"Man has not created death"

Prabhupāda: Who has created death? Eh? Who has created death? Man creates everything, but who has created your death, Mr. Man? What is the answer?

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: He has not created anything then.

Prabhupāda: No no, no. I accept that man has created anything, everything. But who has created your death?

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: God.

Prabhupāda: Huh? Is there any answer?

Paramahaṁsa: Well, man has not created death.

Prabhupāda: That means somebody has created. So how you can say that man has created everything? The fallacy, just see. How rascal they are. That I wanted to say.

Paramahaṁsa: You have quoted a great English poet who said...

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Paramahaṁsa: You have quoted a great English Poet who says that "Man has created the city..."

Prabhupāda: Ah, yes.

Paramahaṁsa: "...and God has created the country."

Prabhupāda: This is the statement of Mr. Cowper. Man has created nothing. Suppose this building, man has created. But wherefrom the ingredient comes. Has man created? This stone, man has created? Eh? What do you think? Is this stone, creation of man?

Paramahaṁsa: No.

Prabhupāda: Then what... You have done the work of a laborer. That's all. You have taken ingredients from God and worked hard and transformed into a step. That's all. Your creation means just like carpenter creates a furniture. That's all. That is his creation. Then that is... The economic law says that man cannot create anything. He can simply transform. These trees, has man created these trees? Why do they claim man has created everything?

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: But they will say that they made the garden.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: They will say that they made a very nice garden.

Prabhupāda: That's all. That is the business of gardener, servant, not creator. That is the business of the servant. Just like I keep a gardener servant, and "Do like this. Do like that." That is not he is creator. It is my money which has created. Therefore it is Kṛṣṇa's, everything. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that you have not created anything. You are servant. You are working, and Kṛṣṇa is giving you your subsistence. That's all. So why don't you accept that you are servant of God instead of claiming that you have created. What you have created? This is our challenge. Am I right or wrong?

Paramahaṁsa: Right.

Morning Walk -- June 12, 1974, Paris