Manipulation (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"manipulate" |"manipulated" |"manipulates" |"manipulating" |"manipulation" |"manipulations" |"manipulative" |"manipulator"

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Therefore I say, imperfect science.

Bob: Science may, though, say something. It is said in science that energy is never destroyed. It is just changed.

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but how the energy is working in future, that science does not know.

Bob: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: How the energy is diverted, how by different manipulation the energy is working differently. Just like electric energy, by different handling it is creating heater and it is creating cooler. Just opposite. But the same electric energy. So similarly, these energies, living energy, how it is being directed, which way it is going, how it is fructifying in the next life, so they do not know. They do not know. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is very simplified. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). You are covered by this dress, by this shirt. When this shirt is not workable you change it. Similarly, this body is just like shirt and coat, when it is no longer workable, we have to change.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 28, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: You have created problem. Now you are dependent so much on petrol. If the petrol supply is stopped, then what these rascal scientists can do? They cannot do anything. It is stopped. Now there is scarcity of water in India. What the scientists can do? There is enough water. Why the scientists cannot throw this water where there is scarcity of water? It will require the help of cloud. That is God's manipulation. You cannot do anything. Water is here, so much water. Why don't you make this sand fertile by bringing this water? Fertilization made by supplying water in the desert.

Morning Walk -- May 2, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So the energy or the energetic—non-different. But by His arrangement, one is working as superior, one is working as inferior. The same example, that the same electric energy is acting as cooler and acting as heater. But the energy is the same. Similarly, originally the energy is God's energy. So God's energy and God, there is no difference. But by his manipulation one is working as material energy, another is working... This is difference. Therefore originally it comes all spiritual energy, life. Therefore we have to take everything from life, not from the dead. Same example: The finger is first coming, life, and then the nail is coming, matter. Not that first of all nail is coming. You can study. This is meditation.

Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York:

Prabhupāda: The scientists, from their angle of vision, should describe the glory of the Lord: how this biology is working by the manipulation of the Supreme Lord. Similarly chemists, physicists, engineers, politicians, there are different departments, but all of them should join together, congregation, and from their different scientific point, angle of vision, they should glorify the Supreme Lord.

Krishna Tiwari: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Just like I was speaking that the measurement of the living entity is such and such. So how God has become so small? Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. This is... This we can simply imagine: one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. I don't think any scientist can have any measuring instrument.

Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York:

Krishna Tiwari: I can change a rat.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: That as much as you go along with that law of nature...

Krishna Tiwari: No. No. For example we have found out the law of nature, yes. That is always the law of nature, and that is supreme. That I agree. But, but I can manipulate that law of nature as today, not me, with the help of all other scientists, which nobody else could do ever.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: And your manipulation is within that law of nature. Your manipulation fits within that law of nature.

Krishna Tiwari: Of course. Of course, I agree.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: And your manipulation, your intelligence...

Prabhupāda: Therefore you cannot manipulate the law of nature. You are under the law.

Morning Walk -- December 10, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: When Śrīla Prabhupāda goes, we are going to miss this morning walk.

Prabhupāda: Eh? Eh?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: We are going to miss this morning...

Prabhupāda: No, you remember, you manipulate, you expand it. That is your business.

Hṛdayānanda: Boy, they're so enlightening.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! All glories to Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. All glories to the assembled devotees.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 18, 1974, Hawaii:

Prabhupāda: Here is earth, but we can take this earth and make into brick and make a skyscraper building. So it is not that the earth itself is going to become a skyscraper building. I am living entity; I am utilizing. So nature means these five elements, eight elements. So that has been manipulated by another living entity. Just like the aeroplane is a combination of some matter, but it is being worked out by the manufacturer, by the pilot. Therefore that driver of the aeroplane or the manufacturer of the..., he's superior. So superior to the material nature is Kṛṣṇa. This is the conclusion.

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

Prabhupāda: Now, life means... Just like you say that speaking-machine is an instrument. It has no life. But when a living man speaks, the machine speaks.

