Tunnel

Expressions researched:
"tunnel" |"tunnels"

SB Canto 1

Vidura came in disguise to the Pāṇḍavas and informed them that the housekeeper was going to set fire to the house on the fourteenth night of the waning moon. It was an intrigue of Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍavas might die all together with their mother. And by his warning the Pāṇḍavas escaped through a tunnel underneath the earth so that their escape was also unknown to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, so much so that after setting the fire, the Kauravas were so certain of the death of the Pāṇḍavas that Dhṛtarāṣṭra performed the last rites of death with great cheerfulness.

SB 1.13.8, Purport:

Before the Battle of Kurukṣetra, Dhṛtarāṣṭra's policy was peaceful annihilation of his nephews, and therefore he ordered Purocana to build a house at Vāraṇāvata, and when the building was finished Dhṛtarāṣṭra desired that his brother's family live there for some time. When the Pāṇḍavas were going there in the presence of all the members of the royal family, Vidura tactfully gave instructions to the Pāṇḍavas about the future plan of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. This is specifically described in the Mahābhārata (Ādi-parva 114). He indirectly hinted, "A weapon not made of steel or any other material element can be more than sharp to kill an enemy, and he who knows this is never killed." That is to say, he hinted that the party of the Pāṇḍavas was being sent to Vāraṇāvata to be killed, and thus he warned Yudhiṣṭhira to be very careful in their new residential palace. He also gave indications of fire and said that fire cannot extinguish the soul but can annihilate the material body. But one who protects the soul can live. Kuntī could not follow such indirect conversations between Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Vidura, and thus when she inquired from her son about the purport of the conversation, Yudhiṣṭhira replied that from the talks of Vidura it was understood that there was a hint of fire in the house where they were proceeding. Later on, Vidura came in disguise to the Pāṇḍavas and informed them that the housekeeper was going to set fire to the house on the fourteenth night of the waning moon. It was an intrigue of Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍavas might die all together with their mother. And by his warning the Pāṇḍavas escaped through a tunnel underneath the earth so that their escape was also unknown to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, so much so that after setting the fire, the Kauravas were so certain of the death of the Pāṇḍavas that Dhṛtarāṣṭra performed the last rites of death with great cheerfulness. And during the mourning period all the members of the palace became overwhelmed with lamentation, but Vidura did not become so, because of his knowledge that the Pāṇḍavas were alive somewhere. There are many such instances of calamities, and in each of them Vidura gave protection to the Pāṇḍavas on one hand, and on the other he tried to restrain his brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra from such intriguing policies. Therefore, he was always partial to the Pāṇḍavas, just as a bird protects its eggs by its wing.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Kṛṣṇa and the citizens of Dvārakā then found in the forest a great tunnel, said to be the path to Ṛkṣa's house. Kṛṣṇa knew that the inhabitants of Dvārakā would be afraid to enter the tunnel; therefore He asked them to remain outside, and He Himself entered the dark tunnel alone to find Ṛkṣa, Jāmbavān. After entering the tunnel, Kṛṣṇa saw that the valuable jewel known as Syamantaka had been given to the son of Ṛkṣa as a toy.

Krsna Book 56:

The false rumor that Kṛṣṇa had killed Prasena and taken away the jewel spread everywhere like wildfire. Kṛṣṇa did not like to be defamed in that way, and therefore He decided that He would go to the forest and find the Syamantaka jewel. Taking with Him some of the important inhabitants of Dvārakā, Kṛṣṇa went to search out Prasena, the brother of Satrājit, and found him dead, killed by the lion. At the same time, Kṛṣṇa also found the lion killed by Jāmbavān, who is generally called Ṛkṣa. It was found that the lion had been killed by the hand of Ṛkṣa without the assistance of any weapon. Kṛṣṇa and the citizens of Dvārakā then found in the forest a great tunnel, said to be the path to Ṛkṣa's house. Kṛṣṇa knew that the inhabitants of Dvārakā would be afraid to enter the tunnel; therefore He asked them to remain outside, and He Himself entered the dark tunnel alone to find Ṛkṣa, Jāmbavān. After entering the tunnel, Kṛṣṇa saw that the valuable jewel known as Syamantaka had been given to the son of Ṛkṣa as a toy. To take the jewel from the child, Kṛṣṇa approached and stood before him. When the nurse taking care of Ṛkṣa's child saw Kṛṣṇa standing before her, she was afraid, thinking He might take away the valuable Syamantaka jewel, and she cried out loudly in fear.

Although the fighting between Kṛṣṇa and Jāmbavān went on for twenty-eight days, the inhabitants of Dvārakā waited outside the tunnel for twelve days, and after that they decided that something undesirable must have happened.

Krsna Book 56:

The episode of Jāmbavatī’s marriage with Lord Kṛṣṇa and the delivery of the jewel known as Syamantaka was finished within the mountain cave. Although the fighting between Kṛṣṇa and Jāmbavān went on for twenty-eight days, the inhabitants of Dvārakā waited outside the tunnel for twelve days, and after that they decided that something undesirable must have happened. They could not understand for certain what had actually happened, and being very sorry and tired they returned to the city of Dvārakā.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Just like light is required by a person who wants to go through the darkness but go to the light. Suppose here is light and there is tunnel, and in the tunnel you require some light, to go to the other part of the light. Similarly, this world, this material world, is full of darkness.

