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Material universe (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

If He is formless or if He is less in any other thing, He cannot be complete whole. The complete whole must have everything within our experience and beyond our experience. Otherwise He cannot be complete. The complete whole Personality of Godhead has immense potencies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). That is also explained in Bhagavad-gītā, how He is acting in different potencies. This phenomenal world, or the material world, where we are now put, is also complete by itself because pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). The 24 elements of which, according to Sāṅkhya philosophy, the 24 elements of which this material universe is a temporary manifestation, are completely adjusted to produce complete things which are necessary for the maintenance and subsistence of this universe. No extraneous effort by any other unit is required for the maintenance of the universe. It's at its own time, fixed up by the energy of the complete whole, and when the time is complete, these temporary manifestations will be annihilated by the complete arrangement of the complete. There is complete facility for the small complete units, namely, the living entities, to realize the complete. And all sorts of incompleteness is experienced on account of incomplete knowledge of the complete. So the Bhagavad-gītā is the complete knowledge of the Vedic wisdom.

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

That information is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, that beyond this material sky, there is another spiritual sky; that is called sanātana sky. In this sky, this covered sky, we find everything temporary. It is manifested, it stays for some time, gives us some by-product, and then it becomes dwindling, and then vanishes. That is the law of this material world. You take this body, you take a fruit or anything what is created here, it has got its annihilation at the end. So beyond this temporary world there is another world for which the information is there, that paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another nature which is eternal, sanātana, which is eternal. And the jīva, jīva is also described as sanātana. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). Sanātana, sanātana means eternal. And the Lord is also described as sanātana in the 11th Chapter. So because we have got intimate relation with the Lord and we are all qualitatively one... The sanātana-dhama and the sanātana Supreme Personality and the sanātana living entities, they are on the same qualitatively plane. Therefore the whole target of Bhagavad-gītā is to revive our sanātana occupation or sanātana..., that is called sanātana-dharma, or eternal occupation of the living entity.

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

Now anyone who can approach that spiritual sky will not be required to come back again in this material sky. So long we are in the material sky, what to speak of approaching the moon planet.... The moon planet, of course, is the nearest planet, but even we approach the highest planet, which is called Brahmaloka, there also we have the same miseries of material life, I mean to say, the miseries of birth, death, old age, and diseases. No planets in the material universe is free from the four principles of material existence. The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). The living entities are traveling from one planet to another. It is not that we can simply go to other planets by the mechanical arrangement of the sputnik. Anyone who desires to go to other planet, there is process. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). If anyone wants to go to any other planet, say, moon planet, we need not try to go by the sputnik. The Bhagavad-gītā instructs us, yānti deva-vratā devān. These moon planets or sun planets or the planets above this Bhūloka, they are called Svargaloka. Svargaloka. Bhūloka, Bhuvarloka, Svargaloka. There are different status of planets. So Devaloka, they are known just like that. The Bhagavad-gītā gives a very simple formula that you can go to the higher planets, Devaloka. Yānti deva-vratā devān. Yānti deva-vratā devān. Deva-vratā, if we practice the process of worshiping the particular demigod, then we can go to that particular planet also. We can go to the sun planet even, we can go to the moon planet, we can go to the heavenly planet, but Bhagavad-gītā does not advise us to go to any one of these planets in the material world because even we go to the Brahmaloka, the highest planet, which is calculated by the modern scientist that we can reach the highest planet by traveling with sputniks for 40,000 years. Now it is not possible to live 40,000 years and reach the highest planet of this material universe. But if one devotes his life in the worshipment of the particular demigod he can approach the particular planet, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). Similarly, there is Pitṛloka.

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

Avyakta means nonmanifested. Even the part of material world is not manifested before us. Our senses are so imperfect that we cannot see how many stars, how many planets there are in this material universe. Of course, through the Vedic literature we get information of all the planets. We may believe or not believe, but all the important planets in which we have connection, they are described in the Vedic literature, especially in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But the spiritual world, which is beyond this material sky, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo (BG 8.20), but that avyakta, that nonmanifested spiritual sky, is the paramāṁ gatim, that is, one should desire, one should hanker after reaching that supreme kingdom. And once approaching that supreme kingdom, yaṁ prāpya, one approaching or one achieving that supreme kingdom, na nivartante, one hasn't got to return back to this material world. And that place which is the eternal abode of Lord, that from where we haven't got to return, that is our, that should be our... (break) Now a question may be raised, what is the way how to approach the supreme abode of the Lord. That is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is said on the 8th Chapter, verses 5, 6, 7, 8, the process of approaching the Supreme Lord or Supreme Lord's abode is also given there.

Lecture on BG 1.24-25 -- London, July 20, 1973:

We have given that picture in the Bhāgavata cover. Perhaps you know. The topmost original planet is the Goloka. Goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni. That is the abode of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-dhāma. Kṛṣṇa-dhāma. People are searching after God. But actually there is the planet where God lives, Kṛṣṇa lives. But you have got your machine, aeroplane, sputnik. You can reach there, but you cannot reach even the highest planet, even on this material planet, material universe. Everyone sees. We see the stars or planets. Now you have got the machine; you go there. No. You cannot go. You are so limited. Even you cannot go to the moon planet, which is so nearest. You cannot go. But still, we are proud of our these airplanes, sputniks. We are thinking, "Now we have become God." These rascals they do not know what is God. They are all rascals. They have no idea what is God. Therefore they have accepted another rascal as God. This is going on. You cannot reach. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām, so 'pyasti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve (Bs. 5.34). Śāstra gives you. Just like your material science also gives you information that there is one planet, highest planet, and one can go there by sputnik in forty thousands of years. So who is going to live forty thousand years to reach there? But they have got theoretically all these things. The highest planet. Material. That is not spiritual.

Lecture on BG 1.24-25 -- London, July 20, 1973:

So after finishing this material world, there is covering of the universe, stock matter, mahat-tattva, wherefrom all these material comings. There is stock. So you have to penetrate through that stock material. And each layer of stock is ten times more than the other. So you have to pierce through the stock, material stock; then you reach the spiritual world. And the spiritual world, there are many... "Many" means three times more than these universes. This universe, this material universe, is only one-fourth manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat. When Arjuna inquired from Kṛṣṇa, "So would you kindly explain little of your opulence." "Yes." So He said, "I am this. Out of this, I am this." He summarized,

athavā bahunaitena
kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
ekāṁśena sthito jagat
(BG 10.42)

Ekāṁśena. You are seeing this universe. This universe—only a fragment of the material creation, a fragment. Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed us... One of His devotees requested Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "My dear Lord, You have come personally. You kindly take all the living entities to the spiritual world. Be kind enough upon them. And if you think that they are so sinful they cannot be taken, then transfer all their sins unto me. You take them. You take them."

Lecture on BG 1.24-25 -- London, July 20, 1973:

Jagad-aṇḍa means this universe. Brahmāṇḍa, jagad-aṇḍa. Koṭi, innumerable. Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). And each universe there are innumerable planets. And each planet is different from others. This is God's creation. And these rascals are manufacturing God. And there is other description also. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). This jagad-aṇḍa, the universe. And there, in each universe, there is a controller of the universe, Brahmā. He is called jagad-aṇḍa-nātha, master of this universe. Because it is controlled by Brahmā, therefore each universe is called brahmāṇḍa. It is controlled by Brahmā. So in the Brahma-saṁhitā we get information: jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ, plural number. There are many, many thousands jagad-aṇḍa... Not only one Brahmā. Many millions of Brahmās, many millions of Śiva, many millions of Viṣṇu, many millions of sun. Because there are many millions of universes. Now, just imagine. This is material creation. And that material creation, Kṛṣṇa says, ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Taking all the material universes, it is only one-fourth creation of the Lord. And the three fourths creation is the spiritual world. Just imagine what is spiritual world. And in that spiritual, the topmost planet is Goloka.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Mexico, February 12, 1975:

So many things you have to arrange. Then you can go, not that all of a sudden anyone can come to your country, Mexico, without arrangement. Similarly, if you want to go to the higher planetary system, then you have to make your arrangement in this life. You cannot go to the moon planet by force because you have got a tiny airplane. That is not possible. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). A man can go to the higher planetary system when he is preparing himself to go there. So there are millions and trillions of planets. Wherever you want, you can go. The descriptions are there in the śāstra. But there is another description, the kingdom of God. That kingdom of God is there beyond this material sky. So we have to take information where that spiritual world is there. You can have it from Vedic literature. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another nature, the spiritual nature, which is beyond this material nature. That material nature... Vyaktāvyakta means some portion is manifested and some portion is not manifested. And we get information from Bhagavad-gītā that the spiritual nature is beyond this manifested and nonmanifested cosmic situation.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:

There are two things, sat and asat. Sat means which exists, and asat means which does not exist, temporary. It appears and again disappears. That is asat. The example is just like the sky and the cloud. Cloud appears, exists for some time, again disappears. But the sky remains always. This is the distinction between sat and asat, try to understand. Sky, this material sky, this also does not exist, but so far our experience is concerned, we can understand the distinction between sat and asat. Permanent and temporary. We cannot say "nonexistent" exactly. Existing. When the cloud comes, it has got some activities, there is rainfall and, on account of rainfall, on the ground there is some new vegetation, new flowers, everything looks very green. In the rainy season we get some products. So we cannot say it is false, but we can say it is temporary. Similarly, material world, matter, is not false. But it is nonpermanent. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). You'll find it in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Māyāvādī philosopher says brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. The spirit is truth, and jagat, this material world, is untruth, mithyā, false. We say that everything is emanating from the Supreme. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. Everything is emanating from Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth. So that cannot be false. Because Absolute Truth, how from truth, false will come? This is our philosophy. The matter may be temporary, but it is not false. The Vedic injunction is mā asataḥ. Mā asato sad gamaya. Don't try to be entangled with the asat. Sad asat. But try to come to the platform of sat.

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

So Brahman means all-pervading. But this transcendental sound... Just like your radio message, television sound, they cannot go beyond this earthly planet, at most. But there is sound which can penetrate the whole universe and go to the spiritual world. Sound is all-pervading, that is a fact, scientific fact. If that sound is potent, then it can penetrate even this material sky and go to the spiritual sky and go to Kṛṣṇa directly. That sound is Hare Kṛṣṇa. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene tāya. I've given that. He has translated very nice, Hayagrīva. Golokera prema-dhana. This is descended from the spiritual platform, Goloka Vṛndāvana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this Hare Kṛṣṇa. Rati nā janmilo kene tāya. "I have no attachment for these things." I have got attachment for radio sound, or television sound, so many sound, but I have no attachment for the supreme sound which is coming down from the Goloka Vṛndāvana. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene... saṁsāra-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jwale. "In this material world, I am, my heart is always burning on account of so many miseries." Juṛāite nā koinu upāya. "But I could not find out the way how to get out of it. This sound vibration will get you out from the blazing fire of this material condition. This sound, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Chant always, everything will be perfectly done."