Yogeśvara: It is a study of the symptoms.

Prabhupāda: Similarly, the whole physical world is a machine, and the Supreme Life, Kṛṣṇa, when He manipulates, operates, then it works. That is stated.

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ

sūyate sa-carācaram

hetunānena kaunteya

jagad viparivartate

(BG 9.10)

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Professors -- February 19, 1975, Caracas:

Prabhupāda: If the light is off, we cannot see. So we can see under certain condition. Then what is the value of our seeing? If we, even if we manufacture telescope, that is also manufactured by the imperfect senses, so it is also not perfect. So anything understood by manipulating our imperfect senses, that is not real knowledge. So our process of understanding real knowledge is to take it from the person who has the real knowledge. Just like if we contemplate or speculate who is my father, it is never possible to understand who is my father. But if we receive the words from mother that "Here is your father," that is perfect. Therefore the process of knowledge should be not to speculate but to receive it from the perfect person. If we receive knowledge from a mental speculator, that is not perfect knowledge.

Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:

Guest (1): Just to give one example, these days the science experiments have conclusively done that a particular egg can be in the body of the womb, can be manipulated into either a male or a female.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. We say the soul is within the body so you can make it male or female, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. We are not concerned with male and female, we are concerned with the soul.

Guest (1): Science does manipulate life.

Prabhupāda: Maybe, even if you manipulate, then what you have done? You cannot create the soul, that is not possible. If you manipulate life then give the dead body again energy to rise up. Then we shall (admit) that you can manipulate. Otherwise it is false. If you are so expert in manipulation, then give the dead body life again. That is my request. If depend on others and you manipulating, this false knowledge will not help.

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: Durgā is power. Power is in... What kind of power? Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir eka. She can create, she can maintain and she can destroy, so powerful. But this power, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir eka chāyeva (Bs. 5.44), is working just like shadow. Just like here is shadow. I am moving this hand; the shadow is moving. Shadow is not independently moving. Therefore this gigantic power, material energy, is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa: (BG 9.10) "under My superintendence." So we are allured with the power, but who is manipulating this power we do not know. That is God.

Morning Walk -- July 19, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: I can give you suggestion. This example is given by Sanātana Gosvāmī.

yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti

kaṁsyaṁ rāsa-vidhānataḥ

tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena

dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛnāṁ

This is the definition, that "As kaṁsa, the bell metal, by manipulating with mercury, it becomes gold, similarly, a person by the process of dīkṣā, initiation, be becomes a brāhmaṇa. This is the example he has given. Yathā kāñcanataṁ yāti. Kāñcanatam means gold. Rāsa-vidhānataḥ, by process of mercury manipulation. Why he has not taken other metal? This is in the śāstra. And the scientists—I do not know—they say that some, what is called, molecules? Some molecules added with mercury, it can be turned into gold.

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Prabhupāda: For drawing raw materials from villages and bring it to the Calcutta, Bombay port and export to their country because their country does not produce anything. They’re starving. Still England, London, is maintained by importing goods from Africa, India, here, there. They have no food there. They can grow some potato, maybe… Potato only, That was the reason of expanding their empire. They had no food at home, England. They were manufacturing cotton cloth. That cotton was not grown in their country. It was brought from Egypt. They manipulated things in such a way. In America also they wanted to do that, but Americans, just understanding, separated, George Washington. In America I have heard that each family was to maintain a British soldier. You know that?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No, I didn’t know that.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And they brought tea from India and other places and sell it in America. Their whole policy was they exploit the whole world and bring money in London. That's all. And one who will do that, he will be honored by the state, given Earl of some small village. It has no value.

Morning Walk -- December 12, 1975, Vrndavana:

Harikeśa: Is desire a function of consciousness?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Unless there is desire, how it is living? It is dead body. Stone, stone has no desire.

Harikeśa: The spirit soul is...

Prabhupāda: Therefore, spirit soul is described as superior energy. He desires and he manipulates the matter. Yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5).

