We are gathering knowledge by the imperfect senses. We are seeing every day, morning, the sun which is bigger than this earth by fourteen hundred thousand times. And we are seeing just like a plate. If he's not informed by an authority when he goes to school... The teacher of geography, when he informs, "My dear boy, the sun is very, very big," then he can understand. I am seeing that the one airplane is running very fast, flying in the sky. A child sees, "Oh, such a big thing. How it is flying?" He does not know that this machine is not flying independently. There is a pilot. Without this pilot all this mechanical arrangement is simply void. If that airplane is kept down for many thousands of years with all the machine complete, it has no power to fly unless there is the expert pilot who pushes on the button, it will fly. So therefore imperfect senses.
Many thousands of years (Lectures, SB)
Expressions researched:
"hundreds and thousands of years"
|"hundreds of thousands of years"
|"many thousands of years"
|"many thousands of years"
|"several thousands of years"
|"thousand of years"
|"thousands and thousands of years"
|"thousands of years"
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So samam āsata, they were performing the sacrifice for one thousand years. How they were able to do? Because in those days, in the Tretā-yuga... Tretā-yuga... In the Satya-yuga they used to live for one hundred thousands of years; in Tretā-yuga, ten thousands of years; and in the Dvāpara-yuga, one thousands of years. And now in this Kali-yuga, one hundred years. That also not complete. Nobody can complete one hundred years, and it is reducing. Maybe our forefathers or grandfathers might have lived for hundred years, but we are not living so much. And gradually, our children, our grandchildren, they will gradually reduce that span of life so much so that at the end of Kali-yuga, if a man would live for twenty to thirty years, he'll be considered a grand old man. Yes. We are reducing. But formerly, they were living so many years. Alpāyuṣaḥ. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ. Prāyeṇa. Almost everyone is short span of life. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. Kalau. In this age, kalau. It is not for a particular nation or party or religion. Everyone is subjected to the laws of nature.
Everyone, all over the world, they are thinking there is no life after death. But that is not the fact. The fact is as you have changed so many bodies in this life, you have to change this body, you have to accept another body. It is a great dangerous position. That they do not think. If I accept another body of a tree, then I will have to stand in one place for thousands of years. This is the science. Now I cannot stay for five minutes in the Bhagavad-gītā class, but if I am given the body by nature... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. You are under the grip of nature. You cannot say... You cannot stop your death. When nature asks you, "Now you must die," your science cannot stop this. So you are under the grip of the nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. So if the nature gives you, now you take this body of banyan tree and stand here for five thousand years, how can you stop it? Will your scientific knowledge can stop it? Is it possible? Then what is your science?
Most of you have read Bhagavad-gītā, and it is stated there, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). 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 was a great meeting. Just like we are holding here meeting for a few days, a similar meeting was held thousands of years ago, at least four thousand years ago, in a place which is called Naimiṣāraṇya. The Naimiṣāraṇya is in India. It is near Lucknow. Here is Professor Shivasrava(?). He knows. The station is called now Nimsar. I think it is in Hardoi district? So still the place is there, and if you sometimes go to India you can visit this place. It is a very nice place for spiritual atmosphere. So formerly all the great sages used to assemble in that Naimiṣāraṇya. It is said that all the demigods used to visit that place. So in that great meeting, Bhāgavata was discussed.
Just like the mental speculators, they are making research, "What is God?" Speculating. You have got experience, they are writing volumes of books simply by speculation. So to them, this word is the answer. What is that? Adhah-kṛtaṁ akṣajaṁ jñānam: "You may go on speculating for many thousands of years; still you will be cut down, you will never be able to understand what is God." Therefore this particular word is used, adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛtaṁ akṣajaṁ jñānaṁ yatra tatram. This is the Sanskrit definition of this word.
So Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna that at the present moment the paramparā system is now lost. Yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. Sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. "It is the paramparā system has been lost because there have been so many interpretation, wrong interpretation. Therefore I am selecting you to make again paramparā." Bhakto 'si sakhā ceti. "Why You are entrusting me? I am not a Vedantist. I am not a sannyāsī. I am not very learned scholar. I am military man. So why You are trying to give the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā unto me?" This question may be raised. Because Arjuna was a family man. He was not a sannyāsī, neither he was a Vedantist. A military man is not expected to become a Vedantist. Kṣatriya, he knows how to fight. And Kṛṣṇa says that "I will speak to you." Why? Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: (BG 4.3) "You are My dear friend. Therefore I shall tell you." So this is the process of understanding: you have to become dear friend of Kṛṣṇa. Then you will understand Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise, for thousands of years you may go on reading Bhagavad-gītā; you will not learn even a word of it. That is the secret. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2).
Just like in India, they are also making inquiry. Not now, not at the present moment. They have given up. But hundreds and thousands of years ago. Not thousand, even two hundred years ago, India was so inquisitive about enquiring about God. Even one Chinese gentleman, he has written one book, philosophical, that is recommended—I forgot the name, title of the book—that is studied in New York University in the religion class. In that book he has written that if you want to know about God, if you want to know about religion, then you must go to India. Yes, that's a fact. Because in no other country the great sages and saintly person engaged themselves so seriously about understanding God. Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra is there.
Generally, atheist class, they have no interest in God. The atheist class long, long ago, thousands of years ago, there was atheist also. Because there are two classes of men always within this world, atheist and theist, asura and deva, devatā. So not that atheist class men have developed at the present moment. It may be the number has increased, but atheist class of men were long, long ago also. There was Carvaka Muni, he was also called muni. Muni means mental speculator, or thoughtful. So this Carvaka Muni, he also presented his philosophy, atheism, that ṛṇāṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet. So long you live, you live very joyfully by enjoying your senses. This is atheistic principle. And in India the sense enjoyment principle is based on ghee, clarified butter, because if they get butter, they prepare so many nice preparations. You have also learned how to do it.
Try to live decently by taking kṛṣṇa-prasāda and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Jīveta: in this way you can live hundreds of years. That is recommended in the Īśopaniṣad, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). So jīveta yāvatā, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. And why shall you live at all? What is the use of living? The trees are also living for ten thousands of years. What is the meaning of that living? Similarly you if live for a hundred years or two hundred years. What is the meaning of your living? Of course, living in this material world is not very comfortable. Every one of us will know it. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58).
It is not that because a child is born of a very rich family, he hasn't got to go into the womb of his mother and suffer the consequence. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). The distress of birth, death, disease and old age equally there, either you become born in a very high family or either you born in a very low family, either you're born in India or you are born in America. This suffering, the four kinds of sufferings are everywhere. Not only India and America, they are in this planet, but even if you go to the moon planet or if you go to the sun planet. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. Even the highest planet. The modern scientist says that if we want to go to the highest planet it will take forty thousands of years. No. Four hundred thousands of years. Something like that they say. By sputnik.
Certainly there is thousands and thousands times more material comforts in the heavenly planets, in the Candraloka... In the Candraloka... They are trying to go into Candraloka, and according to śāstra, if one goes to Candraloka, he gets ten thousands of years his duration of life, and enjoy. So certainly there are many times more comfortable life, standard of life, very, very high, in the heaven, other planetary systems. But Kṛṣṇa says that any one of the planets you can go, but the material disease will not be relieved, the material disease, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). We cannot understand. This is our real disease, repetition of birth, janma, and repetition of death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. And repetition of becoming old. And vyādhi, repetition of being affected by various types of disease.
