Finding the Cure for Today’s Social Ills 213

According to the Vedas, the measurement of the soul within the body
is one ten-thousandth part of the tip ofa hair. This is very small; in fact, it
is atomic. Yet because of that atomic spiritual energy, my body is work-
ing. Is it so difficult to understand? Suppose a man thinks himself very
stout and strong. Why is he stout and strong? Only because within his
body is a small spiritual spark. But as soon as the spiritual spark is gone,
his body dies, and his strength and vigor become void. If scientists say
that matter is the cause and origin of life, then let them bring just one
dead man back to life by injecting him with chemicals. But this they can-
not do.

Dr. Singh: Since scientists cannot see the spirit soul, they say its exis-
tence is very doubtful.

Srila Prabhupada: How can they see it? It is too small to see. Where is
such seeing power?

Dr. Singh: Still, they want to sense it by some means.

Srila Prabhupada: If you inject just one grain of deadly poison into
someone, he immediately dies. No one can see the poison or how it acts.
But the poison is acting nevertheless. In the same way, the Vedas say that
because the minute particle called the soul is within the body, the whole
body is working nicely. If I pinch myself, I immediately feel it because I
am conscious all over my skin. But as soon as the soul is absent, which is
the case when my body dies, you can take this same skin and cut it and
chop it, and no one will protest. Why is this simple thing so hard to
understand? Is this not detecting spirit?

Dr. Singh: That is the soul. But what about God?

Srila Prabhupada: First of all let us understand the soul. The soul is a
small God. If you understand the sample, then you can understand the
whole.

Now here is matter. [Srila Prabhupdda points at a dead tree with his
cane.] Formerly leaves and twigs were growing from this tree. Why are
they not growing now? Can the scientists answer this question?
Karandhara dasa: They would say the chemical composition has changed.
Srila Prabhupada: All right, then if they are so advanced in knowledge
of chemistry, they must supply the proper chemicals to make branches
and leaves grow again.

Brahmananda Swami: Knowledge means that one must be able to dem-
onstrate his theory. They should be able to show in their laboratories that
life is caused by a combination of chemicals.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, the scientific method means first observation,
then hypothesis, and then demonstration. But these scientists cannot