Lecture on BG 2.62-72 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968:

They are pure devotees, but they are guṇāvatāra. Just like Lord Brahmā is the supreme personality within this material universe. He's the father of all living entities. So they are... Of course, if we very scrutinizingly study, Haridāsa Ṭhākura is, in devotional service, in greater position than Brahmā. Although he is considered the incarnation of Brahmā, Brahmā Haridāsa. So we should not be disturbed when we see Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva is captivated in that way. We should take this instruction, that is Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva becomes victim of māyā sometimes, what to speak of us? Therefore we shall be very, very careful. There is chance of falldown even in the status of Brahmā and Śiva, what to speak of ordinary persons. Therefore we should be very strongly inclined to Kṛṣṇa consciousness like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Then we shall be able very easily to overcome the allurement of māyā. That is to be understood. Not that "Brahmā showed that," what is called, "weakness. He is weak or he is less." No. That is for our instruction. Yes. Or first of all, his. Yes.

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

Somebody says, "Oh, everyone is God." Oh, he becomes puffed-up: "I am also God." But what you know about God? You are thinking, "My spiritual master has said that I am God." But you should not inquire that "How I become God?" We learn from scripture, God has created this material universe. Oh, what I have created? And still I am puffed-up—"I am God"? So this cheating business is going on. So these are absurd. Absurd inquiries are condemned herewith. Yes. One must approach to the real spiritual master in submission. Inquire from him by rendering service. Then, gradually, you learn the science.

Here we are teaching our students—not abruptly say that "You have learned." We are teaching them Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, so many books. And we are discussing about God practically whole day and night. We are publishing paper. So in this way one has to learn.

Lecture on BG 6.1 -- Los Angeles, February 13, 1969:

That is his constitutional position. Either in the spiritual sky or material sky, he's the same. But as you develop in the material world a material body, similarly in the spiritual world you can develop a spiritual body. You follow? Your position is that small particle, but spirit can expand. This expansion in the material world is being done in contact with matter. And in the spiritual world, that expansion can be done in spirit. Here in the material world I am spirit soul. I am different from this body because this body is matter and I am living. I am living force, but this material body is not living force. And in the spiritual world there is everything living force. There is no dead matter. Therefore the body is also spiritual. Just like water with water, water, that's all. But water and oil—distinction. Similarly, I am spirit soul, I am the oil. So I am in the water, so there is distinction. But if I am put into the oil, then everything's all right. So the impersonalists, they do not develop body. They simply remain as spirit particle. That is their idea. But we Vaiṣṇava, we want to serve Kṛṣṇa, therefore we require hands, legs and mouth and tongue, everything. So we are giving such body. As you are getting this body from the womb of the mother, similarly we get body in the spiritual world. Not from the womb of the mother, but there is process to get, you can get.

Lecture on BG 6.21-27 -- New York, September 9, 1966:

Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam. Now, this material world is compared with a great ocean, and actually it is. Those who have traveled on the sea, now they have seen Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean. This is only a spot. This earth is only a spot in this material universe. So we have got these two big oceans, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. Just imagine that within this universe, millions and millions of planets are floating. How many Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are there you can just imagine. So this is actually a great ocean of misery, bhavāmbudhiḥ. The śāstra says it is a great ocean of birth and death. So bhavāmbudhiḥ. Samāśritā ye pada... Now in order to cross the ocean, you require a very nice boat, strong boat. Then you can cross over. So we have to cross over this ocean of nescience, material. And what is that boat? That is lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. You take shelter of the boat which is Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. Samāśritā. Take with great faith, that "I am now accepting this boat as my life, lifeboat." Then what is the result? Now, mahat-padam. Mahat-padam. Don't think that "Oh, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's boat, or feet, is so small." No. It is mahat-padam. Mahat-padam means the whole material creation is resting on His leg. Mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ.

Lecture on BG 6.30-34 -- Los Angeles, February 19, 1969:

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord." Govindam ādi-puruṣam. Puruṣam means the Lord is male, enjoyer, ādi, the original. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. And who is that Govinda? Whose only one plenary portion is Mahā-Viṣṇu. And what is the function of Mahā-Viṣṇu? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). In every universe there is a chief living entity who is known as Brahmā. Brahmā is the original person in each universe. So the life of Brahmā or the life of a universe is existing only on the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Mahā-Viṣṇu is lying on the Causal Ocean and while He is exhaling, millions of universes are coming as bubbles and they are developing again. And when He is inhaling, millions of universes are going within Him. So that is the position of this material world. It is coming out and again going. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said that these material universes are being created at a certain period and again become annihilated. Now this creation and annihilation is depending on the exhaling and inhaling of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Just imagine what is the caliber of that Mahā-Viṣṇu.

Lecture on BG 7.1-2 -- Bombay, March 28, 1971:

So there is another nature, spiritual nature, that is not created. Here in the material world, everything is created. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Anything created in the material world, it has got a period, a date, historical date of creation. And again it is annihilated, again it is created. That is the nature of material world. But transcendental to this material sky, there is another sky, which is called paravyoma. That paravyoma is called, in English word, "the kingdom of God." Of course, it is not perfectly expressed, but there is word, "paravyoma," or Vaikuṇṭhaloka. That is Kṛṣṇa's dhāma. So that is existing eternally. So therefore the creative feature of this material world and the spiritual world are different. They are not created. They are existing eternally. So we have to cultivate such knowledge that we can be..., we may be transferred to the spiritual world, because Kṛṣṇa belongs to the spiritual world, acintya-guṇa-svarūpam.

Lecture on BG 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966:

So raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. We can remember Kṛṣṇa, or God, when we drink water because nobody can avoid drinking water. So the God consciousness is there. How can you forget? Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ (BG 7.8). When there is some illumination, when there is some illumination... (aside:) You want to come here? I ask this... All right. When there is some illumination, that illumination is also Kṛṣṇa. The original effulgence is brahma-jyotir. That is in the spiritual sky. This material sky is covered; therefore the nature of this material sky is darkness. Now, at night we are experiencing the real nature of this material world—it is darkness. Artificially, it is being illuminated by the sun, by the moon, by the electricity. Otherwise, it is darkness. So this illumination is God. We have to understand—this illumination.

Lecture on BG 8.15-20 -- New York, November 17, 1966:

This manifestation, this material manifestation, is only three-fourth part of the whole manifestation, both spiritual and material. You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Ekāṁśa means one-fourth part. These manifestations are one-fourth part. And three-fourth part manifestation is beyond this material sky. This material sky is covered. The... When you see to the sky you'll find that ball-like covering. That is the covering. So millions and millions of miles, the covering is there. And after penetrating that covering, you can enter into the spiritual sky. That is open sky.

Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:

Now, this verse we have been discussing from the last day. There is another nature, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ. Bhāva means nature, and para, para means superior. So there is another, superior nature, avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ. Vyakta means what you see manifested. Now, this material universe you are seeing manifested... Practically not seeing, but at least at night we can see how the stars are twinkling, so many planets innumerable. This is manifested. And beyond that manifestation there is covering of the universe. Vyakta-avyakta. And beyond that avyakta there is another, material nature, er, spiritual nature...

So Kṛṣṇa is pointing out that, that nature... Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ. Sanātana means eternal. This nature, this material nature, it has got its beginning and end. But that spiritual nature, that has no beginning and no end. How it is? You can understand by simple example. Just like this sky, and in some insignificant part of the sky there is some cloud, and the cloud covers us. When there is cloud or snowfall we see everything is covered. But that covering is only an insignificant part of the whole sky. That covering is not for the whole sky. Because we are very minute, small, so a few hundred miles, if it is covered, this sky, we see that everything is covered. Similarly, this material sky is within the covering, with the covering of mahat-tattva, matter. And as this cloud, when it is clear, the original sky you can see, similarly, this covering of material matter, when it begins... Just like cloud has beginning and end, similarly, this material nature has beginning and end. Just like your body. It has got its beginning and end—simply for some time. We get our birth of this body, we stay for some time, it grows, it gives some by-products, then it dwindles, then vanishes—these six transformations. So similarly, anything material, manifestation that you are seeing, observing, that is under these six kinds of transformation. So at the end it will be vanquished.

Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:

So there are many volumes of knowledge of this material sky and spiritual sky. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Second Canto, you will find description of the spiritual sky, what nature it is, what kind of people remain there, what is their feature—everything. Even we get information that in spiritual sky there is aeroplane, spiritual aeroplane in the spiritual sky. And the living entities, they are liberated. They travel on the spiritual sky on that plane, and it is so nice, just like lightning. The description is... They travel just like lightning. So everything is there. This is only imitation. This material sky and everything, whatever you see—all imitation, shadow. It is shadow. Just like in cinematographic picture you see the shadow of the real thing behind, similarly, this is only shadow. And in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ, yatra tri-sargo 'mṛṣā (SB 1.1.1). This material world is a combination of matter. Just like you have seen a nice girl's doll in the showcase of the shopkeeper's exactly just like a nice, beautiful girl. But that is imitation. Imitation. Every sane man knows, "Oh, this is imitation."

Lecture on BG 8.22-27 -- New York, November 20, 1966:

We have been discussing about the transcendental world. The transcendental world is above this material sky. The material sky is also a part of the transcendental sky or spiritual sky—it is covered only. This thing we have already explained. Just like the sky, some part of the sky is covered by cloud. The cloud cannot cover the whole sky. That is not possible. That is not in the power of the cloud. Only insignificant portion of the cloud, er, sky, is covered by cloud. Similarly, the unlimited sky, spiritual sky, and some portion of it, when it is covered by mahat-tattva or a spiritual cloud, the portion which is covered, it is called material sky.

This material sky is meant for the conditioned soul. Just like the prison house. What is this prison house? The prison house is a certain area of the state, walled, all sides walled and protected, so that the prisoners may not come out. That is called prison. But it is within the state, within the city, under insignificant portion. Similarly, this material manifestation is only a very insignificant portion of the spiritual sky, and it is covered so that we may not go to the spiritual sky. That is not possible. We cannot go. We cannot travel even in the outer space of this material sky. So we have got very limited potency. But this is the situation.

Lecture on BG 8.22-27 -- New York, November 20, 1966:

So there, in the spiritual sky, there are spiritual planets, and on each planet the Lord is manifested. There are innumerable planets. So here it is, that information is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, that puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha: "That spiritual sky, the predominating Personality of Godhead is transcendental." Just like here, in every country, in every planet, there is a predominating personality. In your country, the predominating personality is President Johnson. Similarly, in every country there is a predominating personality. Similarly, every planet there is a predominating personality. So the same system is there also. But there is no rival. Puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha. There, the Personality of Godhead, there is nobody rival. Just like here, the predominating personality, President Johnson, when the next election will come, there will be so many rivals. But in the spiritual sky there is no rival. In the spiritual sky the Supreme Lord is the Supreme. And those who wanted to become rival, they are put into this material sky, under condition of the material nature. This is the difference between spiritual sky and material sky.

Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:

Guest (3): Has there been a case...

Prabhupāda: So that case you cannot judge. The case has to be judged by the spiritual master.

Guest (3): Could you give me an example of a case that has been...

Prabhupāda: Just like if somebody has done something wrong he is taken to the court and the judge gives his decision, whether he is criminal or not. The man who has arrested him, he cannot give the decision. It has to be tried by the higher authority. Then the judgment will be. Anything more?

Guest (1): Do they have Deity worship in any of the other planets in the material universe?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Gurukṛpā: Is there Deity worship on other planets?