Lecture on SB 1.2.3 -- Rome, May 27, 1974:

Just like ātmā, the soul, is within this body, but due to our darkness knowledge, insufficient knowledge, we cannot understand ātmā, Paramātmā. We cannot understand. So in the darkness, as you require a torchlight, similarly, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is just like the torchlight. You can see ātmā and Paramātmā. Adhyātma-dīpam. Dīpam means light, lamp. So why it is required? Atititīrṣatām. Just like light is required by a person who wants to go through the darkness but go to the light. Suppose here is light and there is tunnel, and in the tunnel you require some light, to go to the other part of the light. Similarly, this world, this material world, is full of darkness. That is the difference between material world and spiritual world. Material world means darkness wherein you cannot understand what is God, what you are. That is material world. They are very busy in this material world, but they do not know where they are going. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Actually, they are darkness. The material world is darkness. The so-called scholars and teachers, they are also in the darkness, and they are leading other people in the darkness.

Festival Lectures

Nowadays, by scientific advancement, they are making so many tunnels within the big, big mountain. Big, big ocean, they are making tunnel. They are drilling oil. Controlling.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 7.5 Lecture -- Vrndavana, August 11, 1974:

Although we have fallen in the material platform, but because we are spiritual energy, therefore Kṛṣṇa is describing this living entity as para prakṛti. It is prakṛti. Prakṛti means to be controlled by the puruṣa. This is to be understood. Prakṛti is never controller. The puruṣa is controller. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. So jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). It is parā-prakṛti, superior energy, because it is trying to control over the material energy. Every one of us, we are trying to control over the material energy. The big stone, big hill, they, that is material energy, but the spiritual energy, a human being, is breaking the hill by dynamite. Therefore it is superior energy. It is also energy, but superior energy, because the..., it can control even the biggest mountain. Nowadays, by scientific advancement, they are making so many tunnels within the big, big mountain. Big, big ocean, they are making tunnel. They are drilling oil. Controlling. Therefore superior energy. But that does not mean they have become God. That is mistake. God is different. God is Kṛṣṇa, the supreme controller. He's controller of the material energy and the superior energy. This should be the conclusion. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5).

General Lectures

Just like you are making one high road and there is, material nature is offering a big hill, a big mountain before you. Now you have to make tunnel. You have to call for dynamite and try to penetrate through the hill. That struggle is known as advancement of material condition.

Lecture -- Tokyo, May 1, 1972:

The Lord is Kṛṣṇa, but we are trying to be lord. And the endeavor, the labor which we are giving incessantly, that we are thinking happiness. The nature, the material nature, is putting stumbling block every time. That, to overcome the impediments offered by the material nature and our trial for overcoming that stumbling block, that is our endeavor. And we are thinking this is happiness. Just like you are making one high road and there is, material nature is offering a big hill, a big mountain before you. Now you have to make tunnel. You have to call for dynamite and try to penetrate through the hill. That struggle is known as advancement of material condition. That you cannot. In America and other materialistic countries we see—here also, in Japan—they are laying down one kind of road for plying their motorcars. After some years it becomes a problem—another flyway, another flyway. So this is going on. This is called struggle for existence. We are trying to conquer over the stringent laws of material nature, and that labor, that useless spoiling our life, we are thinking that we are..., this is happiness. This is called māyā. We are actually giving service to the māyā instead of giving service to Kṛṣṇa. This is illusion.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Instead of giving cement, they are giving clay. The tunnel is there?

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:

Prabhupāda: Similarly in Bombay also, they made one or two flyovers with great endeavor, and one flyover collapsed. That flyover between that Princesses Street and the Marine(?) Drive, yes, collapsed. Because all the contractors are thieves. Instead of giving cement, they are giving clay.

Śyāmasundara: Now their plan is to tunnel through under Malabar Hill and make a freeway along the..., the West Shore Expressway along Warden Road and Nipensi(?) Road.

Prabhupāda: Freeway.

Śyāmasundara: Yes, and they began the tunnel when we first came there a year-and-a-half ago, and now I don't think it's more than fifty yards into the mountain.

Prabhupāda: The tunnel is there?

1972 Correspondence

I do not know about these things, but I think a double-decker bus may not pass all the road obstacles such as bridges and tunnels between Germany and India, so I think a single-decker bus may be more practical for driving there.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Tokyo 2 May, 1972:

I do not know about these things, but I think a double-decker bus may not pass all the road obstacles such as bridges and tunnels between Germany and India, so I think a single-decker bus may be more practical for driving there. So far Germany, you can purchase one bus and let us develop that program gradually, if we see it is successful. You can report to me how the bus is running, and you may correspond with Kirtanananda Maharaja in Boston as he has got many such busses. He can give you best advice.