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                           BY PRACTICE OF SUPREME YOGA
        
        
        
                                 Revised Edition
        
        
        
        
              His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
        
                                 Founder-Acharya
                                     of the
                 International Society for Krishna Consciousness
                                       and 
                          THE BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST
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             One can attempt to go to any planet he desires,  but this is
        only  possible  by psychological changes in the mind or by  yogic
        powers.   Mind is the nucleus of the material body.   Anyone  who
        trains  the mind to turn from matter to the spiritual form of the
        Godhead  by  performance  of bhakti-yoga can  easily  attain  the
        kingdom  of  God in the antimaterial sky.   Of this there  is  no
                                     doubt.
        
        
                                  ( C O V E R )
        
        

        
        
        
        
        
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                                        I  
        
        

        
                                  Dedicated to:
                          the scientists of the world,
                                with blessings of 
                                His Divine Grace
                     Shree Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
                                Goswami Maharaja,
                               my spiritual master
        
        -----------------------------------------------------------------
        
                             C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S
        
        
        PREFACE                                           II
        1.  ANTIMATERIAL WORLDS                            1
        2.  VARIETIES OF PLANETARY SYSTEMS                31
        GLOSSARY                                          47
        
        
                                     PREFACE
                                     ~~~~~~~
             A  living  being,  especially civilized man,  has a  natural 
        desire  to  live  forever in happiness.  This  is  quite  natural 
        because,  in his original state, the living being is both eternal 
        and joyful. However, in the present conditioned state of life, he 
        is  engaged  in  a struggle against recurring  birth  and  death. 
        Therefore he has attained neither happiness nor immortality.
        
             The latest desire man has developed is the desire to  travel 
        to other planets.  This is also quite natural, because he has the 
        constitutional  right  to  go  to any part  of  the  material  or 
        spiritual  skies.  Such  travel  is very  tempting  and  exciting 
        because  these  skies  are full of unlimited  globes  of  varying 
        qualities, and they are occupied by all types of living entities. 
        The  desire  to travel there can be fulfilled by the  process  of 
        yoga,  which  serves as a means by which one can transfer himself 
        to  whatever planet he likes - possibly to planets where life  is 
        not  only  eternal and blissful,  but where  there  are  multiple 
        varieties  of  enjoyable  energies.  Anyone who  can  attain  the 
        freedom  of  the  spiritual  planets need never  return  to  this
        miserable land of birth, old age, disease and death.
        
             One  can attain this stage of perfection very easily by  his 
        individual  effort.  He can simply follow,  in his own home,  the 
        prescribed  method  of bhakti-yoga.  This  method,  under  proper 
        guidance,  is simple and enjoyable.  An attempt is made herein to 
        give  information to the people in general,  and to  philosophers 
        and  religionists  in  particular,  as to how  one  can  transfer 
        oneself  to  other planets by this process of  bhakti-yoga  - the 
        highest of all yogic processes.
        
                                       II
        
        

        
        
                                    CHAPTER 1
        
        
                               ANTIMATERIAL WORLDS
                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        
             Materialistic  science  may  one day  finally  discover  the 
        eternal antimaterial world which has for so long been unknown  to 
        the  wranglers  of gross materialism.  Regarding the  scientists' 
        present conception of antimatter,  the Times of India  (Oct.  27, 
        1959) published the following news release: 
        
            Stockholm,  Oct.  26,  1959 - Two American atomic  scientists 
            were  awarded  the  1959 Nobel Physics Prize  today  for  the 
            discovery  of the antiproton,  proving that matter exists  in 
            two forms - as particles and antiparticles.  They are Italian 
            - born Dr.  Emillo Segre,  69, and Dr. Owen Chamberlain, born 
            in  San  Francisco ...  According to one of  the  fundamental 
            assumptions of the new theory, there may exist another world, 
            or  an antiworld,  built up of antimatter.  This antimaterial 
            world  would  consist  of  atomic  and  subatomic   particles 
            spinning in reverse orbits to those of the world we know.  If 
            these  two  worlds  should ever clash,  they  would  both  be 
            annihilated in one blinding flash.
        