Prabhupāda: Yes, every planet. (end)

Lecture on BG 9.24-26 -- New York, December 12, 1966:

Just like we are changing different dresses. Sometimes I am, I have got this body, Indian, sometimes you have got this body, American, and sometimes I may get the body of a dog or a hog or something else. I may get the body of demigod. As these changes of dresses are going on, cycle of birth and death, transmigration of the soul in different forms of life, similarly, there is transmigration of the soul in different planets. So ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ... This system of going up and down should be stopped. That is the business of an intelligent person. Yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6). We should try to go (to) that planet where going, no more coming back. That is Kṛṣṇaloka. That is Vaikuṇṭha, the spiritual sky. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). Beyond this material sky there is spiritual sky. There are spiritual planets, and Kṛṣṇaloka is there. So Kṛṣṇa gives here hint that mad-yājino 'pi mām: "As others are going, trying to go in other planets, similarly, those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, those who are absolutely worshiper of the Supreme Lord, they will come to Me. They will come to Me." Mām upetya tu kaunteya. In other place... There are several places mentioned, this fact.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hawaii, February 4, 1975:

The material power is very gigantic, undoubtedly. That is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). This material energy is called Durgā. Durgā means... Duḥ means very difficult. When we are in this material world it is very, very difficult to get out of it. The sky is covering the whole material universe, and there are different layers. It is not so... You cannot go even to the nearest planet. Durgā, very difficult. You cannot... You are conditioned soul. You cannot go. You are thinking, "I have got now, discovered this." It is not discovered. The aeroplane was long, long ago. So you cannot go. That is our conditional life. They are trying to go to the moon planet, unsuccessful. They cannot go. Therefore we are conditioned. I am conditioned to live on this planet. I cannot go to other planet without permission. It is common sense. Just like India. One cannot come to America without proper visa. So how you can go to the other planet without proper visa. So they do not think. That is, therefore, asuras, demons. They are simply thinking that they are perfect, they can do everything. That is not possible. That is not possible.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hyderabad, December 16, 1976:

If we want to go to Vaikuṇṭha planet or Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, beyond this material sky... That is... There is another sky. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ avyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). These informations are there in the Bhagavad-gītā. There is another sky which is called paravyoma. That is spiritual sky. That spiritual sky is eternal. When everything is annihilated within this material sky, that remains eternally. That is called sanātana-dhāma. So sanātana-jīva, sanātana. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). It is stated there. So jīva is sanātana. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). And Kṛṣṇa is also sanātana. In the Eleventh Chapter Kṛṣṇa is addressed, sanātana. And here there is another sky which is called sanātana. Avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ. So this sanātana-dhāma and sanātana association... Kṛṣṇa is sanātana, living entity is sanātana, and there is a sanātana-dhāma.

Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:

So all the prisoners who are there, it is to be understood they are all sinful, or criminals. Otherwise, how they are put into the jail. So this material world is jail. You cannot have freedom here. It is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). And the superintendent of jail is Durgā-devī. You have seen the many, there are many worshiper of Goddess Durgā. She is the superintendent of this jail. Durgā. Durgā means fort. So this material world is just like a fort, and the predominating deity is the Durgā-devī. Therefore she is equipped with so many weapons, ten kinds of weapons on ten hands. That means there are ten directions. The four corners, east, west, south, north, and the four corners, up and down. These are the ten directions. So you cannot escape. Just like from the jail you cannot escape, there is very strong guard, similarly, we are all put into this fort, durgā, material universe. So... And the deity, predominating deity, is Durgā-devī.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 7, 1971:

Pradyumna: Translation: "I offer my obeisances unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, who is the supreme all-pervading Personality of Godhead. I meditate upon Him, the transcendent reality, who is the primeval cause of all causes, from whom all manifested universes arise, in whom they dwell, and by whom they are destroyed. I meditate upon that eternally effulgent Lord who is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations and yet is beyond them. It is He only who first imparted Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmā, the first created being. Through Him this world, like a mirage, appears real even to great sages and demigods. Because of Him, the material universes, created by the three modes of nature, appear to be factual, although they are unreal. I meditate therefore upon Him, the Absolute Truth, who is eternally existent in His transcendental abode, and who is forever free of illusion." (SB 1.1.1)

Prabhupāda: Vyāsadeva is offering his obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Bhagavate, "unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as Vāsudeva." Vāsudeva means the son of Vasudeva. Even the leader of the impersonalists, namely Śaṅkarācārya, he has accepted that the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī. People may not misunderstand. Just like we give identification by giving the name of father, mother, similarly, Kṛṣṇa's identification is that He is son of Vasudeva or son of Nanda Mahārāja, friend of Śrīdāmā, Sudāmā, lover of Rādhārāṇī. In so many ways He has got hundreds of thousands of names. So people who protest that God cannot have any name... They say that God cannot have any name. Yes, we agree with them. God cannot have any name. Or God has so many names, how we'll address Him? The śāstra says that He has got many names, but the chief name is Kṛṣṇa. In the Atharva Veda it is said. Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī, Vasudeva. Those who are very much strict to understand everything on the evidence of Veda, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has given them quotation from Vedas, that "In the Vedas, Kṛṣṇa's name is there, His father's name is there." Like that.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Melbourne, April 3, 1972, Lecture at Christian Monastery:

So there are very particular informations of all the planets within this universe. Not only within this universe; there are many other planets beyond this universe. That is called Vaikuṇṭhaloka, spiritual world. The spiritual sky is there. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That is perpetual, that anything in that sky is perpetual, and anything within this material sky, they are temporary. In the Brahmaloka there may be duration of life millions of millions of year, but that is also destructible. That is material nature. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna: (BG 8.16) "Even if you go to the Brahmaloka, you will have to come back again." Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). "But if you come to My loka..." There is Kṛṣṇaloka. That is in the spiritual world, spiritual sky.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Montreal, August 3, 1968:

Eternal means those who have not come in contact with this material nature. There are living entities, I mean to say, many, many more times than the living entities who are within this material world. They are in the spiritual world. Just like the number of population outside the prison house is very great, and the number of population within prison house is very small, this material world is supposed to be the prison house. Those who are condemned, those who want to try to lord it over, they are imprisoned within the walls of material universe. So their number is very small. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, that ekāṁśena sthito jagat: (BG 10.42) "It is only a portion of My creation, little portion." This unlimited number of universes and their unlimited number of planets, and, in each planet, unlimited number of living entities—all taken together is only a fractional demonstration, manifestation of the potency of the Lord. The major manifestation is in the spiritual world. So they are all liberated, nitya-mukta.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā: (BG 4.6) "Under My own laws I come." Not that by your laws. Just like as we go somewhere, sometimes we are put into the prison house, not by my personal law, by the law of the state. Similarly, this is a prison house. This whole universe, material universe, is a prison house. There is no freedom. We are thinking that we are free, but actually, nobody has got freedom. A little contamination of disease, immediately you are diseased. Where is your freedom? If you eat a little more than you can digest, immediately there is disease. So where is your freedom? So therefore we are called conditioned soul. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Prakṛti is taking care of. In another place Kṛṣṇa says,

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
(BG 18.61)

The māyā has given this vehicle, this body, and we are put into this. And Kṛṣṇa, or Īśvara, or the Paramātmā, is also within this body. So as you wanted in your past life, Kṛṣṇa has given you through the agency of māyā a type of body, and you are moving according to your desire. This is called karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Therefore we have to understand this subtle knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.3.1 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

sūta uvāca
jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁ
bhagavān mahad-ādibhiḥ
sambhūtaṁ ṣoḍaśa-kalam
ādau loka-sisṛkṣayā
(SB 1.3.1)

Translation: "Sūta said: In the beginning of the creation, the Lord first expanded Himself in the universal form of the puruṣa incarnation and manifested all the ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the purpose of creating the material universe."

Prabhupāda:

jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁ
bhagavān mahad-ādibhiḥ
sambhūtaṁ ṣoḍaśa-kalam
ādau loka-sisṛkṣayā

So ādau, in the beginning, loka-sisṛkṣayā, for creating the cosmology, jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam, person, the creation is coming from the person. Not from imperson. The modern scientists, their theory of creation... "There was something matter chunk," or something like that. What do they say? What was the beginning of creation, Hayagrīva Prabhu?

Lecture on SB 1.3.1 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:

Pradyumna: Purport: "The Bhagavad-gītā states that the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa maintains these material universes by extending His plenary expansions. So this puruṣa form is the confirmation of the same principle. The original Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, or Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is famous as the son of King Vasudeva or King Nanda, is full with all opulences, all potencies, all fames, all beauties, all knowledge and all renunciation. Part of His opulences is manifested as impersonal Brahman, and part of His opulences is manifested as Paramātmā. This puruṣa feature of the same Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Paramātmā manifestation of the Lord. There are three puruṣa features in the material creation, and this form, who is known as the Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is the first of the three. The others are known as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, which we shall know one after another. The innumerable universes are generated from the skinholes of this Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and in each one of the universes, the Lord..."

Prabhupāda: This is explained in Brahma-saṁhitā.

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.48)

Mahā-Viṣṇu. From the skinholes of Mahā-Viṣṇu, the small particles of universes are coming into being. Everything, the nature's way, it comes a very small particle, then it grows. Anything you take. Just like our body. The small particle, the soul which is measured as one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair, when it is placed in the womb of the woman by the man, then the body grows. That is the seed. Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the seed-giving father."

Lecture on SB 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968:

Prabhupāda: You read from the third chapter. (break)

Upendra: ...concerning "Description of Incarnations of Godhead" Translation: "Sūta said, In the beginning of the creation the Lord first of all expanded Himself in the universal form of puruṣa incarnation primarily with all the ingredients of material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was on the intention of creating the material universe." (SB 1.3.1) Purport. "As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā that the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa maintains this material universes by extending His part of plenary expansions, so this puruṣa Form is the confirmation of the same principle. The Original Personality of Godhead Vāsudeva or Lord Kṛṣṇa who is famous as the son of King Vasudeva or King Nanda, the very same Personality of Godhead is full with all opulences, all potencies, all fames, all beauties, all knowledge and all renunciations. Part of His opulences is manifested as impersonal Brahman and part of His opulences is manifested as Paramātmā. This puruṣa feature of the same Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Paramātmā manifestation of the Lord. There are three puruṣa features in the matter of material creation and this form who is known as the Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is the first of the three. The others are known as the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu which we shall know one after another."

Prabhupāda: These Viṣṇu, Kāraṇodakaśāyī, Garbhodakaśāyī, and Kṣīrodakaśāyī, these are little technical. Try to understand. Now this universe, which you find just like a big ball, there are innumerable universes like this, and they are floating in water. That water is called Causal Ocean. So that Causal Ocean there is, I mean to say, completely in the whole ocean, big gigantic body is lying down there. That is known as Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. The Viṣṇu in that gigantic form is sleeping within the water of that Causal Ocean, and by His inhaling and exhaling, breathing, there are bubbles. And those bubbles are manifested as universes. This is stated in Brahma-saṁhitā: yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). That breathing, exhaling and inhaling... Just like we also do that. So we have inherited that exhaling-inhaling, from that Viṣṇu.

