Reporter: When I interviewed you perhaps five or six years ago, it was before there were reports of the astronauts landing on the moon, and I asked you at that time if you thought, what you thought about it, and you said that, as I recall, that they would not be able to land or explore, because spirits or creatures that lived on the moon would not allow it. The reports of course said that indeed people did land and explore and return safely. I understand you have further thoughts about that (laughter) and you've even written a lot about it. I wonder if you could tell me, not at great length perhaps, but what your belief about those events is.
Prabhupāda: Yes. From the.... That question I was discussing the other day. In the common sense, gross sense, that all over the world, they accept Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, in this way Saturday last. So why these arrangement? Sunday first and Monday second, and nobody could reply it. But as a layman I can conclude that Sun planet is first and the moon planet is next. So if you cannot go to the sun planet, which is ninety-three million miles away, how you can go to the moon planet within four days? Nobody could answer me. Can you answer?
Reporter: Well, I don't think it's worth the answer now, but I'm wondering what your response is.
Prabhupāda: But this is the arrangement all over the world. Sunday first, Monday second, then Tuesday. So Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, in this way. Last Saturn. This is the arrangement of the planets. So if this is the arrangement of the planets, moonday next to..., moon next to sun, and if you cannot go to the sun, how can you go to the moon?
Reporter: Do you, in other words, do you believe that astronauts landed somewhere?
Prabhupāda: That is next question. First of all, whether you actually went to the moon, that is the first question. You have to conclude that you did not, because the sun planet is first, the moon planet is second. You cannot go to the sun planet, ninety-three millions of miles, how can you go to the moon planet?
Reporter: Well, except that...
Prabhupāda: According to our śāstra, the moon planet is above the sun planet, and the distance is 1,600,000 miles. So accepting that the sun is 93,000,000 miles away, then you add another 1,600,000, almost 2,000,000, it becomes 15,000,000 miles away. So if you go at the speed of 18,000 miles per hour, it takes more than 6 months. So how you go there in 4 days? And you advertise in the paper: "Now, they have reached." After 4 days.
Rāmeśvara: They don't accept that the moon is further away.
Prabhupāda: They don't accept, that is another thing, but we have got this information. How we can accept it?
Reporter: I didn't understand that last.
Rāmeśvara: I said to Prabhupāda that the modern man believes that the moon is closer, but Prabhupāda said, "But our ancient literatures teach that the moon is further away." So since we have that information, how can we accept the version of the modern scientists?
Reporter: Hm hm.
Rāmeśvara: We've got...
Prabhupāda: Not only that. Why this arrangement that Monday and, Sunday first, Monday second?
Reporter: Well, that doesn't necessarily speak of distance.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Reporter: It doesn't necessarily speak of distance.
Prabhupāda: That.... Distance may not be, but you have to accept the sun planet first, moon planet next.
Reporter: Er...
Prabhupāda: Distance is not the question.
Reporter: OK.
Prabhupāda: Why this arrangement: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday? There is some system. The system is, just like first, second, third, fourth. So it is naturally concluded the moon planet is next to the sun planet.
Reporter: Do you feel—maybe you answered this, but I didn't understand the answer—do you feel that astronauts did land somewhere, but it was some other planet?
Prabhupāda: That may be. Or it may not be also.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What about that sometimes people ask us what about the pictures of man on the moon?
Rāmeśvara: They show man in a spacesuit walking on some other planet.
Prabhupāda: That is also, what is called, argumentative. Somebody says it is arbitrary arrangement.
Reporter: Hm. Laboratory.
Prabhupāda: Of course, we do not go into the details of this. My question is that why Sunday first and Monday second? Nobody can apli..., replies.
Rāmeśvara: Prabhupāda once also argued that the dust, the dirt that they brought back, it did not reflect any light, but the moon is always reflecting light. So it was a different substance than what must be on the moon surface.
Prabhupāda: Now, according to our Vedic scripture, Moon is one of the heavenly planets.
Reporter: Are there any other Vedic scriptures that you believe speak to a situation that is greatly misunderstood today besides this?
