Krishna Consciousness

Misguided men are suffering in the darkness of materialism, and their so-called learning has enabled them to discover the atomic bomb. They are consequently on the verge of annihilation.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

Those who are followers of sanatana-dharma may henceforward take up those principles in the spirit of the Bhagavad-gita. There is nothing barring anyone from adopting the eternal principles. Even persons who are less enlightened can return to Godhead. This is the version taught by Srimad-Bhagavatam and by the Supreme Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita. Mankind should be given a chance to take advantage of this opportunity. Because Bhagavad-gita was spoken in the land of Bharata-varsa, every Indian has the responsibility to broadcast the message of real sanatana-dharma in the other parts of the world. Especially at the present moment, misguided men are suffering in the darkness of materialism, and their so-called learning has enabled them to discover the atomic bomb. They are consequently on the verge of annihilation. Sanatana-dharma, however, will teach them about the real purpose of life, and they will benefit by its propagation.

In that abode there is no need of light from sun, moon or fire. The planets are self-luminous. Life there is perpetual and full of knowledge and bliss.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

The Lord claims to be the father of all species of life. He claims that all living beings--regardless of what they are--are part and parcel of Him. Consequently, the Bhagavad-gita is meant for all of them. In the Gita there is information of this sanatana nature of the Supreme Lord. There is also information of His abode, which is far beyond the material sky, and of the sanatana nature of the living beings.
   Lord Krsna, in the Bhagavad-gita, also informs us that this material world is full of miseries in the shape of birth, old age, disease and death. Even in the topmost planet of the material universe, Brahmaloka, these miseries are present. Only in His own abode is there a total absence of misery. In that abode there is no need of light from sun, moon or fire. The planets are self-luminous. Life there is perpetual and full of knowledge and bliss. That is what is known as sanatana-dharma. It is therefore natural to conclude that the living entities must return home, back to Godhead, to enjoy life in the sanatana-dhama with the sanatana-purusa, or the purusottama, Lord Sri Krsna. They must not remain to rot in this miserable land of material existence. There is no happiness in the material sphere--even in Brahmaloka--so plans and activities for elevation to higher planets within the material universe are carried out by those who are less intelligent. Less intelligent men also take shelter of demigods and only derive benefits which endure for a limited period. Thus their religious principles and the benefits derived therefrom are only temporary. The intelligent man, however, abandons all engagements in the name of religion and takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus receives absolute protection from the Almighty Father. Sanatana-dharma is therefore the process of bhakti-yoga, by which one can come to know the sanatana Lord and His sanatana abode.By this process only can one return to the spiritual universe, the sanatana-dhama, to take part in the sanatana enjoyment prevailing there.

A Hindu may become a Muslim or a Muslim may become a Hindu or Christian, etc., but in all circumstances there is one constant.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

 When a man professes to belong to a particular faith--Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or any other sect--and when he refers to a particular time and circumstance of birth, such designations are called non-sanatana-dharma. A Hindu may become a Muslim or a Muslim may become a Hindu or Christian, etc., but in all circumstances there is one constant. In all circumstances, he is rendering service to others. A Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or Christian is in all circumstances a servant of someone. The particular type of faith professed is not sanatana-dharma. Sanatana-dharma is the constant companion of the living being, the unifier of all religions. Sanatana-dharma is the rendering of service.
   In the Bhagavad-gita there are several references to that which is sanatana. Let us learn the import of sanatana-dharma from this authority.
   There is reference to the word sanatanam in the tenth verse of the Seventh Chapter, in which the Lord says that He is the eternal fountainhead of everything and is therefore sanatanam. The fountainhead of everything is described in the Upanisads as the complete whole. All emanations of the fountainhead are also complete in themselves, but although many complete units emanate from the complete sanatana fountainhead, the sanatana remains unchanged.That is because the nature of sanatana is unchangeable. Anything that changes under the influence of time and circumstances is not sanatana. Therefore anything that changes whatsoever in form or quality cannot be accepted as sanatana. To give a material example, the sun has been disseminating its rays for hundreds and millions of years, and yet although it is a materially created object, its form and rays are still unchanged. Therefore, that which is never created cannot change in formation and quality, even though He is the seedling source of everything.

