No Missing Link and No Species Extinct

Founder-Acharya of the world-wide Hare Krishna Movement, Brahma Sampradaya Acharya

Species differentiated according to modes of nature

Svarup Damodar: The biologists have a difficult time in defining species. It's not very clear, the way they do it. Now we want to bring up the concept that the combination of the three modes of material nature produces all these different varieties of species. We say 8,400,000. And on that line...

Prabhupada: 8,400,000.

Svarup Damodar: Yes. Now we want to make a very clear distinction of, say, the mode of goodness and mode of passion and ignorance. And we want to give some very specific examples...

Prabhupada: The demigods, they are in goodness. And the human being in passion, and the animals in ignorance. That is general division.

Svarup Damodar: What about the plants and other smaller...?

Prabhupada: That is also animals, less, still more in dense darkness.

Svarup Damodar: The other point along this line, we also wanted to, even in the same animal or bird kingdom...

Prabhupada: No, no. You can very minutely distinguish, this is the general division. Then there is minute division. That is numbering about 8,400,000.

Svarup Damodar: Under that category, that minor divisions, now let's take the animals. Even in the animal kingdom, there are some animals which are influenced...

Prabhupada: From the animals down, it is all ignorance.

Svarup Damodar: Animals down, all ignorance.

Rupanuga: What about like the cow, little goodness in it, mixed?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Rupanuga: And the lion, little passion?

Prabhupada: Yes. No, everywhere there is mixture. Otherwise, how it comes to 8,000,000? There is mixture. But this is the general division. Now you cannot make how much passion, how much goodness is there. That you can understand from the behavior. But this is general division. We can speak of general division. The minute division is made by nature. That nature's study, one who can study nature, then he can do that.

Rupanuga: That means to study the activity, psychology of the...

Prabhupada: So all the qualities are working, mixed up practically. But prominently like this. Here you cannot have any quality completely of that quality. Other qualities are there, but prominently that particular... Just like demigods. They also become sometimes passionate, sometimes ignorant. So in this material world it is very difficult to find out pure modes of nature in anything. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Sometimes some quality prominent, sometimes some quality is prominent. So the best thing is to become transcendental to all these qualities. Sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bhagavad-gita 14.26]. That is devotional service. Shuddha-sattva, completely pure goodness. That is wanted.

Svarup Damodar: That is not the direction that we were thinking. We were thinking that we could give some specific examples. We understand that the modes of nature are mixed, but even then... Now let's take birds. A bird like swan likes to be very clean habit, likes to live in a nice environment like lotus and clean water, but on the other hand birds like eagle, very passionate, wants to...

Prabhupada: Crow.

Svarup Damodar: Crow is rather very ignorant and wants to be very dirty, whereas...

Prabhupada: So what you will do by such study?

Svarup Damodar: By this...

Prabhupada: Generalize the divisions, that's all. But none of the divisions are spiritual . Our aim is to come to the spiritual platform. Traigunya-vishaya veda nistraigunyo bhavarjuna. Not that to increase goodness and keep a less quantity passion and ignorance. Be completely free from all the three qualities, that is required.

So some other living entity who is prominent in this quality, prominent that, it does not make much difference. So long he is in the material qualities, he's entrapped. So get him out of this condition and put him into the spiritual platform. That is the solution. Nistraigunyo bhavarjuna. In the material world if you think that the quantity of goodness is now big than the other modes of nature, that does not make a solution. Next moment the passion will be prominent, next moment the ignorance will be prominent. You cannot check it or fix him up in one quality. It is not possible. That is not possible. The best thing is to bring him to the unconditional stage, transcendental stage. Sa gunan... Keep him engaged in devotional service, he is free from influence of all these qualities. That is wanted.

Svarup Damodar: That is on a human platform, but we wanted to appeal purely on a scientific level to the scientists. Now in order to bring these concepts that these three modes of nature, because of mixing of these three modes of nature it produces different species, varieties of species... Now this is completely unknown to them. They have no idea about these modes. So somehow we thought if we bring some specific examples like this, that looking the products of nature as a source, not worrying about transcendental or not...

Prabhupada: What is the use of such things? If you particularly study that this living entity is now in this mode, say goodness fifty percent and passion ten percent, in this way, but it can change at any moment. You cannot fix it up.

Svarup Damodar: That is good, because if we argue this we can always defeat this concept of evolution. Our main point is to defeat the concept of evolution.

Not evolution of the body, but transmigration of the living entity from one body to another

Prabhupada: No, no. It is not evolution. The species are already there, 8,400,000. Now the living entity is changing the position. The status is already there.

