 that the truth must be as clear and distinct as mathematical proof.
Srila Prabhupada: That is good provided one is a mathematician, but if one is a plowman, what can he understand about mathematics?
Syamasundara dasa: According to Descartes, it was up to those who could understand mathematics to chalk out the truth and pass it on to those less intelligent.
Srila Prabhupada: In other words, higher truth cannot be understood by everyone. We have to accept the truth from authorities. Therefore we take the Vedas as truth. Sruti-pramanam. When the Vedas give evidence, we accept it whether we understand it or not.
Syamasundara dasa: The second part of his methodology involved dividing the complex into simpler and simpler parts in order to arrive at a solution. In this way, the whole will be proved.
Srila Prabhupada: But one must be expert in analysis. If I give you a typewriter to fix, and you know nothing about the machine, you will open it up, see all the parts, and not know how to adjust it. It is easy to open the machine up, but it is very difficult to adjust it.
Syamasundara dasa: The third part involved arranging ideas from the simplest to the more complex according to the sequence of events.
Srila Prabhupada: First of all, we must understand that we are spirit soul. That is the first step in our process. We must first understand ourselves and how we are existing despite these changes of bodies. We have to study ourselves as masters of our bodies. Then we can conclude that for the universal body there is another source. That is the Supersoul, or God. Just as my body is existing due to my presence, the gigantic virat body exists due to the presence of the Supersoul. Everything in the universe is constantly looking fresh and new; therefore there must be a large soul maintaining it. This is confirmed by the Vedas: andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham (Brahma-samhita 5.35). God is all-pervasive as Brahman, and He is also within the smallest atom. By His plenary expansion, God pervades the entire universe. According to the Vedas, there are different manifestations of God: Maha-visnu, Karanodakasayi-visnu, Garbhodakasayi-visnu, and Ksirodakasayi-visnu. What is the difficulty in understanding this? In large lamps and small lamps there is the same electricity. The Mayavadi philosophers consider only the similitude; they do not take the varieties into account. God is all-pervasive, but there is variety.
Syamasundara dasa: How is it that we create the body by our presence?
Srila Prabhupada: You create your body by your work. A dog has created his body according to his desire, and a tiger creates his body according to his. In any case, the soul is the same. The learned man, the pandita, does not see the external varieties, but the soul within. According to their desires and activities, souls are acquiring different bodies; therefore there are 8,400,000 different types of bodies. Krsna claims all of these as His sons. Aham bija-pradah pita. "I am the seed-giving father." (Bg. 14.4) Krsna, the Father of all, gives the seed, but the son creates his own situation. Some of His sons are very rich, some very poor, some are great scientists and philosophers, and some are simply rascals. When a child is born, the father does not say, "You become a rascal," or, "You become a scientist," or whatever. The father sees them all as his sons.
Syamasundara dasa: The fourth part of Cartesian methodology involves taking into account the most detailed points and making sure that nothing is omitted.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is knowledge. For instance, we are considering the details when we consider the difference between the Supreme Lord and ourselves.
Syamasundara dasa: And we can place everything in the scheme of Krsna's creation?
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Krsna says aham sarvasya prabhavah. "I am the origin of all." (Bg. 10.8) Krsna says that He is the bija, the seed or soul, the spiritual spark of all living entities.
Syamasundara dasa: Descartes also suggested rules of conduct which everyone should follow. He felt that we should obey the laws 