             In  this  statement,  the  following  propositions  are  put 
            forward: 
          1.  There is an antimaterial atom or particle which is made  up 
              of the antiqualities of material atoms.
          2.  There is another world besides this material world of which 
              we have only limited experience.
          3.  The antimaterial and material worlds may clash at a certain 
              period and may annihilate one another.
        
             Out of these three items,  we, the students of theistic sci-
        ence,  can fully agree with items 1 and 2,  but we can agree with 
        item  3 only within the limited scientific definition of antimat- 
        ter. The difficulty lies in the fact that the scientists' concep-
        tion  of antimatter extends only to another variety  of  material  
        energy,  whereas the real antimatter must be entirely antimateri-
        ial.  Matter  as it is constituted is subjected to  annihilation, 
        but antimatter - if it is to be free from all material symptoms -
        must also be free from annihilation, by its very nature.  If mat-
        ter is destructible or separable, antimatter must be destructible 
        and inseparable.  We shall try to discuss these propositions from 
        the angle of authentic scriptural vision.
        
        
        
                                        1
        
        
        

        
             The  most widely recognized scriptures in the world are  the 
        Vedas.  The Vedas have been divided into four parts: Sama, Yajur, 
        Rig  and Atharva.  The subject matter of the Vedas is very diffi-
        cult for a man of ordinary understanding.  For  elucidation,  the 
        four  Vedas are explained in the historical epic called the Maha-
        bharata and in eighteen Puranas.  The Ramayana is also a histori- 
        cal  epic which contains all the necessary information  from  the 
        Vedas.  So the four Vedas,  the original Ramayana by Valmiki, the 
        Mahabharata  and the Puranas are classified as the Vedic  litera-
        tures.  The  Upanishads  are  parts of the four  Vedas,  and  the 
        Vedanta- sutras  represent the cream of the Vedas.  To  summarize 
        all these Vedic literatures, the Bhagavad-gita is accepted as the 
        essence of all Upanishads and the preliminary explanation of  the 
        Vedanta-sutras. One may then conclude that from the Bhagavad-gita 
        alone one can have the essence of the Vedas,  for it is spoken by 
        Lord Shree Krishna,  the Supreme Personality of Godhead,  who de-
        scendes  upon this material worlds from the antimaterial world in 
        order  to  give  complete information of  the  superior  form  of 
        energy.
        
             The superior form of energy of the personality of Godhead is 
        described  in the Bhagavad-gita as para prakriti.  The scientists 
        have  recently discovered that there are two forms of  perishable 
        matter,  but the Bhagavad-gita describes most perfectly the  con-
        cept  of  matter and antimatter in terms of two forms of  energy.  
        Matter  is an energy which creates the material  world,  and  the 
        same energy,  in its superior form, also creates the antimaterial 
        (transcendental)  world.  The living entities belong to the cate-
        gory of superior energy.   The inferior energy,  or material,  is 
        called apara prakriti.   In the Bhagavad-gita the creative energy 
        is thus presented in two forms, namely apara and para prakriti.
        
             Matter itself has no creative power.  When it is manipulated 
        by the living energy,  material things are produced.   Matter  in 
        its  crude  form  is therefore the latent energy of  the  Supreme 
        Being.   Whenever we think of energy, it is natural that we think 
        of the source of energy.  For example,  when we think of electri-
        cal energy, we simultaneously think of the powerhouse where it is 
        generated.  Energy is not self-sufficient.  It is under the  con-
        trol of a superior living being.  For example, fire is the source 
        of  two energies,  namely light and heat.  Light and heat have no 
        independent existence outside of fire.  Similarly,  the  inferior 
        and  superior energies are derived from a source,  which one  may 
        call  by any name.   That source of energy must be a living being 
        with full sense of everything.  That supreme living being is  the 
        Personality of Godhead, Shree Krishna, or the all-attractive liv-
        ing being.
        
