You trace out the history of the human society. Of course, in the modern world they cannot trace out chronological history more than three thousand years. That's all. But we can give account for many millions and millions of years. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god. Now just imagine how many years, millions of years. So the modern theory that ten thousand years ago there was no human civilization, how we can adjust things? The Battle of Kurukṣetra was fought five thousand years ago. Before that, hundreds of thousands year ago there was another battle which is called fight between Rāma and Rāvaṇa. And there are so many instances in the Vedic literature. We can offer history of the world, of the universe, from millions and millions of years ago. But these people with petty knowledge for three thousand years or four thousand years, they are thinking they have advanced.
Three thousand years
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
More than five thousand years ago, while Saint Vidura was traveling the earth as a pilgrim, India was known as Bhāratavarṣa, as it is known even today. The history of the world cannot give any systematic account for more than three thousand years into the past, but before that the whole world was under the flag and military strength of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, who was the emperor of the world. At present there are hundreds and thousands of flags flapping in the United Nations, but during the time of Vidura there was, by the grace of Ajita, Lord Kṛṣṇa, only one flag. The nations of the world are very eager to again have one state under one flag, but for this they must seek the favor of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who alone can help us become one worldwide nation.
SB Canto 4
Every living entity within this material world is subject to four deficiencies: he commits mistakes, he accepts one thing for another, he cheats, and he has imperfect senses. The Vedas, however, are not written by any living creature within this material world. Therefore they are said to be apauruṣeya. No one can trace out the history of the Vedas. Of course, modern human civilization has no chronological history of the world or the universe, and it cannot present actual historical facts older than three thousand years. But no one has traced out when the Vedas were written, because they were never written by any living being within this material world. All other systems of knowledge are defective because they have been written or spoken by men or demigods who are products of this material creation, but Bhagavad-gītā is apauruṣeya, for it was not spoken by any human being or any demigod of this material creation; it was spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is beyond the material creation.
SB Canto 7
That there were airplanes flying in the sky long, long ago can be understood from this verse. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was spoken five thousand years ago, and the statements of this verse prove that the symptoms of a very advanced civilization then existed, even in the upper planetary systems, as well as in the lower planetary systems. Modern scientists and philosophers foolishly explain that there was no civilization prior to three thousand years ago, but the statement of this verse nullifies such whimsical judgments. The Vedic civilization existed millions and millions of years ago. It existed since the creation of this universe, and it included arrangements all over the universe with all the modern amenities and even more.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Our fund of knowledge is very poor. We cannot present history of this present world more than three thousand years. But in the Vedic scripture we find history, millions and millions of years ago. That is the beauty of Vedic literature. So because we cannot find out in the modern day three thousand, more than three thousand years of chronological history, that does not mean that there was no history before and there was no historical incidences. No. That we should not conclude in that way.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
In the Satya-yuga, they were all saintly person. So that time it was possible to meditate. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum. That also Viṣṇu, meditation on Lord Viṣṇu. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ. And in the Tretā-yuga by performing great sacrifices. That is also not possible. You cannot perform big, big sacrifices. It is very costly affair. You require so much ghee, grains, and distribution of so many things. That is not possible. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ, dvāpare paricaryāyām. In Dvāpara-yuga the temple worship. Now this... We have got in India, especially in South India, many temples, more than two thousand, three thousand years old. So temple worship is very old, since five thousand, six thousand years. So that is also not possible. At the present moment people are so down that they cannot also worship. It requires very vigilance, observation, that they are doing nicely. Otherwise they fall down. There are so many temples in India, they are no more taken care. Therefore somebody, they are against opening temple. That's a fact. But still, it has to be done. Anyway... But in the Kali-yuga, kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt. What you attained in the Satya-yuga by meditation, what you achieved in the Tretā-yuga by performing big, big sacrifices, and what you attained by temple worship very nicely, you can attain the same result, kalau in this age, hari-kīrtanāt, by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
So we are calculating our three thousand years, four thousand years in our system. That three thousand or four thousand years, as soon as you go little up, it become one hour, twenty-five minutes. So Brahmā's one day is different. But it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā... You know, who are reading Bhagavad... Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). You try to understand Brahmā's one day equal to our one thousand times of the yugas. And the yugas, as I have already explained... The Satya-yuga, 1800,000's of years; Tretā-yuga, 1200,000's of years. In the Satya-yuga people used to live for 100,000's of years. Vālmīki Muni, he practiced yoga for 60,000's of years. So unless one has got 100,000's of years duration of life, how he could practice 60,000's of years? So we should understand, everything is relative. This is called relative world. Relativity, law of relativity.