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- May 1, 1976, Fiji:

Guru-kṛpā: "The living entities in this conditional world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind."

Prabhupāda: So with this instrument he's manipulating this machine, as exactly the pilot, with so many electronics, machine, he's working the flying of the plane. Where is the difficulty to understand? And this is, body is a machine. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhū.... Bhrāmayan, wandering. The aeroplane is wandering. This machine is wandering. It is also going. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ. Sometimes up, sometimes down.

Room Conversation -- May 4, 1976, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: You can make the whole body happy simply by supplying food to the stomach. That is the best way. And if you want to make happy every part of the body, individual, that will never be successful. You must know where to touch. Just like the huge machine is going on by the expert manipulation of the pilot. He is pushing one.... Works. Immediately the plane becomes.... It is.... So you must know where to touch. If.... I am layman, I am put into that, then, instead of putting here, I shall put my here, and then it will go down. "Ohhh." So finished. So this is nature's way, that you supply food to the stomach, and the energy will be distributed every part. You supply water to the root of the tree, it will be supplied everywhere. That you must know. Otherwise, if you.... Just like if you do not know, a expert, not expert, so he's advised, "Give to, the food to the stomach." "And in where?" "No, in the hole of the body." If he does not, which hole, then he will put somewhere, sometimes here, sometimes here, sometimes here, sometimes here. It will never act. Then you must know the science how to make everyone happy. If you do not know that, then your imperfect imagination will never be done, and that has become everywhere.

Garden Conversation -- June 27, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Now wherefrom this fragrance have come?

Devotees: From the earth.

Prabhupāda: Get out this fragrance from earth, you scientist. By Kṛṣṇa's manipulation here is fragrance. Everyone knows it has come from earth. If there is, in the earth, there is no such fragrance, wherefrom it came? So therefore it is there, it is understood, but you get it out.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Well, we can take the chemicals and mix them, produce fragrance.

Prabhupāda: Take the chemicals?

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Yes. We can analyze the chemical structure and make...

Prabhupāda: No, the flower has taken directly, without any chemical addition. You do that. It is a fact the flavor is there within the earth, you take the flavor, extract the flavor. Not only this flavor, there are different flavors, all, everything there. There are so many flowers coming out. Huh? Sarva-kāma dugha-mahī. Mahī means earth. Everything's coming out from the earth. But not in your attempt. It is Kṛṣṇa's attempt that He can take out. Out of so many different flavors, everything is there within the earth, but Kṛṣṇa's manipulation takes the different colors, different flavors, different bodies, everything. That is Kṛṣṇa's manipulation. Mayādhyakṣeṇa (BG 9.10).

Garden Conversation -- June 27, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: You do not know expert. So if we remain under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa, then we also become expert to some extent. And Kṛṣṇa's expertly service or intelligence we can see in the flower, so many flowers. So why shall I not take shelter of Kṛṣṇa? Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). That is intelligence. That is intelligence. We see Kṛṣṇa's expertly manipulation. So if we take Kṛṣṇa's shelter, at least we shall get little intelligence. Dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam. "He gets the intelligence directly from Me." And that is wanted.

Room Conversation -- August 16, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Vedas, when Lord Buddha wanted stop animal killing, these rascals came with Vedas. "Vedas there is sacrifice, there is animal killing." So he thought that these rascals will create botheration. By bringing Vedas, there is... He said, "I don't care for it."

veda nā māniyā bauddha haya ta nāstika

vedāśraya nāstikya-vāda bauddhake adhika

Similarly, these rascals are giving evidence of Rūpa Gosvāmī's advice, that "Here is Rādhā-kuṇḍa..." But whether you have followed other things.

