Śrīla Prabhupāda : Contribution in Science

Over the past few centuries, scientists gradually undermined the Biblical explanation of the origin of life and the universe. Although at first ridiculed and persecuted, they eventually won the day. Most modern theologians consequently try to explain scripture in terms not contradictory to modern science. Ever hoping for the merciful approval of the scientists, their attempt is to somehow or other keep the religion alive, even as a poor second fiddle to science.

Today materialistic science dominates scholastics; therefore such scientists were the recipients of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s most challenging critiques. Prabhupāda exposed their bluffs and proved the chicken to be a better scientist than they! Prabhupāda had not spent years in scientific research, nor was he familiar with complex scientific hypotheses, yet he was the greatest scientist because he knew the source of all scientific knowledge. He dared to confront the entire world, having full faith in śāstra and Kṛṣṇa.

Who else could stand up to the Western world, proud of its telescopes, and declare, “The moon is further away than the sun”? Not only did Śrīla Prabhupāda assert it, but he veritably mocked the scientists, and took every opportunity to rebut their nonsense idea that the moon is a tiny satellite of the earth. The scientists have their universities, research grants, consensual scientific opinion, and imperfect senses. Śrīla Prabhupāda has śāstra.

“I have never studied science, but I am challenging them. They may take me as crazy, but I am not crazy. I am right.” (Letter, 12 November 1974.)

Some of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s contributions to modern science are as follows:

(1) Life Comes From Life—concepts to revolutionize conventional views of the universe. Present trends of interest in consciousness within science can reach their conclusion via the pages of Life Comes From Life. Śrīla Prabhupāda introduced a clear understanding of consciousness as a phenomenon independent of matter. For this alone, it is likely that future philosophers will look back to Śrīla Prabhupāda as the greatest contributor to the history of modern thought.

(2) Presentation of a worldview both rational and theistic that can synthesize all branches of modern thought and research and bring them to the logical conclusion that the universe arises from design, not chance. Prabhupāda explained how the universe comes into being, why it comes into being, and who is the cause of its being.

(3) By challenging materialistic scientific dogma and presenting his vision to competent scientists, Śrīla Prabhupāda inaugurated trends of thought that can lead to advances presently unimagined in science. After all, most major breakthroughs in science have occurred because great minds, such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Einstein, dared to think radically and innovatively.

(4) Prabhupāda brought Vedic epistemology and ontology into the realm of science. He did not reject the scientific method, but recommended first hearing from scripture and then doing research based on scriptural insight. Modern science prefers “bottom-up,” the ascending process, to “top-down,” the descending method, but Prabhupāda came to turn all of that upside down. However, his presentation was not dogmatic, “You must believe me,” but analytic, “This is why you must believe me.” Through logic and reason, Śrīla Prabhupāda was able to convince scientists—not many, but the few who came to him were given guidelines for making a revolution in science.

(5) He provided Vedic concepts for advanced scientific research.

(6) Vedic astronomy—a God’s-eye view of the universe otherwise unperceivable through man’s eyes.

SOURCE: Jaya Srila Prabhupada, Book written by H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Swami