 

We are glad to announce to the lovers of the truth that bhakti-yoga is the eternal religion of the world and is intended for all living beings, who are all eternally related with the Supreme Lord.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

Man's desire to be deathless is realized only in the spiritual world. As stated at the beginning of this essay, a desire for eternal life is a sign of dormant spiritual life. The aim of human civilization should be targeted to that end. It is possible for every human being to transfer himself to that spiritual realm by the process of bhakti-yoga, as described herein. It is a great science, and India has produced many scientific literatures by which the perfection of life may be realized.
   Bhakti-yoga is the eternal religion of man. At a time when material science predominates all subjects--including the tenets of religion--it would be enlivening to see the principles of the eternal religion of man from the viewpoint of the modern scientist.
   Even Dr. S. Radhakrishnan admitted at a world religion conference that religion will not be accepted in modern civilization if it is not accepted from a scientific point of view. In reply, we are glad to announce to the lovers of the truth that bhakti-yoga is the eternal religion of the world and is intended for all living beings, who are all eternally related with the Supreme Lord.
   Sripada Ramanujacarya defines the word sanatana, or "eternal," as that which has neither beginning nor end. When we speak of sanatana-dharma, eternal religion, we take this definition for granted. That which has neither beginning nor end is unlike anything sectarian, which has limits and boundaries. In the light of modern science it will be possible for us to see sanatana-dharma as the main occupation of all the people of the world--nay, of all living entities of the universe. Non-sanatana religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of man, but there is no historic origin of sanatana-dharma because it eternally remains with the living entities.

At present Russians and Americans are undoubtedly very much advanced in many departments of technological science, but they are still ignorant of the spiritual science.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

   If living energy can be generated in the scientist's laboratory by "the interaction of certain physical and chemical combinations," then why haven't the boastful material scientists been able to manufacture life? They should know definitely that spiritual force is distinct from matter and that such energy is not possible to produce by any amount of material adjustment. At present Russians and Americans are undoubtedly very much advanced in many departments of technological science, but they are still ignorant of the spiritual science. They will have to learn from superior intelligence in order to make a perfect and progressive human society.
   The Russians are unaware that in the Srimad-Bhagavatam the socialist philosophy is most perfectly described. The Bhagavatam instructs that whatever wealth exists--all natural resources (agricultural, mining, etc.)--is created by the ultimate creator, and therefore every living being has a right to take part of them. It is further said that a man should only possess as much wealth as is sufficient to maintain his body, and that if he desires more than that, or if he takes more than his share, he is subject to punishment. It is also stated that animals should be treated as one's own children.
   We believe that no nation on earth can describe socialism as well as the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Living beings other than humans can be treated as brothers and children only when one has a full conception of the creator and the actual constitution of the living being.

Life is definitely not generated simply by a material reaction like a chemical combination, as many foolish men claim.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

Life is definitely not generated simply by a material reaction like a chemical combination, as many foolish men claim. Material interaction is set in motion by a superior being who creates a favorable circumstance to accommodate the spiritual living force. The superior energy handles matter in an appropriate way--as determined by the free will of the spiritual being. For example, building materials do not automatically "react" and suddenly assume the shape of a residential house. The living spiritual being handles matter appropriately by his free will and thus constructs his house. Similarly, matter is the ingredient only, but the spirit is the creator. Only a man with a poor fund of knowledge avoids this conclusion. The creator may remain unseen in the background, but that does not mean that there is no creator. One should not be illusioned simply by the gigantic form of the material universe. Rather, one should learn to discern the existence of supreme intelligence behind all these material manifestations. The Supreme Being, who is the supreme intelligence, is the ultimate creator, the all-attractive Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. Although one may not be aware of this, there is definite information of the creator given in Vedic literatures such as the Bhagavad-gita and especially the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
   When a satellite is thrown into outer space, a child may not understand that there are scientific brains behind it, but an intelligent adult realizes that scientific brains on earth are controlling the satellite. Similarly, less intelligent persons do not have information of the creator and His eternal abode in the spiritual world, which is far beyond our range of visibility, but in actuality there is a spiritual sky, and spiritual planets which are more spacious and greater in number than planets in the material sky. From the Bhagavad-gita we receive information that the material universe only constitutes a fraction (one fourth) of the creation. Such information is extensively available in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and in other Vedic literatures.

