“Regarding your German acquaintance, I understand that he may be a very intelligent man and believes in science. But even the most advanced scientist depends on statements of authorities. Science begins on some definite data, just like Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravitation and so much scientific advancement depends on such authoritative statements. So even scientific knowledge has to stand on the evidence of authority. He admits that we are all spirit soul inside the body entrapped, and he believes this body is composed of various chemicals about which we know a great deal. But unfortunately, with all these chemical combinations combined together, we cannot produce a body like this; this is also a scientific fact. Just like rasagulla is a milk product everyone knows. But how to make a rasagulla from milk requires expert further knowledge. Therefore, simply to know that this body is made of chemicals is not sufficient knowledge. When one knows chemicals, then he is to be considered as the expert scientist. The spirit soul is impossible to find out by materialistic scientific means, but if one hears from authority, he may understand. The gentleman is disappointed that probably no one will ever know about the spirit, but this is not true. We know what is spirit, how does it work, how does it transmigrate from one body to another or from one planet to another. We know these very scientifically and we are firmly convinced about it. We can refute any dogmatic arguments against this conviction, and how do we do that? Simply because we start our understanding from the data of authoritative sources like Krsna or His representative.
In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna speaks about spirit soul from the very beginning. Unless one understands what is spirit soul his further advancement of the Supreme Spirit God has no value. So this gentleman is puzzled in hisunderstanding about wherefrom we have come, what we are, and where we are going. But we are certain about it. So if he wants to know all these things, there is a bona fide source for understanding these problems, providing he agrees to give a submissive aural reception to the respective authorities as much as he believes in the authoritative statements of Sir Isaac Newton. So either to accept the statements of Sir Isaac Newton or the statements of Lord Krsna, the beginning is a kind of faith. Unfortunately, the so-called scientific men can usually pin their faith on Sir Isaac Newton but not to the statements of Krsna or His representatives. So try to explain to him in this way.”
(SPL to Govinda dasi, 10th February, 1969)