Kṛṣṇa gives information in the Bhagavad-gītā, apareyam: "These elements, even up to mind, intelligence, ego," bhinnā, "they are My separated energy, separated energy. And," apareyam, "this is inferior. And there is another, superior nature." Apareyam itas tv viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā (BG 7.5). Parā means "superior." Now, they may be asking, "What is that? We know these elements only. What is that another, superior energy?" Jīva bhūtaḥ mahā-bāho (BG 7.5), clearly said: "That is living . . ." And they are thinking that there is no other superior energy except these eight material elements or five elements. Therefore they are in ignorance. It is for the first time they are getting some knowledge, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, and from that they can know that there is another, superior energy, who is jīva-bhūtaḥ. The living entity which is moving the body, that is superior energy. So they have no information, neither there is an attempt to understand that superior energy in their universities or institution. Therefore they are mūḍha, mūḍhas. They may be very much puffed up of their so-called knowledge, but according to Vedic knowledge they are mūḍhas. And if one cannot understand the superior energy, prakṛti, nature, then how one can understand God? That is not possible. Then again, dealings between God and the superior energy, that is bhakti. It is very difficult. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). That siddhaye means to understand that superior energy. That is siddhi. And after that, one can understand Kṛṣṇa.
So it is very difficult, especially in this age. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). They are . . . Mandāḥ means they are not interested, or even they are little interested, they are very slow. They do not understand this is the prime knowledge. And first of all you must know it, athāto brahma jijñāsā, that superior knowledge. That is required. But everyone is neglecting. There is no inquisitiveness even what is that thing which is moving this body. There is no inquiry. They think automatically, by combination of this matter . . . They are still persisting on this point, and when you challenge, "You take this chemical and prepare the living force," they'll say, "That I cannot do." And what is this? If you cannot do, then why you are speaking like nonsense, that "The combination of matter or chemicals gives the life"? You take the chemicals. Our Dr. Svarūpa Dāmodara in the California University . . . One big professor came to lecture on chemical evolution, and he challenged immediately, that "If I give you the chemicals, can you produce life?" He said, "That I cannot say." (chuckles) So this is their position. They cannot prove it. They cannot do it. Science means not only observation but experiment also. That is complete. Otherwise theory. It is not science. So they have got different theories. That anyone can put forward. That is not . . . But real fact is that Kṛṣṇa is spiritual and He's the Supreme. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). This is the Vedic injunction. God is the supreme nitya, eternal, and the supreme living being. In the dictionary also it is said, "God means the supreme being." They could not understand "supreme living being." But in the Vedas it is said not only supreme being, but supreme living being. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). That is the description of God. So it is very difficult to understand even the spiritual substance, and what to speak of God. The beginning of spiritual knowledge is to understand first of all what is spirit. And they are taking the intelligence or mind as spirit. But that is not spirit. Beyond that.