        
        
        
                                        2
        
        

        
             In  the  Vedas  the supreme living being,  or  the  Absolute 
        Truth, is called Bhagavan - the opulent one, the living being who 
        is  the fountainhead of all energies.   The discovery of the  two 
        forms  of  limited energies by the modern scientists is just  the 
        beginning  of the progress of science.   Now they must go further 
        to  discover the source of the two particles or atoms which  they 
        term material and antimaterial.
        
             How can the antimaterial particle be explained?  We have ex-
        perience with material particles or atoms, but we have no experi-
        ence with antimaterial atoms.  However,  the Bhagavad-gita  gives 
        the following vivid description of the antimaterial particle:
        
             This  antimaterial  particle  is within the  material  body.            
             Because of the presence of this antimaterial  particle,  the           
             material  body  is progressively changing from childhood  to           
             boyhood,  from boyhood to youth to old age,  after which the           
             antimaterial  particle leaves the old,  unworkable body  and      
             takes up another material body. 
        
             This  description  of a living body confirms the  scientific 
        discovery that energy exists in two forms.  When one of them, the 
        antimaterial particle,  is separated from the material body,  the 
        latter becomes useless for all purposes.  As such,  the antimate-
        rial particle is undoubtedly superior to the material energy.
        
             No  one,  therefore,  should lament for the loss of material      
             energy.  All varieties of sense perception in the categories      
             of heat and cold, happiness and distress,  are but interact-      
             ions of  material  energy which come and  go  like  seasonal       
             changes.  The temporary appearance and disappearance of such      
             material interactions confirms the material body  is  formed  
             of a material energy inferior to the living force,  or  jiva 
             energy.
        
             Any  intelligent  man who is not disturbed by happiness  and      
             distress,  understanding  that they are  different  material      
             phases  resulting  from  the interactions  of  the  inferior      
             energy, is competent to regain the antimaterial world, where      
             life is eternal, full of permanent knowledge and bliss.
        
             The  antimaterial world is mentioned here,  and in  addition 
        information  is given that in the antimaterial world there is  no 
        "seasonal" fluctuation.  Everything there is permanent, blissful, 
        and full of knowledge.   But when we speak of it as a "world," we 
        must remember that it has forms and paraphernalia of various cat-
        egories beyond our material experiences.
        
        
        
                                        3
        
        
        

        
            The material body is destructible,  and as such it is change-       
            able  and  temporary.  So  is the  material  world.  But  the 
            antimaterial living force is nondestructible,  and  therefore       
            it  is permanent.  Expert scientists have thus  distinguished      
            the  different  qualities  of the material  and  antimaterial      
            particles as temporary and permanent respectively.      
        
            The  discoverers of the two forms of matter have yet to  find 
        out  the qualities of antimatter.  But a vivid description is al-
        ready given in the Bhagavad-gita as follows.   The scientist  can 
        make further research on the basis of this valuable information.
        
            The  antimaterial particle is finer than the finest of  mate-      
            rial  particles.  This  living force is so powerful  that  it      
            spreads its influence all over the material body.   The anti-         
            material  particle has immense potency in comparison  to  the      
            material  particle,  and consequently it cannot be destroyed.     
        
            This  is but the beginning of the description of the  antima- 
        terial particle in the Bhagavad-gita.  It is further explained as 
        follows:
        
            The  finest  form  of the antimaterial  particle  is  encaged      
            within  the gross and subtle material  bodies.  Although  the       
            material  bodies  (both gross and subtle) are subject to  de-      
            struction,  the  finer,  antimaterial  particle  is  eternal.  
            One's  interest,   therefore,   should  be  in  this  eternal 
            principle.
        
             The perfection of science will occur when it is possible for 
        the material scientists to know the qualities of the antimaterial 
        particle  and liberate it from the association  of  nonpermanent, 
        material  particles.   Such liberation would mark the culmination 
        of scientific progress.
             