Because you are given the opportunity to come to the light, but if you neglect it, if you think that natural life, animal life, to become naked and do all nonsense, then "All right. You, next life you become a tree, naked. Stand up naked for ten thousands of years." You want to be naked? That's all right. Nobody will protest. So many trees are standing naked. So many animals are loitering in the street naked. Nobody protests. But in human society, if you become naked, then you'll be punished by law. But they are thinking they are advancing by becoming naked. This is the knowledge: ignorance.
Now this civilization has spread in the Western countries—they want to remain naked. There are so many nudie clubs. So next life they'll be given chance to become tree, to stand naked for thousands of years. This is laws of nature. They do not know how they're getting chance, different types of body for different types of enjoyments, material enjoyment. Sometimes he's put as a poor man; sometimes he's put as a rich man. Sometimes as demigod, sometimes as cat, sometimes as dog. In this way, it is going on. But they are..., there is no knowledge. The modern civilization, they do not take care of this Vedic information, neither they have got any sufficient knowledge how these 8,400,000 species of life are becoming possible. They have no science. But here it is stated: antaḥ-praviṣṭa ābhāti vijñānena vijṛmbhitaḥ.
So Brahmā's one day means 4300,000's of years of our calculation. Forty-three hundred thousands of years, little more. That is Brahmā's one day. And in that one day, 4300,000's of years, there are fourteen manus changing. So these are described here. The manu, Cākṣuṣa Manu, Vaivasvata Manu. There are fourteen manus. So the calculation is in one day of Brahmā, ah, in one month of Brahmā, there are about five thousand manus. So this calculation is taken in the duration of manu's life.
Just now they are planning that everyone will go to the moon planet without any qualification. That is their plan. It is Rāvaṇa's plan. Rāvaṇa said that "Why you are undergoing so much severe austerities to go to heaven? I shall make a staircase, and you go directly, without having performed any austerities." So to go to the moon planet, according to the Vedic description, it requires a qualification. The moon planet, that is one of the heavenly planets, and if anyone can go there, he gets ten thousands of years span of life. And the standard of living is very higher than this planet. These are the description in the Vedic literature. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said, yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). If you want to be promoted to a heavenly planets, then you just perform the duties to please the particular demigod, you'll be... So these materialist scientists, they are thinking that they can go anywhere by the force of their so-called scientific advancement. But it has not proved successful till now. But still, they will say, "Yes, in future we shall go." All right, in future. "Trust no future, however pleasant." That's all.
Just like Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva is speaking that kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati. Kīkaṭeṣu means the province of Gayā, still existing. Bhaviṣyati. When? Tataḥ kalau sampravṛtte. Kalau. This age is called Kali-yuga. Sampravṛtte: "just in the beginning." So Buddha appeared 2,600 years ago. So for thousands of years, it is beginning. Just like the sunset and the sunrise, there is an intermediate period. It is neither light nor dark. That is called intermediate period. Similarly, at the end of every millennium, yuga, and the beginning of another yuga, that is called sampravṛtti, "just beginning." So sampravṛtte, just in the beginning. Because the duration of Kali-yuga... This yuga, Kali-yuga, it will exist for 432,000 of years. Altogether, all the yugas taken together, they are 4300,000's of years. Out of that, Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. So out of that 432,000's of years, we have passed only five thousand years. We have passed only five thousand years. The Kali-yuga has begun from after the death of Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there is a description of the age of Kali. Age of..., this is age of Kali. According to Vedic understanding, there are four ages: Satya-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Tretā-yuga, and Kali-yuga. This age is called Kali-yuga. It has begun about five thousand years ago, after the battle of Kurukṣetra. The duration of this Kali-yuga is estimated four hundred thousand..., four hundred and twenty-seven thousands of years. Out of that, we have passed only five thousand years. So the symptom of the human being in this age is that prāyeṇālpāyuṣa: people will become very short duration of life. It is said that time, at the end of Kali-yuga, the, if somebody lives for twenty to thirty years, he will be considered as very old man. So gradually the food grains like rice, wheat, milk, and sugar will disappear. In this way, in the Kali-yuga, prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. In this age, people will be of short duration of life; manda, very slow; sumanda-matayaḥ, accepting some rubbish theology.
Jaghanya means very abominable, hateful. "One who is addicted to such hateful habits..." Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti, adho gacchanti. Adho gacchanti means either they go down planetary system or down living conditions just like animals. Just like animals. They are jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthāḥ. They can lie down anywhere. They can eat anything. They have no sense that "This is not good. I am doing this." They have no sense. Just like tree. We go sometimes in the jungle. A tree is standing for several thousands of years, but it has no sense, "Oh, I am standing like this, alone?" These are the births of jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti.
So Nārada Muni confirms that "Formerly, in the millennium..." That is Brahmā's night. When Brahmā's night comes, everything becomes devastated in water. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). First of all sahasra-yuga. One yuga means forty-three hundred thousands of years. Multiply it by one thousand. That is the period of manifestation. Now, what is the period? Forty-three lakhs of years, and multiply it by a thousand.
So the description was given by Sūta Gosvāmī in a very big meeting at Naimiṣāraṇya, thousands of years ago, and the Sūta Gosvāmī is describing how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was compiled.
- śrī sūta uvāca
- brahma-nadyāṁ sarasvatyām
- āśramaḥ paścime taṭe
- śamyāprāsa iti prokta
- ṛṣīṇāṁ satra-vardhanaḥ
- (SB 1.7.2)
There is a place, Śamyāprāsa, above Haridvāra, there Vyāsadeva's āśrama was situated on the river Brahmanadī, Sarasvatī, on the western side, paścime taṭe. Ṛṣīṇāṁ satra-vardhanaḥ, there all the great sages and saintly persons used to perform sacrifice. Tasmin āśrame, tasmin sva āśrame vyāso badarī-ṣaṇḍa-maṇḍite (SB 1.7.3), the āśrama was surrounded by berry trees, badarī-ṣaṇḍa. Ṣaṇḍa means trees. Āsīno 'pa upaspṛśya praṇidadhyau manaḥ svayam. So in that āśrama... Formerly, big, big saintly persons, they used to live in forest āśrama. Now they have to come far away from āśrama to South Africa because people have forgotten.
Still we are getting heat and light energy of the sun. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Although He is in the Goloka planet, which is the topmost planet in the spiritual world... You cannot estimate the how far the spiritual world is from this material world. From material calculation they say it takes about some forty thousands of years to go to the limit of this universe. Then beyond that universe there is the spiritual world. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyaḥ (BG 8.20), another nature, avyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ. Then you pass through the spiritual world, brahmajyoti. There are innumerable, unlimited number of Vaikuṇṭha planets. Then, above all of them, there is the planet Goloka Vṛndāvana, where Kṛṣṇa resides.
In one small insect, it may live for few minutes; some of them for few hours, some of them for few days, and some of them for few months, some of them for few years. And this yearly, we live, we human being, we live for a hundred years, and the demigods, they live for ten thousands of years. But wherever you live, either as insect or as demigod, there is no rescue from the process of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That you cannot escape. Either you become a small insect or you become as powerful as Lord Brahmā, you have to die. There is no escape. Brahmā, he has the greatest amount of years to live. His life is... We have calculation in the Bhagavad-gītā, that sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Sahasra-yuga. One yuga means forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand. That is the one daytime duration of Brahmā. Ahar rātri means morning to evening.
It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, "Kṛṣṇa is situated everyone's heart." And He's studying the inclination of the living entity, that he wants to enjoy this material world like this. So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). He hasn't got to do anything personally. He orders the material nature, "This living entity wants to enjoy like this. Give him the, this machine." So you get this machine. We have got this machine. A living entity, he does not discriminate of eating; whatever he gets, he eats. So Kṛṣṇa says that "He wants to eat everything. So give him this machine, hog's body, so that there will be no discrimination." "He wants to remain naked. All right. Give him this body for five thousand years, standing naked as tree." The life was meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa, but he is cultivating the culture of naked civilization, how to become naked. "So all right, next time you'll remain naked for many thousands of years, standing in one place as tree." This is going on. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15).
