From chemicals life can be manufactured." No. We challenge.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Unguentum hydrogeroid. Yes. That is another name of the mercury. Hydrogeroid. So in Sanskrit it is called rasa. Rasāyana. From mercury, rasa, the chemistry is called rasāyana-śāstra. Actually, rasāyana-śāstra, chemical composition, begins from mercury and sulphur. That is the beginning of chemical composition. So rasa-vidhānena, by chemical interaction of sulphur and mercury, if you can add tin and copper, then it becomes gold. You can manufacture gold, provided you know the process, how to mix up copper, tin and mercury. With via media of sulphuric acid. Sulphuric acid is the mother of chemicals. Without sulphur, you cannot make any chemical composition. Therefore all chemical composition are called sulphate, sulphite, like that. So Sanātana Gosvāmī gives this idea of chemical composition. It appears that he knew how to work with chemicals.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
In Bengali it is called cavara nie tanake (?). Cavara means skin. You have seen coconut. The coconut is covered by heavy, what is called, fibers. So if you give up the coconut and simply quarrel with the fibers, what profit is there? There is no profit. Similarly, if you give up God, or Kṛṣṇa, who is the essence of everything, and you make your advancement in scientific knowledge, in physics and chemistry and so many departments of knowledge, so according to Bhāgavata this is simply waste of time. Simply waste of time. But what we'll gain? Kevala-bodha-labdhaye. Suppose you understand in your human form of life the whole constitution of the universe... That is stated in Bible also, that "If somebody understands everything, but not God, then what does he gain?" Similarly, there is another verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that one may be very much expert to count even the atoms of the universe. You smash the universe and grind it into powder, and you just count all the atoms. That is possible . But still, it is not possible to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore who understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he understands everything. Tasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavanti. If somebody understand the Supreme Absolute Truth, Personality of Godhead, he understands everything because He is everything.
General Lectures
"The paṇḍitāḥ, the learned man, he does not lament over the body, either living or dead." Because bodily platform is not the subject matter for understanding of philosophical research. Bodily platform is not very important. The spiritual platform is important, but nobody is discussing about spiritual platform. Everyone is, all the education centers, the universities, they are, I mean to say, busy studying chemistry, physics, and biology, mathematics. At most, little philosophy. That is also on mental speculation, theory. Somebody is giving some theory; somebody's giving (another) theory. But nobody discussing about the eternal spirit soul. That is the defect of this modern civilization.
Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). There are many instances. So there is like that, and that is Kṛṣṇa. If you can simply understand Kṛṣṇa, then your knowledge is perfect, you understand everything. You understand science, you understand mathematics, you understand chemistry, physics, astronomy, philosophy, literature, everything. It is so nice. So Bhāgavata says therefore that saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Whatever department of knowledge or whatever department of activities you are engaged in, it doesn't matter. But if you can find out the Supreme by your pursuit of knowledge, that is your perfection. You are a scientist, all right, it doesn't matter. By your scientific research work you find out the Supreme. Then it is your perfection.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: That's nice. It is soul. He's learning of soul. But he is unable to capture the..., positively. But the soul is not controlled by the physical laws. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. What does He say?
- nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi
- nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
It is in the Second Chapter.
| Page Title: | Chemistry (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 18 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=27, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 27 |