Everywhere the Vedic culture was, more or less, principally in that part which is known as India. But in other parts also, the Vedic culture was there. And the Europeans, they belonged to the kṣatriya family, and the Americans also coming from them. Now, in due course of time, five thousand years, there is no history. The modern history can give detail up to three thousand years. They do not know what is beyond three thousand years. But you can get history of the human society for millions of years from Vedic literature, not poor fund of knowledge, only two thousand years or three thousand years. Just like this Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was emperor five thousand years ago. So this is the history. That is Mahābhārata. This is their characteristic. It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Everything is there. These rascal scholars, they say that these literatures within 1,500 years or like that. No. That is not accepted by us or our ācāryas. That is not accepted. There are many evidences, archaeological evidences also.
Now, in the last meeting we have discussed that this life is meant for self-realization. This human form of life especially... We must always remember that many, many years ago, not thousands—millions of years ago... In the modern civilization they have no history more than three thousand years. Some of the rascals, they say that ten thousand years before there was no human being. So this is going on, mental speculation. But we have got Vedic history, millions and millions of years. There are different species of life always. It is not that..., that only one species of life was existent and then gradually they have come to... This theory is not reasonable, neither acceptable. That is a long story.
Now, the question may be that the Indians or the followers of the Vedas... Now it has become so. Actually, the followers of Vedas are everyone. Every human being is the followers of Veda because the history of all other religions, they are all recent—one thousand year, two thousand years, three thousand years—but you cannot trace out the history of the Vedic religion. So from historical point of view, suppose one religion is current for the last three thousand years. Then what was their condition before three thousand years? So the natural conclusion is: as there was no such religion three thousand years and the Vedic religion has no history—it is coming from time immemorial—that was the religion. Take for example in India. Twenty years before there was no Pakistan, but now there is Pakistan. Under certain circumstances, the religious principle has changed, but originally every human being on this planet were following the Vedic religion. And another sense, everyone is following the Vedic religion if it is religion.
In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu you will find it that this worshiping method, come to the temple, offer obeisances, just like these boys, they are playing mṛdaṅgas, they are playing cymbals, dancing, every item is taken into account. Every item. Not that it is going futile. No. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is bhakti-mārga, sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Simply by playing on the cymbal, on the khol, taking little caraṇāmṛta, everything in detail there is in the Nectar of Devotion, you have read. So the foolish person, they do not take care. They think they are very much advanced, they have no need to attend ārati, or to play on the mṛdaṅga or cymbal, but that is not fact. So many items are there given by the ācāryas. If not this, you do this, you do that, you do that, hundreds of items. Take any one of them and you'll be benefited. This is arcana-mārga. There are many foolish person, they make propaganda, "There is no need of going to the temple." That is another rascaldom. Because if you come to the temple, you get so many facilities to make advance in spiritual life. This is our mission. We are opening, spending so much money for opening gorgeous temple. It is not new thing. This is very, very old, coming by paramparā system. There are many thousands of temples in India, very old, five thousand, three thousand years old. Why? The ācāryas wanted to give facility to the common man to enter into spiritual life. That is the idea.
Devotees: Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
Prabhupāda: ...so we become purified, how Kṛṣṇa can be impure? It is not possible. Pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa.
Here is explanation, that sthito na tu tamo na guṇāṁś ca yuṅkṣe. This is Kṛṣṇa. This is Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. Never, never think... There are some party, they say, "We worship Kṛṣṇa, Bāla-Kṛṣṇa, boy Kṛṣṇa." Sometimes they give reason that... Why not, I mean to say, grown-up Kṛṣṇa? They say that "Grown-up Kṛṣṇa was polluted by rāsa-līlā." Just see the fool nonsense! Kṛṣṇa is always Kṛṣṇa. This is foolish conclusion, that child Kṛṣṇa is pure than young Kṛṣṇa. This is wrong conception. Kṛṣṇa is... Just like Kṛṣṇa, when He was three months old, He could kill a big, gigantic witch, that Pūtanā. Can... A three months' old child can kill such a big...? No. Kṛṣṇa is always God. Either He appears in three months or three hundred years or three thousand years, He is the same. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam adyaṁ purāṇa puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). This is Kṛṣṇa.