Guest: Vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ, pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt. Etān vegān yo viṣa... You are manipulated by the udara-vegam, upastha-vegam. First there is test: etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ (NOI 1). Then for him Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). He has got three dozen sevā-dāsī, and living in Rādhā-kuṇḍa. My Guru Mahārāja wanted to publish Govinda-līlāmṛta. He asked permission of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. So first of all Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, "I'll tell you some day." And when he reminded, he said, "Yes you can print one copy. If you are so much anxious to print it, print one copy. You'll read and you will see that you have printed. Not for distribution." So we are printing all these books for understanding properly. Not that "Here is Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Let us go." Jump over like monkey. "Here is rāsa-līlā. Immediately..."

Acyutānanda: Even in Kṛṣṇa book rāsa-līlā should not be told in public.

Prabhupāda: No, why? Kṛṣṇa book must be there, in the book must be there.

Acyutānanda: But in public...

Prabhupāda: But you should go gradually. You should go gradually. You first of all understand Kṛṣṇa, then kṛṣṇa-līlā. If you have not understood Kṛṣṇa, then you'll think Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā is just like we mix with young women. And that becomes as polluted.

Room Conversation with U.N. Doctor -- September 29, 1976, Vrndavana:

Doctor: (laughs) It's better to bark than to bite.

Prabhupāda: Then that is your satisfaction. You can do that peacefully.

Doctor: One day after barking they will come to a conclusion.

Prabhupāda: No that is... Let it be known, fact, that that will never come. If you do not know what is the aim. That is stated, durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. This is, means, a bad hope, that by this external exhibition of manipulation of energy, they will come to peace. It is not possible. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ adānta-gobhir... (SB 7.5.31). Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. This kind of leading is made by the blind leaders. If the leaders are blind and the followers are blind, what result will be there?

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Guest (2): British did it.

Guest (1): They made their servants quite all right.

Prabhupāda: They wanted for graft, to manipulate their empire. They wanted some subordinate hands. They never wanted to give real education.

Guest (2): That's true.

Prabhupāda: They wanted that the... That is cooperation. That is one of the Gandhi's understanding, that "These people are ruling over us by our cooperation. Therefore let us noncooperate and they'll fail. They'll not be able to rule."

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation about BTG the Moon -- February 18, 1977, Mayapura:

Hari-śauri: When they do their experiments in the laboratories they have to mix the chemicals themselves.

Prabhupāda: Everything is done by a living being. There must be touch by the living. Yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). He is... Understand this. He is manipulating this inferior material. It has not come automatically. There's brain. Brain means intelligence, human being. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate ja... Find out this verse.

Hari-śauri:

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ

prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām

jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho

yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat

(BG 7.5)

"Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe."

Room Conversation -- July 19, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Suspend the Communist government. Why suddenly the Communists are saying that "Oh, here is CIA"? Now, if they're saying that, Prabhupāda said, then you they should ask them "Oh, there's a big thing with them. Let us investigate." Investigate the whole matter thoroughly.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They're doing that now. The CID is investigating.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But the Central Government should investigate. Then it will be...

Prabhupāda: It should be taken by the Central Government.

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: The CID is under the Central Government.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, it is all ci... It is a Communist manipulation.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They're still in jail.

Room Conversation -- July 27-28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: There is a story that a thief entered in a room, and the proprietor, he was in the other room. As soon as there was some sound, he inquired, "Who is there in that room?" The man said, "No, no, I am not stealing." You see? That means he is thief. So this voting board raised the question, "How they are getting visa?" In the Parliament also they are raising the same question. That means it is Communist manipulation, the Māyāpura affair. They put forward some Muhammadans because there are many Muhammadan Communist also. They wanted to give a communal color. But the whole thing is Communist plan. And their aim is to wipe out any religious movement. That is their open declaration in other Communist...

Room Conversation -- October 14, 1977, Vrndavana:

Pradyumna: (Sanskrit-paśyato' pi to yoga-māyaiva)

Prabhupāda: No, just explain it. These were happening by the yogamāyā's manipulations. It is not generally happening, but on account of yogamāyā, it was so happening. Two māyās are working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa: the mahāmāyā, this material world; and yogamāyā, the spiritual world. So this uncommon thing was happening on account of yogamāyā's influence.