Analogies by Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada: On a morning walk on Venice Beach in May 1973, Srila Prabhupada presented a number of analogies exposing false logic. Prabhupada had been explaining to Svarupa Damodara, Brahmananda Swami, and others that each living creature lives in a certain environment suited for it. Therefore, we never find a frog in the ocean. This living habit of the frog is the basis of the example known as "the frog in the well." "This example is available in the Bhagavata, Prabhupada?" asked Svarupa Damodara. "Yes," said Srila Prabhupada. "In nyaya-sastra it is said, kupa-manduka-nyaya. Kupa means 'well' and manduka means 'frog.' The frog in the well. Dr. Frog is never visible in the ocean. He has never seen what is the ocean; therefore all these scientists are compared to frogs. They have never seen what is the kingdom of God." Srila Prabhupada then explained another logic, known as bakanda-nyaya. "Baka means 'duck,' and anda means 'testicles of the bull.' The bull is going, and his testicle is hanging, and the duck is following after that. He is thinking, Here is a fish.' You will find the ducks always going and wondering when the 'fish' will drop. It will never drop, but he is going after it. And neither is it a fish. The bakanda is comparable to any materialist in illusion, who chases after maya." Then Prabhupada explained aja-gala-stana. "You have seen in the goats, in the necks - it is just like nipples," said Prabhupada. "So if one is expecting milk from that nipple, he is also a fool. It is not a nipple, but it looks like one. These are illusions. Aja-gala-stana applies to those rascals who think that from matter, life is coming. Exactly the same, they are thinking that here is a nipple and some milk will come. 'Let us milk here. Maybe in the future.' "Another is nagna-matrika. This means someone says, Mother, when you were a child you were naked; why do you put on clothes now?' The mother was naked when she was a child. Therefore the logic is that she should remain naked still. If someone was not very important, and now he has become important, the logic is, How has this man become important?' Because the mother was naked in childhood, therefore she should not put on any garments? We change according to the circumstances. You cannot say that this must remain like this. So when one comes to Krishna consciousness, that is perfect." (And one cannot say that he is disqualified by a lower birth or bad behavior in a previous life.) "In Sanskrit logic," said Srila Prabhupada, "all these examples are there from nature's study."