Microbes

Expressions researched:
"microbe" |"microbes" |"microbial" |"microbic"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 2.29, Translation and Purport:

Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.

Since Gītopaniṣad is largely based on the principles of the Upaniṣads, it is not surprising to also find this passage in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.2.7):

śravaṇayāpi bahubhir yo na labhyaḥ

śṛṇvanto 'pi bahavo yaṁ na vidyuḥ

āścaryo vaktā kuśalo 'sya labdhā

āścaryo 'sya jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ

The fact that the atomic soul is within the body of a gigantic animal, in the body of a gigantic banyan tree, and also in the microbic germs, millions and billions of which occupy only an inch of space, is certainly very amazing. Men with a poor fund of knowledge and men who are not austere cannot understand the wonders of the individual atomic spark of spirit, even though it is explained by the greatest authority of knowledge, who imparted lessons even to Brahmā, the first living being in the universe. Owing to a gross material conception of things, most men in this age cannot imagine how such a small particle can become both so great and so small. So men look at the soul proper as wonderful either by constitution or by description. Illusioned by the material energy, people are so engrossed in subject matters for sense gratification that they have very little time to understand the question of self-understanding, even though it is a fact that without this self-understanding all activities result in ultimate defeat in the struggle for existence. Perhaps they have no idea that one must think of the soul, and thus make a solution to the material miseries.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.24.39, Purport:

As the individual body of the living entity is composed of millions of cells, germs and microbes, the universal body of the Supreme Lord similarly contains all the individual bodies of the living entities. Lord Śiva is offering his obeisances to the universal body, which includes all other bodies, so that everyone's body may fully engage in devotional service. Since this individual body is composed of senses, all the senses should be engaged in devotional service. For instance, the smelling instrument, the nose, can engage in smelling the flowers offered to the lotus feet of the Lord, the hands can engage in cleansing the temple of the Lord, etc. Indeed, being the life air of every living entity, the Lord is the maintainer of the three worlds.

SB 4.24.64, Purport:

The materialistic scientists' contention that living entities other than human beings have no soul is nullified herein. Whether they are born through an embryo, eggs, perspiration or seeds, all living entities in the 8,400,000 species of life are parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and each therefore is an individual spiritual spark and soul. The Supreme Personality of Godhead also remains within the heart of the living entity, regardless of whether the living entity is a man, animal, tree, germ or microbe. The Lord resides in everyone's heart, and because all living entities who come to this material world do so in order to fulfill their desire for sense enjoyment, the Lord directs the living entities to enjoy their senses. Thus the Paramātmā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, knows everyone's desires. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15):

SB 4.26.8, Translation:

Otherwise, a person who acts whimsically falls down due to false prestige. Thus he becomes involved in the laws of nature, which are composed of the three qualities (goodness, passion and ignorance). In this way a living entity becomes devoid of his real intelligence and becomes perpetually lost in the cycle of birth and death. Thus he goes up and down from a microbe in stool to a high position in the Brahmaloka planet.

SB 4.28.10, Purport:

The living entity, separated from the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tries to enjoy this material world. He is given a chance to enjoy it in a particular type of body, beginning with the body of a Brahmā down to that of the microbe. From the Vedic history of creation we can understand that the first living creature was Lord Brahmā, who created the seven great sages and other Prajāpatis to increase the universal population. Thus every living entity, according to karma, his past desires and activities, gets a particular type of body, from that of Brahmā to that of a microbe or germ in stool. Due to long association with a particular type of material body and also due to the grace of Kālakanyā and her māyā, one becomes overly attached to a material body, although it is the abode of pain. Even if one tries to separate a worm from stool, the worm will be unwilling to leave.

SB Canto 9

SB 9.2.14, Purport:

Those who engage in devotional service are unaffected by the results of their material activities. Otherwise, everyone, from the smallest microbe up to the King of heaven, Indra, is subject to the laws of karma. A pure devotee, being always engaged in the service of the Lord, is exempt from these laws.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 32:

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.13.4) it is also stated that there are many famous students of the Vedas, but that one who is always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart is the best student of all. In the Nārāyaṇa-vyūha-stava prayers it is said that if the great Brahmā is not a devotee of the Lord he is most insignificant, whereas if a microbe is a devotee of the Lord he is most famous.