This is the position. Just like there are apartments are already there. Sometimes I am coming here, sometimes going there, but this is the position. I'm not fixed up. Similarly, living entity, as soon as he changes his mind, the apartment is ready. Here is your position. Again he changes, "Here, here is your position." They are already there. Not that for him especially being created. The species are already there. As soon as he fixes himself up particular species, he's transferred, daiva-netrena karmana. He gets a similar body, "Come on, here, take this body." Yantrarudhani mayaya [Bg. 18.61]. These are explained. So he's transmigrating, he's not fixed up. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. He gets, by his desire, he gets a particular body. Then after some time he changes to another body.

Svarup Damodar: The question is, now we want to argue that "How is it possible, now you are claiming that life is coming from molecules? If you claim like that, then how is it possible that in the same species, let's say in the birds, that these qualities are spreading?" Some birds we see behave like a little influenced by the modes of goodness, though it is mixed. Like swan, we are taking that example. But some are like eagle, very passionate, wants to kill small birds as their food, and on the other hand, birds like crows, they like just to be completely ignorant, or they like to survive in a dirty environment. Why? Is this possible just from the concept of molecular evolution? It's completely, it's failing. They have no explanation along those terms. So we thought to bring up these points, it will be very clear that this evolution is completely wrong. So we want to use that...

Prabhupada: There is no question of evolution. It is already there. This is a wrong theory. The monkey is there, the man is there. The soul is going from monkey to man. It is not the evolution. Just like you have got apartment, ten rupees, five rupees, twenty rupees, thirty rupees, like that. Now, as you pay, "Come on, here." There is no question of evolution. It is already there. Jantur dehopapattaye. These dehas, these bodies, are already there. So immediately it develops a particular type of desire, "Yes, come here, sit down." First class, second class, third class, fourth class is already there. As you pay, "Yes, come here." It is not evolving; it is already there. He is transferred from one apartment to another. This has to be convinced. We don't find that monkey's body became a human body. That is not in the experience, anyone. The monkey is there, the human being is there. But the soul is going from monkey's body to human's body, or monkey's body to another body. That is by superior administration. Their theory is the body is evolving and some body is missing. Nothing is missing. Every body is there. The soul is being transferred from one body to another. Asatims chaturam chaiva laksams jiva jatishu. Jati means the form of the body. So the form of the body is already there, and the living entity is being transferred from one body to another. This is called transmigration. We have come here, not that that room developed. This room is here, that room is there, but I am transferring. Because they have no idea of soul, they are thinking that this nice room, now transform into this room or this room, transform... This is foolishness. A civil man transferred into jail—not that his civil house becomes jail. They are thinking wrongly like that—Darwin's theory. Body becoming changed. No. The different types of bodies are already there. The living entity is being transferred from one body to another. Just try to explain. So evolution you take that this apartment is better than that apartment, that apartment better than, and a living entity's going from one after another. So this is evolution. That you are now getting salary, one thousand dollar, now you get fifteen hundred dollars. So according to your qualification, you are getting.

Svarup Damodar: When we talk about evolution, in our understanding, evolution is evolution of consciousness.

Prabhupada: Yes. We say karma. Evolution of karma. So karma is also based on consciousness. If you like to do a particular type of work, that can be changed, consciousness.

Evolutionary process of transcending the modes of ignorance, passion and goodness

Svarup Damodar: So, Srila Prabhupada, you think giving examples, or like making a division of these animals under category of these three modes is not proper? After all, all the modes are mixed. Now can we say that a cow is, although there are other modes, but predominantly the mode of goodness?

Prabhupada: Predominantly ignorance. Cow, just like cows, or, yes...

Svarup Damodar: Cows, then tigers, lions we can give predominantly passion. Now coming to either camels or pigs we can call ignorance.

Prabhupada: So many, very subtle, subtle mixture. That subtleness of mixture is impossible for you to analyze.

Svarup Damodar: Yes, that's true. So we shouldn't do this?

Prabhupada: Therefore it is said daiva-netrena, superior administration. You cannot do it. It's taking place in this way, that's all. That much you can say. You cannot actually analyze a particular body, what percentage of this or... That's impossible.

Svarup Damodar: Actually, we are not analyzing, but we're just giving this by seeing from practical example.

Prabhupada: That is already there, one life after another. That is already there by superior arrangement. Very fine arrangement, exactly to the percentage of different qualities, the body is already there. Simply the soul has to be put into that body by superior arrangement. Say, first-class passenger, what does he require? The apartment is already made by expert, what is needed for a first-class passenger?

Svarup Damodar: He needs some more money. He must be rich to get a first-class apartment.

Prabhupada: Yes, but so far arrangement, just like Western hotels, everything is so complete. They know what a first-class man wants. So expert. They have already made. You don't require to say anything, that "I want..." So complete. But the steps are already mentioned. Aquatics, then plants, vegetation, then insects, reptiles, then birds, then beasts. These are the gradual...

