Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada my Spiritual Master
“If life comes from matter, why don’t you produce life in
your laboratory?” Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
London, August 22, 1973
THE SCIENCE OF THE SOUL AND REINCARNATION.
Why Do Intelligent Design Proponents Stop at a Vague “Intelligent Cause” When Devotees of Krishna Offer the Full Personal Revelation of God?
By Devarsiratha das ACBSP (1973)
For over fifty years I have been a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. I received further guidance and diksha from Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja and have been actively preaching Krishna consciousness ever since. Chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra daily and studying Prabhupada’s books “as it is,” I have seen how the Vedic literature provides a complete spiritual science, far beyond partial understandings of reality.
Recently I have observed an interesting pattern among proponents of the Intelligent Design (ID) movement. These scientists and philosophers present strong evidence that life and the universe display specified complexity and irreducible systems that point to an intelligent cause rather than blind, unguided processes like neo-Darwinian evolution. Books and arguments from figures associated with the Discovery Institute rightly challenge the materialistic claim that chance and necessity alone can explain DNA information, cellular machines, or cosmic fine-tuning.
This much is welcome. Srila Prabhupada himself used similar logic: just as a watch implies a watchmaker, the intricate order in nature implies a supreme intelligent designer, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In *Life Comes from Life* Prabhupada directly addresses the scientists: “The scientist says that life comes from matter. But we say that life comes from life. That is the difference.” He further states, “All right, scientist, why is life not coming from matter now? You rascal. Why isn’t life coming from matter now? Actually such scientists are rascals. They childishly say that life came from matter, although they are not at all able to prove it.”
Yet when it comes to identifying who that designer actually is, many ID advocates suddenly raise a large umbrella. They speak only of a generic “intelligence,” “designer,” or “God” without naming Him specifically or describing His personality, form, qualities, pastimes, or eternal abode. The same caution appears in some other religious circles: “God” is acceptable as a safe, tolerant term, but detailed revelation is often set aside.
This raises an important question for any sincere seeker: If millions of Hare Krishna devotees worldwide, following a rigorous philosophical tradition and practical process of bhakti-yoga, say with confidence, “Here is God, Krishna, the all-attractive Supreme Person,” why hesitate to explore further? Why insist on stopping at a vague name and the word “God” alone, rejecting additional information about His eternal, beautiful form, loving pastimes in Vrindavan, and transcendental abode of Goloka?
A true seeker of truth should be eager to sit down and inquire. When someone offers not mere speculation but a coherent spiritual science, complete with authoritative scriptures (Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta), a time-honored parampara, and observable results in the lives of practitioners, one would expect genuine interest rather than polite distance.
From the Vedic perspective taught by Srila Prabhupada, stopping at an undefined “intelligent cause” is incomplete, even if sincere. The material world is Krishna’s external energy, wonderfully designed and maintained by Him. The real “evolution” is not the chance emergence of species but the soul’s journey through 8,400,000 forms of life according to karma and consciousness. Ultimate knowledge comes not from empirical inference alone but from revealed scripture and devotional realization.
Prabhupada emphasized that the impersonal Brahman or a formless “intelligence” represents only a partial glimpse of the Absolute Truth, like sunlight without recognizing the sun itself. He explained, “The sunshine is impersonal (Brahman), the sun itself is localized (Paramatma) and the sun-god residing within the sun is a person (Bhagavan).” In *Life Comes from Life* he also declares, “We do not say that God created everything and then retired. No. He is maintaining everything at every moment.” And again: “The original life is Krishna. That also can be proven.” The highest realization is Bhagavan: Krishna, who possesses a transcendental, youthful form, unlimited auspicious qualities, and who engages in eternal, blissful pastimes with His devotees. This personal feature is accessible through the process of chanting Hare Krishna, hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, and rendering devotional service.
Intelligent Design does valuable work in exposing the limitations of atheistic Darwinism. Many in the Krishna conscious community appreciate these arguments as a bridge to clear away materialistic misconceptions. However, ID deliberately limits itself to what it considers scientifically detectable, design without specifying the designer’s identity or nature. This “big tent” approach may serve strategic purposes in academic or legal contexts, but from the standpoint of full theism it leaves the most important questions unanswered: Whose design? What is the purpose of creation? How can we establish a loving relationship with the Designer?
When devotees present the full picture, Krishna as the source of all (aham sarvasya prabhavah, Bhagavad-gita 10.8), with detailed knowledge given in shastra and realized by bhakti, it can feel strange or even impersonal to respond with “Yes to intelligence, but no thanks to the personal form and pastimes.” Such reluctance risks resembling the Mayavadi philosophy that Prabhupada so strongly countered: ultimately impersonal despite acknowledging a higher power.
Genuine faith in God should naturally welcome deeper revelation. If one truly believes in an intelligent Supreme Being, hearing that He has a specific, beautiful, all-attractive personality known perfectly through the Vedic parampara should spark curiosity, not hesitation. Devotees do not ask anyone to abandon reason; we invite respectful inquiry, discussion, and testing through the practical process of Krishna consciousness.
On this website, HareKrishnaSociety.com, the goal remains simple and unchanged: to present Srila Prabhupada’s teachings without compromise. We respect sincere efforts to defend purpose and design against materialism. At the same time, we humbly but firmly invite everyone, scientists, philosophers, and seekers alike, to go further. Come and explore who that Intelligent Designer really is: Krishna, the Supreme Enjoyer and source of all pleasure.
A genuine seeker does not fear the conversation. When devotees say, “Here is God, complete with philosophy, practice, and realization,” the natural response is interest and open-minded inquiry. After all, the purpose of human life is not merely to infer design but to revive our dormant love for the Supreme Person through devotional service.
I invite readers to study Prabhupada’s books, chant Hare Krishna, and experience for themselves the transformative power of this ancient yet ever-fresh spiritual science. Krishna is waiting, not as an abstract force, but as the most intimate friend and well-wisher of every living entity.
Hare Krishna.
Devarsiratha das
Vanaprastha
Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 1973
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