Lord Caitanya next asked Rāmānanda Rāya, "Who possesses the most valuable thing in the world?" Rāmānanda Rāya replied that he who has love for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa possesses the most valuable jewel and the greatest riches. One who is addicted to material sense gratification or material wealth is not really wealthy.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 6, 1972:

So any one of us, we, who is in this material world, having a material body, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant, a small ant, anyone of them... In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that yas tv indra-gopam athavendra-maho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam atanoti (Bs. 5.54). Indra-gopa. There is a, there is a insect which is called in Sanskrit language as indra-gopa. It is a microbe. You cannot see with these naked eyes. So this microbe is called indra, and there is another Indra, the King of Heaven. So the Brahma-saṁhitā says, yas tu indra-gopa.

Lecture on BG 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 6, 1972:

So the Brahma-saṁhitā says, yas tu indra-gopa. And Mahendra, the King of Heaven... Beginning from this indra-gopa, up to the King of Heaven, everyone is subjected to enjoy or suffer the resultant action of his karma. By karma, by the resultant action of karma, one has become the King of Heaven, and by karma, resultant action of karma, one has become the microbic insect. This is the material world. There are 8,400,000 types or forms of this material body, and we are wandering, sarva-gata, in different planets, in different forms. This is material world. And in the material world, whatever form we may have, we have got attachment for this body. Not only attachment, we are under the impression that "I am this body." Everyone. That is material conception of life.

Lecture on BG 2.30 -- London, August 31, 1973:

Avadhya, nobody can kill. In the body, he is there. But dehe sarvasya bhārata. This is very important. Not that simply in human body the soul is there and not in other bodies. That is rascaldom. Sarvasya. In every body. Even within the ant, even within the elephant, even within the gigantic banyan tree or within the microbe. Sarvasya. The soul is there. But some rascals, they say the animals have no soul. This is wrong. How you can say the animal has no soul? Everyone. Here the authoritative statement by Kṛṣṇa: sarvasya. And in other place, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ: (BG 14.4) In all species of life, as many forms are there, 8,400,000 different forms of life, tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma. Mahad yonir. Their source of body is of this material nature. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: "I am the seed-giving father." As without father and mother there is no offspring, so the father is Kṛṣṇa and the m

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

That means Kṛṣṇa, or God, is situated in your heart, in my heart, in cat's heart, in dog's heart, in everyone's, in ant's heart. There is heart in everyone, and there is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61). Now hṛd-deśe means "in the heart." So sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe, so that means beginning from the small microbe up to the Brahmā, all the living entities, they have got heart.

Sometimes we find a small full-stop-like creature moving on the page of the, on a leaf of the book. You cannot see it, but it is moving. That small creature also has got heart. But is there any scientist to find out how he is moving, how he has got leg, how he has got hands, how he has got...? Any anatomy, is there any anatomy or physiological science to test? Here is our Dr. Mukerjee, sitting.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

Now, these things are very important things, "whose mind is engaged within, who is always busy working for the welfare of all sentient beings." This chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, it is welfare work for all sentient being, even the worms, the microbes, the cockroaches. So many living entities are within this room. By hearing this vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra they will be getting also the result. That is described in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. When Lord Caitanya questioned Haridāsa Ṭhākura about the efficacy of chanting, how he described? You will find it in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. It is a fact. If you are chanting within this room and if you find nobody is coming to participate in the kīrtana, don't be disappointed. There are many germs, worms, cockroaches, within this room—they are being benefited. They are being benefited. You cannot find any place without any living entities. You just find out one hole. You will see, hundreds of ants are coming out.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970:

That is God. That is also another fact. And time. The... Everything is done within time. Time is also a different, relative measure according to the... Your time is different from the time of another animal or another living entity. Just like Brahmā's time. You cannot calculate one day of Brahmā because your time and his time is different. Similarly, a small microbic animal, his time and your time is different. So he cannot calculate your time. So time is relative.

So time, living entity, this material world, and the supreme controller, and activities. Every living entities are engaged in some activities. So you have to understand these five things which you are experiencing daily.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Hyderabad, April 28, 1974 :

All living entities, they eat. There is no, nothing new introduction when we eat or sleep or have sex life, or when there is danger we will defend. These are nitya-siddha, natural. Wherever there is a living entity, these four things are there. It doesn't matter whether he is human being or a small microbe. These things are there. Nitya-siddha. Similarly, kṛṣṇa-bhakti, love of Kṛṣṇa, that is also natural. It is not artificial. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. But somehow or other, by our association with this material nature, we have forgotten. We are not material nature. That is the first education of Kṛṣṇa consciousness or spiritual knowledge. We are spiritual, and Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godead, He is also complete spirit. He is not material. Even the impersonalist, Śaṅkarācārya, he has described about Nārāyaṇa in his commentary on Bhagavad-gītā, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt.

