In one breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu, you cannot calculate how many Manus are there. This is called, what is called, unlimited. We say "unlimited," but we should have some knowledge how it is unlimited. There is no question of counting the energies displayed by the Supreme Lord in so many ways. Because we cannot explain something, we dismiss the whole thing. "There is void. Nothing. Void." Because my mind, my intelligence, cannot go so far, we say, "Perhaps," "It may be it was like this." So this is all mental speculation. And how we can say? Now, the opposite party may say: "How you can say?" Now, we have got evidence from the Vedic literature. But the other party, they have no evidence. They are simply speculationist. We can give some evidence. The Vedas are accepted by ācāryas, and they are following, and they are getting the result.
So therefore, śruti-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa. There are three kinds of evidences. Out of that, śruti-pramāṇa, evidence from higher authorities, that is the first-class evidence. What are those evidence? Pratyakṣa, aitihya and śruti. Pratyakṣa means direct perception. Direct perception, that is evidence. People with poor fund of knowledge, they want direct perception of everything. But that is not possible. Direct perception of everything is not possible. Therefore aitihya. Aitihya, aitihya means historical, historical, paramparā, hearing, traditional.
And the next first-class evidence is śruti. Śruti means to hear from the authority. That is śruti. Just like the example we have several times cited here that the evidence "Who is my father?" that evidence is to hear from my mother. That's all. There is no other evidence. The mother says that "This is your father. He is your father." This is śruti, hearing from the mother, authority. And we have no other authority to understand father.
Similarly, we have to understand our supreme father from the śruti mother, Vedas mother, mother Vedic mother. We have to accept Vedas as mother, śruti. The Vedas are considered as mother, and the Purāṇas are considered as sister. That is explained. So, śruti-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa.
- mahā-viṣṇura niśvāsera nāhika paryanta
- eka manvantarāvatārera dekha lekhāra anta
- (CC Madhya 20.324)
Simply one manvantara in one universe, we cannot count how many manvantaras are there, and what to speak of . . . ? There are innumerable, uncountable universes, and there are so many manvantarāvatāras.
Now He is giving the names of Manus. Just like the sun, the present sun-god is named as Vivasvān, similarly, in every planet there are heads: sun-god, moon-god, heavenly god, Indra, Candra, Varuṇa, Vāyu, so many, thirty-three koṭi. Koṭi means ten millions. Such thirty-three (million) demigods are there, and each of them has got a separate planet, and their names are similarly there. So here Lord Caitanya is giving some of the names of the Manu.
You cannot count how many Manus are there, but for one day the fourteen Manus are named, and that is given here. Svāyaṁbhuve 'yajña', svārociṣe 'vibhu' nāma (CC Madhya 20.325).
A different period of Manus are differently named. So the fourteen names are Yajña, Vibhu, Satyasena, Hari, fourth; then Vaikuṇṭha, Ajita, Vāmana, Sārvabhauma, Ṛṣabha, Viṣvaksena, Dharmasāvarṇye, Sudhāmā, Indra-sāvarṇya, Bṛhadbhānu. In this . . . fourteen Manus. Bṛhadbhānu.
(aside) Yes. I will answer your question.
yugāvatāra ebe śuna, sanātana satya-tretā-dvāpara-kali-yugera gaṇana
Now yugāvatāra. We have finished manvantarāvatāra. This is fourth. Puruṣāvatāra, līlāvatāra, guṇāvatāra and the manvantarāvatāra, fourth. Puruṣa incarnation, and then quality, modes of nature, three modes, guṇāvatāra, then līlāvatāra. Then manvantarāvatāra we have finished. Now Lord Caitanya is explaining about the yugāvatāra, incarnation in every millennium, yuga. What is that?
- yugāvatāra ebe śuna, sanātana
- satya-tretā-dvāpara-kali-yugera gaṇana
- (CC Madhya 20.329)
Now, there are four yugas. Each yuga is divided into four: Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. This is the Kali, this age we are passing. Similarly, these four yugas, such thousand four yugas, when passed away, then one twelve hours of Brahmā is finished, when such thousand four yugas passes away. So satya-tretā-dvāpara-kali-yugera gaṇana.
So each yuga is divided into four. Satya-yuga is about eighteen lakhs. Eighteen lakhs means 1,800,000's of years. That is Satya-yuga, 1,800,000's. And the next yuga, Tretā, is 1,200,000's of years; and the next yuga, Dvāpara, 800,000's of years; and this Kali-yuga is 400,000's of years, 427,000's of years . . . er, 32,000's of years Out of that, five thousands of years we have already passed. Now there is balance: 427,000 years, there is balance of this Kali-yuga. And the symptoms of Kali-yuga we have already seen, how it is.
So the more we will pass this Kali-yuga, the symptoms will be more acute, intolerable. So we should care. We should take care of this so that we may not come back again to this Kali-yuga. (laughter) You see? This life should be utilized. Now we are conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious. It should be so utilized that no more coming back to United States of America and no more coming back of this condemned earthly planet. That should be the aim. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6).
We have to be determined to go back to Godhead, to Kṛṣṇa, where going nobody will come to this condemned place. One should know that this is a condemned place. Unless one is fully convinced that this is a place condemned, one cannot make progress. If he is satisfied with this condemned condition . . . just like these (chuckles) Bowery Street men, they are lying on the footpath. They are satisfied. Condemned condition, but they are satisfied. We should not be satisfied in that way. That is very wretched condition.
So we are all in wretched condition under the grip of material nature, always suffering threefold miseries. So we should be conscious. Unless we are conscious about this fact, then our human life is spoiled. They say that, "You spiritualist, you are very pessimistic." Yes. He should be pessimistic. There is no question of being optimistic. Where is the optimistic view?
So unless one becomes very much pessimistic of this material world . . . actually, they are, but they want to forget. Somebody is trying to forget it by liquor, somebody is trying to forget by LSD, and somebody is marijuana, or gañja. But that forgetness will not save you. You have to actually forget it that, "This is a condemned place." And you cannot forget this unless you have got ideal place before you. Therefore this śruti-pramāṇa, the Vedic knowledge, will give you, "Here is your ideal place: Kṛṣṇa. Come back to Kṛṣṇa. Try for it. Try your best for this." That is the life. That is human life. And unless one is not conscious to this platform, he is defeated.