            There  is  partial truth in the scientists'  suggestion  that 
        there  may  exist also another world consisting  of  antimaterial 
        atoms  and  that a clash between the  material  and  antimaterial 
        worlds will result in the annihilation of both.  There is a clash 
        which is continually going on:   the annihilation of the material 
        particles  is taking place at every moment,  and the  nonmaterial 
        particle  is striving for liberation.   This is explained in  the 
        Bhagavad-gita as follows:
        
            The nonmaterial particle,  which is the living entity, influ-     
            ences  the material particle to work.   This living entity is 
            always  indestructible.  As long as the nonmaterial  particle      
            is within the lump of material energy - known by the names of      
            gross  and subtle bodies - then the entity is manifest  as  a       
        
        
                                        4
        
        

        
            living unit.  In the continuous clashing between the two par-     
            ticles,  the  nonmaterial particle is never annihilated.   No      
            one can destroy the antimaterial particle at any time - past,     
            present or future.
        
            Therefore,  we think that the theory maintaining that the ma-
        terial and antimaterial worlds may clash,  resulting in the anni- 
        hilation  of both worlds,  is correct only within the context  of 
        the  scientists' limited definition of antimatter.  The Bhagavad- 
        gita explains the nature of the antimaterial particle,  which can 
        never be annihilated:
        
        
            The  fine  and immeasurable antimaterial particle  is  always      
            indestructible,  permanent  and  eternal.   After  a  certain 
            period,  however,  its  encagement  by material particles  is      
            annihilated.   This same principle also operates in the  case      
            of the material and antimaterial worlds.   No one should fear      
            annihilation  of the antimaterial particle,  for it  survives      
            the annihilation of material worlds.
        
            Everything that is created is annihilated at a certain stage.  
        Both  the material body and the material world are  created,  and 
        they  are  therefore subject to  annihilation.  The  antimaterial 
        particle, however, is never created, and consequently it is never  
        annihilated.  This also is corroborated in the Bhagavad-gita:
        
            The antimaterial particle, which is the vital force, is never     
            born or created.   It exists eternally.  It has neither birth     
            dates  nor death dates.  It is neither repeatedly created nor     
            destroyed.  It is eternally existing, and therefore it is the     
            oldest of the old,  and yet it is always fresh and new.   Al-     
            though the material particle is annihilated, the antimaterial   
            particle is never affected.
        
            The principle is also applicable to the antimaterial universe 
        as well as to the antimaterial particle.  When the material uni-
        verse  is annihilated,  the antimaterial universe exists  in  all 
        circumstances.  This will be explained in more detail later.
        
            The scientist may also learn the following from the Bhagavad-
        gita:
        
            The  learned man who knows perfectly well that the  antimate-     
            rial  particle is indestructible knows that it cannot be  an-     
            nihilated by any means.
        
        
        
        
                                        5
        
        
        

        
            The  atomic scientist may consider annihilating the  material 
        world  by  nuclear weapons,  but his weapons cannot  destroy  the 
        antimaterial  world.   The antimaterial particle is more  clearly 
        explained in the following lines:
        
            It is neither cut into pieces by any material weapon,  nor is     
            it burnt by fire.   Nor is it moistened by water, nor wither-     
            ed,  nor dried up,  nor evaporated in the air.  It is indivi-     
            sible,  nonflammable and insoluble. Because it is eternal, it     
            can  enter into and leave any sort of body.   Being steady by    
            constitution, its qualities are always fixed.  It is inexpli-     
            cable,  because it is contrary to all material qualities.  It 
            is  unthinkable by the ordinary brain.  It  is  unchangeable.     
            No one, therefore, should ever lament for what is an eternal,     
            antimaterial principle.
        
            Thus, in the Bhagavad-gita and in all other Vedic literatures 
        the  superior energy (antimaterial principle) is accepted as  the 
        vital force, or the living spirit.  This is also called the jiva.  
        This  living principle cannot be generated by any combination  of 
        material elements.  There are eight material principles which are 
        described  as inferior energies,  and they are:  (1)  earth,  (2) 
        water,  (3) fire, (4) air, (5) ether, (6) mind, (7) intelligence, 
        (8) ego.   Apart from these is the living force, or the antimate
        rial principle, which is described as the superior energy.  These 
        are called "energies" because they are wielded and controlled  by 
        the supreme living being, the Personality of Godhead (Krishna).
        
