Perfect knowledge of God comes through devotional service, not intellectual speculation or scientific reasoning.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.22 — August 25, 1972, Los Angeles 720825SB-LOS ANGELES [34:00 Minutes] SB-01.02.22_720825SB-LOS ANGELES [Govindam prayers playing] [Prabhupāda sings along] Prabhupāda: [sings Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava] [prema-dhvani] Thank you very much. Devotees: All glories to Śrī Guru and Gauranga. [devotees offer obeisances] Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
[leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] ato vai kavayo nityaṁ bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā vāsudeve bhagavati kurvanty ātma-prasādanīm [SB 1.2.22] Prabhupāda: [interrupts devotees' chanting of verse] The word, not "vay", it is vai [pronounces "voy"]. [chanting resumes] Ladies. Ladies. [ladies chant] That's all.
Now, word meaning. Pradyumna: [leads chanting of synonyms] ataḥ—therefore; vai—certainly; kavayaḥ—all transcendentalists; nityam—from time immemorial; bhaktim—service unto the Lord; paramayā—supreme; mudā—with great delight; vāsudeve—Śrī Kṛṣṇa; bhagavati—the Personality of Godhead; kurvanti—do render; ātma—self; prasādanīm—that which enlivens. [12:24] Translation: "Therefore all transcendentalists have been rendering loving service with great delight to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, from time immemorial because such devotional service is enlivening to the self." Prabhupāda: So "therefore." The word is "therefore." "Therefore" means after concluding something, then we say "therefore." When we talk, when we argue, when we come to the conclusion, then we say "therefore." Or when our argument is strong, then we say "therefore." So this "therefore" means that one is firmly convinced. As it is described in the previous verse, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ.
Sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Saṁśaya means doubtfulness. Now this morning we were talking with our scientist friend whether the ultimate source of everything... First of all, the conclusion is that everything is..., are relatively situated here. Just like some gentleman, he is son of another gentleman, relative.
Then his father is also son of another gentleman. So our this world is relative, depending one thing upon another. Nobody is self-independent. This is going on.
Then... So find out the original source of everything, that original source, whether it is senscient or insenscient. The conclusion is original source must be senscient. Because in this, our experience, experimental knowledge, we see something matter and something living. I am seeing here is a small ant and here is a big stone.
The big stone is insenscient; it cannot move. For millions of years you wait, whether the stone will move—you cannot see. No, it will not move, because it is insenscient, whereas a small ant, it is going. You just check its marching, it will struggle.