Prabhupāda: Universe is a covering just like a football, and within that, there are planetary system. And these football-like universes, they are floating in the Virajā water, where Mahā-Viṣṇu is lying. So each universe is covered.
Revatīnandana: Like a coconut?
Prabhupāda: Eh? Yes.
Revatīnandana: Like a coconut half filled with water?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa. Jagad-aṇḍa means this universe, aṇḍa, round sphere(?). Koṭi. Koṭi means innumerable. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). And in each of them there are innumerable planets, and each planet, the atmosphere is different from one another. Vibhūti-bhinnam. Just like sun planet. It is a different thing from this planet, but... And the moon planet is a different thing from this planet. And the scientists, they are thinking that the sun planet being fiery, there cannot be any living entity. No. There are. There are living entities. Their bodies are also fiery. Fire is also one of the elements. Here we have body with material elements. Major portion is earth, and there major portion is fire. So somewhere major portion is water. So therefore there are vibhūti-bhinnam, different atmosphere. That is God's creation.
- yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
- koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam
- tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.40)
Govinda's bodily rays is brahmajyoti. The impersonalists, by their ascending process they realize brahmajyoti and they think, "This is end." No. You have to go further, further. Brahmaṇo 'haṁ pratiṣṭhā, Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the," what is called, "reservoir, or the background of this brahmajyoti." Background. Because Kṛṣṇa is there, therefore brahmajyoti is there. You'll find always in Kṛṣṇa's picture there is a auri. It is called auri?
Haṁsadūta: Aura.
Prabhupāda: Aura.
Revatīnandana: When Kṛṣṇa appeared... I think the translation in Bhagavad-gītā begins that "I am the source..."
Prabhupāda: (aside:) Sit down.
Revatīnandana: That "I am the source of impersonal Brahman, which is eternal, and the constitutional position of ultimate happiness." Does that mean that because everything in the spiritual sky is situated in the brahmajyoti, that therefore it is the position of ultimate happiness?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Revatīnandana: Or is it because Kṛṣṇa is situated in the spiritual sky, therefore the spiritual sky is the position where there is ultimate happiness to be found?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Revatīnandana: That is the understanding?
Prabhupāda: Yes. In the spiritual sky you will find happiness, real happiness. In the material sky there is no happiness. How it can be happiness, because the four things are there, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)? If you think it is happiness in spite of your death, then you are a fool. You do not want to be a dead man, but you are forced to accept death. You do not want to become old man, but you are forced to accept. And these things, if you accept—happiness—that is your foolishness. Vyādhi. Jarā-vyādhi, disease. If you are constantly suffering from various types of diseases and if you think you are happy, that is another foolishness. Therefore Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam, that "All the foolish persons who are born foolish, all their activities are defeat for them unless they are enlightened to inquire about ātma-tattvam."
So in the modern education there is no department for inquiring about ātma-tattvam. And they are proud of advancement of learning. But Bhāgavata says, parābhava: "These are all defeat." They do not know what is ātmā, what is ātma-tattva. They are identifying, "I am this body." "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Gujarati," "I am Bengali," "I am this," "I am that." Yasyātmā-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Anyone who identifies himself with this body, he is nothing but ass and cow. And that is going on. We are fighting, nations and nations, community and community, religious party and religious party—because due to the misidentification of body. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness begins when one is above this bodily concept of life. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). These are upādhis, designations. So these Kṛṣṇa conscious boys and girls, they are no longer thinking that "I am American," "I am Canadian," "I am French," "I am German." No. "I am Indian." No. They know certainly that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. I am eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa." And that is our real identity. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are no more interested to be identified as American or European. And this is knowledge. And this is mukti. If one is under the misconception that "I am American," "I am Indian," then how there is mukti? There is no mukti. Mukti means svarupena avasthiti, to stay in his own constitutional position. That is called mukti.
So this movement is very important movement. Everyone should seriously study and execute this. Don't be carried away by the illusory ideas of material existence. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). It is very easy. If you simply chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12)—immediately all the misconception within your heart will be cleansed. This is misconception: "I am this body." "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am Gujarati," "I am Bengali." These are all misconceptions. You are part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa. That is your identity. So that can be realized. The easiest process is this chanting Hare... Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanam. And next stage is that the blazing fire of this material existence will be extinguished immediately. Here in our disciples you'll find Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Africans. They are all absorbed in Kṛṣṇa thoughts, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. They have lost all these misgivings, upādhi, designations, nonsense designations. The nonsense designation is the cause of their bondage. So let us realize that we are not this, not this. We are eternally... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately says, gives to you the highest philosophy, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Taṭastha-śakti jāta acintya bhedābheda-prakāśa. In two lines He has given the whole idea of jīva-tattva. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa. You can explain in so many books these two lines. The real identity of the living entity is that he is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.