Life originates from consciousness; understanding this requires devotional knowledge of the Absolute Truth.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Prabhupāda: Some talking? There is no talking? Svarūpa Dāmodara: Pardon, Prabhupāda? Prabhupāda: This slide's without talking? Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, we will make little... We are just testing. [background discussion while setting up] om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedāntasvāmin iti nāmine namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi- pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. Prabhupāda: You can give light. Hari-śauri: I've got a torch, flashlight. I have a flashlight. [whispering and movement going on while setting up] Prabhupāda: You can cover it with some cloth.
Take that cloth. Hari-śauri: Use that cādara on the back of the rocking chair. Prabhupāda: No, cādara will be too heavy. You can take this. Svarūpa Dāmodara: Now, most of these slides will appear in our book, the origin of life and matter, Life Comes From Life only. Now Sadāpūta and myself made these slides. These are some of the...
Only a few slides. We specifically want comments from Your Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda, whether these slides will be appropriate to be in the book. Now this is the philosophy between the difference between life and matter. So this is Sāṅkhya philosophy.
The principles and the philosophy, as Śrīla Prabhupāda comments in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the Third Canto, the Sāṅkhya philosophy is especially meant for persons who are conditioned by this material world. And by understanding the science of devotional service and Sāṅkhya philosophy, one can become free from the modes of material nature. So we want to impose that in order to understand the distinction between life and matter, one must have at least a glimpse of the Absolute Truth, at least some idea of the Absolute Truth. Otherwise, it is completely impossible to understand the difference between what is life and what is matter.
That is why scientists nowadays are so much confused about the concept of life and matter. So in fact the scientist Orgel, in his book The Origin of Life, he starts with saying that "What is life? The question 'What is life?' should not be inquired." He says... Prabhupāda: One minute. That Absolute Truth is explained in the Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1].
Absolute Truth is that from whom everything comes into existence, everything emanates. Now that has been discussed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that..., because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the natural commentary by the same author. So he begins, janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ. This word is used.
He's not dead body, dead matter—abhijñaḥ, life. In the beginning. That source of everything, janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ [SB 1.1.1]. Just like a mother gives birth to a child.