Higher planets (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"higher and lower planets" |"higher celestial planets" |"higher heavenly planets" |"higher material planets" |"higher or lower planets" |"higher planet" |"higher planets" |"higher, heavenly planets"

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Jadurani -- Vrindaban 9 September, 1967:

Regarding Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, he decended from higher planet for being liberated in the association of Lord Caitanya, so his conditioned life came to an end after he contacted Lord Caitanya. The distinction between subtle and gross bodies is elementary. There are eight elements: five gross and three subtle. When a living entity has only subtle body he is considered to be a ghost, and when he has both, he is considered in full strength. To remain in subtle body in this material world is very uncomfortable. Regarding your work in the temple by painting, wherever you remain, if you are fully absorbed in your transcendental work in K.C., that place is eternally Vrindaban—It is the consciousness that creates Vrindaban.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Madhusudana -- Los Angeles 1 February, 1968:

The meaning is that one who worships the Deity with great devotion but doesn't show any devotion to the devotees of the Lord, or doesn't preach Krishna Consciousness for the benefit of the general public, he is in the lower stage of devotional service.

Yes, Sanskrit is spoken not only on Krishna Loka but also in higher planets, of the demigods. It is called the language of God and the demigods. It was spoken also on this planet, when people were all godly, they used to speak in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the origin of all languages of the civilized peoples. It is most perfect, not only descriptive; the word "Sanskrit" means "the most perfect".

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Yamuna -- Los Angeles 3 July, 1969:

Your successful meeting in Oxford is also very encouraging. There is a verse in Caitanya Caritamrta in which Krsna dasa Kaviraja says that the whole world is busy to enjoy or to suffer by their respective results of karma, pious or impious, from past life. So in this material world, somebody is enjoying material life in some higher planet and somebody is suffering some material inconveniences in some lower planets. But they do not know that suffering or no suffering, this material existence itself is not at all congenial to the living entity. In the Western countries, Europe and America, they appear to be enjoying life in the view of the Eastern people, and therefore they hear so much about the opulences in the different universities and towns of the Western countries. But actually, they have no knowledge how to get out of the material entanglement. The only bona fide engagement is Krishna Consciousness for the all around benefit of the human society. That is a fact.

Letter to Robert Hendry -- Los Angeles 3 August, 1969:

Every living entity is part and parcel spirit soul, but in contact with Maya it has developed different types of consciousness, represented by varieties of bodies, beginning from the aquatics and going to the bodies of demigods in higher planets. These different grades of bodies are developing in terms of life. When the consciousness comes to the point of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then life becomes perfect in its original condition. Therefore, in a sense this Krishna Consciousness Movement is declaring war against Candika, who has kept the living entities under her spell. Candika's first spell is to make us identify ourselves with these material conditions. Just like a living entity, because he is born and brought up in American condition, he thinks himself as American, similarly, others are thinking they are Indians, or Canadians, or French and so on.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Vrndavana Candra -- Los Angeles 19 July, 1970:

Regarding your first question: When a person becomes a perfect yogi he can transfer himself to any planet in the material or spiritual sky at his will. That is the perfection of the mystic yoga process. Generally the yogis are impersonalists, therefore they transfer to higher planets within this material world. This is explained in the Second Canto of Bhagavatam. In Chapter VIII, verse XIII of the Gita it is described that the yogi is thinking of the Lord while vibrating Om, so he goes to the Lord's Abode because he is thinking of Krsna.

One who knows what is Om knows that Om is the sound representation of Krsna he immediately remembers Krsna just like we chant Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. This conception of Om and impersonal conception is different. The impersonalist has no information of Krsna, he thinks of something like the Brahmajyoti effulgence.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Upendra -- Delhi 8 December, 1971:

You say that you have met people who claim that by evolution we are approaching a higher stage of existence. That is true in one sense, that anyone who takes to Krishna Consciousness may elevate himself to the highest status of life. Krishna mentions many types of higher beings in Bhagavad-gita, such as demigods and those who dwell on higher planets. We have information that there are 8,400,000 species of life. Out of these, 400,000 species are considered human life. Of these 400,000, how many species do we find in our experience? Not many, probably less than 1,000, so we must conclude that there are hundreds of thousands of higher and lower types of human forms. But this does not mean that automatically one body evolves into a higher body. No. It is described by Krishna how the soul becomes embodied according to his desire. So there are 8,400,000 types of bodies eternally existing.