Prabhupāda: Sand. We get sand from the water. So unless there was water, how there is sand? Who will answer this?
Jagadīśa: Desert. Like the desert.
Prabhupāda: Yes, there was water. There was water. You cannot say that sand has come automatically. It comes from . . . what is that sand? It's soda-silicate. The water is soda, full of soda, and from that, sand comes. You are chemist. You know soda silicate?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Excuse me?
Prabhupāda: You know soda silicate?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Silicate, sand.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Brahma-tīrtha Prabhu, Bob Cohen, is a geologist. He just got initiated yesterday.
Prabhupāda: Hmm. Oh, yes.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: He's the Peace Corps devotee from India? He is a scientist in the field of geology, studies the earth and how these formations come, and he's working with the scientists to prove their misunderstandings, their false claims.
Prabhupāda: Now, without water there cannot be sand.
Hari-śauri:. So early in the moon's history, when it was first formed, when there was gaseous clouds, then there was the water in the atmosphere . . .
Prabhupāda: There was water?
Hari-śauri: . . . but then, due to the atmosphere being dry, not being any atmosphere, now it's just rocks and dust.
Prabhupāda: Why the atmosphere changed? There was water? Why the atmosphere changed? (break) . . . is water, there must be vegetation. So where those vegetation gone? All false propaganda. Even in the sea you'll find seaweeds. Is it not? So as soon as there is water, there must be vegetation. And without water, sand does not come. If there is sand, there is water, there is vegetation.
Hari-śauri: So if there was originally an atmosphere, why is it not there now?
Prabhupāda: These are all rascal, "atmosphere." What atmosphere? Whole world is made of these material elements. Why the atmosphere should be different? Maybe more or less, that is another thing. Just like in the Western country it is very cool and the Eastern country it is hot. But that does not mean everything is changed.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: On this planet we have certain elements, like iron, water or sand. Could there be other elements on other planets, other new elements?
Prabhupāda: No. No.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Same elements.
Prabhupāda: More or less. Just like in the heavenly planets it is said that the roads are paved with pearls. So there is more pearl. Here is also. The pearl quantity is there. Therefore they pave on the . . . (indistinct) . . . road.
Hari-śauri: You told us, in Hawaii, they had emeralds as big as huge boulders.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Hari-śauri: Yes, big rocks, like this, when we were walking in Hawaii.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: And the beaches are made of gems.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So what is the difficulty? This is also stone; that is also stone. That is valuable stone, that's all—valuable in your eye.
Gurudāsa: So kalpa-vṛkṣa is the topmost, and this is perverted.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gurudāsa: So the moon planet is said to be high planet, but sand is not as nice as vegetation. How is that?
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Gurudāsa: The moon planet is said to be higher planet, but sand is not . . .
Prabhupāda: No, no, they say that moon planet, there is sand. They have brought sand. I say: "Wherefrom the sand came unless there is water?"
Gurudāsa: Yes.
Devotee (1): Came from Arizona. (laughter)
Hari-śauri: Actually, when they brought that dust, they said they brought that dust back, they made the point that it's just like the dust here. That's the same things again. You pointed out, "Why they are mentioning Arizona when they're talking about Mars?"
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: That means they've never been past Arizona.
Prabhupāda: All business is going on in Arizona.
Gurudāsa: You once said there is a gross and subtle part of the moon planet. Is that so? No.
Prabhupāda: No.
Gurudāsa: You said one who had qualification could get to the actual moon planet.
Prabhupāda: Moon is one. There are not so many moons. Moon is one. You can go to the moon. By ritualistic ceremony you can get there ten thousands of years life and enjoy. That is the heavenly planet.
Gurudāsa: So they have not at all gone there.
Prabhupāda: All false propaganda.