So these people, these Māyāvādī people, they are trying to become one with the God. But a devotee doesn't like to be one with God but better than God or higher than God. That is devotee's position. Devotee's so powerful that Kṛṣṇa, a devotee can claim to become higher than God. They can produce God. Just like Yaśodā-mātā, Devakī. He (she) produced God. And God agrees. These Devakī and Vasudeva, they underwent severe penances, austerities. Without any conjugal union, they undergone tapasya. And Kṛṣṇa came to them, that "What do you want?" "Now I, we want a son like You." So Kṛṣṇa said, "Who can be equal to Me? That is not possible. I shall become your son." This is the reason that Kṛṣṇa took birth as the son of Devakī, because they become... Kṛṣṇa... Vasudeva and Devakī or mother Yaśodā or Nanda, they became the father and mother of Kṛṣṇa, and now they are chastising Kṛṣṇa. It is not so easy thing. They had to undergo thousands of years in penances to take this position of chastising Kṛṣṇa.
Now 5,000 years ago, Kuntī is offering this prayer. That means before 5,000 years, the sandalwood was growing in the Malaysia. So this Malaysia is not a new name. It was known thousands and thousands of years ago. And... All these places, they were Vedic culture. So similarly she's giving the example that Kṛṣṇa has no obligation that He has to take His birth in a particular family or particular country. He has no such obligation. But to glorify a certain family or certain person because he is devotee, therefore He has taken birth.
Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He also underwent tapasya. The whole universe became trembled. Brahmā came: "Why you are undergoing such severe tapasya?" On one finger he stood up, and undergoing tapasya. Brahmā came: "What is your purpose of this tapasya?" "Sir, I want to be immortal." "So that is not possible. You cannot become immortal." Then in so many ways he wanted to become immortal. What is the purpose of becoming immortal? There are many trees standing for ten thousands of years. That is very successful life, to stand in a place for ten thousands of years without any movement? Or prolonging life for many thousands of years? Brahmā lives also for many millions of years.
We are searching after some permanent place, permanent settlement on the world. Nobody wants to die, but that is not possible. But if there is possibility of going somewhere where no more death, why don't you search after that? That is intelligence. That information (is) there in the Bhagavad-gītā, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna: (BG 8.16) "If you go to the topmost planet which is known as Brahma-loka..." Now, the Brahma-loka, the duration of life, you cannot calculate even their one day's time. That we were discussing this morning. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.. Their twelve hours, our twelve hours and their twelve hours, different. Their twelve hours you cannot calculate: forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand. Now see how many years. That is their twelve hours. So live hundred years, they also. So even if you go there, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ, or any planet, or any place, there must be death. Death you must have. But I am eternal. Why shall I accept death? That is intelligence.
So in Satya-yuga, the religious principles are followed strictly, cent percent. That is called Satya-yuga. And Tretā-yuga, twenty-five percent reduced. That means seventy-five percent religious principles and twenty-five percent irreligious. And the Dvāpara-yuga, fifty-fifty: fifty percent religious and fifty percent irreligious. And the Kali-yuga, seventy-five percent irreligious and twenty-five percent religious, gradually reducing to nil—no more religion. Then finished. Then there will be devastation. Again Satya-yuga will begin. This is the way of change of Satya-yuga-Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. The duration of Satya-yuga is about eighteen hundred thousand of years. Eighteen hundred thousands of years. Hundred thousand. Eighteen hundred. Similarly, Tretā-yuga, about twelve hundred thousands of years. Similarly, Dvāpara-yuga, eight hundred thousands of years. And Kali-yuga four hundred thousands of years. This is the beginning of Kali-yuga. Out of four hundred thousands of years, we have passed only 5,000 years. Not only 400,000, 432,000's of years. There is regular calculation in the Vedic śāstra. So out of that, we have passed 5,000 years. That Kali-yuga has begun just after the Battle of Kurukṣetra. So we have passed only 5,000 years of this Kali-yuga. There are still balance, 427,000's of years, still balance.
Just count how many. Dharmaḥ, satyam, śaucam, kṣamā, dayā, āyuḥ, balam, smṛti-eight. These things will gradually reduce to nil, almost nil. Now as I told you, the Kali-yuga... In other yugas... Just like Satya-yuga, the duration of Satya-yuga was eighteen hundred thousands of years. And the human being was living in that age for one hundred thousands of years. One hundred thousands of years. The next age, the duration of that age, twelve hundred thousands of years, and the people used to live for one thousand years, not over ten thousand years. Ten times reduced. The next age, Dvāpara-yuga, again ten times reduced. Still, they used to live for one thousand years, and the duration of the age was eight hundred thousands of years. Now, the next age, this Kali-yuga, the limit is one hundred years. We can live utmost up to one hundred years. We are not living one hundred years, but still, the limit is one hundred years. So just see. Now, from one hundred years... Now in India the average age is about thirty-five years.
Just like they are very much anxious to go to the moon planet. And what is this nonsense moon planet? It is also a material planet. Actually if you go moon planet, you can live for ten thousands of years. That is the statement in the śāstra. But after ten thousand of years you have to die. So if you go to any planet, within this material world, the four material, I mean to say, problems, namely birth, death, old age, and disease, will follow you. You may live in one planet. Just like we are allowed to live on this planet utmost hundred years, not more than that. Or the ant is allowed to live for six hours. Or another fly is allowed one moment. There are different varieties of... Or Brahmā is allowed to live for millions of years. So according to the different types of body, we are allowed to live under certain duration of life. But nobody can be immortal here. That is not possible. That is possible when you transfer yourself to the spiritual world, Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). That is possible.
Just like Svargaloka, Janaloka. From our śāstra we understand that the inhabitants of Candraloka, moon planet, they live for ten thousands of years, but these rascals are going there. They do not find any living entity. So that is the contradiction. But we believe that in the moon planet... And why we shall not believe? If the living entities are found everywhere, so why, what moon planet has done that there should be no living entity? From our experience we can see living entity is there on the land, in the air, in the water, even in the fire. So every planet is made of these five elements: earth, water, fire, air, sky. So we find by practical experience that in the water there is living entity, on the land there is living entity, within the land there is living entity. So why in the moon planet or other planet there should be no living entities? That's a wrong theory.
In the Brahmaloka, the duration of twelve hours, our twelve hours, morning to evening, that is many millions of years to our calculation. So even if you go to that planet Brahmaloka, as you are trying to go to the moon planet... From śāstra we understand in the moon planet, they live up to ten thousands of years according to heavenly calculation. In each planet, in each society, the calculation is different. So it is calculated that in the moon planet you can live for ten thousands of years, and that calculation is compared: our six months equal to one day in that planet. So just imagine how many years of our calculation they can live.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness begins from the tongue, not from the eyes. Some rascals want to see Kṛṣṇa. They will see that Guru Maharaj(-ji). You see? Such rascals will see that so-called Kṛṣṇa. But to see real Kṛṣṇa, one has to purify the eyes, purify the senses. Not that anyone comes, "I am Kṛṣṇa," and I can see and become perfect. No. Sevonmukhe. And how the senses will be purified? By sevonmukha, by rendering service. For many, many thousands of years, if one is engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then one day there is chance of understanding what is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not so easy thing. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (CC Madhya 17.136). Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā: manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Kṛṣṇa seeing is not so easy.