Lecture on BG 7.14 -- Hamburg, September 8, 1969:

So it is relative. If you have got sufficient intelligence, you can accept it immediately. If there is less intelligence, then it will take time. You cannot say that "It will be possible after so many years." That cannot be said. It is relative. Everything is relative. For a human being, from here to here, one step; and for a small microbe, it is ten miles from here to here, ten miles for him. So everything is relative. This world is relative world. There is no such formula that "One can be Kṛṣṇa conscious after so many years." No. There is no such formula. One cannot become Kṛṣṇa conscious even millions after..., births, and one can become within second Kṛṣṇa conscious. But on the other edge, within this life we can become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness if we take it seriously. Especially you are all young boys. We expect at least you'll live for fifty years more. Oh, that is sufficient time. Sufficient. More than sufficient. More than sufficient.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Calcutta, March 9, 1972:

The sun globe is important, and the still more important is the sun-god. Within the sun globe there is sun-god, Vivasvān. He is a person. And there is also other living entities, their, all their bodies are made of fire. Here in the material science, they sterilize. They, they are under the impression that when there is too strong temperature, the microbes die, or when there is too cold, the microbes die. There are two kinds of sterilization: either by increasing the heat or decreasing the heat, below zero. But Bhagavad-gītā, from Bhagavad-gītā we understand, adāhyo 'yam: soul is never killed in fire, neither it is killed by extreme coldness. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. Spirit cannot be counteracted by any material reaction. That is spirit. So therefore, the theory that in the fire the living entity dies, it is not; otherwise how these ślokas are there in the Second Chapter?

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Paris, August 12, 1973:

Therefore, all living entities are Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. It is foolishness to say that other living entities, other than the human being, they have no soul. It is foolishness. They have got soul. Every... Even the ant has got soul, even the microbe has got soul, even the germ has got soul, everyone has got soul. But they have got different types of body only, outward. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yac ca yadrk ca. How they have got different types of bodies? So these, subject matters are very subtle things.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Miami, February 27, 1975:

Therefore those who are fully Kṛṣṇa conscious or fully advanced in spiritual consciousness, they do not make any difference between an insect and a elephant because he knows very well that the same spirit soul is there within the elephant and within insect, within the microbe, because the dimension of the spirit soul is very small. You cannot imagine. It is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpita (CC Madhya 19.140), everything is there. So such minute particle is so powerful that it is managing the body of the elephant and it is managing the body of the ant.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.2 -- London, August 10, 1971:

You see? So God is not so cheap. God..., our conception of God... Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so powerful. It is stated in the Vedic literature: Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Simply by the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu, innumerable... Just like we exhale and inhale and so many small microbes, germs, are coming out and going. This is a fact, medical science. Similarly, as microbes are coming and going, similarly, with the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu so many universes are coming and going. That is God. God, who can create unlimited number of universes simply by breathing. That is God. (aside:) Don't sleep. You can... So here, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15).

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972:

What is the perfection of life? The perfection of life means to get out of this material condition and to be situated in our original, spiritual life. Originally we are all spiritual spark, we all, sitting here, not only we, human beings, even other living entities, everyone—the trees, the plants, the aquatics, birds, beasts, insects, microbes, everyone. Wherever you'll find living symptoms, they are all part and parcel of God. But according to their karma, according to their pious and impious activities, they have been obliged to accept a certain type of body. That is in the hands of nature. Your science will not help. Your science will not help. It will be considered by the material nature.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972:

The one is singular number, nitya, cetana. The others are plural number. So we living entities, we are many, asaṅkhya. There is no limit how many living entities are there. That you have got experience. Even within your room, from a small hole, thousands and thousands of ants may come out. Just imagine. Even within a drop of water there are thousands of microbes. They are all living entities under different condition of life. So living entities are many, but God is one, not God many. God cannot be many. Therefore it is singular number. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Then what is the distinction between this singular number and plural number? The distinction is also stated, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān: "That one single number living entity is supplying all the necessities of these plural number living entities." That is the distinction between God and living entity.

Lecture on SB 1.5.8-9 -- New Vrindaban, May 24, 1969:

There is no... They have no more fears." A snake without poison, a child may be afraid of, "There is a snake." But if a man knows that this snake is here but there is no poisonous teeth, it is broken, then there is no question of fearfulness. Otherwise, it is ordinary, insignificant... Just like reptile, something, or worm, or microbes. So he said... So that means he answers to the jñānīs, to the yogis, to the karmīs: durdānta indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta. Protkhāta, extracted. The teeth is extracted. Protkhāta. Protkhāta. Daṁṣṭrāyate. Daṁṣṭra means teeth. Taken away. So there is no cause of... Durdānta indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate.

