Scientists, because they are materialistic persons, they cannot understand wherefrom the energy, the life energy, is emanating. Otherwise life energy is there even within the atom.

Dead Matter and the Life Force

Evolution of consciousness

So Maharaja Rishabhadeva is analyzing the different grades of living entities... Janmady asya yatah [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.1]. Everything is generated from Krishna, Parabrahman. Aham sarvasya prabhavo [Bhagavad-gita 10.8]. From Krishna everything is generated. But according to consciousness, they are divided into two energies: the superior energy and the inferior energy. The more the consciousness is developed, one comes to the platform of superior energy. So the dull stone, dull matter, they have no consciousness, but there is life.

We learn from Brahma-samhita that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is within the atom. Atom is..., not that atom was not known, or that atomic energy was not known to the Vedic scholars. Andantara-stha-paramanu-chayantara-stham govindam adi-purusham [Brahma-samhita 5.35]. Anor aniyam mahato mahiyan. The Supreme Lord can enter even within the atom. They are studying, modern scientists, the atomic energy, but still, they are perplexed. The smaller than proton, electron, and so many things, still, still, still... So there is life even within the atom. But scientists, because they are materialistic persons, they cannot understand wherefrom the energy, the life energy, is emanating. Otherwise life energy is there even within the atom. So the life energy begins, virudbhya. The plants, the grass, there is life symptom. Gradually there are different grades.

jalaja nava-lakshani
sthavara laksha-vimshati
krimayo rudra-sankhyakah
pakshinam dasha-lakshanam

In this way, this is evolutionary growth, one after another. The evolution takes place. Evolution means gradual evolution or manifestation of consciousness. That is evolution.

So the atheist class of men, because they cannot understand that there is soul, they cannot understand that evolution means evolution of consciousness. They do not understand. They are thinking that originally in the matter there was no life, and all of a sudden the life came. No. Life is completely different from the matter. Not completely different; it is the same energy from the Supreme Lord. One is developed, the other is not developed. In this way, as Brahma has defined, mat-paro aham dvija-deva-devah. So in this way, within this material world there are varieties of developed consciousness, and in the spiritual world, when we surpass, transcend the material world, paras tasmat tu bhavo anya [Bg. 8.20], when we are promoted to the other energy, other world, then our consciousness... Even when one is, I mean to say, transmitted to the spiritual world... The first is brahmajyoti. Their consciousness is also not developed, even one has gone to the spiritual world where everything is spiritual. Aruhya kricchrena param padam tatah patanty adho anadrita-yushmad-anghrayah [SB 10.2.32]. That means consciousness is fully developed when he is a devotee, when one adores the lotus feet of the Lord. Yushmad-anghrayah. So those who are promoted even to the Brahmajyoti, they are also not fully conscious. Fully conscious means a devotee. Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. That is full consciousness. Without this consciousness, Krishna consciousness, there is no question of full-fledged. Just like a small bud of a flower. First of all the seed. The seed grows, then the buds come out, then gradually the buds develop, it becomes flower, then full-fledged flower, then fragrance, beauty. Everything is developed. That is real development. Similarly, this is the process of development. When one comes to Krishna consciousness, then it is full-fledged flower with fragrance, beauty, and everything. That is the perfection.

So there are so many description of different types of living entities within this material world. But these so-called scientists, on account of their being mudha or rascals, they are studying that "Except in this planet, everywhere there is dust and rocks." This is their foolishness. No. Here it is stated that siddha tato manushyah pramathas tato 'pi gandharva-siddha. So see development. Siddha means those who have got yogic mystic power, siddhi, ashta-siddhi: anima, laghima, mahima, prapti, ishitva, vashitva — these are called siddhis. Nowadays so-called yogis, they show some gymnastic. That is not siddhi. Siddhi is different thing. One can become smaller than the smallest. That is called anima. One can become bigger than the biggest, just like Hanumanji. He jumped over the sea. Jumped over sea... This is mahima-siddhi. One can become as big as required. Just like there is water. A grown-up man can cross water by jumping, but a small child cannot do. So proportionately, if you increase your body by the mahima-siddhi, you can jump over the sea. That is possible. So these are called siddhas. We have got description in the Srimad-Bhagavatam about the Siddhaloka. There the people can go from one planet to another in this body. That is called siddhi. Here we are trying to go to other planet with the machine, and still, we are failure. But in the Siddhaloka they can go very easily from one planet to another with this body. They are siddhas.