We have got in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... The, this moon planet is one of the heavenly planets. There, high class of demigods, they live. Or one who is elevated to the moon planet, he is living there for ten thousands of years. Ten... What kind of ten thousands of years? In the moon planet, one day equal to our six months. Such months' year, and ten thousands of years. That is the duration of life in the moon planet. Those who are karma-kāṇḍīya, perform ritualistic ceremonies very nicely, they are promoted to the moon planet. And there are other planets also. This is Svargaloka. There are seven planetary systems upwards, and seven planetary systems downwards. Now we are living in the Bhūrloka, middle. Then above this, there is Bhuvarloka. Above this, there is Svarloka. Above this is Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Brahmaloka. So this āroha... You cannot go to the Brahmaloka, although there is śāstra... Or you cannot go to the sun planet also. You are seeing every day, but go there. But you have no right. You cannot go.
Just try to understand the self-realization, "Oh, these nonsense, what is this? We are... I shall die and everything is finished. That's all." This is the modern civilization. Even up to this time... The Kali-yuga has passed only five thousand years, and when... If the duration of the whole Kali-yuga is four lakhs, thirty-two thousands of years... Out of that, we have only passed five thousand years, since the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Now, still the balance is four lakhs and twenty-seven thousands of years. So just imagine, after five thousand years we have become so much deteriorated, and what will happen even four lakhs of years? The people will reduce to such small stature because they will not be properly fed. Just like at the present moment the stature of the body is reducing. It is reducing.
These things are very nicely discussed here. We shall try to explain. The beginning is taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti (SB 2.3.18) . The beginning of this... How our consciousness is developed and important, that is stated in these pages, that taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti. You are proud of having a little long duration of life than the cats and dogs; therefore you are proud? Oh, don't you see how long the trees also live, for seven thousand years, many thousands of years. So what is there in living for long duration of life? So there is no actual wonderful achievement by the so-called material advancement of life unless you have got developed consciousness to the standard of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything is false. False means maybe, temporary. You are American. You are feeling that you belong to the rich country, very beautiful body, no scarcity of food. That's all right, but it is also temporary. It is not permanent.
The professional reader, he reads, he takes some contribution, some money, some clothing, some umbrella, some shoes, some food, some money. In this way, he collects a very lump sum for his maintenance of his family, and the audience also thinks that "By hearing Bhāgavatam, I'll be very much profited materially." This is going on. Bhāgavata-saptāha. Bhāgavata-saptāha, imitation. Parīkṣit Mahārāja heard for one week Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Śukadeva Gosvāmī. So they are imitating this one week. But where is Parīkṣit and where is Śukadeva? Both of them have got some ulterior purpose to hear Bhāgavata. Therefore it is not affecting. They are hearing Bhāgavata for thousands of years, but still, they are where they were formerly.
According to our Vedic instruction, living entity is called sarva-ga. Sarva-ga. The living entity can go anywhere, anywhere. Why not in Candraloka? You are going. And why previous to you nobody was there? So it is very doubtful. What do you think? From reasoning point of view. And we get information from the śāstra that it is one of the heavenly planets. People live there for ten thousands of years. They drink soma-rasa. These are statement in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is not yet published. We have explained this. It is cold. And that is also admitted by scientists here. It is 200 degrees below zero. Therefore they require some heating beverage. That is called soma-rasa. The Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated. And how we can believe that there is no living entity. One side is dark, and one side is full of dust. These are our doubts.
In your calculation it is one hundred years. In my calculation it is one second. Therefore Brahmā's duration of life is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Brahmaṇe, Here also divyam. Sahasrābdam. Now divyaṁ sahasrābdam. Brahmā's one day, one twelve hours, daytime, we cannot calculate. Our, according to our calculation it is... Sahasra-yuga. Sahasra-yuga. Yuga. Yugas means these Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. That means forty three hundred thousands of years. And thousand times, forty three hundred thousands of years, that makes Brahmā's one day of twelve hours.
It will take forty thousands of years with the speed of 18,000 miles per hour. No, or... Some estimation. Anyway, forty thousands of years. So who is going to live for forty thousand years to see and go and see and come back? They cannot go even to the moon planet, theorizing. How they can go? But this is fact. If you have got power, you go and see. But they cannot go a few miles, and they are proud that "We have known everything. We know everything." This is their foolishness. Our knowledge is so imperfect; still, we are proud of our knowledge: "Oh, I have known everything. I know everything. I am God. I am God."
So similarly, some time before, some hundreds and thousands of years, Kapiladeva appeared, devahūti-putra Kapiladeva. His father's name is Kardama Muni. So after Kapiladeva's birth, when He was grown up... That is the system of Vedic civilization. When children are grown up, the father retires. He takes sannyāsa, or goes out of home simply for cultivating spiritual life, not that throughout the whole life, rot in this material world, no. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. That is the injunction of the śāstra. We have got eight kinds of āśrama, er, four kinds of āśrama and four kinds of varṇas. So the... Formerly they used to follow very strictly. So Kapiladeva's father, Kardama Muni, after the son was grown up, he left his home, giving in charge of his wife. The wife was given in charge of the grown-up boy, not that the boy was in charge of the..., no. So that incident, that narration, is stated in this part.
It is a fact that Brahmā's āyuḥ, his duration of life, is very, very big. Not only Brahmā's āyuḥ, even if you go higher planetary system... You are going to the moon planet. There are living entities. I do not know why they say there is no living being. Where they are going? But if we believe our śāstra, the moon planet is one of the heavenly planets, and the duration of life in the moon planet is ten thousands of years. And their year means our six months equal to their one day. That is called divya. In this way that high... Not only... As you go more and more to the higher planetary system, you become more and more opulent. Just like here in this material world also, if you go Europe, America, you become more opulent automatically. Automatically. I am giving some example. Similarly, if you can go to the heavenly planet, you become more opulent.
So Kapiladeva proposes to His mother... Kapiladeva is Bhagavān. We have explained several times, bhaga means opulence and vān means one who possesses. So what is that opulence? Aiśvarya, richness. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. One who is possession, one who has in his possession all the wealth. All the wealth... We have several times explained this. Nobody can claim... Except Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, nobody can claim, "The all the wealth within this universe belongs to me." Nobody can say. But Kṛṣṇa can say. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the proprietor of all the lokas, of all the planets." We become proprietor a few thousands of years, and there are so many difficulties. And He's the proprietor of the whole universe.
What to think of possessing these material facilities, even one goes to the heavenly planet, that is also included within the happiness of the karmīs. They want happiness in this world as well as after this world. After death also, they want to go to the heavenly planet, Svargaloka, where the duration of life is many, many thousands of years, and the standard of happiness is very, very high. There the place is very beautiful, the women are very beautiful, the gardens there... These descriptions are there. Nandana-kānana and apsarās there are. So this is also another higher standard of life, duration of life. That is the position of the karmīs.
When Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), He does not say only to Arjuna; He says to everyone. So that is Kṛṣṇa's desire, and if you want to serve Kṛṣṇa, to fulfill His desire, that means you canvass everyone to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. This is preaching. Kṛṣṇa wants it. It is declared. So your business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. So do it. Why don't you do it? Why you are aspiring after mukti, siddhi, and bhukti? These are all personal. Anyone who is executing pious activities, acquiring puṇya, what is the result? Puṇya means he will go to the heavenly planet. That is sense gratification. Heavenly planet, you go to the heavenly planet. You live for many thousands of years, many millions of years, and get the association of apsarās, very nice standard of life, and so on, so on. These are all personal comforts, bhukti, a better standard of material enjoyment. To go to the heavenly planet means a better standard of, thousand times better, millions times better than this planet.
