202 THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION

statement without argument. That is the way of Vedic understanding.
Prof. Kotovsky: The difficulty is that our approach is that we do not
believe in anything without argument. We can believe only things based
on argument.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is allowed. That is stated in the Bhagavad-
gita [4.34]. Tad viddhi pranipdtena pariprasnena sevayd. Pariprasna, argu-
ment, is allowed—but not in the challenging spirit, but rather with the
spirit to understand. Argument is not denied. But as far as Vedic state-
ments are concerned, they are infallible, and the scholars of the Vedas ac-
cept them in that way. For example, cow dung is the stool of an animal.
Now, the Vedic statement is that as soon as you touch the stool of any
animal—even if you touch your own stool—you are impure and have to
purify yourself by taking a bath. According to the Hindu system, after
evacuating one has to take a bath.

Prof. Kotovsky: That is quite understandable hygienic knowledge.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.

Prof. Kotovsky: Yes, that is right.

Srila Prabhupada: But in another place it is stated that cow dung, al-
though the stool of an animal, is pure. Even if you apply it to an impure
place, that place becomes purified. This is superficially contradictory. In
one place it is said that the stool of an animal is impure and as soon as you
touch it you have to be purified, and in another place it says that cow
dung is pure. According to our knowledge, it is contradictory —but still it
is accepted by those who are followers of the Vedas. And the fact is that if
you analyze cow dung, you will find that it contains all antiseptic
properties.

Prof. Kotovsky: This I don’t know.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, one professor in a medical college analyzed it,
and he found it full of antiseptic properties. So Vedic statements, even if
found contradictory, if analyzed scrutinizingly will prove correct. There
may be an exception. But it is accepted, and when scientifically analyzed
and examined, it is found to be correct.

Prof. Kotovsky: Yes, if you analyze from the scientific point of view, that
is right.

Srila Prabhupada: There are other instances—for example, the conch-
shell. The conchshell is the bone of an animal, and according to Vedic in-
struction if you touch the bone of an animal you become impure and
have to take a bath. But this conchshell is kept in the Deity room because
it is accepted as pure by the Vedas. My point is that we accept Vedic laws
