Creation flows from the Supreme Person's conscious entry into matter, not from impersonal explosion or automatic processes.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.3.1 — November 14, 1972, Vṛndāvana 721114SB-VRNDAVAN [38:37 Minutes] SB-01.03.01_721114SB-VRNDAVAN Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] sūta uvāca jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁ bhagavān mahad-ādibhiḥ sambhūtaṁ ṣoḍaśa-kalam ādau loka-sisṛkṣayā [SB 1.3.1] [break] [leads chanting of synonyms] sūtaḥ uvāca—Sūta said; jagṛhe—accepted; pauruṣam—plenary portion as the puruṣa incarnation; rūpam—form; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; mahat-ādibhiḥ—with the ingredients of the material world; sambhūtam—thus there was the creation of; ṣoḍaśa-kalam—sixteen primary principles; ādau—in the beginning; loka—the universes; sisṛkṣayā—on the intention of creating.
[03:11] Translation: "Sūta said: In the beginning of the creation, the Lord first expanded Himself in the universal form of the puruṣa incarnation and manifested all the ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the purpose of creating the material universe." Prabhupāda: Hmm. jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁ bhagavān mahad-ādibhiḥ sambhūtaṁ ṣoḍaśa-kalam ādau loka-sisṛkṣayā [SB 1.3.1] So ādau, in the beginning, loka-sisṛkṣayā, for creating the cosmology, jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam, person, the creation is coming from the person, not from imperson. The modern scientists, their theory of creation...
"There was something matter chunk," or something like that. What do they say? What was the beginning of creation, Hayagrīva Prabhu? Hayagrīva: Uh, one is that there was a mass that exploded, and all of these universes came out in the explosion. The other is that the universe is a solid state universe, that it is constantly existing and regenerating itself.
These two theories. One's called "Big Bang Theory," and the other's called "Solid State Theory." "Steady State," "Steady State." Prabhupāda: Anyway... Hayagrīva: In either case, there was something there. Prabhupāda: Eh? Hayagrīva: In either case, there was something originally there, which they don't explain. Prabhupāda: But here we find it quite reasonable. Because everything is..., is from the person. Jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam.
Rūpam, form. It is not from imperson. Jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. So we don't theorize.
We accept the statement of the Vedas. That is our process of knowledge. Eh? Descending process.
We take knowledge from the authority. Of course, the scientists also say they take from authority, but originally, as explained by our Hayagrīva Prabhu, it does not appear that the knowledge was taken from authority; it is theory. Theory, one can put theory of his own, and there are so many theories. But we don't accept theories. We want solid fact. The solid fact is the Lord created.