Lecture on SB 1.8.52 -- Los Angeles, May 14, 1973:

Just like when we are walking on the street, there are many ants and germs, they are being killed. I do not know, I do not wish to kill, but they are being killed. When you are igniting fire, in the fireplace, there are so many small ants. So as soon as you ignite, all those small ants—you cannot see—they die. Similarly, when you keep water, there are so many microbes and other living entities. So as you press on it, they die. Similarly, pestle and mortar. In India the system, they don't purchase...Those who are rigid family, they do not purchase these powdered spices. No. They bring whole spices and they smash it with mortar and pestle. That is very nice. So doing that smashing work, you kill so many animals. In breathing, you kill so many animals. In drinking water, you kill so many animals. This is bhūta-hatyā. You are killing. This is not intentional. You do not know.

Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Vrndavana, March 19, 1974:

It is not that... Brahmā has got very long duration of life. We cannot even calculate Brahmā's one daytime. Forty-three lakhs of years, multiplied by one thousand, that is twelve hours of Brahmā. So he will also die. Beginning from Brahmā, whose duration of life is some thousands of millions of years, down to the microbial germs, who live for a few seconds only, he's struggling for existence. Therefore this life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all. This is struggle. Everyone wants to live, but... He may live for some time—for few seconds, for few minutes, or for few years, or for few millions of years. But death will come. And our struggle is how to overcome death. In the human form of life a living being is competent enough to come to an understanding of this great struggle for existence, but being too attracted to the family members, society, country, etc., he wants to win over the invincible material nature by the aid of bodily strength, children, wife, relatives, etc.

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1969:

Just like we pick up flowers from the trees for offering to Kṛṣṇa, but the injunction is that after evening you should not touch the tree. The idea is that they are sleeping, don't disturb. So the consciousness of the trees are admitted in the Vedic literature. Similarly, the consciousness is developed from tree to worms, microbes, worms, germs—their consciousness is little more higher. Then birds, their consciousness is little more higher; then beasts, their consciousness is little more higher. This is development, gradual process of evolution. Gradual process of evolution means gradual process of developing the status, the state of consciousness. In this way the consciousness in human form of body is further developed, very nicely developed. And similarly, there are other elevated living condition in higher planets. They are called demigods. They are far advanced, very more and more intelligent. Their standard of living, their everything, is far, far above than all these planets, thousands and thousands of times.

Lecture on SB 3.25.17 -- Bombay, November 17, 1974:

We cannot see even the top of the hair. That you divide, keśāgra, keśa agra, the front portion of the hair. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya (CC Madhya 19.140). You divide into one hundred parts. Śatadhā kalpitasya ca. Again take one part and divide into hundreds parts. That is the dimension of the jīva. That small particle is there within the ant, the microbic germ, and he, that part is within the elephant. q. That is the dimension. So self-realization... Self-realization means one must know his identity. That identity, that small particle is there, within me, within you. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehī is within the idea. But because it is so small, with our material eyes it is not possible to see. There is no such instrument that you can find out. Therefore on account of our inability to find it out, we say, "It is nirākāra," because we cannot calculate what is the ākāra, or what is the dimension.

Lecture on SB 3.25.17 -- Bombay, November 17, 1974:

There is no such instrument that you can find out. Therefore on account of our inability to find it out, we say, "It is nirākāra," because we cannot calculate what is the ākāra, or what is the dimension. But the ākāra is there. The living entity has got full ākāra. If you have studied the small microbes... Sometimes I see at night when I work a small insect just like a full stop. It is walking. That means the whole physiological combination, anatomy, physiology, is there. But you cannot... You see just a like a full stop. So within that there is the soul. And within the elephant or big animal there is also the soul. The soul is there. Asmin dehe, dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). That is there.

Lecture on SB 3.28.18 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

That you can do at any moment. Kṛṣṇa takes charge. Kṛṣṇa says, buddhiḥ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. He can do that. He can nullify the destiny. Karmṇnirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājāṁ. Everyone is bound up by the laws of karma. Yas tv indragopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam ātanoti (Bs. 5.54). Everyone, beginning from that small microbe, indragopa, and up to the king of heaven—his name is also Indra. So from this Indra to that Indra, all different types of living entities, they are suffering, not enjoying; suffering the resultant action of their past sinful life. This is material existence. Everyone is suffering, but māyā is so kind that he (she) misleads the sufferer to understand the suffering is enjoying. This is māyā. Actually everyone is suffering, but he is misled to think that he is enjoying.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