Pratyāhāra. Pratyāhāra means you have to completely withdraw the senses from sense gratification. That is called pratyāhāra. Then there is samādhi. So this yoga system is recommended, but that it is very, very difficult. Five thousand years ago, when Kṛṣṇa explained this haṭha-yoga system in the Sixth Chapter to Arjuna Arjuna was honest man. He flatly denied, "Kṛṣṇa, these things cannot be done by me." Because in those days, especially a person like Arjuna, why he should speak lies? This meditation is not possible. It was only possible in the Satya-yuga when people were very peaceful, long duration of life, there was no artificial necessities of life. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum. At that time, to meditate upon Viṣṇu and for years Just like Vālmīki Muni. He practiced meditation for sixty thousands of years. Then he got perfection. At that time people used to live for 100,000.
Many thousands of years before, Ṛṣabhadeva... He is accepted as the incarnation of Godhead, king or emperor of the world. He instructed His sons. He had one hundred sons, and He was... Before retiring from His family life, He wanted to install His eldest son, Mahārāja Bharata, on the throne. And before retiring He was instructing His other sons as follows. Mahārāja Bharata was a great king, and after his name, India is called Bhāratavarṣa. This planet is..., was known before that as Ilāvṛtavarṣa, and after Mahārāja Bharata ruled, this planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa. Gradually, the planet was divided into so many other states. Now Bhāratavarṣa means a small piece of land known as India.
As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, tathā dehāntara-prāptir. You have to accept another body. And what kind of body I'm going to get, that I do not know. Now suppose if I get another body in the plant life, a tree. A tree can stand for thousands of years. And if we get that sort of life, how much risky it is to accept another body. It is also possible. Those who are performing big, big yajñas, charity, they can expect to be transferred to the heavenly planet. But those who are not doing anything, living like cats and dogs, oh, their life is very risky. Very risky. But they do not know. There is no such education. But here it is recommended, that, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur. If you associate with saintly persons then there is possibility of your door being opened for liberation. Dvāram āhur vimuktes.
Because this universe, you cannot estimate. You can see the border of the universe, the round sky, but nobody can reach there. There is no such means. The scientists calculate it will take forty thousands of years to reach there by the light year. So they are so much proud of material science. They see the sun, the moon. They cannot go there. Cannot go there. There are so many planets; we see at night. They are actually planets like this planet. But who can go there? You are so limited. So how you can go to the planet where Kṛṣṇa lives, Goloka Vṛndāvana? You cannot go even to reach these material planets, what to speak of the spiritual planets. The spiritual planets means crossing this wall, the sky, seven layers of wall. Earth, water, again. And each layer is ten times bigger than the other layer. This is the construction of the universe. So you have to penetrate through these layers. Then you come to the spiritual sky. And the spiritual sky, there are millions of planets, Vaikuṇṭha planets. And the topmost is Goloka Vṛndāvana. So just imagine how far it is, Kṛṣṇa's abode.
It is not that the previous ācāryas and others, they did not know what is airplane, what is speed, how to run. Don't think foolishly, as if they have manufactured. It is nothing, not even third-, not even fourth-class, tenth-class. There were so nice airplanes. Now here is the suggestion that you can manufacture an airplane which can run on the speed of mind. Now here is a suggestion—do it. You can manufacture an airplane which may run at the speed of the air. They are thinking that at the speed of the light, if we can manufacture one airplane, still, it will take forty thousands of years to reach the topmost planet. They're thinking, if it is possible.
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. One can reach even the sun planet by the beams. This is yoga practice. By touching the beams he can go to the sun planet. There are so many wonderful things. So Durvāsā Muni was a great yogi. He knew all these things. Still, he was defeated before a Vaiṣṇava. He had to come and immediately fall down, "Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, kindly excuse me. I have done offense." Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was so humble that "You are in trouble, brāhmaṇa, so whatever I have got, asset, whatever I have done austerity, penance, and..., you take immediately and be excused." This is Vaiṣṇava: "You take all my asset." So there was very friendly. Then both of them took prasādam, and then Durvāsā Muni could understand what is the power of devotee.
Just like tree is not moving, but it is life. But a small insect, it is moving. Sthāvara jaṅgama, they are called in technical words. Sthāvara means standing in one place, and the vegetables, trees, plants, they are more condemned. They cannot move even. They'll have to stand up in a place for thousands of years. There is no possibility even to move. If there is storm, scorching heat, pinching cold, they cannot move. They'll have to suffer. So it is very condemned life to become tree and plant, sthāvara. Then jaṅgama. The jaṅgama means moving. So there are many varieties of moving animals. The insects, the birds, the beast, then human form. So how out of the human moving forms, the civilized form... Out of the civilized form, those who are in Vedic culture... Out of the Vedic culture, many are addicted to the fruitive activities, ritualistic ceremony, how to go to the heavenly planet, how to become members of rich family. They are working very hard, karmi.
When Arjuna declined to fight, and then Kṛṣṇa had to instruct him about the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā just to induce him to fight. And at last, Arjuna was asked by Kṛṣṇa, "Now what is your decision? I have told you everything. What do you decide? Whatever you decide, now you do. I have finished My instruction." He said, "Yes, I shall fight." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava, naṣṭo mohaḥ (BG 18.73). "I was illusioned. Now it is my duty. Because You are ordering and I have heard You very patiently, so it is my duty to fight." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73). This very word is there. "I shall act as you advise." This is the result of studying Bhagavad-gītā. You read Bhagavad-gītā, and when you agree to act by the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, then your Bhagavad-gītā reading is success. Otherwise, if you act differently, then you may read Bhagavad-gītā for many thousands of years. There is no benefit.
As we have got day and night, in the higher planetary system the waxing and waning moon, then when the moon is present there and the sky is in light, that is the day of the higher planetary system. And when the moon is dark, that is the night. That means our fifteen days, in the higher planetary system—twelve hours. Just imagine their year. And such ten thousands of years you can live if you can go to the moon planet. The day and night, fifteen days, your fifteen days, is equal to their one day. No, twelve hours. That means your one month is their one day. Now calculate one day, then thirty days, one month. Then twelve months equal to one year. Such ten thousands of years. Just imagine. You can go there and live like that, yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25), if you like. But that is not eternal life. After that long period, you have to die. So Kṛṣṇa says janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You are trying to avoid all kinds of miserable condition, but your real miserable condition is your birth, death, old age, and disease. Try to avoid it. That is perfection. That is spiritual life.
Atonement. "So what kind of atonement I have to do?" So the bhaṭṭācārya advised him that "You take one kilo of lead and melt it and drink it, and that is your atonement." You see? So he said, "How it is possible?" "This is the atonement for such sinful activity. Yes." Just see. For the last five hundred, six hundred years... Why...? For thousands of years the Hindu society is so fallen. Therefore so many Mohammedans have increased here. They are not imported. In this way the Hindu population, they have been forced to accept Mohammedan religion. You see? By the Mohammedans. Just like Aurangzeb. He imposed one tax for the Hindus. So all the poor men class, to avoid the tax they became Mohammedans. And there was so much punishment by the Hindus. And so he became a Mohammedan, so-called Mohammedan, by the diagnosis of the bhaṭṭācārya. So this kind of prāyaścitta was current during the fallen days of the Vedic society.
Well, this is land of religion. It is admitted by other parts of the world. Just see. Columbus was searching after India even for trade, hundred of years... People are coming to India for so many: for knowledge, for philosophy, for trade, for money. Why these Britishers came? They came for money. And now, India being exploited for so many thousands of years and their standard of civilization deteriorated, the condition is now... Still, India's position is unique, still, in this fallen condition. Now people are degraded from their high standard of living, from spiritual point of view, material point of view. And still, they stand, previous social construction, their living condition, their feelings of religion. It is still going on. Climate also.