Svarup Damodar: So we'd like actually to bring out very clearly why the swan is different from a crow. What is it. What makes it different. Why a swan behaves this way and a crow behaves this way.

Prabhupada: According to combination of these modes.

Svarup Damodar: That's why we want to bring out, that modes of nature, that can explain so many things so nicely, the difference, but science has no background on that.

Prabhupada: That means you have to analyze different bodies. But that is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, which apartment is better than the other apartment, there is description. Just like a dog's body is so made that two furlongs away some newcomer is coming, immediately he will bark, he can immediately understand, perceive. He can smell that "Somebody is coming who is not known to me." Is it not? So he has got that special quality. Even in animals we will find. A fish in the water, two miles away there is some enemy, they can understand by touch.

Svarup Damodar: Science calls those chemical senses.

Prabhupada: These are described in the Bhagavata, the different perception of different senses, how one is prominent in one animal body. That is described.

Rupanuga: Like you have the example the tongue for the fish, an elephant, his genital, and you gave some other, these are there in the Bhagavatam. The deer, the ear.

Svarup Damodar: That's due to the combination of the modes, as a result of the mixing of the three modes in different percentage. So we can even just mention like that in this...

Prabhupada: That you can take from the authoritative statement you find.

Svarup Damodar: So shall we make an attempt to give these examples like this, or just mention it? What's better? What do you think?

Rupanuga: Well, one thing, the biologists haven't even really counted up many so-called species themselves. So why should we get into such..., worry about the details? They don't have the detail themselves.

Svarup Damodar: No, not details, but we wanted to show that there is such thing as the three modes of nature, they are working, not just by chemical combination these things are produced. We want to say that the three modes are there. Because of the working of the...

Prabhupada: No, the three modes induces chemical composition. Then RNA, DNA [laughs]...

Svarup Damodar: But this is very unique in science itself. It's a very novel concept just from scientific level.

Devotee: The scientists have a desire to explain things. They like to see that you can explain so many different things. Perhaps it doesn't have any real utility to explain.

Prabhupada: So, as far as possible, you can give explanation from Bhagavatam . Otherwise, how you can...

So the general division in the higher planetary system is the devatas, beginning from sun, moon and other planetary systems, they are in modes of goodness prominent. Less, below that, bhur bhuvah, they are passionate, and below that, they are ignorant.

Devotee: Do the number of demigods have something to do with the number of species, like there are thirty-three million demigods?

Prabhupada: There are thirty-three million. Thirty crores. There are also divisions, Gandharvas, Apsaras.

Svarup Damodar: Do they belong to these species? They are also included in these eight million four hundred? These Gandharvas?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Svarup Damodar: So they are counted, what, as human beings?

Prabhupada: Some of them are devatas, some of them are human being.

Rupanuga: When we say four hundred thousand species of human beings, that doesn't include all the demigods then.

Prabhupada: The demigods are like human beings.

The whole evolutionary process means to bring the living entity to the platform of goodness and then transcend that platform also, come to pure goodness. That is devotion.

Are you fit for A class, B class, C class or D class?

Devotee: Prabhupada? You explained that all those forms are already existing. What is the meaning of all those forms if there is no one inhabiting them? Why is it that they all exist without...

Prabhupada: No, no, how you can say nobody is inhabiting?

Devotee: You said that they are there, you just go to the different forms. So that means they are existing without anyone living there?

Prabhupada: No, form, a class of form. It can be immediately, that A class, B class, C class, D class. So if you are fit for D class, immediately form for you, a D class body is there, made.

Svarup Damodar: It is also existing in the sense that in the unmanifested form, before it is manifested, the form is there.

Prabhupada: No, no. That is species. Form is there already. They are existing. So you require to get another form, but the same class. First-class compartment is there. If it is, one bogey is already, first-class filled up, then railroad company brings another bogey and gives place to the passengers. That's all, there is no difficulty. What is the difficulty? Put him into this particular mother's womb and he gets a form, that's all. Parasya shaktir vividhaiva shruyate [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 13.65, purport]. Don't compare Krishna's power with your power. He can do anything, anyone, immediately.

Svarup Damodar: So called Achintya. (pause) What is the biological concept of species?

Sadaputa: All they can do is base it on the similarity of what the animals look like. They have trouble counting species.

All species going on all time

Sadaputa: Are there different creations and annihilations of species?

Prabhupada: There are different, when Brahma goes to sleep, that is one kind of devastation, and when he dies there is one kind. And during Brahma's days there are other devastations, manvantara.

Sadaputa: After a devastation, do the...