All different forms of species of life, as they are existing at the present moment—you'll have aquatic animals, you'll have plant life, microbes, insects, birds, beasts, human beings, uncivilized human beings, civilized human beings—as they are presently existing, they existed even from the very beginning of creation. Not that in the creation there was no human being. From Vedic history we understand that in the creation, when everything was all water, at that time, a lotus flower grew out of the abdomen of Viṣṇu and there was creation of Brahmā. So Brahmā is supposed to be the most intellectual personality within this universe. My point is that in the beginning the creation was the most intelligent personality, not that in the creation there was lower animals, no. Lower animals were there.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

Just remember that the whole different grades of evolution of life means purifying the existence. The aquatic animals, when they are developed into plant life, that is little purified. Then from plant life, microbes, insects, that is still more purified. From microbes, insects, birds' life, different grades of birds' life, that is still more purified. And from birds' life to beasts' life, that is still more purified. And, from beast life to human form of life, that is still more purified. And from uncivilized human form of life to civilized human form of life, that is still more purified. In this way this purification process is still going on. From this human form of life there are other life in upper planetary systems. They are called demigods. Just like you are trying to go to the moon planet.

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- London, September 9, 1971:

Whatever we do here within this material world, there is some sort of sinful activity. We do not know, imperceptibly. Just like killing of some animal is sinful activities. But even if we do not willingly kill some animal, when we are walking on the street, we are killing so many animals. When we are drinking water, in the, below the waterpot there are so many ants and microbes, they are being killed. When we ignite fire, there are so many small microbes, they also become burned into the fire. When you rub the pestle and mortar for rubbing spices, so many small microbes are killed. So we are responsible for that. Therefore, willingly or unwillingly, we are becoming entangled in so many sinful activities. Therefore the Bhagavad-gītā says, yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. If you take the remnants of foodstuff of yajña, after offering yajña, then you become free from all contamination. Otherwise, bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt: (BG 3.13)

Lecture on SB 7.9.32 -- Mayapur, March 10, 1976:

Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. The Supreme Lord is great. "God is great." He's greater than the greatest, and He is smaller than the smallest. He is... The living entity is even smaller than the atom, but it has got a body. It is not that without body. We cannot imagine. Just like sometimes we see at night some microbic ant, very small, almost like full stop, but it is moving very nicely here and there. So the same physiological construction, anatomy, is there. Everything is there. So this is God's creation. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. It can also fly. We can manufacture a flying machine, 747, but we cannot manufacture a flying machine like that microbic ant. That is not possible.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:

So, so long we are tinged with sinful activities, we have to accept different varieties of body, either the body of Lord Brahmā or the body of an ant, indragopa, a small microbic insect, yas tv indragopam athavendram aho sva-karma (Bs. 5.54). From this indragopa, the microscopic insect which is called indragopa insect, from this indragopa insect, to the real Indra, the King of Heaven, everyone is suffering or enjoying—actually it is suffering—the resultant action of his karma. It doesn't matter what kind of body a living entity has got, but the body itself is the symptom, is the sign that one is sinful. This is the conclusion of the śāstra. Because as soon as one is free from sinful activities, at that time, he goes back to home, back to Godhead. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9).

Initiation Lectures

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

Otherwise, he may make his choice. Kṛṣṇa never..., God never interferes with your independence. No. He will never do that. Then what is the meaning of living being? Dull matter, it has no independence. Even it is a big mountain or big thing, it has no independence. It will stand still. But a small ant, even a microbe, it has got independence because it is living creature. So God has made you or given you little independence. That independence does not mean that you shall misuse it. You shall use it properly. And what is that proper use? To be engaged in His loving service. Just like you citizens of this German state, what you are meant for? You are meant for rendering service to the state. Similarly, the whole... This is a small state. America is a small... Or this planet is a small state. But there is a huge state which is called the cosmic manifestation. That state belongs to Kṛṣṇa, or God. So naturally, you have to render service to the supreme state, supreme will. Then it is all right. Your independence is there.

Wedding Ceremonies

Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969:

The duration of Brahmā's life is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand makes one twelve hours of that Brahmaloka. Just like there is distinction of the duration of life between the microbes and the human being, similarly, there are different grades of different duration of life in different stage of planetary system. So the life is evolving. Now after evolutionary process from the lower animals, from the aquatics to plant life, vegetable life, then microbes, reptiles, birds, beasts, then we come to the human form of life, this civilized form of life. Now here it is just like crossing. Where we should go next life? Whether I shall promote myself to the higher planetary system or into the spiritual sky, Vaikuṇṭhaloka, or I shall go down again in the evolutionary process of lower animals? That is to be decided. So if we want to go to the higher planetary system, we can go there. If we want to stay here, we can do that.