Now it will take again millions of years to come to the stage of human being. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. He has to pass through the fish life. There are 900,000 different species of life. Then you again come to the land—you become trees, plants, and so on. Two millions different forms you have to go through. That is evolution. Darwin's theory of evolution, that is not perfectly explained. It is explained in the Vedic literature. So just a tree is standing for ten thousands of years, we had to pass through this life. But there is no perfect knowledge. We are thinking we are now very nice American body or Indian body. No. It took so many years to come to this life. Therefore śāstra says, labdhvā sudurlābhaṁ idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte: (SB 11.9.29) "You have got this human form of life after many, many millions of years' waiting." So do not misuse it. That is Vedic civilization, not to misuse the human form of life.
We can go to the better planets. There are many better planets. You can go there, heavenly planets. There you can live for ten thousands of years. Ten thousands of years, and that is also not our year. The higher planetary system, their one day—our six months. In that way you can live there for ten thousands of years. And the standard of living condition is thousand times better. Therefore it is called heavenly. So if you like, you can go there. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthaḥ (BG 14.18). Yānti deva-vrataḥ devān. Everything is explained. Or if you can go, if you like you can go to the Pitṛloka. If you want to remain here as human being, you can also remain here, but you have to work for it to keep your position, status.
Therefore śāstra gives us the instruction, kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). Kṛte mean in the Satya-yuga, when man used to live for one hundred thousands of years. Just like Valmiki Muni, he underwent meditation for sixty thousands of years, and he attained success. So it was possible, kṛte, in the Satya-yuga. Satya-yuga was the first, beginning of millennium. Satya-yuga exists for eighteen hundred thousand years, and then Treta-yuga, for twelve hundred thousand years, then Dvāpara-yuga, eight hundred thousands of years. Now it is Kali-yuga, it is four hundred thousands of years. And the duration of life in Satya-yuga was hundred thousands of years, and in the Treta-yuga it was one thousands of years. No? Ten thousands of years. And in the Dvāpara-yuga one thousand years. And now it is one hundred. That is also not all. So this age is not suitable for yogic meditation. That is not possible. Therefore śāstra gives us instruction that "Self-realization which was possible in the Satya-yuga by meditation, the same thing was made possible in the Treta-yuga," kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ, "by performing big, big sacrifices." That is Treta-yuga. And Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ, dvāpare paricaryāyām: "In Dvāpara-yuga by worshiping the Deity." Therefore in India you will find so many temples, because this is coming from Dvāpara-yuga.
In this age every man is alpāyuṣaḥ. Alpāyuṣaḥ means very short-living. The limit is hundred years, but who is going to live hundred years? Nobody. If one is eighty, seventy years, it is considered... Within sixty, seventy years everyone finished. But the age limit is hundred years. So what tapasya he'll do? What meditation he will do? In the Satya-yuga, by meditation one could get perfection. Just like Valmiki Muni. He meditated for sixty thousands of years. Because in those days a man used to live for 100,000's of years. Gradually it is reducing. In the Satya-yuga man and woman used to live, human being, up to 100,000's of years. Then, next yuga, it was ten thousands of years, reduced by ten times. And then, next yuga, next millennium, it is one thousands of years. And now, in the Kali-yuga, it is one hundred years. So it is very difficult to perform tapasya. But the recommendation is there, tapasā brahmacaryena (SB 6.1.13).
All endeavors up to the point of becoming God is materialism. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "You cannot be happy by all these religious systems." Religious system, there are two kinds of religious systems. Some of them are pravṛtti-mārga, increasing the path of enjoyment, sense enjoyment. That dictates that "You come to the heavenly planet. You'll have ten thousands of years duration of life and very beautiful women to enjoy. Very nice garden, and drinking soma-rasa." So this is called pravṛtti-mārga. And nivṛtti-mārga means a little more advanced, when one understands that there is no actual happiness in this way, then he says, "This is all false." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "The world is false. Now let me search out Brahman." Athāto brahma jijñāsā. But... That sort of brahma-jijñāsa is called nivṛtti-mārga, negativating this path of enjoyment. But śāstra says that simply by understanding that "This is false, and I'll have to become away from these false engagements," so without knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, such elevators, they become impersonalists and voidists, to make negative this material enjoyment.
And next business was gambling, dice playing, bandy-akṣaiḥ. Everything was there. It was... Of course, these historical incidences, and, some thousands and thousands of years ago happened. But because it is material world, these things were there at that time also. Now it has increased. Kali-yuga means it has increased. The same thieves, cheater, everything were there at that time. It was rare incidences. But now it has become daily affair due to the Kali-yuga. So his business was kaitavaiḥ. Kaitavaiḥ means cheating. Cheating. Now what kind of cheating? The cheaters will round, surround one man, and he says, "Have you seen some gold lump falling down? I have seen. One is lost." Then another man will come, "Sir, I have got this gold lump. If you pay me something, I will give you." But that is not gold, actually, but he creates a situation that "Somebody lost his gold lump. Now he has got. He wants to sell me. All right, I give you ten rupees. Give me." (laughter) This is called kaitavaiḥ. I know some things.
The description is there in the śāstras. They are going to the moon. Of course, I have several times... They have never gone, but anyway... You can go to the moon planet. How you can go, the description is there. So moon planet is not vacant. That is counted amongst the heavenly planets. If anyone can go there, he can live there for ten thousands of years. Ten thousand of years means according to the demigods' years. Their duration and our duration is: our one day, our six months, their one day. That is admitted by scientists that you go higher, the relative time is different. Just like when the Russians first of all sent that sputnik, in one hour, twenty-five minutes, they surrounded all over the world. Now it is relative. You have got a speedy vehicle. So generally, the 25,000 miles, this earth, it takes long, long time, even you go by aeroplane But when you have got a better machine, it is finished within one hour, twenty-five minutes. So as you go higher, higher, the time duration becomes different. This is called relativity. We hear from the Bhagavad-gītā the duration of life of Brahmā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Our some millions of years is equal to twelve hours of Brahmā.
Just like when there is cold and heat together, you enjoy it, so moon planet is like that. And those who are in the karma-kāṇḍīya, means fruitive activities, those who are actually acting very piously, they are allowed to enter into the moon planet. And there you get life, ten thousands of years' duration of life. And that year is very, very big than our years. Our six months equal to one day in the moon planet. Now, such ten thousands of years you can get your duration of life, and very cold. Therefore you can drink there soma-rasa.
. In higher planetary system there are many, many different types, opulence. Svargaloka. This moon planet is also one of the opulent planets within this material world. So that is very, very nice. But these people say they went there and could not find any living entities. So if we believe in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we have to conclude that these people did not go at all in the moon planet. You have to believe this or that, as you like. But we get information from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the moon planet is one of the heavenly planets. If somebody goes there, he can live there for ten thousands of years. Ten thousands of years means our calculation six times. Then sixty thousands of years like of this planet. So these descriptions are there. So these are the ideas. One can understand what will be our opulence if by chance... Not by chance; by our activities.
Only this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if they take to this movement, they can be saved. Otherwise, there is no saving. They must cycle round the 8,400,000 species of life, sometimes very happy and sometimes very sad, sometimes this Brahma, sometimes the germs in the stool. This is going on, changing bodies, one after another, just like we change our dress. This will go on so long one is not completely freed from the sinful activities. Unless he enters into the kingdom of God, this cycle of birth and death will go on. Only in the spiritual sky there is no birth, death, old age, and disease. And as soon as you are out of the spiritual sky, these four things will... You may live for thousands of years. That doesn't matter, but you have to die. That is the law of material nature. You may have very good medicine, drug shop, as you have got in your country, but still, you have to suffer from diseases.
