Break their teeth - Atheistic Scientists
Shuklambhara Dasa
Not much mail is coming in now, since most leaders are here for the festival. But today Puñöa Kåñëa Swami read out a pleasing letter from Robert Veiga, a science student in Dallas. He is studying physics and math, but he comes regularly to the temple and chants sixteen rounds. Robert began by glorifying Çréla Prabhupäda.
"You are the only person that I have approached that claims (with logical argument) to be relaying the undaunted truth. Every scientist that I have ever approached for truth reprimanded me quickly by stating that absolutes are not part of the 'real world,' and therefore only relative truths can exist. Although some scientists are Deists, they do not have a place for God in everyday activities. I therefore submit to you as my authority."
His idea is to attempt to prove to the scientists, using their own weapons of "mathematical trickery, logic, deductive and inductive instruments," that they are wrong in their conclusions. He wrote that once this is done, "the knowledge in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam can be presented and verified to the best extent possible."
However, he has received conflicting advice from the devotees on whether he should continue with his studies and what his service should be. Therefore he requested Çréla Prabhupäda's guidance.
Çréla Prabhupäda was very glad to receive such a letter—once again a confirmation that his books are having the effect he desires. Although, as he often says, he is "a layman" in the science field, his arguments are convincing many men of science of the fallibility of their theories and the superiority of the Vedic version.
In his reply he encouraged Robert to continue with his studies. "There is a Bengali proverb: tor shil tor noda, tor bhangi dater goda. 'I take your mortar and pestle and I break your teeth.' This means we use the scientists' own weapons and with them we defeat their atheistic philosophy.
"There is another example. A hatchet is sitting before a tree. The tree asks, 'What are you doing here?' The hatchet replies, 'I have come here to cut you down.' The tree then said, 'You cannot cut me down alone, but with the help of my descendants you can do it.'
The idea is that the ax-handle is made of wood, and so without the assistance of the wooden tree, the hatchet is useless. Similarly, we can use our materialistic knowledge to defeat the atheistic philosophy of the scientists.
"So you can continue your studies and learn what is shil and noda (mortar and pestle) so you can break their dater goda (break their teeth)."
- Hari Sauri Dasa’s Transcendental Dairy Vol 1 – Mar 8th 1976