General Lectures

Lecture -- New York, April 16, 1969:

Therefore the activities of this body is not all. And as there are different types of body, as we have come to this body, this status of body, passing through many, many types of abominable body—aquatics, beasts, trees, plants, microbes, reptiles, so many... Repeatedly we have said, 8,400,000's of bodies. So this is an opportunity. This life, this human form of life, is an opportunity to make further progress. It is not that after this human body is finished, then there is no life. This misconception, this misleading philosophy, that after death there is nothing, void, is killing the human civilization. Is killing practically. They do not know "What is my next life?" The next life is there. As there are, you can see so many varieties of planets, so there are lives also, different grades of lives, different standard of life. Take for example the moon planet. What do they know about moon?

Lecture at International Student Society -- Boston, May 3, 1969:

These Sanskrit words are there in the Padma Purāṇa, that "A living entity is traveling or evolving from lower grades of life to the higher grades of life in 8,400,000 species of life." There are 900,000 species of life in the water. There are 2,000,000 species of life of plants and vegetables. Similarly, microbes, reptiles, there are 1,100,000 species of life. Then birds, 1,000,000 species of life. Then beasts, four-legged beasts, there are 3,000,000 species of life. Then, from beastly life, he comes to the human form life. There also variety, 400,000's of varieties. In this way we come to the point of civilized human form of life. The evolution is coming. Just like we evolve our body or grew our body from the womb of our mother. It is stated... Everything is there in the Vedic literature. After the sex intercourse of the man and woman, there is an emulsification of the two kinds of secretion. And in the first night there is a pealike form that takes place.

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

What you calculate as six months here according to the solar system, in the moon planet that six months equal to their one day. Similarly, thirty days, one month; twelve months, one year. Similarly, ten thousand years you get, life there. But there is death. Just like the small microbe; it has got life, say, for few minutes, and you have got life, say, for a hundred years. That does not mean that you are immortal and that the microbe is a mortal. Both of us. Similarly, there are, in other planets, the duration of life may be very, very, very long, but that does not mean that they will not die. The death is there. Death can be eradicated only when you go to Kṛṣṇaloka, or in the spiritual sky. Yad gatvā...

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 13, 1971:

So this body, if you like, you can get the body of a human being, or you can get the body of a tiger, or you can get the body of demigod, or you can get the body of Lord Brahmā, or you can get the body of the microbic germ in the stool. This will depend on your work. This is going on. There are innumerable planets, there are innumerable universes, and the living entities are all innumerable, and they are getting innumerable types of bodies, and every account is kept. Now just imagine what is the government of Kṛṣṇa. And this is being managed, ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). This whole worldly affair is being managed by one Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. This information we get from the śāstras.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972:

They say that there is no living entity in the moon planet, but here we find in the Bhagavad-gītā, nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ. The living entity is everywhere. At least, we find on this planet, even in deserted place, there are a certain type of vegetable. That is living entity. Sometimes some microbes. Sometimes insect. So the statement of Bhagavad-gītā is sarva-gataḥ: "Living entities everywhere." We practically see in our experience. We find living entities, the aquatics, in the water. We find living entities within the earth. There are so many insects. We find living entities in the air. We find living entities on the land, in the sky, and so many places. So this is confirmed: sarva-gataḥ. Nityaḥ. The living entity is eternal and he is everywhere. Sarva-gataḥ. Sthāṇur acalo 'yaṁ sanātanaḥ. Sanātanaḥ. Concluding sanātanaḥ.

Lecture at Indo-American Society 'East and West' -- Calcutta, January 31, 1973:

So do you think it is a combination of bones and flesh? Any sane man will accept it? If you say that something is wanting for giving impetus of birth of life in this body, therefore the body's called dead, that is not a fact. Because after this body's dead, after the soul is gone out of the body, innumerable microbes will come out, decomposition. You cannot say the ingredients which give impetus to generation of life, that is lacking. It is not lacking. Because it is not lacking, therefore millions of other microbes are coming out. That is not a fact, that this is the ingredient of life substance. There are so many arguments.

