Prabhupāda:
- tāmasāc ca vikurvāṇād
- bhagavad-vīrya-coditāt
- śabda-mātram abhūt tasmān
- nabhaḥ śrotraṁ tu śabdagam
- (SB 3.26.32)
So this creation. . . The beginning of the creation is the sound. The modern physicist, they also agree. Sound and light, according to their theory. But the sound is the origin of creation, mixed with these modes of ignorance. Everything here in the material world is spiritual reflection covered by the material elements. So when this sound is purified or you catch up the spiritual sound, then your spiritual life begins. As from the material sound this material creation has begun from first of all the sky, nabha, or ether; and from ether, air is created, wind; and from air, then fire is created, electricity. . . You see. From the sound, there is immediately electricity in the sky, the fire. Electricity means fire. So from sky, the sound is created. From the sound, air is created. By the friction of air, the electricity, or fire, is created. Then, within the fire, there is water. And after water, there is land. This is pañca-bhūta, five gross elements. It is coming from the subtle elements. From the subtle elements, the gross elements gradually develop.
So in the ether there is sound, śabdagam. And from the sound the instrument of hearing is created, śrotram. Similarly, our subtle senses—rūpa, rasa, śabda, sparśa, gandha. . . So śabda, sparśa. . . then sparśa. Sparśa means touching. When there is air, there is touching; touching sensation is created. And when there is fire, then form sensation is created. When there is water, then rasa, taste sensation, is created. And from rasa, water, when there is earth, then gandha, gandha sensation, or smell, is created. How scientifically it is described: rūpa, rasa, gandha, śabda, sparśa. They are the sense perception.