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Relativity (Conv and Letters)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

We talk in relationship, everything, because this is relative world. Māyāvāda philosophy does not accept the relativity.
Morning Walk -- December 20, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: ...that... We talk in relationship, everything, because this is relative world. Everything we talk, that is in relative consideration. That is Māyāvāda philosophy. They do not accept the relativity. Although when there is some toothache, he will go to the doctor. Why does he not..., "No, it is māyā. Why I shall be troubled with the toothache?" Why does he go to the doctor? That is the defect of Māyāvāda philosophy. They are being affected by the change, but still, they will say, "There is no change. It is all the same."

Just like the water jug is also earth, made of earth. It is earth. And this ground is also earth. But when you have to keep water you require this water jug, not this earth." That is relativity.
Morning Walk -- December 20, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Just like the water jug is also earth, made of earth. It is earth. And this ground is also earth. But when you have to keep water you require this water jug, not this earth." That is relativity. If you have to take work, then you cannot say, "Well, this is also earth, this is also... Why...? The pot is not required. Put water here." Then you will suffer, no water. So this kind of philosophy was discussed when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a child.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 9, 1974, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Relativity, relativity, law of Relativity. What is, what is food for one is death for other, the same thing. So how you can say the food is good or bad? Is it not? "One man's food, another man's poison."

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

This is the relative world, and they are accepting this relativity. So how they can deny? As soon as you "temporary" say, you must accept there is eternity.
Morning Walk -- June 21, 1975, Los Angeles:

Bahulāśva: This Professor Stahl, he was saying that his experience is that everything is changing and temporary. So therefore he was thinking that that is the nature of all things, that they are temporary.

Prabhupāda: Temporary, this (indistinct). Why this "temporary" word has come into existence unless there is the opposite, "eternal"? Why do you use this word, "temporary"? When you say, "It is fraud," and there must be something as honesty. Otherwise, why this "fraud" has come? Hm? We say, "This is light"—means there is something as darkness. This is relative world. The Professor Einstein said relativity. This is relative: as soon as there is darkness, there must be light. Otherwise, how you understand light and darkness? So unless there is eternity, how do you bring this word, "temporary"? What is their answer?

Bahulāśva: They have no answer.

Prabhupāda: Unless there is father, there is no meaning of the word son. Unless there is husband, there is no meaning of the word wife. This is the relative world, and they are accepting this relativity. So how they can deny? As soon as you "temporary" say, you must accept there is eternity.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Suppose a small ant is on some big wheel, does it feel anything, movement? A big wheel and a small ant. What he will feel? This is called relativity.
Morning Walk -- February 4, 1976, Mayapura:

Bhavānanda: Planet, this planet is moving so fast, but it doesn't appear to be moving at all.

Prabhupāda: Suppose a small ant is on some big wheel, does it feel anything, movement? A big wheel and a small ant. What he will feel? This is called relativity. Law of relativity. Why you are thinking that relatively you are very big? That is your foolishness. You are nothing, insignificant. Therefore you are surprised when Kṛṣṇa appeared as Varāha-mūrti, to take the whole earth on His nose. Who will say it is mythology? You do not know how great Kṛṣṇa can become.

Higher and lower, this is all relativity.
Morning Walk -- February 6, 1976, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: Higher means it is higher for you because you are so dwarf. You are so dwarfed, you'll find that this tree is very big tree. You see? A small dwarf man, a pigmy, he'll say, "Oh, it is a big tree." So it is all relative. What is called? Relative world? Higher and lower, this is all relativity. You are so low that you see a tiny thing very high. It is due to your lowerness.

Why should you bring your material ideas to the spiritual world? There is no relativity. Everything absolute.
Morning Walk -- June 7, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: This is our disease. When we're talking of spiritual world, we are bringing material thoughts. To bring coal in Sheffield. What is called. Sheffield? There are many coal mines?

Hari-śauri: To bring coals to Newcastle.

Prabhupāda: Yes, like that. Why should you bring your material ideas to the spiritual world? There is no relativity. Everything absolute.

Correspondence

1967 Correspondence

On the Absolute world there is no such relativities as a success and failure.
Letter to Subala -- San Francisco 16 December, 1967:

Success or failure does not matter. On the Absolute world there is no such relativities as a success and failure. The one thing in the Absolute world is to serve Krishna. Don't care for the result. Krishna must know that we are working very seriously and that is our success of life.

1969 Correspondence

In the material world there is the influence of past, present and future, and this past, present and future is a relative truth.
Letter to Charles McCollough -- Los Angeles 12 February, 1969:

Regarding your question about time, time is eternal, but in the spiritual world, there is no influence of time. In the material world there is the influence of past, present and future, and this past, present and future is a relative truth. This is because the past of one man is not the past of another; past, present and future are relative to the person, and there are different grades of persons. For example, Brahma's day is calculated as thousands of our years. In one day of Brahma there are millions of our pasts, presents, and futures. So this is all relativity, whereas in the spiritual world, there is no such relativity. Therefore, time has no such influence in the spiritual world.

Page Title:Relativity (Conv and Letters)
Compiler:Labangalatika, Sahadeva
Created:20 of Aug, 2009
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=7, Let=2
No. of Quotes:9