So if there is any difference of East and West, this difference. (In) the Eastern part of the world, especially India, the people know that "I am not this body." And the Western part of the world, they do not know that "I am not this body." That is the difference. That is the difference. That is the distinction between East and West.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 1, 1972, Sydney:

Prabhupāda: It may be millions types. And for all of them there is immediately supply. So this rascal does not know that it is already planned. (break) The proprietor is living there. The servants are living there. The cats and dogs are also living there. The trees and plants are also living there, and insects and microbes and snakes and rats. So many living entities in the same building. Why they are different? What is the answer? They have been given the same chance of living in the same house, born in the same house. As the proprietor's son is born in the same house, these also, they are also taking birth the same place. Why they are denied the same advantage? And if they are denied, who has denied it? What is the answer to this question? They are all living entities.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: No, no. Life energy, what is the cause of that life energy? Chemicals.

Brahmānanda: Chemicals remain.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So that chemical is already there. Life energy is there. Because from the body, thousands of microbes are coming out. They're living entities. So you cannot say that the life energy is lacking there. No, it is already there. How can you say that life energy not there? Otherwise, how other life is coming. Not only one, thousands. So how do you say the life energy's lacking there? What do you think, Karandhara Prabhu?

Karandhara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: The life energy's already there.

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: They have got personality, all the living entities coming out, the microbes. They have got their personality. If they're moving in this way, you stop. They'll move in this way.

"There is some block. Let me go this side." So there is personality.

Karandhara: But in the dead body, there's no personality.

Prabhupāda: That means that individual person has left. That is the proof, that is the proof of individual soul. Just like there are so many plants of the same species. One is dead. That individual plant is dead, but other species are living. It is not extinct. How can you say the species is extinct? How you can say? Darwin's forefather might be extinct. But the monkeys are there. What is the time?

Room Conversation with Rosicrucians -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: But is there such rules and regulation or injunction from the society that "You do not kill." Just like Bible there is, "You shall not kill." So they have no such thing.

Yogeśvara: He says Jesus ate meat and furthermore there is a sect in the Orient that wears gauze over their mouth so as not to kill microbes while they breathe. But we are killing those microbes. We have killed these flowers.

Prabhupāda: So they are to satisfy everyone.

Yogeśvara: Don't you think we are killing other living beings?

Prabhupāda: That is another thing. (break)

Yogeśvara: ...study everything.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) They haven't got their own anything. Simply they are studying.

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: Those who know Sanskrit, they know what is the meaning of Veda. Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda-vid jñāne. Jñāna means knowledge. That means the history of Veda means from the date of creation of this material world. Now find out the date of creation of the material world. Approximately, nobody can give what is the date of. We can, we cannot... Date of Brahmā, he got the, first of all, the Vedic knowledge. Now, one day of Brahmā you cannot calculate. One day of Brahmā. And the... When Brahmā's night is there, there is devastation up to some extent. So again in the daytime of Brahmā, that creation takes place. There are two kinds of devastation. One devastation is at the night of Brahmā and one final devastation is the whole cosmic manifestation finished. So these teeny people, they are after the dates of Vedas, and that is ludicrous, that is...(laughs) Just like there are many microbes, they grow in the evening and die just in the day beginning. So whole night is their span of life. So our life is like that.

Morning Walk -- December 6, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prof. Wolfe: Śrīla Prabhupāda, isn't it so that we do not kill voluntarily. Because involuntarily, of course, we kill with every moment? We kill all the bacteria and we kill all the microbes and...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.

Prof. Wolfe: And we cannot help doing that.

Prabhupāda: Therefore you have to become servant of Kṛṣṇa; you are not responsible. Just like government servant, police, and military kills, but he's not responsible. He's not responsible. Their business is killing, soldiers, but they are rewarded: "Oh, thank you very much. Take this title." Just Arjuna, just like Arjuna killed on the order of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa gave him cert..., bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: (BG 4.3) "You are My very dear friend. You are my devotee." So we have to act by the order of the Supreme. Then we are not responsible. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa...

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk at Marina del Rey -- July 14, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Jīvātma is everywhere. But you have got your own field. Just like for agricultural purpose you have got a big field, but there are so many millions of microbes and...

Bali Mardana: Yes.

Prabhupāda: But it is your field. Not that when you go out of the field one of them becomes you. No, that is not. That is individuality. When you leave, you leave your field. That's all.

Bali Mardana: So when we leave the field, then the other cells in the body also leave their field.

Morning Walk at Marina del Rey -- July 14, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes, therefore the germs come out as soon as it is proper time. So these nonsense, they do not know that, that the... Creating life, the ingredients... If they say that material combination makes life, so material combination is there already. Why the, that man is not coming? That is... He's individual, and they are also individual. I have got my field. I am individual. I leave it. But because there are so many other microbes, they will come as me. No, that is not possible.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, yes, but temporarily, I cannot live without them.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: I cannot live in my body without them.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 4, 1975, Hawaii:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Haṁsadūta: But when we see fire here it is also living in that way? Some living entity?

