Sahasra-yuga-paryantam. One yuga . . . this is Kali-yuga. At the present moment it is called Kali-yuga. Before this . . . this Kali-yuga has passed only five thousand years, and the duration of life of this Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. Only we have passed five thousand. Before this Kali-yuga there was another yuga, which is known as Dvāpara-yuga. Before that, there was Tretā-yuga. Before that, there was Satya-yuga. All these yugas, taking aggregate years, forty-three hundred thousands of years, and multiply it by one thousand—then calculate what is the duration of time. That is only twelve hours duration in the Brahmaloka. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17).
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.
So these informations are there in the Vedic literature. And it is a fact that we are transmigrating from one body to another, one planet to another. That is a fact. Just like I have come to your country, similarly I may go to another planet. It is the question of how to go there, what is the means. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- yānti deva-vratā devān
- pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
- bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni
- mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām
- (BG 9.25)
So it is stated that if you want to go to the sun planet or moon planet—there are many heavenly planets—you can go there. Yānti deva-vratā devān. Then you have to prepare in this life how to go there. You cannot go there by force, with your Sputnik or some jet plane or something like that. That you cannot go. That is not possible. Therefore these people who are trying to go to the moon planet, they are now frustrated.
So whatever it may be, the chance is there. We have written one small booklet in this connection: Easy Journey to Other Planets. If you like, you can read that. So there are innumerable planets, innumerable living standard. Standard of living innumerable. Just like your standard of living materially is very nice or far greater than the Indian standard of life or any other standard of life. So if you go to other planets you will find still thousand times better standard of living. If you go still up, thousand times better standard of living. This is God's creation.
There is God. As you have created this Melbourne city by your energy, similarly the whole creation is manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You cannot defy it. This is called jñāna, knowledge, to know what is Kṛṣṇa, what is His energies, how they are working, how these wonderful acts are going on within this universe. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a bogus movement. It is a very scientific movement. It is meant for human knowledge.
There are immense knowledges, but if we are simply interested with the necessities of the body, just like the animals, then we are missing the chance. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām (Hitopadeśa). "This eating, sleeping, sexual intercourse and defense—these things are there in the animal life." Even a hog, he is working day and night to find out where is stool. He likes stool. He eats stool and becomes very fatty. He enjoys.
So this kind of endeavor, simply eating, sleeping, sex life and defense, that is common to the animals and to the human being. But human being has got a special prerogative. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness: to know God, to know himself, to know this world. Knowledge. Not that just like . . . we are, of course, trying to advancement of knowledge simply for these items: how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sexual intercourse and how to defend. So this is also required. So long we have got this body, we don't say that, "Don't try for this." But your particular knowledge, to know yourself, to know God, why you are dismissing that? That is not very good idea.