When you get knowledge śuśruma, from the authority, that is knowledge. Otherwise all useless. All useless. Because your senses are imperfect. You cannot see properly. You cannot hear properly. You cannot touch properly. You cannot smell properly. These are your instruments for getting experience. You cannot go. How you can say in other planets there is no life? You cannot go. According to the scientists' calculations, they say that to go to the topmost planet it will take forty... Eh? Forty thousands of years. Who is going to travel forty thousand years? But we are seeing. The planets are there. Go there and see. You cannot estimate of one universe, which you are practically seeing. And in the śāstra we hear that there are millions of universes.
So Kṛṣṇa says... Kṛṣṇa is the authority, best authority, supreme authority. So we can understand from His speech that in the sun planet there is a king whose name is Vaivasvata. And Kṛṣṇa says that "I spoke to Vivasvān." So Vivasvān... Now, nobody can say when the sun planet was created. But we can calculate, as it is said, vivasvān manave prāhuḥ, that Vivasvān, he explained to Manu. So Manu's age we can calculate. Manu's age, there are seventy-two Manus in one day of Brahmā. And the one day of Brahmā means forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand and divided by seventy-two. Then we can immediately calculate what is Manu's age. So by Manu's age we can calculate that forty millions of years ago Kṛṣṇa spoke to the sun-god about this philosophy. This is called śruti. The exact calculation, by śruti you can make. So śruti-pramāṇa.
So, so far the Kali-yuga is concerned, the future is very dark. There, everything is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The future of this Kali-yuga, as it will advance, Kali-yuga... We have only passed five thousand years out of thirty-two hundred thousands of years. We have only passed five thousand years, and the miserable condition, situation, will degrade more and more, more and more. So if you have to take again birth in this material world, then we'll have to suffer more and more. Best thing is that let us finish our business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back to home, back to Godhead, so that we haven't got to come again to this nonsense material world. That is wanted. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). This should be the aim of life, that we are not going to take advantage of this so-called advance of material civilization.
Just like in the śāstra it is stated that those who want to remain naked, they are punished in the next life to become tree, that "You wanted to be naked. Now you stand naked." The trees, they do not dress; neither they have the opportunity. Nobody goes to dress them. So they stand naked for so many hundreds and thousands of years. This punishment is awaiting. Human being is not supposed to be naked. That is civilization. They must cover. But if one wilfully does not cover, becomes as dull as the tree, then he gets the next body as tree. This is punishment. Otherwise, wherefrom all these living entities are coming? They have no calculation. They are thinking that "I shall remain in this human form of beautiful body and in opulent..." No, changing. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change your body according to the decision of superior authority, daiva-netreṇa. We should always remember it.
Because we are always seeing these lusty affairs before our eyes, naturally when we close our eyes and meditate, instead of thinking of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, we shall think of woman and other things. Therefore it is not possible. In the Kali-yuga it is not possible. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). In the Satya-yuga it was possible, meditation on Viṣṇu, not on other things. But now, in this Kali-yuga, we are infected with so many lusty desires that it is not possible. Therefore śāstra said, kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ majato makhaiḥ. You can realize Viṣṇu because Viṣṇu is the ultimate goal of life. But we do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). So that Viṣṇu meditation was possible in the kṛte, in the Satya-yuga, when a man used to live for hundred thousands of years. And then reduce. The next age it is ten thousand of years. Then again, in the next age, it is one thousands of years. And now it is reduced to one hundred years.
If you do not stick to devotional service, then there is chance of fall down also. So without taking to the devotional service, life is very, very risky. Risky means now we can dance and laugh because we have got this human form of life. But after death we do not know. We do not know unless we are very much cautious. That is... Here it is said aghāyuḥ. Aghāyuḥ. This Ajāmila lived for more than eighty-eight years, but what is the use of prolonged life? Aghāyuḥ. Just like trees, they are standing for thousands of years. Taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti (SB 2.3.18) . You are trying to prolong your life by scientific method, but what is the use of such life? This material life, there is suffering. Just like the tree. It does not do any harm to anyone. Rather, it is very hospitable. It gives shelter to the people.
Even Gandhi. He was nonviolent, very moralist. Still he was killed. Just see. This is material world. He was killed by bullet. So the material world means suffering. So what is the use of making a prolonged life? Prolonged suffering. Therefore it is said, aghāyuḥ. If you live for a moment as a devotee, your life is successful. And if you live for many thousands of years without any Kṛṣṇa consciousness—aghāyuḥ, useless life, useless. Aghāyur aśucir malāt, because the desire is there, kāma and lobha, greediness and lusty desire.
A devotee cares a very fig in any planet within this material world. As Kṛṣṇa says, ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino arjuna. Means they know what is the benefit of entering into heavenly kingdom. There is no benefit. Suppose I may get thousands of years' age and I enjoy very high standard of life, woman, money, wine. Just think. But what is the benefit? There is no benefit. I was very glad to read one article sent by Satsvarūpa in Boston. He has said, "What is this society, family? It is all hellish. We do not wish to live without Kṛṣṇa." Very nice statement. That is real realization. We do not like to live without Kṛṣṇa. So anyone who has realized it that "Any amount of material happiness is to be kicked out. We don't care for it. We simply care for Kṛṣṇa, how Kṛṣṇa will be happy," that is pure devotee.
This Durvāsā Muni penetrated through the universe, went to the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, personally saw Viṣṇu. Still, he was not protected. And this time took about one year. So yogic power... My point was how yogis are powerful, that they cannot..., they can go through the space very swiftly. The modern scientists, they say that to go to the topmost planet within this universe, it will take forty thousands of years. That is their calculation. But this yogi, Durvāsā, could go through the universe—not only universe, other, Vaikuṇṭha—so, within one year. This is called yogic power. But still, he is not as powerful as the devotee. He had to come back and fall down at the lotus feet of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, and when Ambarīṣa Mahārāja excused him... He was a brāhmaṇa, yogi. As soon as he fell down at the feet of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, he said, "You are Durvāsā Muni. You are so great, powerful. Don't put me into this difficulty. What you want?" "Now you excuse me." "Excuse? If I have got any resultant actions of my pious activities, take everything. Take everything. You be saved." This is Vaiṣṇava, and this is avaiṣṇava.
Makha means yajña. You cannot perform yajña now. It is not possible. Where is the ghee? Where is the grain? People are starving without food grains. How you can... Formerly tons and tons of food grains, ghee were sacrificed. That is yajña. So this is not possible. Up to Tretā-yuga it was possible. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum. Meditation, this is a farce. So many foolish people, they are misled by other rascal: "meditation." What meditation? Meditation is so easy thing? Vālmikī Muni meditated for sixty thousands of years. Then he got perfection. So who will get that opportunity? It is all farce. Meditation is farce. Yajña, the so-called yajña, is also farce because there is no yajñic brāhmaṇa. The yajñic brāhmaṇa would ignite fire by mantra, not matches. So where is that yajñic brāhmaṇa? So this is not possible.