"My dear King..." Śukadeva Gosvāmī was speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was emperor of this planet. Mahārāja Parīkṣit. And he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa that he should die within seven days. So he was utilizing the seven days by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So he's explaining, "My dear King, as the days of Kali-yuga will make progress..." Make progress means we have passed only five thousand years of this Kali-yuga. The total duration of Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. Out of that we have passed only five thousands of years. I think in the world history there is no..., nobody can place records of five thousand years. At most, the historians can present history of three thousand years. That's all. So Kali-yuga has begun prehistoric age. And before that, what was there in the history nobody can say. But in the Vedic literatures everything is there. You believe or not believe, that is a different thing.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
Festival Lectures
Lord Caitanya, when He appeared, He took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four years, and by His mother's request He was living at Jagannātha Purī. So every year He was taking part in this car festival of Jagannātha. This Jagannātha Deity was established by one King Indradyumna about more than three thousand years ago. This temple is very old. Even in some literatures of your Christian religion I find that Lord Jesus Christ also went to this Jagannātha temple and lived there for sometimes. Of course, how far it is true, that is to be judged by you, but I have read this information in a Christian book, Aquarian Gospel. So if we take this incidence that Lord Jesus Christ also went to Jagannātha temple, then from historical point of view it is two thousand years old. But it is, according to our calculation, it is more than three thousand years old. So this Indradyumna king, he asked Viśvakarma to carve the deity of Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Subhadra. And there was a time limit. Viśvakarma made an agreement that "Unless I finish the deity's carving very nicely, you cannot see me." So door was closed, and the king was very much anxious to see the temple is established very soon. So he forcibly opened the door, and he saw that the deities were half finished. The Deity Jagannātha as you see, it appears half finished. The king decided, "Never mind it is half finished. I shall install these deities in the temple." Since then, the three deities Jagannātha, Balarāma and Subhadra are being worshiped in India, Jagannātha Purī. Perhaps you know. And the car festival takes place every year, and millions of people go there to participate in that cart, car festival.
General Lectures
Now, we have to understand what is religion. Religion, as I have already told you, religion means the codes and words given by God, these codes and words coming from God in disciplic succession. According to our Vedic principles... That is the original principles of the world. Because at the present moment the history of the world cannot give any chronological account more than three thousand years. And what was the position of the human society beyond these three thousand years? That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. From Mahābhārata history we can understand that the whole world, this planet, was called Bhāratavarṣa. Now Bhārata-varṣa has come to a limited circle only, but formerly the Bhārata-varṣa was... The whole planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa. There was an emperor of the name Mahārāja Bhārata, under whose name, or after his name, this planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. Before that, this planet was known as Ilāvṛta-varṣa. So the Vedic civilization, I mean to say, before three thousand years, the whole world was under Vedic civilization, the Aryans. The Aryans, at least they were under Vedic civilization. And that Vedic civilization is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So, our last point of perfection, where we can survive eternally, is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is started in your country. It is not a new manufactured thing, concocted thing. It is very old, because the Bhagavad-gītā is there. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means Bhagavad-gītā. Even from historical calculation, the Bhagavad-gītā was spoken at least five thousand years ago. So, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is, even from historical calculation, at least five thousand years old. So, modern history of the world cannot give any chronological data of historical event more than three thousand years, but this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is still older, from prehistoric days. It is not new. Eternal. As I am eternal, God is eternal, this consciousness is also eternal. But because we have forgotten due to the covering of the illusory energy, we have to revive it. That is our business.
