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In your teachings you say the sun is the only self-illuminous body in the universe, whereas the scientists say that there is many millions of stars that are in the sky that are also self-illuminous

Expressions researched:
"in your teachings you say the sun is the only self-illuminous body in the universe, whereas the scientists say that there is many millions of stars that are in the sky that are also self-illuminous"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Yes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means universe, and koṭi means millions. So there are millions and millions of universes, and in each universe there are millions and millions of planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). And each planet is differently constituted. The atmosphere of each planet is different from another. This is God's creation. Now as there are innumerable universes, there may be innumerable suns also.
Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

Man (2): Prabhupāda, in quite a few places in your writings you say that of all the billions of astronomical bodies in this universe, that the sun is the only self-luminous one, the only one that gives off its own light. Now, astronomers throughout the world are in universal agreement and teach as an absolutely verifiable fact that there are millions of bodies in our universe that give off their own light, just like our sun does, that our sun is just one of them. Now, on this point your teaching is diametrically opposed to the teachings of all the qualified astronomers in the world, and I would like to know...

Prabhupāda: What is that astronomical calculation?

Madhudviṣa: He is saying that this... Do you understand the question?

Prabhupāda: No. Explain.

Madhudviṣa: He is saying that in your teachings you say the sun is the only self-illuminous body in the universe, whereas the scientists say that there is many millions of stars that are in the sky that are also self-illuminous.

Prabhupāda: No. We say that there are innumerable universes. We say.

Man (2): But in this particular universe, we're talking about.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means universe, and koṭi means millions. So there are millions and millions of universes, and in each universe there are millions and millions of planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). And each planet is differently constituted. The atmosphere of each planet is different from another. This is God's creation. Now as there are innumerable universes, there may be innumerable suns also.

Man (2): Yeah, but they say that's in this universe....

Prabhupāda: Just try to understand. Because there are innumerable universes and in each and every universe there is a sun, there is a moon, there is Venus, everything. So under the circumstances, as we accept innumerable universes, automatically we accept innumerable suns. So where is the difference between the astrologer and our...

Man (2): The astronomers also accept that there are innumerable universes and they say that in each one they have millions and millions of self-luminous stars, and in this one also, but you say that in this one there is only the sun.

Prabhupāda: But do you think that I have to accept the astronomers blindly?

Man (2): Well, they say...

Prabhupāda: No. Why? Why? If there are innumerable suns, why they are not present at night? Why you are suffering from want of one sun?

Man (2): Because we are much further away from the others than our particular one.

Prabhupāda: No. At least, we are not able to bring them into service. We are depending only on one sun in this universe. You may say there are innumerable suns, but why the astronomers or the scientists could not take advantage of another sun at night? Why it is darkness?

Man (2): Because we're much closer to this one than the others. We're much closer to this one.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is... What is that?

Madhudviṣa: He says that the earth is much more closer to this sun than it is to other suns.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, we do not take. But we, according to our Vedic information, this is only one universe, which is within our vision, this sky, the dome. That is one universe. The other universes are outside this universe. That is the Vedic information.

Page Title:In your teachings you say the sun is the only self-illuminous body in the universe, whereas the scientists say that there is many millions of stars that are in the sky that are also self-illuminous
Compiler:Mangalavati, Rishab
Created:07 of Mar, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1