Prabhupāda: Why do you ask this question? That means you have no faith.
Indian Guest: I have faith. I don't have knowledge.
Prabhupāda: You read this, then you'll get the knowledge.
Indian Guest: I would like to know about what time . . . (indistinct) . . ..
Prabhupāda: Time, it may be any time, but the knowledge is eternal. Just like Kṛṣṇa spoke five thousand years ago to Arjuna and some forty millions of years ago to the sun god. So time is different. Once He spoke forty millions of . . . Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam. (aside:) Find out this verse:
- imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ
- proktavān aham avyayam
- vivasvān manave prāha
- manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt
- (BG 4.1)
Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). These things are there, that Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna that "This philosophy, yoga, the yoga system, bhakti-yoga, I spoke to Vivasvān, the sun god." So if you take, take calculation . . . Because it is said there: vivasvān manave prāha. If you take calculation of Manu, then you can calculate the age of Manus seventy-two cycle of four ages. Four ages means . . . one age means forty-three lakhs of years, multiply it by seventy-two. That becomes the duration of life of one Manu. So it is said that the sun god said to Manu. So this is the age of Vaivasvata Manu. So you can understand when it was spoken. So we have calculated, it is about forty millions of years ago he spoke this. And Kṛṣṇa says, sa evāyaṁ mayā te 'dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ (BG 4.3). Read that.
Hari-śauri:
- sa evāyaṁ mayā te 'dya
- yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ
- bhakto 'si me sakhā ceti
- rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam
- (BG 4.3)
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa said, "The same system I am speaking to you," purātanaḥ, "because you are My bhakta." So either you hear it forty millions of years ago or five thousand years ago or today from us, the subject matter is the same. Why do you make difference of the time? There is no difference of time. The subject, the purātanaḥ, everything is the same old. So even it is spoken in different time, the subject matter remains the same. There is no change. Just like millions and millions of years ago there was sun. And what is the sun? Heat and light. And today also there is the sun. What is the sun? Heat and light. So there is no difference. There is no consideration of age. The subject matter is the same.
Guest (2): I've read in your books the expression "eternal nature of the soul." I don't know if whether this means . . . if this means the . . . (indistinct) . . . conditional state.
Prabhupāda: Yes, eternally means that this creation, the material creation, it takes place at a certain date and it continues for certain millions and trillions of years, and again it becomes annihilated, dissolved. There is no creation for . . . Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). And again millions of years passes, and again there is creation. So one who does not take advantage of this creation, manifestation, especially in the human form of life, as I was discussing, mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani, then he remains in the path of birth and death in this creation, and because he does not deliver himself, then next creation and next creation. So unless he takes to it, it is eternally going on. If he does not take advantage of this opportunity, then he remains in the cycle of birth and, mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. And the mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani continues in this creation, next creation, and before that it is going on.