Respectable Fathers, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly giving me a chance to speak about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, which is going on all over the world with the, especially with the assistance of my American and European disciples. Long, long ago, prehistoric age practically... Because the modern history cannot give account of the world more than three thousand years. But about five thousand years ago a meeting was held at Naimiṣāraṇya. Naimiṣāraṇya is a place in India still existing. Perhaps some of you who might have visited India... This place is situated near Lucknow in the northern India provinces, a very nice place, sanctified place. Still people go and find peace for spiritual meditation. In that tract of land, Naimiṣāraṇya, from time immemorial this place was especially recognized for spiritual meeting. So there was a meeting of great saintly persons, and Sūta Gosvāmī, one of the disciples of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he was selected the president to speak on Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: Yes. But ten million years ago, according to my excavations, there were no beasts; there were all aquatics.
Prabhupāda: That is nonsense. That is nonsense. Ten millions of... You cannot give a history of ten millions. It is your imagination. Where is the history of ten millions of years? You are simply imagining, that is your word. But where is historical evidence? You cannot give history more than three thousand years, and you are speaking of ten millions of years. This is all nonsense. How you can go... There is no history in the human civ... There is no history, ten millions of years.
Śyāmasundara: If I dig far into the ground, layer by layer...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Dirt... You are calculating ten millions—it may be ten years. Because you cannot give history of the human society more than three thousand years, so how you speak of ten millions, twenty millions? Where you were there? It is all imagination. You were existing(?), so existence was not there. How can you say that ten millions, twenty millions these things happened? This is simply imagination. In that way everyone can imagine and say some nonsense. Everyone can imagine their own way. I can say "No, it is not ten millions. It is fifty millions."
Śyāmasundara: They have a scientific way of testing that things disintegrate at a certain rate.
Prabhupāda: But here is a scientist, and he does not agree with that.
Prabhupāda: Yes. During Rāmacandra's time there were chariots. Everything was there.
Karandhara: They have found pieces of chariots and pieces of cities.
Śyāmasundara: Not millions of years ago.
Karandhara: How do they know it's not millions of years ago? What is their test for proving?
Prabhupāda: That millions, that is also bogus. You see? In the human history there is no history more than three thousand years. They are talking of millions of years. Why?
Śyāmasundara: You are a scientist. What other ways do they date geological findings? How do they date them?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Now it is Carbon 14 is the most reliable technique.
Śyāmasundara: Well, I'm not a geologist...
Prabhupāda: My charge is that you cannot give history of human society more than three thousand years; how you speak of millions of years? That is my charge.
Śyāmasundara: Written history...
Prabhupāda: No. Suppose a child says that "Millions of years ago it happened like this," but I will say (to) the child, "You were born three years ago. How you speak of millions of years?" That is my charge.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Yes. Just try to understand, the inhabitants of India were called by the Muhammadans from Persia and other places, "Hindus." "Hindus" means the resident on the other side of the River Indus. You have heard the name of River Indus. So they cannot pronounce it Indus, they say "Hindus." From "Hindus," it has become "Hindu." So actually the residents of India were called "Hindus." And generally, at least in, say, three thousand years ago, all the inhabitants of India were strictly followers of Vedic principles. After the advent of Lord Buddha, a different religious system developed. Otherwise, before Lord Buddha, there was all the... Not only in India, in other parts of the world. They were followers of Vedic principles. So in that sense, you can say if followers of Vedic principles are called Hindus, then before Lord Buddha, everyone was Hindu all over the world. Not that particular part of India. So far we have got historical reference from Mahābhārata, Indo-European stock, they are also Hindus, the so-called Hindus, followers of Vedic principles. Yes. Gradually, they deviated.
1970 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Canakya, Canakya Pandit. He was a great politician and brāhmaṇa.
Yamunā: Was he in Lord Caitanya's time?
Prabhupāda: No, no. He was five thousand years..., not. Three thousand years.
Haṁsadūta: He was a great devotee?
Devotee: No.
Haṁsadūta: No?
Guest (1): He was politician. He was a mathematician.
Prabhupāda: He was very learned scholar, brāhmaṇa, rigid brāhmaṇa. That's all.