Lecture on SB 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968:

Upendra: "It is like the cloud in the clear sky. In the spiritual sky, the effulgence of Brahman is spread all round and the whole system is dazzling in spiritual light. The mahat-tattva is assembled in some corner of the that vast unlimited spiritual sky and the part which is thus covered by the mahat-tattva is called the material sky."

Prabhupāda: This is also very important. The sky is one. Just like we can experience the sky, and suppose the sky on San Francisco is overcast with cloud. We say that then we are covered in cloud. Practically this San Francisco sky is only a fragmental portion of the whole sky. Similarly, the real sky is that spiritual sky, paravyoma. When that paravyoma partially is clouded with mahat-tattva, that is called material world. This is the position of material world. Material world is also existing in the spiritual world, but it is covered and in a fragmental segment.

Lecture on SB 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968:

Upendra: "This part of the spiritual sky, called the mahat-tattva, is only an insignificant portion of the whole spiritual sky, and within this mahat-tattva there are innumerable universes. All these universes collectively is produced by the Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu called also the Mahā-Viṣṇu who simply throws His glance only to impregnate the material sky to manifest." Text 2. Translation: "Another plenary part of the puruṣa is lying down within the water of the universe from the navel lake of His body which has sprouted the lotus stem (which is the body of the universe) and on the top, from the lotus flower Brahmā the master of all engineers of the universe, is generated." Purport: "The First puruṣa is the Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From the skinholes of Him innumerable universes have sprung up. In each and every one of them the puruṣa enters as the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He is lying in half portion of the universe full with water of His body. And from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu has sprung up the stem of the lotus flower the birth place of Brahmā who is the father of all living beings and the master of all the demigod engineers engaged in the matter of perfect design and working of the universal order. Within the stem of the lotus there are fourteen divisions of planetary system and the earthly planets are situated in the middle. Upwards there are other better planetary systems and the topmost system is called Brahmaloka or the Satyaloka. Downwards the earthly planetary system there are seven downwards planetary systems domiciled by the asuras and similar other most materialistic living beings. From this Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu there is expansion of the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu who is the collective Paramātmā of all living beings. He is called Hari and from Him all incarnations within the universe are expanded."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is the father of Brahmā who has created all these innumerable planets. And in one of the planets there is Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. In that planet the ocean is of milk. There are different kinds of ocean, as we get information from Vedic literature. As we have got here the ocean of water, similarly there is ocean of milk, there is ocean of oil, there is... Just like you have got oil within earth, similarly in those planets there are oil ocean, milk ocean. So there is one planet within this universe which has got ocean of milk. And in that milk ocean there is another Viṣṇu, who is called Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Kṣīra means milk and udaka means water.

Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- Mayapura, October 1, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa does not belong to these planets or this material sky. He belongs to the paravyoma. Again paravyoma means sky. And para means the superior, or spiritual. Therefore Kṛṣṇa does not... Kṛṣṇa belongs to everything because everything is Kṛṣṇa's, but He has got His special abode. That is Vaikuṇṭha, Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is situated in the spiritual sky, not in this material sky. A... In the material sky, the, that Goloka Vṛndāvana is there, replica, just Vṛndāvana, where we go. When Kṛṣṇa comes... Just like government, the governor or the king, when he is on tour in every city he has got a special house.

Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Los Angeles, April 26, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Brahmā, or the first living being born just after the creation, is the direct son of Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa, as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, first of all entered the material universe. Without spiritual contact matter cannot create."

Prabhupāda: This is the beginning of creation. Those who are finding out the original cause of material creation, they should know this fact, that creation takes place when there is spirit soul. That means living. The matter is not created. Matter is created by the spirit soul. Not the soul is created by matter. This is rascal theory, that this living condition, living force, living energy which we have got, it is created by material condition. This is Buddhist theory. At the present moment, the whole world is going on on this Buddhist theory. That under certain condition the matter develops living force. No, that is not. Actually the fact is: upon the living force, matter increases.

Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:

Still, although we are put into this prison house, all these rebelled souls, this prison house, this material world, is only one fourth of Kṛṣṇa's creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Ekāṁśena. The three-fourths part of His creation is the spiritual world. Just imagine, this ekāṁśa. Ekāṁśa means not only this one universe. There are many hundreds and thousands of universes like this. This is one of them. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that this universe is just like a mustard seed in the bag of mustard seeds. You just imagine in a bag how many mustard seeds you can pack. Unlimited. You cannot count. Mustard seed within a bag, two and a half mounds weight. Can you count? No, it is not possible. Similarly all these universes, material universes, each of them is compared with a mustard seed, and this universe which we experience is one of the mustard seeds within the bag of mustard seeds. And all these material universes combined together, aggregate, is one fourth creation of Kṛṣṇa. And the three-fourths part is the spiritual world. So just imagine how many liberated living entities are there. They are also living entities. They are ever liberated. Just like in the jail, the population in the jail is very small in comparison to the population of the city.

Lecture on SB 1.13.12 -- Geneva, June 3, 1974:

So Vidura, he was a saintly person. He was received by the Pāṇḍavas and treated just like denizens. (reads:) "In those days denizens of heavenly planets used to visit homes like that of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, and sometimes persons like Arjuna and others used to visit higher planets." We get information. Arjuna also went to the heavenly planets, and persons from heaven, when there was big yajñas, sacrifice, they used to come and visit Indra, Candra. And sometimes person like... (reads:) "Nārada is a spaceman who can travel unrestrictedly not only within the material universes but also in the spiritual universes." Wherever he wanted, he could go. He can go. He's still living. Not that... (reads:) "Even Nārada used to visit the palace of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, and what to speak of other celestial demigods." It is only the spiritual culture of the people concerned that makes interplanetary travel possible, even in the present body. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira therefore received Vidura in the manner of reception offered to the demigods. This example means demigods were visiting.

Lecture on SB 1.14.43 -- New York, April 7, 1973 :

But Nārada Muni has freedom. Nārada Muni is going from one planet to another. He is coming from the spiritual sky through the material sky, because he is perfect bhakta. So that is the ideal living entity. As Kṛṣṇa has got full freedom, similarly when we become perfect, Kṛṣṇa conscious, we also become free. This is our position. But not in the conditioned state that we can move. Cannot. Baddha. Brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān, we are conditioned. But in the conditioned state also, if we follow the Vedic principles we can be happy. Happy, and this human form of life especially, it is meant for that purpose, that you live happily, save time for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that next life you are no more in this material world. You are transferred to the spiritual world. This is the purpose of human life. But these rascals they do not know. They think that we are advancing civilization , because the cats and dogs they are lying on..., on the floor and sleep, we have got 104-stories building and we lie down there. This is their advancement. But they do not understand that the sleeping, the enjoyment by sleeping, it is the same to the dog and to the man who is lying on the 104th planet, story. Similarly, sex life to the dog and to the man or to the demigod, the pleasure is the same. There is no difference. If you drink milk on a golden pot or an iron pot, the taste is the same. You cannot change the taste of the milk, or anything, putting into the golden pot.

Lecture on SB 1.15.36 -- Los Angeles, December 14, 1973:

We take our birth and we accept our death not independently. We are under the another potency. We are also one potency. The potency... There are... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Those potencies have been divided into three. Multi, but roughly, they have been divided into three. One is called internal potency, one is called the external potency, and one is called the marginal potency. So the external potency means this material world. The whole material universe—so many universes, so many planets, stars, skies, and everything—these are the demonstration of the external potency. And similarly, there is the spiritual world. Spiritual world. That we cannot see. That is not within our experience. But we get it from the śāstra. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). Kṛṣṇa says, "There is another nature." Paras tasmāt. "This material nature, beyond that there is another nature." Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That is eternal. This material nature is not eternal. Just like your body, my body, it is not eternal, similarly, this gigantic body of universe, that is also not eternal. It has a date of creation, and it has a date for dissolution. That is the nature. Therefore it is said that "That material nature is sanātana. That is never created; neither it is annihilated."

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

So behind the mind, there is intelligence. And behind the intelligence, there is soul. So if you cannot see the mind and the finer gross material sky, you cannot see intelligence, how you will see the soul? Therefore you cannot understand your this gross situation. You cannot. Acintya. Acintya. It is beyond your... Anything which is beyond your conception, you don't try to speculate. That is simply waste of time. "Then how shall I know?" You know from the authority. The same example: you cannot speculate who is your father. Know from your mother who is your father. Very simple thing. But if you speculate, "Who is my father? Who is my father? Who is my father?" that is not possible. Ciraṁ vicinvan. If you go on speculating, without taking care of the mother, without asking from your mother, if you simply want to know by your research scholarship, "Who is my father?" you will never know it. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

So here Kṛṣṇa came, and this incident took place after disappearance of Kṛṣṇa. Kali-yuga entered after disappearance of Kṛṣṇa. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was also very vigilant. The Pāṇḍavas, they left their kingdom because they could understand that Kali-yuga has already entered. So bhūri-bharāvatāra-kṛtāvatārasya. Bhūri-bhara, when people become too much sinful, the earth becomes overburdened by the sinful activities of the people. Therefore it is called bhūri-bharavatāra. And Kṛṣṇa comes to mitigate. Dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham. Kṛtāvatārasya harer dharitri. This is the purpose of avatāra. Avatāra, this word is very significant. The tara, tara means movement; and ava, ava means down. Just like avanati. So avatāra. Kṛṣṇa lives in the spiritual sky, beyond this material sky, very high, and Kṛṣṇa-loka, the planet of Kṛṣṇa, is the topmost planet in the spiritual world. That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya (Bs. 5.43). The topmost planet is Goloka, Goloka Vṛndāvana planet. You have seen the picture. It is lotuslike. So goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni: "That is His personal abode." Tale ca tasya, "below that," goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya (Bs. 5.43), "below that planet," goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu. Devī. This universe, this material universe, is called devī-dhāma. Devī-dhāma means under the protection, or supervision, of mother nature. That is called devī-dhāma, material nature. So goloka-dhāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya devī, devī-dhāma.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

This material world is devī-dhāma, under the... You have seen the picture of Durgā. So material nature is also devī, devī-dhāma. And maheśa-dhāma. Above this, there is maheśa-dhāma, the region of Lord Śiva. Devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu. Then the Vaikuṇṭhas. And the topmost is kṛṣṇa-dhāma. That dhāma, or that universal system, that is very, very big, many times. This material universe is considered one fourth creation. It is one... Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, "This material world is one fourth creation of God." And the three-fourth creation is the spiritual world. Just imagine. This material world, this universe, which you are seeing, the big sky, dome, this is one universe. That is also stated. We get all this information from Vedic literature. This universe is only one single universe, and there are so many planets, stars. These are all stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means universe, and koṭi means millions, 100,000 one hundred times.

Lecture on SB 1.16.36 -- Tokyo, January 30, 1974:

Devotee (3): The war on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, that lasted for a period of eighteen days?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (3): And that happened five thousand years ago when Kṛṣṇa was on earth. Is that happening now in some other material universe, the same battle?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (3): Can we enter into that, or see that?

Prabhupāda: Yes, if you go there.

Devotee (3): We have to... We leave the universe. But then we are associating directly with Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna?