 

 

Matter transforms from one shape to another when it is in contact with spirit.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

   Therefore all material shapes are subject to the law of change, although potentially the material energy is conserved. Potentially, everything is eternal, but in the material world matter takes shape, remains for some time, develops into maturity, grows old, begins to dwindle and at last disappears again. This is the case with all material objects. The materialist's suggestion that beyond the material sky there is "some other form" which is beyond the boundary of visibility and which is strange and inconceivable is but a faint indication of the spiritual sky. However, the basic principle of spirit is much closer--for it functions within all living beings. When that spiritual principle is out of the material body, then the material body has no life. Within the body of a child, for instance, the spiritual principle is present, and therefore changes take place in the body and it develops. But if the spirit leaves the body, the development stops. This law is applicable to every material object. Matter transforms from one shape to another when it is in contact with spirit. Without spirit there is no transformation. The entire universe develops in that way. It emanates from the energy of the Transcendence because of the spiritual force which is His, and it develops into gigantic forms like the sun, moon, earth, etc. There are fourteen divisions of planetary systems, and although they are all different in dimension and quality, the same principle of development holds true for all. The spiritual force is the creator, and by this spiritual principle only, transformation, transition and development take place.

No astronomer or scientist can change the course of the planets--he can only manufacture a paltry toy planet which he calls a satellite.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

How can anyone ignore the law of material nature? No material scientist can change the stringent laws of nature, however boastful he may be. No astronomer or scientist can change the course of the planets--he can only manufacture a paltry toy planet which he calls a satellite. Foolish children may be impressed by this and may give a great deal of credit to the inventors of modern satellites, sputniks, etc., but the saner section of humanity gives more credit to the creator of the gigantic satellites, namely the sun, stars and planets of which the material scientist can see no end. If a small toy satellite has a creator in Russia or America, it is reasonable that the gigantic satellites have their creator in the spiritual sky. If a toy satellite requires so many scientific brains for its manufacture and its orbiting, what kind of subtle and perfect brain created galaxies of stars and maintains them in their orbits? Thus far the atheistic class have not been able to answer this.
   Nonbelievers put forward their own theories of the creation, which usually result in statements such as, "It's hard to understand," "Our imagination cannot conceive it, but it's quite possible," "It's incomprehensible," and so forth. This only means that their information has no authoritative basis and is not backed by scientific data. They simply speculate. However, authorized information is available in the Bhagavad-gita. For instance, the Bhagavad-gita informs us that within the material world there are living beings whose duration of life covers 4,300,000 x 1,000 x 2 x 30 x 12 x 100 solar years. We accept the Bhagavad-gita as authority because this book of knowledge was so accepted by India's great sages like Sankaracarya, Sri Ramanujacarya, Sri Madhvacarya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Bhagavad-gita indicates that in the material world all component forms are subject to decay and death, regardless of their duration of life.

Every living being is eternal in form, but he has to change his outer coverings, gross and subtle, and this changing process is technically known as life and death.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

As mentioned, every living being is eternal in form, but he has to change his outer coverings, gross and subtle, and this changing process is technically known as life and death. As long as a living being has to put on the shackles of material bondage, there is no relief from this changing process, which continues even in the highest stage of material life. The Russian fiction writer may speculate, as fiction writers are apt to do, but saner people with some knowledge of natural law will not agree that man can live forever within this material world.
   A naturalist can see the general course of material nature simply by studying a piece of fruit. A small fruit develops from a flower, grows, stays for some time on a branch, becomes full-grown, ripens, then begins to dwindle daily until it finally falls from the tree and commences to decompose into the earth and at last mingles with the earth, leaving behind its seed which in its turn grows to become a tree and produces many fruits in time, which will all meet the same fate, and so on and so on.
   Similarly, a living being (as a spiritual spark, a part of the Supreme Being) takes its organic form in the womb of a mother just after sexual intercourse. It grows little by little within the womb, is born, then continues growing, becomes a child, boy, youth, adult, old man, then finally dwindles and meets death, despite all the good wishes and hopeful pipe dreams of fiction writers. By comparison, there is no difference between man and the fruit. Like the fruit, the man may leave behind him his seeds of numerous children, but he cannot exist eternally within his material body due to the law of material nature. 

we know that actual progress in scientific knowledge will certainly take men to the spiritual sky and inform the scientist that there is a supreme creator.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

This spiritual art and science of devotional service is the highest contribution of Indian sages to the rest of the world. Therefore everyone who has taken his birth in India has an obligation to perfect his life by adopting the principles of this great art and science and distributing it to the rest of the world, which is still ignorant of the ultimate aim of life. Human society is destined to reach this stage of perfection by gradual development of knowledge. Indian sages, however, have already reached that position. Why do others have to wait for thousands and thousands of years to attain their heights? Why not give them the information immediately in a systematic way, so that they may save time and energy? They should take advantage of a life for which they may have labored millions of years to attain.
  A Russian fiction writer is now contributing suggestions to the rest of the world that scientific progress can help man to live forever. Of course, he does not believe in a Supreme Being who is the creator. Yet we welcome his suggestion because we know that actual progress in scientific knowledge will certainly take men to the spiritual sky and inform the scientist that there is a supreme creator who has full potencies beyond all materialistic scientific conceptions.

