Finding the Cure for Today’s Social Ills 217
Dr. Singh: So there is an ascending process of gaining.knowledge and a
descending process?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. The ascending process will never be successful
because it relies on information gathered through the senses, and the
senses are imperfect. So we accept the descending process.

God cannot be known by the inductive process. Therefore He is called
adhoksaja, which means ‘‘unknowable by direct perception.’ The scien-
tists say there is no God because they are trying to understand by direct
perception. But He is adhoksaja; therefore the scientists are ignorant of
God because they are missing the method of knowing Him. In order to
understand transcendental science, one must approach a bona fide spiri-
tual master, hear from him submissively, and render service to him.
Lord Krsna explains this in the Bhagavad-gitd [4.34]: tad viddhi pra-
nipatena pariprasnena sevaya.

Dr. Singh: There is a scientific journal called Nature. It contains articles
concerning natural products like plants and animals, but it does not men-
tion God—only nature.

Srila Prabhupada: We may correctly observe that plants are being pro-
duced by nature, but we must ask, ‘‘What has produced nature?”’ To ask
this question is intelligence.

Dr. Singh: The scientists don’t think about that.

Srila Prabhupada: So they are fools. As soon as we speak of nature, the
next question should be, ‘‘ Whose nature?” For instance, I speak of my :
nature, and you speak of your nature. Therefore, as soon as nature is
mentioned, the next inquiry should be, ‘‘ Whose nature?”’

Nature means energy, and as soon as you speak of energy, you must
accept that there is a source of that energy. For example, the source of
electric energy is the electric powerhouse. Electricity is not produced
automatically. We must install a powerhouse and a generator. Similarly,
in the Vedas it is said that material nature is working under Krsna’s
direction.

Dr. Singh: So do you mean to say that science has started from an inter-
mediate point—not from the original point?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is it exactly. They are ignorant of the origin.
The scientists start from one point—but where does that point come
from? That they do not know, in spite of vast research. One has to accept

- that the original source is God, who is full of all mystic powers andfrom

whom everything emanates. He Himself says in the Bhagavad-gitd [10.8]:
aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate, ‘‘Il am the source of
all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me.’’ Our