If we simply study Kṛṣṇa in truth, then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) then the result will be that after giving up this present body he will not have to accept another material body. To accept another material body, that is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Either I get this human form of body, either get as the body of a dog or either I get the body of a demigod, the business is the same, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca: eating, sleeping, and sex life, and defense. Don't think that the heavenly planet, they are very safe. We have got information from Bhāgavatam. Lord Indra, he is always perplexed. So many demons disturbing, the fighting is going on, although they have got a long duration of life, ten thousands of years, their duration of life. And their one day is equal to our six months.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that from childhood this should be instructed. Because nobody is caring to teach this science of God from childhood. Therefore the present population, Godless population is the cause of all disturbances. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find varṇa-saṅkara. Varṇa-saṅkara means population, unwanted population. What is the use of this population? Simply for living? The Bhāgavata says does the tree not live? The tree also lives for thousands of years. So do you mean to say living is very important thing? No. There are many trees they are living for thousands of years. So what is the value of living? If you say, "Oh, the tree lives, but it cannot breathe." Breathing. The Bhāgavata says the bellow, it breathes very nicely. "Well, the bellow can breathe, but it cannot eat." "Oh, the dogs and hogs, they do not eat?" There are so many questions and answers in the Bhāgavata.
In the kṛte, means Satya-yuga, when people used to live for one hundred thousands of years, at that time it was possible. Just like Valmiki Muni meditated for sixty thousands of years. So actually this meditation, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, the yogic system, it is recommended in the śāstras, the Bhagavad-gītā also it is there, but in this age it is not possible. Even Arjuna denied. "Kṛṣṇa, You are recommending me to undergo the process of yoga, but it is not possible for me." Tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram. It is not possible. But Arjuna was a pure devotee. He was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. He had no other business. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, to encourage Arjuna, He said that "Don't be disappointed. Because you are thinking that you are unfit to meditate upon Lord Viṣṇu, don't be disappointed. The first-class yogi... You are first-class yogi."
In the śāstra it is said that kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). Meditation on Viṣṇu was possible in the golden age, or in the Satya-yuga. Satya-yuga means at that time the people used to live for one hundred thousands of years. And they were all perfect in religious life. There was no flaw. Then came the Tretā-yuga, when they were perfect three-fourths and the duration of life reduced to ten thousand years. The next yuga, next millennium, is called Dvāpara-yuga, when the life of people, half religious, half pious, half vicious, and the duration of life reduced to one thousand years. And this age is called Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel and misunderstanding.
In the golden age when people used to live for one hundred thousands of years, meditation was possible. Because we understand Valmiki Muni, he got perfection by meditation after meditating sixty thousands of years. And similarly, Kardama Muni, he got perfection by meditation after ten thousands of years meditation. So meditation process is difficult process, and it is not possible in this age. This is the injunction of the śāstra. Simply we can waste our time by so-called meditation, but real meditation is not achievable at the present age. Therefore the prescription is kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ. In the first millennium, meditation was possible. In the second millennium, sacrifice. Big, big yajña or sacrifice was performed by people. And the third millennium, temple worship. And in the fourth millennium, kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt. In this age of Kali, simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa you can attain the perfection. So these are the prescriptions. We have to follow that.
Prahlāda Mahārāja is nitya-siddha. He is not ordinary sādhana-siddha or of course, ultimately there is no difference, either sādhana-siddha or kṛpa-siddha or nitya-siddha. But we should always remember that Prahlāda Mahārāja is not ordinary devotee. He is nitya-siddha. Therefore immediately he developed the transcendental symptoms, aṣṭa-siddhi. Aṣṭa-siddhi, you have read in The Nectar of Devotion. So the ecstasies Ekāgra-manasā. Ekāgra-manasā, "with full attention." For us to bring that full attention may take hundreds and thousands of years, full attention. But Prahlāda Mahārāja, immediately. Immediately. Five-years-old boy. Because he is nitya-siddha. Always we should remember that we cannot imitate. "Now, Prahlāda Mahārāja has immediately ekāgra-manasā, and I shall become also." No. That is not possible. May be possible, but that is not the way.
Now you select where you want to go. If you want to go to the higher planetary system, you can go. Then take shelter of the demigods. Worship Indra, Candra, Varuṇa. They are trying to go to the moon planet, but one cannot go there unless he's qualified to go there. Deva-vratān. There is prescription how you can go to the Candraloka. In karma-kāṇḍīya vicāra, fruitive activities, if one executes fruitive activities very nicely, he's promoted to the Candraloka. He gets there life for ten thousands of years, and he's given opportunity of drinking soma-rasa. So this is saṁsāra-cakra, not that if you go to the higher planetary system you become happy. No. That is not possible.
Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Our one thousand years and multiplied by the years of yuga... The yuga year means forty-three hundred thousand of years, and, multiplied by one thousand, that period is Brahmā's twelve hours, day. Now you can imagine. It is beyond your mathematical calculation, but still, there is calculation in the śāstra, and that is, such hundreds years, is the duration of sthiti. But that sthiti, before Kāraṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, is the moment, just like we exhale and inhale. So sṛṣṭi-sthiti. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (Bs. 5.48). They take only that much time which is between exhaling and inhaling. That Mahā-Viṣṇu. That Mahā-Viṣṇu has placed Himself in this material energy, maha-tattva, and by His niśvasa, by His inhaling and exhaling, the material energy is agitated. Then the three guṇas are there. Then, by interaction, counteraction, the whole creation takes place.
Just like there are six seasons, or four seasons in a year, similarly, in one day of Brahmā there are one hundred cycles of four yugas. Four yugas means forty-three thousand..., forty-three hundred thousands of years. It is a very long period. That is the duration of four yugas. Similarly, one thousand yugas passes, then one day of Brahmā finished, twelve hours. It is a big calculation. Anyway, there are four yugas, this Satya-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Tretā-yuga, and Kali-yuga. So in the previous chapter, some description of these yugas have been described. Now here, in this chapter... This is second chapter of Twelfth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
"My dear King..." Śukadeva Gosvāmī was speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was emperor of this planet. Mahārāja Parīkṣit. And he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa that he should die within seven days. So he was utilizing the seven days by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So he's explaining, "My dear King, as the days of Kali-yuga will make progress..." Make progress means we have passed only five thousand years of this Kali-yuga. The total duration of Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. Out of that we have passed only five thousands of years. I think in the world history there is no..., nobody can place records of five thousand years. At most, the historians can present history of three thousand years. That's all. So Kali-yuga has begun prehistoric age. And before that, what was there in the history nobody can say. But in the Vedic literatures everything is there. You believe or not believe, that is a different thing.
Now they are, now the modern advancement is to be naked. So these people are going to be trees. You know Yamalārjuna. You have seen the picture. They were dancing and they were taking bath naked, and they were not ashamed when Nārada Muni was passing. So he cursed them that "You are so fool, you have lost your sense. All right, next life you become a tree, immediately." So these senseless, shameless persons who are advancing in their knowledge by becoming naked, they are going to be tree next life. The naked tree is standing naked for many thousands of years. Or animals. They have no shame. So if human being becomes so shameless, then next life is to become animal and trees.
So Kṛṣṇa is very kind, "All right, you become tree. What can I do?" Kṛṣṇa is always ready to give you all facilities. Now it is up to you to make your choice whether you are going to dance with Kṛṣṇa or you want to become naked tree standing for ten thousands of years. That is your choice. A living entity has got this independence. Just like Kṛṣṇa asking Arjuna, yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). "I have spoken to you about things as they are. Now it is up to you to make your choice. Whatever you like, you can do." So Kṛṣṇa is so merciful, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante... (BG 4.11). If you want from Kṛṣṇa that you want to become a tree, so it is not very difficult for Kṛṣṇa to make you a tree. He's all-powerful. He can do that. But if you want, "Kṛṣṇa I want to be with You personally," that also Kṛṣṇa can give you. So now make your choice. This is the human form of life. The animal cannot. The śāstras, the messages are not for the animals. It is for the human beings. Therefore don't spoil your life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
| Page Title: | Many thousands of years (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 30 of Oct, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=95, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 95 |