There are instances in history of extremely cruel men becoming kindhearted simply by the execution of devotional service.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

It is therefore important for all human beings to adopt these principles of spiritual realization for the perfection of life. A human being's only obligation is spiritual realization. Unfortunately, in modern civilization, human society is too busy in discharging national duties. Actually, national duties, social duties and humanitarian duties are obligatory only to those who are bereft of spiritual duties. As soon as a man takes his birth on this earth, not only does he have national, social and humanitarian obligations, but he also has obligations to the demigods who supply air, light, water, etc. He also has obligations to the great sages who have left behind them vast treasure-houses of knowledge to guide him through life. He has obligations to all kinds of living beings, to his forefathers, family members and so forth and so on. But as soon as one engages himself in the one single obligatory duty--the duty of spiritual perfection--then he automatically liquidates all other obligations without having to make separate efforts.
   A devotee of the Lord is never a disturbing element in society--on the contrary, he is a great social asset. Since no sincere devotee is attracted to sinful actions, as soon as a man becomes a pure devotee he can do inestimable selfless service to society for the peace and prosperity of all concerned, in this life and in the next. But even if such a devotee commits some offense, the Lord Himself rectifies it in no time. Therefore, there is no need for a devotee to cultivate materialistic knowledge, nor does a devotee need to renounce everything and live as a hermit. He can simply remain at home and execute devotional service smoothly in any order of life. And there are instances in history of extremely cruel men becoming kindhearted simply by the execution of devotional service. Knowledge and abnegation of an inferior way of life follow automatically in the life of a pure devotee without his having to make extraneous effort.

There are instances in history of great personalities, including sages and kings, who attained perfection by this process.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

There are instances in history of great personalities, including sages and kings, who attained perfection by this process. Some of them attained success even by adhering to one single item of devotional service with faith and perseverance. Some of these personalities are listed below.
   1. Emperor Pariksit attained the spiritual platform simply by hearing from such an authority as Sri Sukadeva Gosvami.
   2. Sri Sukadeva Gosvami attained the same simply by recitation, verbatim, of the transcendental message which he received from his great father, Sri Vyasadeva.
   3. Emperor Prahlada attained spiritual success by remembering the Lord constantly, in pursuance of instructions given by Sri Narada Muni, the great saint and devotee.
   4. Laksmiji, the goddess of fortune, attained success simply by sitting and serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
   5. King Prthu attained success simply by worshiping the Lord.
   6. Akrura, the charioteer, attained success simply by chanting prayers for the Lord.
   7. Hanuman (Mahavira), the famous nonhuman devotee of Lord Sri Ramacandra, attained success simply by carrying out the orders of the Lord.
   8. Arjuna, the great warrior, attained the same perfection simply by making friends with the Lord, who delivered the message of Bhagavad-gita to enlighten Arjuna and his followers.
   9. Emperor Bali attained success by surrendering everything unto the Lord, including his personal body.
These are nine standard modes of devotional service to the Lord, and a candidate can choose to adopt any one, two, three, four or all, however he likes. All the services rendered to the Absolute are in themselves absolute, with none of the quantitative or qualitative differences found on the material platform. On the spiritual platform everything is identical with everything else, although there is transcendental variegatedness. Emperor Ambarisa adopted all the above nine items, and he attained perfect success. It was he who engaged his mind on the lotus feet of the Lord, his voice in describing the spiritual world, his hands in cleansing the temple of the Lord, his ears in submissively hearing the words of Lord Sri Krsna, his eyes in viewing the Deities of the Lord, his body in touching the bodies of the devotees, his nostrils in smelling the flowers offered to the Lord, his tongue in tasting the food offered to the Lord, his legs in visiting the temple of the Lord, and all the energy of his life in executing the services of the Lord without in the least desiring his own sense gratification. All these activities helped him attain the perfect stage of life which defeats all dexterities of material science.

