How to Accelerate Humanities Spiritual Evolution

Currently humanity is stuck in a very materialistic civilization which is completely degrading and not at all conducive for the spiritual evolution of the general public. One of the fundamental causes of this materialistic society is the widespread belief in the completely false theory that life comes from matter. If the people can believe life comes from matter simply by random chance then they can avoid all spiritual considerations completely.

In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna completely smashes this idea by asserting that He is the source of everything and that everything emanates from Him. Bhagavad Gita is so clear but because of the tendency of people to be envious, because they do not want to accept anyone is greater them themselves, they reject these very clear statements of Krishna and try and explain them in some other way. This is very dishonest but that is what practically every commentator on the Bhagavada Gita does, except of course for His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada simply explains Bhagavad Gita “As It Is”, he simply presents what Krishna actually says.

Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both its origin and dissolution. (Bhagavad-gita 7.6)

Everything that exists is a product of matter and spirit. Spirit is the basic field of creation, and matter is created by spirit. Spirit is not created at a certain stage of material development. Rather, this material world is manifested only on the basis of spiritual energy. This material body is developed because spirit is present within matter; a child grows gradually to boyhood and then to manhood because of that superior energy, spirit soul, being present. Similarly, the entire cosmic manifestation of the gigantic universe is developed because of the presence of the Supersoul, Visnu. Therefore spirit and matter, which combine together to manifest this gigantic universal form, are originally two energies of the Lord, and consequently the Lord is the original cause of everything.

A fragmental part and parcel of the Lord, namely, the living entity, may by manipulation of material energy construct a skyscraper, factory or city, but he cannot create matter out of nothing, and he certainly cannot construct a planet or a universe. The cause of the universe is the Supersoul, Krsna, the supreme creator of all individual souls and the original cause of all causes.

These are very radical statements in today’s world. Nowadays ‘educated’ people do not believe in the existence of anything except matter. For them the only thing in existence is the gross material elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether. Some even don’t believe in ether… So they are like children who do not understand how something works. They are in complete ignorance as to the way the world is functioning. And they are worshipped as great scientists and scholars. This is the world we live in. Complete fools in complete ignorance are telling us that there is no spiritual energy, everything is matter, everything is chemicals and that life comes from a random combination of chemicals.

But we can understand from this verse of Bhagavad Gita that Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the source of all life and all matter. So life–and also matter–comes from life. It does not come from chemicals or from a primordial soup… Life and matter come from Krishna. Life comes from life! If we can just establish this fact it will be a great step forward for human civilization.

O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread. (Bhagavad Gita 7.7)

There is a common controversy over whether the Supreme Absolute Truth is personal or impersonal. As far as Bhagavad-gita is concerned, the Absolute Truth is the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, and this is confirmed in every step. In this verse, in particular, it is stressed that the Absolute Truth is a person.

That the Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Absolute Truth is also the affirmation of the Brahma-samhita: the Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead is Lord Krsna, who is the primeval Lord, the reservoir of all pleasure, Govinda, and the eternal form of complete bliss and knowledge.

These authorities leave no doubt that the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person, the cause of all causes. The impersonalist, however, argues on the strength of the Vedic version given in the Svetasvatara Upanisad: “In the material world Brahma, the primeval living entity within the universe, is understood to be the supreme amongst the demigods, human beings and lower animals. But beyond Brahma there is the Transcendence who has no material form and is free from all material contaminations. Anyone who can know Him also becomes transcendental, but those who do not know Him suffer the miseries of the material world.”

The impersonalist puts more stress on “no material form”. But this “no material form” is not impersonal. It indicates the transcendental form of eternity, bliss and knowledge as described in the Brahma-samhita quoted above. Other verses in the Svetasvatara Upanisad substantiate this as follows:

“I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is transcendental to all material conceptions of darkness. Only he who knows Him can transcend the bonds of birth and death. There is no way for liberation other than this knowledge of that Supreme Person.”

“There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person because He is the supermost. He is smaller than the smallest, and He is greater than the greatest. He is situated as a silent tree, and He illumines the transcendental sky, and as a tree spreads its roots, He spreads His extensive energies.”

From these verses one concludes that the Supreme Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is all-pervading by His multi-energies, both material and spiritual.

So from these two verses of Bhagavad Gita we can understand it very clearly and very conclusively from Krishna Himself that everything–both the living entities and matter–comes from Krishna and that everything is resting on Krishna just like the pearls are resting on a thread.

So this very simple point (that everything comes from Krishna, that life comes from Krishna, life comes from life) will, if understood and accepted by the general public, take humanity to the next level of spiritual evolution.