Prabhupāda: Yes. You can associate with Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna every twenty-four hours, by reading Bhagavad-gītā. Why you require to go there? It is already here. You see. You read the Bhagavad-gītā, and you are immediately in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. His is instructing. That was the instruction. Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted. You know that story? Illiterate brāhmaṇa was reading Bhagavad-gītā. So he did not know; he was not literary. But because his spiritual master..., he has so staunch faith in the spiritual master... Just see. His spiritual master said that "You read, daily, eighteen chapters of Bhagavad-gītā." Spiritual master knew that he was illiterate, but still he asked him, "You read, eighteen chapters, there will be..." So what can he do? The spiritual master has ordered. So he was simply making a show of reading, "uh-uh-uḥ," like this. So this other friends were criticizing, "Oh, Mr. Such-and-such, how you are reading Bhagavad-gītā?" He knows that this man... His friend is criticizing him, so he did not answer. But when Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked him, "My dear brāhmaṇa, what you are reading?" He knew that this gentleman, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, was really inquisitive, so he explained the whole thing, that "I am trying to read Bhagavad-gītā, but I am illiterate. My Guru Mahārāja ordered me to read; therefore I am reading. But actually I cannot read." So frankly he admits. This is staunch faith in spiritual master. He knew, his spiritual master knew that he is illiterate, and he knew also that "I cannot read Bhagavad-gītā." But still he was trying to read because his spiritual master has said. This is called staunch. Yasya prasādāt. "He has said. I have to satisfy him. I am incompetent—I cannot read—but he has said, therefore I must do it." This is called yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:

Therefore a devotee is not allured by any of the opulences of this material world. They are not interested. They are interested to transfer themselves in the spiritual world where, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). That sphere, that sky, where going, nobody comes back to this sky... This is material sky, and there is spiritual sky. These informations are there. If you accept it, then it is all right. But if you..., even if you don't accept it, that is also all right, because we take Vedic version as absolute truth. So these informations are there and they have been accepted by great ācāryas. Not that we are simply accepting. Great ācāryas. Just like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita, and modern age Śrī Rāmānuja, Śrī Madhvācārya, Śrī Caitanya. They are great scholars. They're great, expert in the spiritual science. They have accepted. And we accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His activities, by the definition of possessing all the six opulences. We don't accept anybody, an ordinary man... Just like now it is a fashion. Everybody comes and says, "I am God." No. We don't accept in that way. Arjuna was talking with Kṛṣṇa. He knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but, in order to convince us that in future there may not be any misunderstanding about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he requested Kṛṣṇa to show His universal form. So He showed him. So there is no doubt about, about Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on SB 2.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, May 29, 1972:

The Bhagavad-gītā affirms this, and the different planets of the demigods are mentioned there, including the one of the supreme demigod, Lord Brahmā. The gross materialists do not believe in the existence of God or the demigods. Nor do they believe that different planets are dominated by different demigods. They are creating a great commotion about reaching the closest celestial body, Candraloka, or the moon, but even after much mechanical research they have only very scanty information of this moon, and in spite of much false advertisement for selling land on the moon, the puffed-up scientists or gross materialists cannot live there, and what to speak of reaching the other planets, which they are unable even to count. However, the followers of the Vedas have a different method of acquiring knowledge. They accept the statements of the Vedic literatures as authority in toto, as we have already discussed in Canto One, and therefore they have full and reasonable knowledge of God and demigods and of their different residential planets situated within the compass of the material world and beyond the limit of the material sky. The most authentic Vedic literature, accepted by the great Indian ācāryas like Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Madhva, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka and Caitanya and studied by all important personalities of the world, is the Bhagavad-gītā, in which the worship of the demigods and their respective residential planets are mentioned.

Lecture on SB 2.9.10 -- Tokyo, April 26, 1972:

Pradyumna: "The kingdom of God or the atmosphere of Vaikuṇṭha nature, which is called the tripād-vibhūti, is three times bigger than the material universes and is described here as also in the Bhagavad-gītā, in a nutshell. This universe, containing billions of stars and planets, is one of the billions of such universes clustered together within the compass of mahat-tattva. And all these millions and billions of universes combined together constitute only one-fourth of the magnitude of the whole creation of the Lord. There is the spiritual sky also. Beyond this sky the spiritual planets are there under the names of Vaikuṇṭha, and all of them constitute three-fourths of the entire creation of the Lord. God's creations are always innumerable. Even leaves of a tree cannot be counted by a man, nor the hairs on his head. However, foolish men are puffed up with the idea of becoming God himself, although unable to create a hair of their own bodies."

Prabhupāda: So I have protested this false God consciousness in all my purports. That is my business, to punish all these rascals. You see? I become very much angry, anyone says before me, "I am God, he is God, everyone..." I cannot control myself. (laughter) Yes. I am so obstinate enemy of these rascals. I want to kick them on their face, but it is incivility. It becomes... But I want to kick them. It will be my pleasure. Never mind I go to hell.

Lecture on SB 2.9.10 -- Tokyo, April 26, 1972:

Pradyumna: "Man may discover so many wonderful vehicles of journey, but even if he reaches the moon by his much advertised spacecraft, he cannot remain there. The sane man, therefore, without being puffed up as if he were the god of the universe, abides by the instructions of the Vedic literature, the easiest way to acquire knowledge in transcendence. So let us know through the authority of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam of the nature and the constitution of the transcendental world beyond the material sky. In that sky the material qualities..."

Prabhupāda: They are going to different planets... They cannot go. Suppose if they are going: so taking so much trouble, expending so much money, they are trying to study. But we study within this room, even up to Vaikuṇṭha planet. Huh? These rascals are taking so much trouble and still unsuccessful. And we are getting all clear idea. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). That is the perfection of Vedic literature. In remote jungle they are sitting. They are enjoying spiritual atmosphere and getting all information from the Vedic literature. How much, I mean to say, fortunate we are, those who have taken shelter of this Vedic literature. We get all information. Is there any doubt? So why should we take so much trouble? Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, take information, be prepared, and at the time of death, think of Kṛṣṇa. Immediately transferred within a second. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Within a second, transferred. Because spirit soul is finer than the mind. So mind can be transferred immediately within a second millions of miles away. So how much speed is there for spirit soul, you can imagine. Mind, you can immediately... You are sitting here. Immediately you can transfer mind, Bombay. You are seeing. The kīrtana is going on. It is practical. Manaso vāyuḥ. Vāyu, the velocity of the air, and finer than the... Because air is gross matter and mind is subtle matter, so the speed of mind is far greater than the velocity of air.

Lecture on SB 2.9.10 -- Tokyo, April 26, 1972:

Just see how we are getting information about the space. Just see. Beyond this material sky this space is... Information of the space is there. They cannot have any information of this material space, what to speak of the spiritual space. How much our knowledge is perfect. Either we are crazy, all thinking, or we are in a very secure position than all these rascals. What do you think? Clear conception of everything.

Lecture on SB 2.9.11 -- Tokyo, April 27, 1972:
Pradyumna: Purport: "The inhabitants in Vaikuṇṭhaloka are all personalities with spiritual bodily features not to be found in the material world. We can find the descriptions in the revealed scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Impersonal descriptions of transcendence in the scriptures indicate that the bodily features in Vaikuṇṭha are never to be seen in any part of the universe. As there are different bodily features in different places of a particular planet, or as there are different bodily features between bodies in different planets, similarly the bodily features of the inhabitants in the Vaikuṇṭhalokas are completely different from those in the material universe. For example, the four hands are distinct from two hands in this world."

Prabhupāda: So in other planets also there are different types of body. Some of the bodies are prominent in earth, earthly body. Just like we have got here earthly body. Similarly, fiery body, watery body, gaseous body, there are different types of body. What the scientists know about? Maybe in Candraloka they are going, but they cannot see the body. They say that there is no life. Suppose there is gaseous body, so they do not see it. But every planet has got different types of body. And Vaikuṇṭha planets also their bodily features are described herein.

Lecture on SB 2.9.11-15 -- Tokyo, April 28, 1972:

So we can see at least the color of the Lord. Here it is said "sky-bluish." How can you deny? Who can say that "I have not..." If you have seen... Just like the sunshine. Sunshine is whitish. So in the sunshine, you can see the whitish color. So you can at least imagine what is the color of the sun planet, what is the color of the predominating deity there. A little intelligence required. So if the sky... When clear sky, you see bluish sky. That is reflection of Kṛṣṇa's bodily effulgence. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Yasya prabhā, by expansion of the bodily effulgence, the brahma-jyotir... In that brahma-jyotir there are many universes, in that brahma-jyotir, jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. The sky's bluish effulgence is there. Above this material sky there is another sky whose reflection you simply can see little. Just like outside there is a brilliant light, so you can get little reflection within your room, similarly, this universe is dark and covered. It is covered, round, surrounded. But outside that universe... Or this universe is floating in that effulgence. It is reflected. The sky is reflected bluish. This is the... Let the so-called scientist challenge it. Here is a description from the Bhāgavata: yasya prabhā (Bs. 5.40).

Lecture on SB 3.25.27 -- Bombay, November 27, 1974:

So we also become like Kṛṣṇa. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the inhabitants, they are also living entities. Just like in this, within this universe, this material universe, there are living entities—there are also living entities, but they are in spiritual body, the same form of body as Kṛṣṇa. You have read in the Sixth Canto of Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Ajāmila, the vaikuṇṭha-dūta came for Ajāmila to take Ajāmila. They are also four-handed, very beautiful. That is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. But in Kṛṣṇaloka they are two-handed. So in the spiritual world there are so many varieties—four-handed, two-handed living entity. They're all nitya-mukta. They're all everlastingly liberated. So we have been just like a prisoner is. Although he's a prisoner, he can be also good citizen. There is no hopelessness. Similarly, we are now prisoner in this material world, and we have got this material body. Therefore we are changing: sometimes young, sometimes old, sometimes these boys, some... But tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then, after leaving this body, you're not any more getting this material body. That is stated. tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Then what happens? Mām eti. He comes to back to home, back to Godhead. And as soon as you go, you get your original, spiritual body, same beautiful body as Kṛṣṇa has, as Nārāyaṇa has. This is the opportunity.

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

So similarly, if you directly catch up that sound... The sound is śabda-brahma. Sound is actually spiritual, the Vedic sound om, oṁkāra. Oṁkārāsmi sarva-vedeṣu. So Vedic sound begins: om. So that is a sound. So if we capture that sound and make further progress, śabdād anāvṛtti... In the Vedānta-sūtra it is there, anāvṛtti, no more repetition of birth and death, oṁkāra. If one can chant oṁkāra at the time of death, immediately transferred to the spiritual world, impersonal spiritual effulgence. But if you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then immediately you go to the spiritual planet. These are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Anta-kāle, at the time of death, if you can capture this sound, oṁkāra or Hare Kṛṣṇa... If you capture oṁkāra, then you are transferred to the spiritual sky. As it is said, the sky. Śabdāt... Śabda-mātram abhūt tasmān nabhaḥ. Nabha is sky. So there is a point wherefrom the sky, the material sky, begins and there is spiritual sky. The sky is spiritual wherefrom the śabda is resounded. Because there is sky, therefore there is sound. Because there is sound, therefore the instrument of hearing sound, the ear, is there.

Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:

So ether, the sky, we cannot see, we cannot touch, we cannot smell. But we can hear the sound. As soon as there is sound, that, we know that there is ether or sky. The sound vibration... As we have got experience of this material sound and therefore the material sky, similarly, there is spiritual sound and there is spiritual sky. Without sky, there is no sound. So there is spiritual sky. We get information from śāstra: paravyoma. Vyoma is called sky, and there is another sky. This is material sky, what we have experience. There is spiritual sky. And about that spiritual realization, as this creation begins from the sky-ether, then air, then fire, and then water, then land, kṣitir āp tejo marud vyoma—similarly, the spiritual world also begins from the spiritual sky. After this sky ends, then the spiritual sky begins.

Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:

Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has described this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, "not of this material sky." Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. Hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this is not a material sound. And in the Vedānta it is stated, śabdād anāvṛtti. By chanting the spiritual sound... The impersonalists, they chant oṁkāra. Praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu. All Vedic mantras are preceded by the spiritual oṁkāra. That oṁkāra... Kṛṣṇa says, akṣarāṇām akāro 'smi. Vedeṣu, praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu, A, U, M, These are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. So either you vibrate oṁkāra or Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they belong to the spiritual world. This sound does not belong to this material. Material sound, if you chant once, twice, thrice, you will feel disgusted. But spiritual sound, if you chant twenty-four hours, you will never feel disgusted, but you will feel more and more spiritual bliss. That is the difference. Actually, you see these boys and girls and others, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa practically from early in the morning, 5:00 till 10:00, daily, but nobody is feeling any disgust. They like to chant. That is the difference between material sound and spiritual sound.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- London, September 17, 1969:

We simply quit this body and accept another body. We are forced by the laws of nature according to karma. By practice of yoga system we can avoid the forcible nature's law, but we can leave this body according to our sweet will, not being forced by the nature's law. Just like Bhīṣmadeva. Bhīṣmadeva, he knew this yoga practice. Therefore he was not to be killed. Unless he desired to die, nobody could kill him. So yogis... Still there are many yogis in India, they are living for seven hundred years, or three hundred years, four hundred years. They consider not yet perfect. Not yet perfect. They are trying to make perfection of the yoga practice, and they look like young men, say, twenty-five years, thirty years old. But they are seven hundred years old, three hundred years old. There are still yogis. They are yogis. They have practiced yoga. Still they consider they are not perfect. The perfection will be when a yogi at his sweet will can leave this body and can go any planet he likes. Not only within this material universe, but also even, if he likes, he can go to the spiritual planet also. That is yoga.

Lecture on SB 5.5.33 -- Vrndavana, November 20, 1976:

Similarly, here also, Lord Viṣṇu... Just see how much powerful was Durvāsā Muni that he could cross over the material universe and go to the Vaikuṇṭha universe and see the Lord personally. How much powerful yogi he was, just you can... There is no such yogi, at least at the present moment. He could see, but he was refused by Lord Viṣṇu, and he came back to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, and Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was standing without asking any food, that "This brāhmaṇa came at my place. Somehow or other, unnecessarily he became angry and he has left. So unless he comes back, I cannot take any food." So he took only one year. The modern scientists, they are estimating that to go to the topmost planet of this universe, it will take forty thousands of years. That is their estimation. Now, Durvāsā Muni, by his yogic power, he not only crossed over this material space and the material universe, but he went to the other space, paravyoma, where he saw Lord Viṣṇu, and he came back within a year. So that is yoga.

Lecture on SB 5.5.35 -- Vrndavana, November 22, 1976:

We can see by practical experience this outer space, the sky. You cannot have any limitation where it is beginning, where is end. Although we can see within our experience, but still, we cannot calculate. In our childhood we used to present a problem before our friends, that eka tala sukuri gunte pare na vyapare (?). Now, one plateful of betel nuts, but nobody can count. The betel nut You can see the sky is within your experience, but how many stars and planets are there, till now nobody has been able to count. It is unlimited. This is only one universe. There are millions and millions, universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagadaṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Within the brahma-jyotir there are innumerable koṭi, jagadaṇḍa-koṭi. And some of the portion is called material; some portion is called spiritual sky, paravyoma. But the whole spiritual and material sky is full of different planets, and each planet is full of living entities. Janakirna. This very word is used, janakirna, not vacant as these rascals are calculating that it is full of dust. (screeching noise—aside:) What is that? It is full of dust and rocks. (sounds of children playing) (aside:) Ask them to be... Nothing is full of dust. Dust is there, as well as living entities are also there. Janakirna. This is God's creation.

Lecture on SB 6.1.24 -- Honolulu, May 24, 1976:

So "I want to relieve them from this anxiety." What is that? Tad sādhu manye asura-vārya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt. Then, what you advise? Hitvātmā-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpam. He's fallen in this dark region of black well, this family life. Hitvātmā-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpam. Gṛha, we can take this material world, even up to the sky, that is also another bondage, either in society, or in country, or in this body, or within this material universe—wherever you want—that is andha-kūpa, dark well. So he advises, "Give up this darkness," hitvātmā-pātam , "because it will kill you." In this dark well you'll be killed. Just like, the dark well, we are put into the dark well, you'll be killed. Hitvātmā pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ, vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). That is the first... You should give up this dark well and go to the forest. Vanam. Come to Vṛndāvana. Vanam means forest. We have constructed very nice temple. Come there. And vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). Vanaṁ gato means to come to the forest.

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970:

So because the Viṣṇudūtas were very beautiful, four-handed, exactly resembling Lord Viṣṇu... As I have explained, in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka all the inhabitants, their feature of the body are exactly like Lord Viṣṇu, four-handed, with conchshell, lotus flower, club, and disc. So they never saw Viṣṇudūta before, these Yamadūtas, because they go in an atmosphere where sinful activities are executed. But this time they were astonished, that "How these beautiful personalities are here?" Kiṁ devā upadevā vā yūyaṁ kiṁ siddha-sattamāḥ. So, "Will you kindly let us know wherefrom you are coming? Are you coming from the Siddhaloka planet or heavenly planet?" Because in the material world nobody knows that there is a spiritual sky beyond this material sky... As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmād tu bhava anyaḥ: "There is another nature." This is one nature, material nature, where millions and trillions of universes are clustered together in the corner of the spiritual sky. This is only one universe, within which there are innumerable planets. But there are millions and trillions of universes also. That is material creation. Material creation means one-fourth part of the whole creation. Three-fourths part is spiritual creation. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "This whole material world is existing in one fourth of My energy." kiṁ devā upadevā vā bhṛśaṁ kiṁ siddha-sattamāḥ.

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970:

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."

Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970:

That's all right. (Hindi) So the constables of Yamarāja, they are describing the bodily features of the Viṣṇudūta. You can have an idea of the Viṣṇuloka, or Vaikuṇṭhaloka. From this study, we have to understand that there is a spiritual sky, and that is far, far extensive than the material sky. You cannot even measure the sky covered by one universe, and there are innumerable universes. That is... All together, that is one-fourth of the whole sky. It is a rough estimate only, according to the Vedic scripture. And the three-fourths of the sky is spiritual sky. The population in the spiritual sky is far, far greater than the material sky. Only a few living entities who are rebelled... Just like the population in the prison house is insignificant compared to the whole population of the state, similarly, the living entities who are here in this material world, they are very insignificant. Including all the universes, all the planets together, they are an insignificant portion of the whole living entities. Ananta. Hy anantāya kalpate. The living entities, there is no counting, ananta, unlimited number of living entities. Therefore in the Vedas the living entities are plural, but God is one. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13).

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- San Diego, July 27, 1975:

So altogether there are classes, or species, 8,400,000. So those who are experienced, thoughtful men, by reading scripture... Just like Kṛṣṇa says that imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān. He said to the sun-god or the president of the sun planet, Vivasvān. So that means that is also a similar place like this. You cannot say there is no living entity. Anumīyate. That is intelligence. Because this planet is also one of the material things, everything is made here, earth, water, air, fire. So somewhere some element is very prominent. Here in this planet the earth is prominent. In the sun planet the fire is prominent. But that does not mean there is no living entity. This is foolishness. Anumīyate. This is intelligence, that everything within this universe, this material universe, everything is made of these five elements: earth, water, fire, air, sky. We see here practically that the aquatics, they have got a different type of body, and they are very peacefully living in the water. And if you are thrown in the water, you will die. And the fish is taken from the water; he will die. So land, water, fire—the particular type of body.

Lecture on SB 6.2.11 -- Vrndavana, September 13, 1975:

So the Viṣṇudūtas, they are instructing the Yamadūtas. They are authorized person. These Viṣṇudūta, they are authorized persons. They are not ordinary person. They are coming from Vaikuṇṭha. Just like Nārada Muni comes from higher planetary system, Vaikuṇṭhaloka. He is called deva-ṛṣi. He travels all over the universes, material and spiritual. He has got special concession. Sometimes... (child making noise—Hindi) Sometimes we have got information the yogis, they can also travel not only within this material universe but in the spiritual. The instance of... (child making noise) Durvāsā Muni.

Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Montreal, July 4, 1968:

Yes. Kṛṣṇa is bluish. Kṛṣṇa's color is the sky. When you see the clear sky, bluish sky, are you not very happy? "Oh, today is very nice day, blue sky." Especially in this country, when the sky is always overcast with cloud. So why you appreciate the color of the sky so much? That is Kṛṣṇa's color. Kṛṣṇa's body, there is a ray, brahma-jyotir. That brahma-jyotir is reflected in the sky. That brahma-jyotir is outside this material sky, but that is being reflected. Therefore the sky's color, it appears bluish. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudādhi vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). It is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, "On account of distribution of the rays of His body, the brahma-jyotir, there are generation of innumerable universes." So all these universes—this is one of the universes—they are in that brahma-jyotir, and that brahma-jyotir is being reflected in the sky, and sky is so beautiful. So how much beautiful is Kṛṣṇa, just we can imagine. Just like the sunshine. The sunshine is the rays of the sun planet, and in the sun planet there is sun-god. So if sunshine is so pleasing, just imagine how the sun-god is pleasing. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's jyoti, brahma-jyotir, is so important. Then just imagine how Kṛṣṇa's beauty is appreciated in transcendental world. Yaṁ śyāma-sundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ. Barhāvataṁsam asitāmbudha-sundarāṅgam. Barhāvatāmsam asitāmbudha. His color is compared with the blackish cloud, asitāmbudha, sundarāṅgam, but very, very beautiful.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10-11 -- Montreal, July 14, 1968:

Yes. That is also. Any place in the spiritual sky, they are eternal. If that is your question... Now either Viṣṇu planet or Kṛṣṇa planet, they are all in the spiritual world. Or the impersonal Brahman, that is also in the spiritual world. So somebody wants to be merged into the Brahman effulgence, so that is also a spiritual world. Somebody wants to go into the Viṣṇu planet, that is also in the spiritual world. And somebody wants to go to this Kṛṣṇa planet, that is also in the spiritual sky. But there are differences even in the spiritual sky. The difference between spiritual sky and material sky is that everything in the spiritual sky, they are eternal, and everything in the material sky, they are temporary. That's all. Oh, so many? You, you.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10-11 -- Montreal, July 14, 1968:

