think of the infinite as zero, void. Descartes may be thinking in one way, but someone else may be thinking in another.
Syamasundara dasa: Descartes argues that because we can conceive of perfection, perfection must be there.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, but just because I am thinking of something does not mean that it exists. Everyone is thinking in his own way. Who will decide which way of thinking is correct? Who will judge? Therefore we ultimately have to accept the confirmation of authorities. If our thinking is confirmed by the authorities, it is all right; otherwise it cannot be accepted.
Syamasundara dasa: Descartes was thinking more in terms of mathematics. If we begin counting, we can conceive of numbers stretching to infinity. So the fact that one can think of infinity necessitates the infinite.
Srila Prabhupada: But the voidists are thinking that the infinite is zero. Some mathematicians calculate that infinity means zero.
Syamasundara dasa: Secondly, God is an absolutely perfect being, and perfection necessarily implies existence. Since God's existence is the same as His essence, He must exist.
Srila Prabhupada: That is our proposition. We say that Krsna is the sum total of all wealth, knowledge, fame, power, beauty, and renunciation. Because these opulences are attractive, and Krsna has them in full, Krsna is all-attractive. All these attractive qualities must be there in Krsna in totality. That is Parasara Muni's definition of God.
Syamasundara dasa: This is similar to Descartes's contention that perfect beauty and wisdom must exist somewhere because we can conceive of the fact.
Srila Prabhupada: Isvarah paramah krsnah (Brahma-samhita 5.1). No one is richer, more famous, wiser, more beautiful, or more powerful than Krsna. Krsna is the sum total of all qualities; therefore He is complete. Because we are part and parcel of the complete, we can think of the complete. Because I am the son of my father, I can think of my father. Similarly, Krsna is the Father of all living entities, and every living entity has the power to offer his respects to God. Unfortunately, the living entity is artificially educated by society not to obey God, and that is the cause of his suffering.
Syamasundara dasa: When Descartes inspects reality, he concludes that reality consists of substances. He defines substance as "a thing which exists in such a way as to stand in need of nothing beyond itself." He says that there is only one absolutely independent substance—God. All other substances are created by Him. There are also two types of substances—matter and spirit.
Srila Prabhupada: This is all described in Bhagavad-gita. The summum bonum substance is Krsna, and everything emanates from Him. All these emanations can be divided into two categories: inferior and superior. The inferior energy is matter, and the superior energy is spirit. Everything that we see or experience is a combination of the inferior and superior energies. Since these energies emanate from Krsna, Krsna is the origin of everything, the cause of all causes.
Syamasundara dasa: Descartes states that the chief attribute of this spirit or soul is consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada: That is so.
Syamasundara dasa: And the chief attribute of the body is extension. Both the body and mind are finite and depend upon God for their existence, whereas God is completely independent.
Srila Prabhupada: Jivera 'svarupa' haya—krsnera 'nitya-dasa' (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madh. 20.108). Therefore every living entity is the eternal servant of God, or Krsna. Since we all depend upon Krsna for our existence, it is our duty to please Him. That is the process of bhakti. In the material world, we see that we depend upon our employer for our salary. Therefore we always have to please him. Eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman. (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13) God is providing everything for everyone. So why not please Him? Our only duty is to please Him, and that process is perfectly manifested in Vrndavana. It is in Vrndavana that everyone is trying to please Krsna, and because they are trying to please Him, they are 