So these descriptions are there. There are Gandharvalokas, Kinnaralokas, and the topmost is Brahmaloka, where Lord Brahma lives. And other persons, many, everywhere... Not that simply the chief man lives. His assistant, his paraphernalia, everything, is there. Just like we understand from Bhagavad-gita, imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. So Visvasvate, Vivasvan, is the sun-god. The sun-god, Krishna instructed him this Bhagavad-gita. He says "personally", imam vivasvate yogam proktavan. So do not think that simply there is sun. No. There are It is very, very big planet, fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet. Don't think that there is vacant. No. We get information from Bhagavad-gita that every planet is full of living entities. It is not vacant, but they have got different types of body. It is not vacant. Different types of body.

In Brahma-samhita we understand, yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-kotishu ashesha-vasudhadi vibhuti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40]. Ashesha-vasudha vibhuti-bhinnam. There are in each universe. Within the Brahmajyoti, there are innumerable brahmandas, universes. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was requested by one of His devotee, "My Lord, You have come here to deliver the fallen souls, so kindly take them with You. And if You think that 'They are sinful. They cannot go with Me back to home, back to Godhead,' so You kindly transfer all their sinful life to me. I shall suffer here. Let them go with You." This is Vaishnava, para duhkha duhkhi. Vaishnava can accept all kinds of sufferings, provided others are benefited. This is Vaishnava. ...He is requesting Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that "My Lord, You have come to deliver the fallen souls. In the material world everyone is fallen. So You take them. And if You think they are so sinful they cannot go, then transfer their sins to me. I shall continue to suffer many lives, but You take." So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased by his statement. He replied, "Suppose the whole universe I take with Me. Then what is the loss in this material world? There are millions of universes." He compared that "In a bag of mustard, if I take out one mustard, then where is the loss there?"

So similarly, Krishna's creation, God's creation, is unlimited. That they do not understand. They are the frogs in the well. They are thinking... Kupa-manduka-nyaya. Everyone is thinking... The kupa-manduka is thinking that "This is the whole water, within this well, this three-feet span of water. That is final." And if you say to the kupa-manduka, "Oh, I have seen another vast water, Atlantic Ocean," he cannot imagine. So these rascals, those who are unaware of the potency of God, they think that "God may be like me. I am so little powerful. He may be little more powerful." Therefore they cannot understand what is God because they are thinking in their own terms. And somebody is thinking that "I am God." So this misconception should be given up.

Manushyah... These are gradual, pramathah. Pramathah, they are also living entities. We have heard, some of them, about the ghost. They have no material body. The advantage of material body is missing. They are covered with mind, intelligence, and ego, but their gross body — earth, water, air, fire — that is not there. ...In the material world, when one is not covered by the gross body but subtle body, they are called ghosts or pramathas. Those who are good, not harmful, they are called pramathas. And those who are harmful... As in this material world there are good men and bad men, similarly, amongst the persons who has not this gross body, they are sometimes called ghosts and sometimes they are called pramatha.

So in this way, varieties of life, beginning from the insects and the aquatics, animal, up to the point of Lord Brahma. But they are all within this material world. It does not mean because the gandharvas, siddhas, they have got higher standard of life and power hundreds and thousands times more than our power, do not think that they are liberated persons. They are not liberated persons. They are all conditioned souls. A-brahma-bhuvanal lokan punar avartino arjuna. All these conditioned souls, according to karma, they are getting different types of body. One has got the body of an ant, and one has got the body of Brahma, Lord Brahma. But that is not our aim. Our aim is how to avoid this material body. For that purpose, Krishna consciousness. Not that "I have got now the body of an ant. Let me get the body of Brahma or Indra or in a Siddhaloka." This is not gain.

Therefore those who are devotees, they do not care either for Brahma or for the ant. They do not care. ...So for a devotee they treat equally either Brahma or Indra kitavat (just like an ant), because they know that he may be Brahma, he may be Indra, but he has got this material body; one small insect, it has got material body.