No. Brahmajyoti means spiritual sky. This material sky means brahma-jyotir is covered by material cloud. Actually, everything is brahma-jyotir. Just like clear sky, but some portion of the sky is sometimes covered by cloud. Some portion only. The whole sky is never covered by sky. Similarly, some portion which is covered by this material atmosphere, that is called material world. That's all. Actually, the original sky is spiritual. Original sky is full of sunshine, but the covered portion means we cannot see the sunshine. Covered portion by cloud means we cannot see the sunshine. And similarly, this material sky means where we cannot see the spiritual effulgence. That is the difference. Otherwise, even this material sky is also a spiritual sky. The spiritual sky is the original status.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969:

We think something very great or greatest according to our capacity of understanding. We are very teeny, so we think that this Pacific Ocean, the greatest. The frog philosophy. Everyone is thinking that his understanding is the greatest. He has no idea that how greatest God is. We say "God is great," but we do not know how great He is. This Pacific Ocean is an insignificant drop of water within this universe, this material universe. And this universe is also... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that this universe is just like a, a small mustard seed in the bag of mustard seeds. If you take one bag of mustard seeds, you cannot count how many there are. Is it possible? If you take a bag of grains, is it possible to count how many grains are there? Caitanya Mahāprabhu has compared this universe... One of His devotees, Vāsudeva Datta... That is the attitude of devotee. He requested Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "My dear Lord, You have kindly come to deliver the fallen souls. Please fulfill Your mission. Take away all the souls, conditioned souls of the universe. Don't leave them, not a single. Please take them away. And if You think that they are not eligible or some of them are not eligible, then please transfer their sinful reaction upon me. I shall go on suffering. But You take away all of them." Just see the attitude of a devotee.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 18, 1972:

Govinda. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo. Pantha means road. If you walk over the path of Kṛṣṇa... Suppose Kṛṣṇa, there is Kṛṣṇaloka. Above this material universe, there is another spiritual sky, paravyoma. It is called paravyoma. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ 'vyakta 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another nature. As this is material nature, there is spiritual nature. And in that spiritual nature there are innumerable spiritual planets. They are called Vaikuṇṭha planets. And the highest Vaikuṇṭha planet is called Kṛṣṇaloka, or Goloka Vṛndāvana. This Vṛndāvana is replica of that original Vṛndāvana. When Kṛṣṇa comes on this planet or within this universe, He comes in this Vṛndāvana. This is called Bhauma-Vṛndāvana. Of course, there is no difference between Bhauma-Vṛndāvana and Paravyoma-Vṛndāvana. So if we want to see Kṛṣṇa, then we must be freed from designations. That is the process. Not only designations, but from all kinds of desires.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.5 -- Mayapur, March 29, 1975:

Idaṁ kṛtsnaṁ jagat: "All the material manifestation..." Material manifestation means these material universes. They are many. This universe, what we see, one only, the sky, the covering, but there are many millions of universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Koṭi means millions. Jagad-aṇḍa. Jagad-aṇḍa means universes. So Kṛṣṇa says that "All these universes in the material world is display of My one-fourth energy." Just imagine what is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat. And we are trying to imitate Kṛṣṇa. So many rascals, they declare they are Bhagavān. They do not know what is Bhagavān. Bhagavān... These universes are coming, innumerable universes are coming, from the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.146-151 -- New York, December 3, 1966:

That brahma-jyotir, in that brahma-jyotir there are all these universes and Vaikuṇṭhas. All, they are resting in that brahma-jyotir. Just like in the sunshine so many planets are resting, similarly, in the brahma-jyotir, the personal shining of Lord Kṛṣṇa, in that shining which is called brahma-jyotir, all the universes and Vaikuṇṭha planets or universes, they are all resting. And the universes, the material universes are only one-fourths in quantity of the Vaikuṇṭha universes. All the universes taken together of this material world, it is only one-fourths in comparison to the other Vaikuṇṭha, or spiritual, universes. Vaikuṇṭha, brahmāṇḍa-gaṇa-śakti-kārya haya.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.172 -- New York, December 14, 1966:

That Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu has a planet within this universe near the polestar. And from that Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the expansion, Paramātmā, is distributed in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). That Viṣṇu-mūrti is expanded from the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu within this material world. The Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is also within this material universe. And both, all these Viṣṇu-mūrti... One Viṣṇu-mūrti is the Mahā-Viṣṇu. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). From Maha-Viṣṇu, all these universes are being generated, niśyaika-kāla..., when He, Mahā-Viṣṇu, is lying in the Causal Ocean, and from His breathing all these universes are being generated. Then they expand, and then Mahā-Viṣṇu enters in each universe as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. And Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu... These pictures are there. You have seen. And from Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu... From Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu there is expansion of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu the Paramātmā, or the expansion of Supersoul in every living entity, that is expanded. Then His incarnation. The incarnation, that is also innumerable. Principally the incarnations are avatāra haya kṛṣṇa ṣaḍ-vidha prakāra.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.1-10 -- New York, January 3, 1967:

The same example: the original candle, and from that candle, you can expand millions and millions candles. Similarly, the original Personality of Godhead is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and He has expanded in so many ways. Now, Lord Caitanya says, all the expanded plenary manifestation of Kṛṣṇa has got a separate abode. Each and every one of them has got a separate abode. Sarva rūpera dhāma-paravyoma-dhāme. And where they are? That is in the paravyoma. Paravyoma means... Vyoma means sky, and para means transcendental, beyond this sky. This sky is called material sky, and beyond this there is paravyoma, spiritual sky. They have no information. The material scientists, they have no information. What information they have got? They cannot reach even the moon planet, what to speak of others. It is far, far away. Whatever... We can see the sky just like a pot, and that is the covering of this universe. And if you can penetrate that covering—that space is also many, many times longer than this outer space—then you'll find the spiritual sky. That is not possible for any material scientist to find out where the spiritual sky is. But you can understand from authoritative scriptures and from authorities like Lord Caitanya. He says that for each of the expansions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, there is a separate, I mean to say, planet into the, in the, I mean to say, spiritual sky. Pṛthak pṛthak vaikuṇṭha nāhika gaṇane. Pṛthak pṛthak. Each of them has got a separate Vaikuṇṭha planet, but how many planets are there nobody can count. Nāhika tara gaṇane.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.5 -- New York, January 7, 1967:

So we have just studied the constitutional position of Kṛṣṇa by His original standing as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His different expansions, incarnations, and how He is situated as the supreme controller of the spiritual and material manifestation. So far, as far as possible, we have studied through the grace of Lord Caitanya. And even up to the prime, primal living entity within this material world, namely Brahmā... Brahmā is considered to be the supreme. He is also living entity like us, but he is supreme powerful within this material universe. Just like within this state, President Johnson is the supreme powerful, but he is a man like us, a living entity, but he has got supreme power. Similarly, Brahmā is a living entity like us, but by his meritorious and devotional service to the Lord, he is exalted as the supreme personality within this material world. But he is not Supreme Personality of Godhead. Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra sab... (CC Adi 5.142). And only Kṛṣṇa is the master, and everyone is servant, however great he may be.

So even Kṛṣṇa's expansion, Viṣṇu, He is also subordinate to Kṛṣṇa. The greatest manifestation of Viṣṇu is the Mahā-Viṣṇu who is lying on the Causal Ocean of material creation, wherefrom the material universes are emanating by His breathing process.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 13-15 -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1970:

We get it, this information we get from Bhagavad-gītā. Vivasvān manave prāha. So in every planet there is a predominating Deity. Just like in your this planet, if not Deity, somebody like president there is. Formerly, there was only one king on this planet, up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. One king was. There was only one flag ruling over this whole planet. Similarly, in every planet there is a predominating Deity. So here it is said that the supreme predominating Deity is Kṛṣṇa, in the spiritual, in the topmost planet in the spiritual sky. This is material sky. In the material sky this is one of the universes. There are millions and trillions of universes. And within this universe there are millions and trillions of planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa. Jagad-aṇḍa means universe. Aṇḍa: just like an egg, this whole universe. So koṭi. Koṭi means hundreds and thousands. So in the brahma-jyotir there are hundreds and thousands of these universes, and within this universe there are hundreds and thousands and thousands, unlimited number of Vaikuṇṭhas, planets. Each Vaikuṇṭha planet is predominated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Except in the Kṛṣṇa planet, all other Vaikuṇṭha planets, they are predominated by Nārāyaṇa, and each Nārāyaṇa has got different names, some of which we know. Like just we utter Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Saṅkarṣaṇa... We have got twenty-four names only, but there are many others. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33).

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra -- London, July 13, 1972:

There is planet beyond this material sky. There is another sky. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Paras tasmāt tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another sky, which is eternal. This sky is temporary. Just like your body, my body, or anything in this material world, they are temporary. They have got a date of birth, and they grow, they stay, they produce some by-products, then dwindle, and then vanishes. That is material nature. But there is another nature, which is called spiritual nature. Even when everything is annihilated, that nature stands. So that spiritual nature, or spiritual sky, is described in the Vedic literature, in the Upaniṣads, that there is no need of sunshine, there is no need of moonshine, there is no need of electricity. That is another sky. So our only business is to transfer ourself from this sky to that sky, that illuminating sky. That is the Vedic injunction. Tamasi mā jyotir gamaya: "Don't remain in this darkness, in this world of darkness. Come to the world of light." So this movement is very important movement. We are trying to educate people how to transfer one from this world of darkness to the world of light, which is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. So I am very much thankful to you that you have given me your time. So we have got our books; our devotees are preaching. Take advantage of this opportunity and make your life successful.

Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda Deity Installation -- London, August 21, 1973:

Goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni. There is a planet in the spiritual world. The material world, you can see the material sky, limit of the sky, the horizon, but you are not able to reach even the moon planet, the nearest planet. But within this universe, within this horizon, there are innumerable planets. Aśeṣa. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). By the shining effulgence from the body of Kṛṣṇa... That is called brahma-jyotir. Within that brahma-jyotir or effulgence there are innumerable universes. Ananta-koṭi. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Koṭi means innumerable. One million, ten millions equal to one lakh. Such hundred lakhs makes a koṭi. So actually we see there are innumerable planets but beyond this creation, this is material creation, one-fourth manifestation, one-fourth manifestation of God's creation, this, this material world... This is also only one universe. There are innumerable universes clustered together and beyond this clustering of universes there is another sky which is called paravyoma or spiritual sky. If you want to go there, then you have to penetrate through the material coverings—earth, water, fire, water, fire, air, like that. Each layer so big. And the next layer is ten times more than the first layer. In this way there are seven layers. So penetrating through that seven layers you reach the spiritual sky. And after reaching the spiritual sky, there are so many Vaikuṇṭha planets, spiritual planets.

Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda Deity Installation -- London, August 21, 1973:

Now this universe, this material world is called Devī-dhāma. Devī-dhāma. It is under the control of the material energy. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir-eka chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). This energy is also personified called Durgādevī. So above this planetary system there is Maheśa-dhāma. Maheśa-dhāma. In the border between spiritual sky and material sky. Above that, there are Hari-dhāma, the Vaikuṇṭha planets where Nārāyaṇa, in various forms is predominating. And above all of them there is Goloka-dhāma or Kṛṣṇa's dhāma. So picture we have given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya (Bs. 5.43), devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu, te te prabhava-nicayā vihitaś ca yena. Each planetary system has got specific atmosphere. Everything is specific. So that is done, that is created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So in this way, Kṛṣṇa is there in the topmost Goloka-dhāma. But still goloka-dhāmni nivasati, although He is living there, akhilātmā-bhūto, He is everywhere. He's everywhere. That is Kṛṣṇa.