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: No, you are rascal, you have rascal's history. We are not rascal; we have got another history. Why shall I accept your history? You are rascal. You be satisfied with the history that your great grandfather and his father used to live in the cave. But we don't accept. Our forefather used to live in palace. Sixteen thousand palaces, Kṛṣṇa. (laughter) So you rascal, you live with your own history. Why you force your rascaldom history upon us? We are not going to accept. We get history from five thousand years ago. You have no history beyond three thousand years. But we give the shortest history, five thousand years ago, Kṛṣṇa. And how much intelligent from historical point of view Kṛṣṇa was. We can understand from His instruction, Bhagavad-gītā. It is not that because we are Kṛṣṇaites we are canvassing. The whole world is reading Bhagavad-gītā. Why, unless there is intelligence? All scholars, all religionists, all philosophers, they are giving attention to Bhagavad-gītā. So how you can say Kṛṣṇa was living in the cave? Your forefather might be living in a cave, but our forefather did not live in a cave but palaces. Your forefather is a monkey, according to that history.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Five thousand years ago, it was all perfect. The whole world, this planet, was being ruled by one king. And they were all happy. That is in the history. Five thousand years ago. Maybe less, in three thousand years ago the history was different. The difficulty is that as soon as one is lost of his culture, he becomes an animal. Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. That is the difference between human being and animal. Human being must be with culture. Animal cannot be cultured. So a human being without culture, he's no better than animal. That culture is lost. They have missed the aim of life.
Śyāmasundara: Maybe you could tell him about that Cāṇakya Paṇḍita.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. I think he'll not like that.
Śyāmasundara: There was one famous politician from India five hundred years ago, or...?
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. About three thousand years ago.
Śyāmasundara: Oh, three thousand years ago.
Lord Brockway: Three thousand years ago!
Śyāmasundara: He's written a book of...
Prabhupāda: During the time of Candragupta. Before Mohammedan or British rule. Long ago.
Śyāmasundara: He wrote a book of political wisdom, how to run on the state.
Prabhupāda: According to his opinion, viśvāso naiva... (someone knocks on the door) Yes? Come on. Viśvāso naiva kartavyaḥ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu ca. He's giving warning that "Never trust woman and politician."
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Satsvarūpa: They've just concocted that, that long ago there was no intelligent human life, and that...
Prabhupāda: That is your concoction. We get so many literatures. Huh? The Bhāgavata literature, five thousand years old. You have no history beyond three thousand years. Neither even at the present moment you have got such nice literature. When you say that people are very much advanced, who has produced such literature? Where is a book like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā, whole world? If you say that this book was written, say 1,500 years ago, but where is a similar literature in any other part of the world? Eh? Is there a similar literature? Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa...
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Trivikrama: So that they don't have to be accountable for their activities.
Prabhupāda: Certainly. And they are being accountable. If they become so dull-headed, then God's power will make him a tree: "Stand here. Stand up here for three thousand years. That's all. You are so dull-headed that you have no sense, so become a tree so that even if you are cut, you cannot protest. You have no sense, senses." That is the punishment. "If you don't eat prasādam, then eat stool." This is the arrangement. So they are being punished. But they are so dull-headed, they cannot understand.
Prabhupāda: Greek mythology, that's all right. But where they got?
Paramahaṁsa: Well, they say they made it up.
Amogha: But all knowledge comes from the Vedas.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Greek history is about three thousand years. (break) ...During the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit's grandson. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was the grandson of Yudhiṣṭhira, and Yudhiṣṭhira ruled over five thousand years ago. So the Yayāti... Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's grandson is Parīkṣit. His son is Janamejaya. And his son is Yayāti. And his son started Greek and Roman Empire. So therefore the Greek history is not more than three thousand years. Mahārāja Yayāti banished his two sons to the European quarters. Mleccha-yavana. Later on they became yavana, from Vedic culture deviated. This is the history.
Amogha: He sent them there for conquering?
Prabhupāda: Huh? No. He gave him, that "You take that place."
Devotee (1): When Rāvaṇa was on the earth, was the whole earth populated, like Brazil and also the other parts of the world?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Everywhere population. This is a new theory of the rascals that there was no civilization before three thousand years. This is wrong theory. Everything was there.
Devotee (1): So when Mahārāja Yayāti banished his sons to those kingdoms, they were already populated there.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Paramahaṁsa: They seem to be pretty much kṣatriya races.
Prabhupāda: And during Kurukṣetra fight, all different kings joined, either to this party or that party.
