Darwin (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
darwin |darwinian |darwins |darwin's

Notes from the compiler: Vedabase query: darwin or darwinian or darwins or darwin's not theory

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Whatever you do, if it is done for Kṛṣṇa, then you are in the highest perfectional stage of yoga. And anyone can do it. If Mr. Darwin or Chandramukhi is asked, "All right, you also dig," oh, he will imitate and become yogi immediately.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970: Whatever you do, if it is done for Kṛṣṇa, then you are in the highest perfectional stage of yoga. And anyone can do it. If Mr. Darwin or Chandramukhi is asked, "All right, you also dig," oh, she will imitate and become yogi immediately. Immediately yogi. Just try to understand. Is there any process of yoga system which can teach even a small child to practice and become yogi? No. If you ask a child or even the father does, "You sit down like me. Meditate. Press your nose," or this, that, oh, she'll be not, cannot do. Unable. Is there any... If I say a child, "Oh, my dear girl, my dear boy, please do like this. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," he immediately does. You see?

So our Vedic conception of life, creation, is not like the Darwin, that his first creation... Beginning of creation is not crude or ignorance. Beginning of creation is first-class knowledge.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975: So our Vedic conception of life, creation, is not like the Darwin, that his first creation... I do not know what is, but they think that they'll get knowledge from monkey. But we do not take knowledge from monkey. (laughter) Therefore we do not keep ourself in darkness. If you take knowledge from monkey, then you remain always like monkey. You cannot be advanced. But here it is... Bhāgavata says, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye: We got knowledge directly from Kṛṣṇa, the most perfect. Therefore Brahmā is generated from Viṣṇu. So the first living creature, the perfect person within this material world who got instruction there, that is the beginning of creation. Beginning of creation is not crude or ignorance. Beginning of creation is first-class knowledge. That is the Vedic conception.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

So Darwin's father was monkey. Therefore all the followers of anthropology, they're in the tamo-guṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.24 -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1972:

Devotee (Śyāmasundara?): I've heard it said that all animals are in the mode of tamo-guṇa. But then I've also heard other devotees say that a cow is in sattva-guṇa. So can an animal be in the mode of goodness?

Prabhupāda: Yes. The lion is in the rajo-guṇa. The cow is in the sattva-guṇa. And the monkey is in the tamo-guṇa. So Darwin's father was monkey. (laughter) Therefore all the followers of anthropology, they're in the tamo-guṇa. What do you think, Hayagrīva Prabhu? (laughter) Eh? Darwin's father, monkey?

Hayagrīva: That's what he claims.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Hayagrīva: That's what he claims.

Prabhupāda: He claims. Yes. (laughter) There is no doubt about it. All right.

If a rascal is busy, that means he's simply spoiling the energy. Just like monkey. Monkey is very busy. Of course, according to Mr. Darwin, they are coming from monkey.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974: We are all born foolish. So if we are not properly educated, then we remain fools and rascals, and the activities of fools and rascals, this is simply waste of time. Because... What is called? Busy rascals, busy rascal. If a rascal is busy, that means he's simply spoiling the energy. Just like monkey. Monkey is very busy. Of course, according to Mr. Darwin, they are coming from monkey. So monkey's business is simply waste of time. He's very busy. You'll find always busy. So the busy fool is dangerous.

General Lectures

Anthropology of Darwin is there in the Padma Purāṇa. It is very nicely described.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 7, 1968: Darwin has taken the idea of evolution from this Padma Purāṇa. You won't find any philosophy, any doctrine in the world which is not found in the Vedic literature. It is so perfect, everything is there. So the anthropomorphism or—what is called?—anthropology... Anthropology of Darwin is there in the Padma Purāṇa. It is very nicely described. Darwin cannot explain what are the number of the species of different, but Padma Purāṇa states that there are 900,000 species of life within water, within the ocean. And above the ocean, as soon as the ocean water is dried up, the land is coming out, immediately the vegetation begins. Different types of plants and trees then come out. So jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Two millions, lakṣa-viṁśati, twenty hundred thousand. That is two million? Anyway... Sthāvarā lakṣa. Sthāvarā means those who cannot move. There are different types of living entities. The trees, the plants, they cannot move. The other type of living entities, just like the birds, the beasts, the human being, they can move. So sthāvarā and jaṅgama. Jaṅgama means those who can move, and sthāvarā means those who cannot move. The hills, the mountains, they are also amongst the sthāvarās. They are also living entities. There are many hills, they are growing. That means there is life, but in the lowest stage of: stone. So in this way we are making progress. Sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ. Reptiles and worms. Rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ means eleven hundred thousands. Then from reptiles, worms, the wings grow-birds. From wings grow... Then it comes to the bird's life. Pakśiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam: ten hundred thousands of birds. And then paśavaḥ triṁśal-lakṣāṇi, four-legged animals, there are thirty hundred thousand. So nine and twenty, twenty-nine, then eleven, forty, then birds, ten, fifty, beasts, thirty, eighty-eighty hundred thousands. And then... Eight millions—and four hundred thousand species of human life. Human life is not in large quantity.

That is a wrong theory. Darwin is studying this body. He does not know. He has no information of the soul; therefore his knowledge is imperfect.

Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972:

Indian guest: (indistinct)

Śyāmasundara: "Is it safe to compare scientific advancement with Bhāgavata, like Darwin and Bhāgavatam."

Prabhupāda: What do you mean by scientific advancement?

Indian guest: Well, material advancement...

Prabhupāda: Material means it is to be finished. Where is the advancement? You do not want to die, but why you die? Where is your advancement?

Indian guest: No, I fully agree with your interpretation of Bhāgavata, but the comparison between Darwin's discoveries and what is mentioned in Bhāgavata, I don't agree with that. It is already mentioned in Bhāgavata, but Swamijī, you are from a different point of view. So...

Prabhupāda: No, that is a wrong theory. Therefore we say. That is a wrong theory. Darwin is studying this body. He does not know. He has no information of the soul; therefore his knowledge is imperfect. His theory is imperfect. It is a long subject matter. If you want to discuss, you come. We shall discuss. It is a wrong theory. That is not scientific advancement. Science means it must be correct. That is science. If science is theory, that is not science. So Darwin is advocating his theory, "May be like this, perhaps like this." This "perhaps," "maybe," is not science. This is only suggestion. We have to deal with the facts. That is science.