What does the statement that “protons and neutrons are the effects of the Paramatma feature” mean?
“Matter, antimatter, proton, neutron, etc., are all different effects of the Paramātmā feature of the Lord.”
SB 1.2.32 purport
What does this statement mean?
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita.
Thank you. Question. What is the meaning of the quote of Shri Prabhupada in Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.32? Purport.
Matter, antimatter, proton, neutron are all different aspects of the Paramatma feature of the Lord. Answer. The Paramatma feature is the maintainer of the material world.
Krishna describes in the 15th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. He says that he himself is beyond the Kshara and Akshara. And when he identifies himself as the super soul in the preceding verse, this is 15.18 and 15.17. So, he says that the imperishable Lord forever maintains material existence.
And then next what Krishna says that that Lord is I myself, who is beyond all conditions and liberated souls. So, essentially, when we understand that Krishna in his Paramatma manifestation, as Shri Raksha Vishnu, is the maintainer of everything in material existence. So, if he is the maintainer of everything in material existence, then that everything includes everything from the microscopic to the macroscopic realm.
So, that’s why Shri Prabhupada also points out here that whatever might be existing at atomic, subatomic and whatever lower levels might be there, everything that exists is ultimately supported by the Supreme Lord. So, there are different effects of the Paramatma feature of the Lord. So, effects means that there is a cause and there is an effect.
So, in another question answer on the God particle, I have explained how science can analyze the how of matter, but not the why of matter. So, how of matter means, okay, how is the structure of an atom and how is the functioning of the atom sustained? But why is the atom structured in a particular way and not in another way? We know, of course, that if the atom was structured in another way, the universe would be very different and life as it, we know it may not be possible also. But that is a further effect of the particular construction of the universe and everything within it.
But what is the original cause of that? So, that the why is something which science cannot inquire about. That is outside the jurisdiction of science. Science primarily focuses on mechanisms, not on original causes.
This started right from the time of Newton itself several hundred years ago, when he oscillated the theory of gravity. He focused on the how. I have got a mathematical formulation, equation by which this happens, but no explanation of what exactly is the force of gravity and why should one particle of matter attract any other particle of matter.
We know that that is necessary for the functioning of the universe. But that is a later effect of it, consequence of that. Matter itself does not know that, oh, I have to function as a part of a coherent whole, as a part of the universe and therefore I should behave in a particular way.
So, who has imbued matter with a particular kind of behavior? Even if somebody does not accept the existence of any designer, still the question remains, why does matter behave in a particular way? So, Srila Prabhupada in this succinct quote is bringing about fascinating dialogue and a causal connection between the spiritual or the philosophical worldview given the Vedic scriptures and the scientific worldview that is propagated by modern scientists. So, according to the scientific worldview, matter comprises of these features, the neutrons, protons, electrons and everything. Similar, there is almost some scientists say that there is a whole zoo of subatomic particles, each with its own peculiar behavior, just like in a zoo there are animals with all individual individualities and individual peculiar behaviors.
So, science may postulate these particles and these are basically models of how matter exists. But ultimately, why does it exist this way? That is not known to science. So, these are the effects of the Paramatma feature of the Lord.
That means by the Lord’s arrangement, by the Lord’s will, it is he who has designed matter in a particular way so that it can function in a way that the universe becomes conducive for life as we know it. Not just human life, but all kinds of life. So, the Paramatma is the ultimate unifying principle.
Scientists are trying to research for the grand unified theory, but they try to think of this theory in terms of some mathematical equation. They don’t think of it in terms of a super intelligent conscious person. But Shri Prabhupada is explaining here that actually all matter is coming from the Supreme Lord.
Sarvakarana Karanam. He’s the cause of all causes. There’s another well-known quote of Shri Prabhupada where he says that when we inquire backwards, if we don’t inquire till the root cause, then the inquiry is not adequate.
For example, if we find darkness in a room and then suddenly we start finding, as we move through the darkness, we find light over somewhere. So, we may think that, oh, this darkness, how did it produce the light? However, if we stop at that and think somehow darkness has produced the light, we don’t know how, but that’s how it is. But that is an incomplete and incorrect understanding.
But if we go further beyond the light, through the light towards the source, then we find, oh, light is coming from a particular source. And then we will understand that, okay, light is not produced from darkness. Rather, darkness is the effect when there is absence of light and light is produced from a light source.
So, similarly, Krishna is the source of everything. Sarvakarana Karanam. From him, everything emanates.
So, the conscious emanation from him is the various Vishnu manifestations and the Jivatmas. And where consciousness is absent in the energy of the Lord, that is called matter. Just as when light is absent, there is darkness.
So, in that sense, everything is the effect of the Paramatma feature of the Lord. Thank you.