Śyāmasundara: They can't create a machine that will act like a human?
Prabhupāda: No, no. Even if it can act, still it has to be worked. Unless I push the buttons, you cannot work. That they are missing. Just like you say that computer machine is the same, or so many things, but as soon as you say that "I want this," immediately. But you have to push the button. This machine is working when I push this plug into the electricity.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Just like a computer cannot correct a mistake. They'll just give a message that it's wrong. That's all.
Śyāmasundara: No. They have correction. They have correction.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. Even they... But ultimately the mechanic (is) able to work on the computer machine.
Śyāmasundara: But what about this artificially changing bodies before they are born, before they are growing?
Prabhupāda: That is also same thing. Just like I change your shirt, what is that?
Śyāmasundara: But I mean, isn't that a demonic act?
Prabhupāda: That we shall consider later. Demonic it must be, but this change, this change can be possible.
Śyāmasundara: If by our karma we desire a certain type of body but they create all the bodies to be the same, how is that? But men are tampering with the bodies.
Prabhupāda: Let them create first, then say. Where is the man they are creating? It is simply theory.
Līlāvatī: That living entity would still have the same desire, that previous desire for that previous body, won't he? If some scientist can change the genes so that the jīva can have a different kind of body, he still would have the previous desires?
Prabhupāda: No, no. That is not possible. If his body... The word is daiva netreṇa: by superior arrangement. So how these rascals can be superior? They are not.
Atreya Ṛṣi: And also, Prabhupāda, in case, for example some scientist makes a change, like if the scientist comes and cuts off my hand, that's also my karma. In that way he's not making a change. Everything that is happening is God's plan.
Prabhupāda: No, no, no, no, no. Everything, even if it is not in my karma, I can cut, I become responsible for cutting.
Atreya Ṛṣi: In other words, if somebody comes and cuts my hand...
Prabhupāda: Yes. He can do that. He creates his own karma.
Atreya Ṛṣi: Jaya. But how about my karma?
Prabhupāda: My karma is that such thing may happen. Your karma is that he'll also cut his hand, next life.
Atreya Ṛṣi: The fact that my hand got cut this life, wasn't this due to something I did before? (end)