Prabhupada: Different classes of devastation. There are many devastations during Brahma's day, and there is another devastation during Brahma's sleep, and another devastation when Brahma dies.

Svarup Damodar: And during different Manus also.

Prabhupada: That is day. Such devastation takes place during Brahma's day. Fourteen Manus.

Svarup Damodar: Do we know that in detail, Srila Prabhupada? What type of species are extinct? Not all the species extinct. As it is during Brahma's day, that partial annihilation, devastation, now some species are extinct?

Prabhupada: No species extinct. What you are reading? This is garbage.

Svarup Damodar: The physical forms.

Prabhupada: No, nothing is extinct. Everything is going on.

Svarup Damodar: At that point, they are going to come up with the point that "How about dinosaurs?" They are going to ask like that.

Prabhupada: That is imagination. Where is dinosaur finding?

Svarup Damodar: They say they have all the bones.

Prabhupada: No, they are describing maybe another animal. That is existing. That is Timingila, they can swallow up big, big whale fishes. That big, bones, they are living still. Nothing is extinct. They are already there.

Rupanuga: Did these dinosaurs exist, or is it just their imagination?

Prabhupada: The big animal exists. I call it "dinosaur" or "finosaur", that is your choice. Big animals existing. Timingila, I said the name, Timingila, still exist.

Rupanuga: Still exist.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. They are always existing. Water elephants. There are elephants in water. Everything.

Rupanuga: So there is no such thing as extinction.

Prabhupada: No extinction, there is no question of extinction.

Rupanuga: If these animals were on this planet some millions of years ago, they are still here, is that correct?

Prabhupada: Yes. What do you know what are there within the water? You can take information from the shastras. It is not possible for you to see and go into the water, how big, big animals are there.

Hari-sauri: But it's possible that an animal may disappear from one planet, but still be on another planet, though, like that.

Prabhupada: No.

Hari-sauri: Because they claim that even within recorded history...

Prabhupada: They claim everything. That is... There is no question.

Svarup Damodar: ... fossil, they are called fossil record.

Prabhupada: That is another thing. You can get a dead animal's body, but what is that?

Svarup Damodar: They claim that many species are extinct.

Prabhupada: How they are extinct?

Hari-sauri: Well, like, they say that within modern history,

Prabhupada: First thing is they are all imperfect speculators. So what is the value of their sport? We don't take any value of it.

Rupanuga: They don't know where these animals are, that's all.

Prabhupada: They, simply like child, they are speculating. If he's imperfect, then what is the value of his speculation? There is no value.

Svarup Damodar: But then what happens at the time of partial devastation? At the end of Manu, the partial devastation, what happens to the species?

Prabhupada: Happens means these different ways become destroyed, but again, during creation, they come in.

Hari-sauri: The same species.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Svarup Damodar: Is it also—I don't know if this is speculation or not—but is it, Srila Prabhupada, is it also not possible, say, at the time of creation, now those material bodies are going to be created, also possible not to manifest all of them but some are not still manifested?

Prabhupada: Yes, they are created. What is the wrong there?

Svarup Damodar: They are created, but not all of them. Not all the bodies...

Prabhupada: Why? Why not? If some of them can be created, why not all of them? If some of them can be created, all of them can be created. Why do you say some of them can be created, not all of them?

Svarup Damodar: No, all of them can be created, but according to the karma-phala, or action of the individual, so there may be some time to...

Prabhupada: Yes. The last devastation he died, but his karma-phala remained. So he has to appear in that form, begin his work.

Svarup Damodar: So in principle, at the time of creation, all forms must be created.

Prabhupada: According to...

Rupanuga: Because there is always someone to occupy some form.

Prabhupada: Someone is ready already.

Rupanuga: Waiting.

Prabhupada: It is called suptotthita-nyaya. Suptotthito-nyaya. Just like you are sleeping, you forget everything. And as soon as you get up, immediately remember, "I have to do this." Immediately your duty is present. Immediately you understand "I have to go here, I have to do, I have to purchase..." But while sleeping, he forgot everything. It is like that. When devastation, everything is finished. Again creation, this suptotthita-nyaya, he's coming in this body, he's coming this body, so many. Unless he has got the particular body, how he can work? Unfinished.

Sadaputa: I was thinking like in Bhagavatam, it says Chakshusha-Manvantara, Daksha recreated all the necessary living beings. So I was thinking it must have been that they were destroyed in a devastation and that he recreated them.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Sadaputa: We were trying to see how we could explain these fossils that geologists speak of, and it seems like one way of looking at them.

Prabhupada: But their calculating mind, in whatever you explain you have to give reference to the shastra, and they will say it is, what is called? Myth, mythology. They'll refuse immediately that thing. But you have no other source to explain. And they will take it immediately, "It is all mythology."