Initiation Lectures

Initiation of Jayapataka Dasa -- Montreal, July 24, 1968:

So if somebody thinks that "I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, therefore I can continue committing all kinds of sinful activities," that is the greatest... Nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir. Anyone who commits sinful activities... I have already explained the four kinds of sinful activities you should avoid. But if you think that you are chanting, therefore there will be no reaction of sinful activities, that is the greatest sin. Greatest offense. Never. Don't commit any sinful activities. And sāmyaṁ śubha-kriyā api pramādaḥ. This is another great offense. That don't accept this chanting as something auspicious activity. It is transcendental to auspicious and inauspicious activities. It is a vibration from the spiritual sky which will attract you gradually to the spiritual sky, beyond this material sky.

'Vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ. Paras tasmād tu bhāva anya. As you get information from the Bhagavad-gītā, there is another nature which is called spiritual nature and the devotees are trying, all the transcendentalists... Some are trying to merge into the spiritual existence only, and we devotees, we want to keep individuality and want to become associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa. So gradually you can learn it from the lectures and the books and with association with your Godbrothers and sisters. So this is your initiation. Take it very seriously. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very faithfully and your life will be successful.

Initiation Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

The sky is so vast. This is material sky. We cannot even travel all over the sky. The modern scientist says that you go to the end of the sky cover, it will take forty thousands of years by the light year. This sky is only insignificant portion of the whole sky. You have no information of the whole sky. Nobody has information, the unlimited. The balance sky is spiritual sky. So if you have got any plane which is running on the speed of mind and air... You know the speed of mind, it can run millions of miles in a second. So, if you have got any airplane which runs on the speed of mind, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso, either on the plane of air speed or even the mind speed, and you go on with that mind speed, koṭi-śata-vatsara, not only forty thousand years, but millions and hundreds of millions of years, and not forty thousand years, koṭi-śata... Koṭi means ten million. Koṭi, hundred millions koṭi means. One lakh equal to..., ten lakh is equal to one million. Ten millions, koṭi, and multiply by hundreds. For that period, if you go on with the speed of mind, still you'll find, avacintya-tattva, inconceivable. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām. And that plane made of not ordinary man. Muni-puṅga, highest learned, I mean to say, scientist, philosopher. Still avacintya tattva.

General Lectures

Lecture on Maha-mantra -- New York, September 8, 1966:

Now, some of you members have asked me to explain the meaning of this chanting, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Now, this sound is transcendental sound, transcendental sound, incarnation, sound incarnation of the Absolute Truth. Just try to understand what is incarnation. Incarnation means... The Sanskrit word is avatāra, and that is translated into English as "incarnation." Of course, the root meaning of incarnation I cannot exactly explain to you, but the root meaning of the... (aside:) Somebody stop. Yes. The root meaning of avatāra is "which comes from the transcendental sky, the spiritual sky, to the material sky." That is called avatāra. Avataraṇa. Avataraṇa. Just like... Avataraṇa means "coming from up to down." That is called avatārana. And avatāra is understood that when God or His bona fide representative comes from that sky to this material plane, that is called avatāra.

Lecture to Technology Students (M.I.T.) -- Boston, May 5, 1968:

Student (12): Is there interchange between the planets?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. You can go in another planet also. Because it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-gā. Sarva-gā means the soul can be transferred to any place. It may be in America, it may be India, in moon planet, sun planet, or any..., anywhere.

Student (13): Has the universe existed forever, or does soul have a beginning?

Prabhupāda: No. This material universe is created and dissolved. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Just like this body: it is born for some time, it will stay for some time, it will go for some time, then it will become old, and it will vanish. Similarly, the whole universe is like that. It has its creation, it stays for some time, a long duration of time, and it creates so many other things, by-products, and there will be time when everything will be vanquished.

Student (13): And where were the souls before the universe began?

Prabhupāda: That is called spiritual kingdom. In the spirit.

Student (13): And is that where they will all end up again when the universe comes to an end?

Prabhupāda: Yes. If you are not liberated, then you have to come to this material world and change one body after another. That will be your business. But if you get yourself transferred to the spiritual world, then there is no more coming back to this material world, and you get your eternal, blissful life of knowledge.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 7, 1968:

So we are worshiping Govindam, the reservoir of all pleasures, Govinda, Kṛṣṇa. And He is ādi-puruṣaṁ, the original person. So govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. Bhajāmi means "I worship," "I surrender unto Him and I agree to love Him." These are the terms offered by hymns by Brahmā. That Brahma-saṁhitā is a, considerably a large book. The first verse in the Fifth Chapter it is said that the Lord, Govinda, He has got His particular planet, which is known as Goloka Vṛndāvana. It is beyond this material sky. This material sky you can see as far as your vision go, but beyond that material sky there is spiritual sky. This material sky is covered by material energy, mahat-tattva, and there are seven layers of covering of earth, water, fire, air. And beyond that covering there is an ocean, and beyond that ocean the spiritual sky begins. And in that spiritual sky, the highest planet is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. These things are described in the Vedic literature, in the Bhagavad-gītā also. Bhagavad-gītā is very well known book.

Engagement Lecture -- Buffalo, April 23, 1969:

So apart from that, here it is said, deha-bhājām. Deha-bhājām means "those who have accepted this material body." That means there are some, not some... There are many who have not accepted this material body. But they have no experience who has not accepted this material body, in this material world. That is there in the spiritual world. These living entities, innumerable living entities in so many universes in the material world or material universe or material nature, they are only fractional portion of all living entities. Only a fractional portion. Because they are condemned. Those who are in this material world, with this material body, they are condemned. Just like you take another example: just like in the prison house. The prison house, population in the prison house, they are condemned by the government. But their number is only fraction of the whole population, not that whole population of the state goes to the prison house. Some criminals who are disobedient to the laws of the state, they are put into the prison house under confinement. Similarly, these conditioned souls within this material world, they are only fractional portion of the whole living enti..., number of living entities in the creation of God, and because they have disobeyed or declined to obey or abide by the orders of Kṛṣṇa, or God, they have been put into this material world. Now, the problem is: if one is sensible, if one is inquisitive and serious, he should try to understand that "Why I am put into this material conditional life?" That should be the inquiry. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. In the Vedānta-sūtra this is the first inquiry, that people should be educated to that standard of life when he will be inquisitive to know, "Why I am put into this conditional life? What is the condition? I do not wish to suffer."

Lecture -- Paris, June 26, 1971:

If anyone prepares himself to enter into the higher planetary system, which is said to be inhabited by demigods, we can go there. Similarly, in the Pitṛloka, Pitṛ planet, we can go, or if we like, we can remain on this planet. And at last, if we desire, we can enter into the planet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it is all preparation only. But considering the point that any planetary system within this material universe, they are temporary... Maybe the duration is very, very long time, but they are to be annihilated. As our body... There are different types of body. A human body exists for hundred years, but an insect's body exists for twelve hours. So these different body exist relatively a long duration or short duration, but they are to be annihilated. But if anyone enters into the planet which is called Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the spiritual planet, then there is eternal life, blissful life and full of knowledge.

Lecture -- Jakarta, February 28, 1973:

So sanātana, this word has been used in three or four places in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūta jīva-loka sanātana (BG 15.7). Sanātana. These living entities, they are sanātana. And another place in the Eighth Chapter in Bhagavad-gītā this sanātana word is used: paras tasmāt tu bhāva 'nya 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another sky. Just like we are seeing this sky. This is called material sky, and we are seeing the sky in one universe. We, according to our Vedic information, the sky which you are seeing, this is the sky of one of the universes. And there are millions of universes. We get this information from Vedic literature, Brahma-saṁhitā: yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa means universe and koṭi means millions. So the sky which we're seeing before us, this is one of the sky of the universe. There are millions. And all these universes combined together is one part creation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That we find in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on Gurvastakam at Upsala University -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973:

The living entities, they are wandering throughout the universe, changing bodies, transmigrating from one body to another, one place to another, one planet to another, but they are rotating within this universe, material universe, brahmāṇḍo bhramite. This science is unknown to the modern education department, how the spirit soul is transmigrating from one body to another and how he's being transferred from one planet to another. We have got our book, Easy Journey to Other Planets. So guru can help you to transmigrate from this planet directly to the spiritual sky, where there are innumerable spiritual planets. They are known as Vaikuṇṭhaloka. And the topmost planet in the spiritual sky, that is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. That is Kṛṣṇa's planet. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we are trying to give information how one can be transferred directly to the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, Kṛṣṇaloka. That is our mission.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Aristotle:

Hayagrīva: ...quotations on Aristotle. Aristotle believes that God expresses Himself through matter, although he also believes that God is transcendent and separate from the universe.

Prabhupāda: He believes some way and other believes some way, so which is..., which one is correct?

Hayagrīva: He does not follow Plato's dualism of the "here" and the "there." Plato made a sharp distinction between the material universe and the spiritual universe, but Aristotle believes there is no sharp distinction because God expresses Himself in matter. Since matter is simply one of God's energies, the finite reflects the infinite.

Prabhupāda: So what is the other energy? Does he know?

Hayagrīva: He doesn't concern himself with that. He says that by knowing something of the world about us, we can know something about God.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: So his, his...

Prabhupāda: It may be that you know something about God. Then you have to admit that you do not know everything about God. So their knowledge is imperfect. Our point is that we know everything of God from God. So that knowledge is perfect. As Kṛṣṇa said in the Seventh Chapter, that mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. "If you concentrate your mind on your attachment to Me, and if you execute yoga meditation, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you understand Me fully and without any doubt." So instead of speculating in God, if we simply think of God, that will help us. To escape from darkness, if you speculate about the sun by some suggestion, by some concoction, this is one kind of knowledge. But if you actually come out of the darkness and see the sun, then it is complete (indistinct).

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas:

Hayagrīva: He created the universe out of nothing.

Prabhupāda: No. The universe is created by God. How you can say "out of nothing"? God is there. So before creation of the universe God was there, so you cannot say that the universe was created out of nothing.

Hayagrīva: Well, but the material universe must have been created out of nothing, because it could not have arisen out of God's spiritual nature.

Prabhupāda: No. The material nature is also inferior nature of God. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). Apareyam, the material nature, means earth, water, fire, air, ether, and the subtle materials, mind, intelligence, ego. They are all emanation from God, so actually they are not unreal but inferior. They are, it is called, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. They are separated material energy. We can have a little idea, just like we are speaking in the microphone, and it is being recorded in the tape recorder. When the tape recorder is replayed, the sound coming from exactly like the original person's sound, but it is not in touch with the person, but it has come from the person. If somebody does not see wherefrom the sound is coming, he can conjecture that such and such person speaking, although such and such person is away from that speaking engagement. Similarly, this material world is emanation, is expansion, of energy of the Supreme Lord, but it is not that this material world has come into existence from nothing. No. It has come from the Supreme Truth, but it is inferior energy. The superior energy is the spiritual world, which is reality. This, this cannot be supported, that material world has come from nothing.

Page Title:Material universe (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:30 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=91, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:91