The whole process of transferring oneself to the spiritual sky involves gradually liquidating the material composition of the gross and subtle coverings of the spirit soul.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

The whole process of transferring oneself to the spiritual sky involves gradually liquidating the material composition of the gross and subtle coverings of the spirit soul. The above-mentioned five items of devotional activities are so spiritually powerful that their performance by a devotee, even in the preliminary stage, can very quickly promote the sincere executor to the stage of bhava (the stage just prior to love of Godhead), or emotion on the spiritual plane, which is transcendental to mental and intellectual functions. A complete absorption in bhava, or love of God, makes one fit to be transferred to the spiritual sky just after leaving the material tabernacle. The perfection of love of God by a devotee actually situates him on the spiritual platform, even though he may still maintain a gross material body. He becomes like a red-hot iron which, when in contact with fire, actually ceases to be iron and acts like fire. These things are made possible by the Lord's inscrutable and inconceivable energy, which material science has not the scope to calculate. One should therefore engage himself in devotional service with absolute faith, and to make his faith steadfast one should seek the association of the standard devotees of the Lord by personal association (if possible) or by thinking of them. This association will help one develop factual devotional service to the Lord, which will cause all material misgivings to disappear like a flash of lightning. All these different stages of spiritual realization will be personally felt by the candidate, and this will create in him a firm belief that he is making positive progress on the way to the spiritual sky. Then he will become sincerely attached to the Lord and His abode. Such is the gradual process of evolving love of God, which is the prime necessity for the human form of life.

If we require knowledge, factual knowledge, we must receive it directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is perfect knowledge.

741222SB.BOM Lectures

So we belong to the Gaudiya-sampradaya. Gaudiya means, Gaudiya... Gauda-desa is called Bengal. There are panca-gauda. Punjab is also called Gauda-desa. There are five gauda and five dravida. In southern India, they are called dravida, and in the north India, they are called gauda-desa. So Gauda, Bengal is also Gauda, and the Vaisnavas belonging to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement, they are called Gaudiya-Vaisnava, Bengali Vaisnava. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu happened to be a Bengali, but He belonged to the Madhva-sampradaya. His guru was Isvara Puri, and his guru, Isvara Puri's guru, was Madhavendra Puri. And Madhavendra Puri belonged to Madhvacarya-sampradaya. The Gopala, the Nathadvara Gopala, that belonged to... Originally it was owned by Madhavendra Puri. Then it was delivered, the Deity was delivered, to the Visnusvami-sampradaya.
   So anyway, if we require knowledge, factual knowledge, we must receive it directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is perfect knowledge. Therefore Devahuti is receiving knowledge. Although Kapiladeva is her son, but because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, she is taking knowledge from Him. And if we take knowledge from Him also--everything is there in the book--then that is perfect knowledge. Therefore it is said, bhagavan uvaca. As Bhagavan is complete, purna, purnam adah purnat purnam udacyate--He is purna, sampurna, complete--so that knowledge is perfect.

Anyone can prepare himself for returning home, back to Godhead, by the simple method recognized by authorities.

Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter One Antimaterial Worlds

   There are forty-four other items to be followed by the serious candidate, but Lord Caitanya has selected five as the most important. These were selected owing to the present conditions of civic life. They are as follows:
   1. One should associate with the devotees. Association with devotees is made possible by hearing them attentively, by asking them relevant questions, by supplying them food and by accepting food from them, and by giving them charity and by accepting from them whatever they offer.
  2. One should chant the holy name of the Lord in all circumstances. The chanting of the Lord's name is an easy and inexpensive process of realization. One can chant any of the innumerable names of the Lord at any time. One should try to avoid offenses. There are ten offenses which one can commit while chanting the transcendental names, and these should be avoided as far as possible, but in any event, one should try to chant the holy names of the Lord at all times.
   3. One should hear the transcendental topics enunciated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. This hearing is made possible through platform lectures by bona fide devotees and by authorized translations of the Bhagavatam.
   4. One should make his home at Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krsna. Or one may make his home as good as Mathura by installing the Deity of the Lord to be worshiped by all members of the family after proper initiation from the spiritual master.
   5. One should worship the installed Deity with attention and devotion so that the whole atmosphere of one's home becomes the replica of the Lord's abode. This is made possible by the direction of the spiritual master who knows the transcendental art and can show the candidate the proper method.
   The above five items can be adopted by any man in any part of the world. Thus anyone can prepare himself for returning home, back to Godhead, by the simple method recognized by authorities such as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who specifically advented Himself to deliver the fallen souls of this age.
   For further details on this subject, one should read literatures like the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, of which we have presented an English summary study entitled The Nectar of Devotion.