Prabhupāda: Within fire? Yes. That is agni-po. Just like you have got microbes and germs in water, similarly, there are microbes and germs in fire also. Acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, adāhyaḥ. "It is not burned by fire." Everything, information, is there. And therefore our knowledge is perfect. Take from the perfect source of knowledge. Acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam aśleṣya, aśoṣya. (end)

Room Conversation with Bill Faill (reporter) -- October 8, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: Yes, a covering. Vehicle also. Vehicle also. It is just like a machine. You go from one place to another on a motorcar machine. So this body is just like machine. On account of our material, conditional life we are thinking that "If I get this position, then I will be happy. If I get this position, I will be happy." We are creating mental concoction. But nothing will make us happy unless we come to our real position that "I am part and parcel of God. My business is to associate with God and help or cooperate with God." So that position we have to revive. And there are different types of vehicle, in the aquatic animals, then, I mean to say, plants. When the water is dried up, then vegetation comes. Then vegetation..., from vegetation, we... Trees and plants, they cannot move. Then we get little improvement; we can move, just like flies, insects, microbes, reptiles, and so many. So there are nine lakhs' forms of body within the water. Then two million types of bodies in vegetable, and then 1,100,000 species of life like microbes, germs, worms, insects.

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Harikeśa: Very small microbes. And then they developed to many-celled animals and amoebas and…

Prabhupāda: So how this microbe was created?

Harikeśa: Spontaneous generation.

Prabhupāda: Spontaneous? And it is known to you only, Mr. Darwin? You are the only intelligent man. You could understand. And you are talking so foolish, and still, we have to accept it. (end)

Morning Walk -- October 28, 1975, Nairobi:

Prabhupāda: It belongs to the particular. That is the rascal philosophy of the rascal scientists. They say some chemical is missing. Why chemical missing? There are so many other living entities, how they are living? If the chemical is missing, how they are living? This is rascaldom. If you say when the body is dead, the chemical is missing, then why so many hundreds and thousands of microbes are coming? Huh? (Hindi) Therefore I say rascals. (end)

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 20, 1976, Melbourne:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Some of the insects don't even have hearts.

Prabhupāda: And how do you say? They have everything. You have no intelligence to understand. Everything, all anatomic physiology is there, even the small full stop. You cannot see even, microbe. That is God's creation.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: You mean to say...

Prabhupāda: I have seen very minute, walking very..., exactly like a big...

Guru-kṛpā: In Vṛndāvana, when we were staying at Bon's place, there was big colony of ants. Ants, thousands of them.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they have got all the sense, all the sympathy. For eating, sleeping, mating, they have got all intelligence.

Morning Walk -- July 4, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

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.

Room Conversation With Scientists -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Actually when the body dies, we say that it decomposes, actually that decomposition is done by small microbes. These microbes at this big body...

Prabhupāda: They become prominent, that's all. (break)

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Light.

Prabhupāda: Light. Fire means heat and light.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: What is magnetism?

Prabhupāda: Magnetism also another action of the fire. We used to do that. Rubbing, rubbing, rubbing.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Electricity.

Evening Conversation -- August 8, 1976, Tehran:

Jñānagamya: They are saying there is life on Mars. They are seeing microbes, small little living entities, they are detecting these with their machines. So they are seeing, there is some life.

Prabhupāda: Microbes?

Jñānagamya: Microbe, you know, like microscopic...

Prabhupāda: Why they can see only microbes? Not a fully grown up human being.

Jñānagamya: No, they are detecting through gas. They feed the microbes and then microbes give off evacuation...

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversations with Kirtana Groups -- May 29, 1977, Vrndavana:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yeah, they are a little silent.

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) Hoax. First hoax was little successful. Now they say it will not be very successful.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: One aspect in science that they're worried more nowadays is called biomedical ethics. That means they are worrying about so-called this genetic engineering. They say by this engineering they can develop some small insects or microbes that will be great harmful. It will be very harmful to the society. So these big, big schools like M.I.T. and Harvard, they are... Some of the leading scientists in this field, they're very much concerned about this new development. (end)

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Jagadisa -- Los Angeles 9 July, 1970:

Regarding your several questions: Where are the spirit souls coming from that are taking microbe bodies? It is not a matter of any particular body. These spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha, but in these material worlds they are taking various grades of bodies according to their material activities. There is no "new" soul. "New" and "old" are due to this material body, but the soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth how there can be new soul?