Prabhupāda: You cannot go to the nearest planet, even the moon planet, by your mechanical arrangement. The modern scientists, the sputniks experts, they say to go the topmost planet of this universe it will take forty thousands of years. Who is going for forty thousand, flying forty thousands of years and again come back and see you: "Yes, I went to such and such planet." Is it possible? So we are so poor. It is not possible in that way.
So this is the position of our going to the material planets, and what to speak of the spiritual planets? That is far, far away. You cannot travel within the space of material world.
- panthās tu koti-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
- vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām
- so 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.34)
Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. Not only one year, two years, three years or forty thousand years. Koṭi-śata-vatsara. Koṭi, you know, one hundred times lakhs makes koṭi and again multiply it by hundred. Koṭi-śata-vatsara. And the speed. What is the speed of that aeroplane? Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi. Aeroplane. Vāyur manasaḥ. And with the speed of mind. Airplane running with the speed of mind. You know what is the speed of mind. You are sitting here, and within a second your mind can go some ten thousand miles away, within a second. So even with that speed and running on, koti-sata-vatsara, you cannot go to the spiritual planet. This is the position. So 'py asti yat prapada-sīmny-avicintya-tattve. So in that way you cannot go.
But you can go if you prepare yourself. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). Mad-yājino. Those who are devotees of the Lord, Mad-yājinaḥ That is the principle of Bhagavad-gītā: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. Mad-yājī. "You worship Me." So mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. You can go to the Kṛṣṇa planet. Goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya (Bs. 5.43). The Kṛṣṇa-dhāma is described in the śāstra, Brahma-saṁhitā,
- cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
- lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānāṁ
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.29)
There is the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet. That Goloka Vṛndāvana planet is the topmost planet. This material world, then you'll get spiritual world. Then spiritual world, as you have got in this material world, this is only one universe. There are millions of universes, even within this material world.
Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya. People claim. Some rascal claim, "I am God." So here is a description of God. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ means Brahmā. You have understood Brahmā's duration of life. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). The Brahmā's one day, twelve hours, you cannot calculate. Sahasra-yuga-par... Yuga means forty-three lakhs of years and multiply it by one thousand, and then it comes to be twelve hours of Brahma's ayuḥ. Such Brahmā lives only...yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (Bs. 5.48). Mahā-Viṣṇu is exhaling and inhaling. When he is inhaling, so many Brahmas are going within, and when He is exhaling, so many Brahmās are coming, means so many brahmāṇḍas are coming. This is the position.
- yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
- jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
- viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kāla-viśeṣo
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.48)
That Mahā-Viṣṇu is partial representation of Govinda. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. So this is called knowledge. One has to know what is God, what is the nature of God. So one has...
The first qualification is amānitvam. Don't be puffed up with your false knowledge. Having this little degree from the university, you are thinking that you have become so learned, you don't care for God even. This is nonsense. Therefore first qualification to get progress in knowledge is amānitvam, amānitvam. Don't be proud falsely. Our present education is simply teaching people how to become falsely proud. Just like here is, Bhagavad-gītā is going on. They are falsely proud: "Oh, what you have to learn here? We know everything. We know everything. We are M.A., Ph.D., that's all. We have finished already this." Therefore the first thing is amānitvam, pridelessness. Go on reading the purport.
Pradyumna: "So if one does not approach or is not able to approach the transcendental service of the Lord, then the other nineteen items are of no particular value. But if one takes to devotional service in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the other nineteen items automatically develop within him."
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the central point. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanāḥ sarvair guṇair tatra samāsate surāḥ. All the qualities of the demigods, sura... Sura and asura. Sura means demigods or gods, and asura means demons. So if one becomes devotee of Kṛṣṇa... Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanāḥ. Akiñcana. Pridelessness. Akiñcana. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Akiñcana-gocara. He can be understood by akiñcana, one who thinks himself as very humble, meek. That is also said in the Bible, that one has to become meek and humble. Then he can understand. And that is also Kṛṣṇa demanding, that "First surrender. Become humble and meek." This is the verdict of all Vedic śāstras.