Prabhupāda: No. Vedic understanding means there is no different Vedic version.
Reporter: But do people, say another example where what you hold is very different from what the rest of society holds, is there something else that would be...
Prabhupāda: No. Why...
Rāmeśvara: No, he means, Prabhupāda, that just like modern man is thinking that they went to the moon, and our Vedic scripture says they didn't, so he's asking are there any other controversies, just like reincarnation, transmigration...
Prabhupāda: No, so far Vedic students are concerned, there are no controversies.
Rāmeśvara: But from what the modern man believes there may be some differences.
Prabhupāda: Modern man believes, that's all right, but...
Rāmeśvara: That's what his question is.
Prabhupāda: Our, our basic knowledge is on the Vedic principle. That whatever.... Just like we are explaining now, veda-vihito dharmaḥ. We have to understand everything from the Vedas, from this Vedic knowledge. So anything which does not speak acc.... in terms of the Vedic formula, we do not accept such knowledge as valid.
Reporter: OK.
Prabhupāda: But practically you are seeing that. But...
Reporter: Would you accept conclusions from science that..., only if it agreed with the Vedic scriptures?
Prabhupāda: First of all.... As you say science. What do you mean by science? Can you explain?
Reporter: Well, what the..., the best conclusions of the best people in science.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That's all right, but what is the best conclusion?
Reporter: Well, rely on their opinions.
Prabhupāda: That is opinion, the opinion is changing. How you can rely? That is not fixed up. So what is this opinion, what is the value of this opinion?
Reporter: Well...
Prabhupāda: You give some opinion, and after some years you change it. So what is the.... How can I rely on your opinion?
Reporter: Would Darwin's theory of evolution and other evolutionary theories...
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be. If it is being changed every year or every ten years, then what is the value of this opinion? There is no value.
Reporter: Well, but religious thought in India has changed over the years too.
Prabhupāda: No. Nothing. We do not change. Just like your Bhagav...
Reporter: Well, others ...
Prabhupāda: Bhagav...
Reporter: Others change.
Prabhupāda: Ah, others may deviate, that's another thing. But the system is not that. You cannot deviate from the Vedic injunction that if you have to follow the ācāryas, just like India is obeying. The mass population or the sane population, they are following the ācāryas. Ācāryas means great teachers, bona fide teachers—perhaps you have heard their name, just like Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya. So they are followed, and they are of the same opinion. Millions of years ago, what was the opinion, and that opinion is still there. Ācchā, take for Bhagavad-gītā. And that is.... Not a single Indian who does not accept Bhagavad-gītā as authority. This is besides the foreigners who also take interest so much in Bhagavad-gītā. So far Indians are concerned, even some of the Muhammadans, so apart from Muhammadans, those who are claiming as Hindu, they all accept the authority of Bhagavad-gītā. So this Bhagavad-gītā, they might have changed, but that is not acceptable.
Reporter: I think I covered most questions that I wanted to in the interview. Did you say that somebody would be transcribing?
Rāmeśvara: Yes, I'm going to arrange to have it transcribed.
Reporter: Because there are a lot of things that I couldn't catch, just because I'm not atuned to hearing you, so a lot of words I did not understand. But...
Rāmeśvara: I'll arrange for that.
Reporter: OK.
Rāmeśvara: You'll get it tomorrow.
Reporter: Oh, I enjoyed it very much. Thank you.
Prabhupāda: Thank you. (break)
Rāmeśvara: Just like there is this one point that the scientists say something which everyone in the world believes, but you are saying something different. So he was very interested...
Prabhupāda: No. Ahh.... I...
Reporter: Well the Vedic scriptures say that.
Rāmeśvara: Yes, the Vedic scriptures...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: ...something different.
Prabhupāda: The thing is, that is practical. That scientifics statement given today, and after few days it is changed.
Reporter: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Then if I say "What is the value of such statement if you change it?" That is my point. And so far Vedic injunctions are there, you don't change. What was given millions of years ago, that we carry.
Reporter: Thank you very much.
Rāmeśvara: Thank you, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)