Madhudviṣa: They must be especially sinful. They get five thousand years as a tree.
Prabhupāda: No, they are most pious. Because you want to live more by science, so they are also living more years. What is the use of such living, like tree? Therefore Bhāgavata says taravo kiṁ na jīvanti. You are trying to live more years by scientific advancement, but do the trees not live for many, many years? What you will gain by that? Suppose you live for three thousand years, what you will gain if you remain ignorant? Better live for a few years and understand that this material world is worse, I have to go to the spiritual world and meet Kṛṣṇa. That knowledge will help you. You live for ten years, but get this knowledge, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is perfect life. And what is the use of living like this tree for many thousands of years without any knowledge?
Prabhupāda: That is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's remark.
Reporter (3): Jonathan who?
Brahmānanda: Cāṇakya Paṇḍita.
Prabhupāda: You perhaps know. There is a embassy quarter in New Delhi which is called Cāṇakya Purī under his name. He was a great politician. About three thousand years ago when there was the reign of Candragupta, he was the prime minister.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: No, when there was no civilization.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Eh? They...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There is no civilization five thousand years ago.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Three thousand years...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All cavemen.
Prabhupāda: ...before, there was no civilization.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Dr. Patel: I understand. The modern materialistic, I mean, advancement of society with this modern technology will, I mean...
Prabhupāda: No, even from that point of view, I was taking aeroplane. Aeroplane was flying. So we admit this is contribution of the Western technology. But it is not safe. But what I am giving, it is safe. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato... So our, this contribution of India's culture and this contribution, far different. That is not safe. At any moment you'll be finished. But here-svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This Manipur state is mentioned in the Bhāgavata. And these people say that three thousand years before, there was no civilization.
Rāmeśvara: Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is widespread. Because that... They are criticizing.
Prabhupāda: No, no, this, this, this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, this śloka, was cited just little after the creation. That means millions and millions of years ago. Now, not recently. Many millions and billions of years ago. That is the oldest. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). Whichever item you take, it is very, very... Just like this Parīkṣit Mahārāja. That is at least five thousand years ago. So where is the history of the human society in the Western countries? They cannot give history more than three thousand years.
Rāmeśvara: They think it is simply caveman.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bhāgavata: ...from the species, from one species to another in chronological order.
Gurukṛpa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, even if they... In all their researches, if they came across this information, I don't think they would reveal it to the world.
Prabhupāda: How they would reveal? They are thieves and rogues. Their idea is: three thousand years ago there was no civilization. This is their poor idea.
Prabhupāda: It is very insignificant thing, personal. And it is said, personal, if you keep long hair, it will look... But it has been made here, it is said that "People will think like that, that he has become more beautiful." The psychology. Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dharaṇam. They rejected all other things. Simply they'll think that "If I keep long hair, I'll be very beautiful." This psychological study is there. And five thousand years before, prediction. How much authoritative the book is, just imagine. Is it not fact? Vyāsadeva's authority, try to... How perfectly authorized he is. They're stating psychological effect of people five thousand years ahead. Not only that, there are many descriptions what will be the name two thousand, three thousand years... Generally said, "This name will be like this. This name will be like this. Your son, grandson, great-grandson, what will be their names, this is..." So why shall we not believe just that statement of planetary system? If they are so correct... Planetary system is already there, but they are foretelling what in future, it will happen. That is my conviction. Therefore I do not believe anyone except Bhāgavata, Bhagavad-gītā. That is my science. They speculate. I don't believe it. Why shall I...? And in the beginning Vyāsadeva said, kim anyaiḥ śāstraiḥ: "Take only Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the book of knowledge. Bas. You need not read any other." Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam: (SB 1.1.3) "This is essence of all Vedic knowledge." (pause) There are so many gentlemen here. They want to give their property, house, outside Bombay, to this institution.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Now about three and a half million copies, thirty-five lakhs copies.
Prabhupāda: In Christmas festival they are performing Christmas festival and purchasing our book, Kṛṣṇa book. Now they have accepted this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is three thousand years old or some thousands of...
Kārttikeya: Five thousand.
Prabhupāda: No, thousands of years.
| Page Title: | Three thousand years |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 17 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=3, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=20, Con=19, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 42 |