            For a long time the materialist was limited within the bound
        ary of the eight material principles mentioned above.   Now it is 
        encouraging  to see that he has a little preliminary  information 
        of the antimaterial principle and the antimaterial universe.   We 
        hope  that with the progress of time the materialist will be able 
        to estimate the value of the antimaterial world,  in which  there 
        is  no  trace of material principles.   Of course the  very  word 
        "antimaterial"  indicates that the principle is in opposition  to 
        all material qualities.
        
             There  are,  of course,  the mental speculators who  comment 
        upon  the  antimaterial  principle.   These fall  into  two  main 
        groups,  and  they arrive at two different erroneous conclusions.  
        One group (the gross materialists) either denies the antimaterial 
        principle or admits only the disintegration of material  combina-
        tion  at  a certain stage (death).   The other group accepts  the 
        antimaterial principle as being in direct opposition to the mate-
        rial  principle with its twenty four categories.  This  group  is 
        known as the Shankyaites, and they investigate the material prin-
        ciple  and analyze them minutely.  At the end of their investiga-
        tion,   the  Sankyaites  finally  accept  only  a  transcendental 
        
                                        6
                                        
        
        

        
        (antimaterial) nonactive principle.  However,  difficulties arise 
        for all these mental speculators because they speculate with  the 
        help of inferior energy.  They do not accept information from the 
        superior.   In   order  to  realize  the  real  position  of  the 
        antimaterial principle, one must rise to the transcendental plane 
        of superior energy.  Bhakti yoga is the very activity of superior 
        energy.
        
             From the platform of the material world, one cannot estimate 
        the  real position of the antimaterial world.   But  the  Supreme 
        Lord,  who  is  the controller of both material and  antimaterial 
        energies,  descends  out  of  His causeless mercy  and  gives  us 
        complete  information of the antimaterial world.  In this way  we 
        can  know what the antimaterial world is.   The Supreme Lord  and 
        the  living  entities are both antimaterial in  quality,  we  are 
        informed.   Thus,  we can have an idea of the Supreme Lord by  an 
        elaborate  study of the living entities.   Every living entity is 
        an individual person.  Therefore,  the supreme living being  must 
        also be the supreme person.  In the Vedic literatures the supreme 
        person  is  properly claimed to be Krishna.  The name  "Krishna," 
        indicating the Supreme Lord,  is the only truly intelligible name 
        of the highest order.   He is the controller of both material and 
        antimaterial energies, and the very word "Krishna" signifies that 
        He  is  the supreme controller.   In the Bhagavad-gita  the  Lord 
        confirms this as follows:
        
            There  are  two worlds - the material and  antimaterial.  The 
            material world is composed of inferior qualitative energy di-
            vided into eight material principles.  The antimaterial world 
            is made of superior qualitative energy.
            
            Because both the material and antimaterial energies are  ema-
            nations of the Supreme Transcendence, the Personality of God-
            head,  it  is proper to conclude that I [Lord Krishna] am the 
            ultimate cause of all creations and annihilations.
        
            Because the Lord's two energies (inferior and superior) mani-
        fest  the material and antimaterial worlds,  He is called the Su-
        preme Absolute Truth.  Lord Krishna explains this in the Bhagavad 
        -gita thus:
        
            I  am,  Arjuna,  the highest principle of transcendence,  and 
            there is nothing greater than Me.   Everything that be  rests 
            on My energies exactly like pearls on a thread.
        
            Long,  long before the dicovery of the principles of antimat-
        ter  and the antimaterial worlds,  the subject was delineated  in 
        the  pages of Bhagavad-gita.  The Gita itself indicates that  its 
        philosophy  had previously been taught to the presiding deity  of 
        
                                        7
        
        
        

        
        the sun,  which implies that the principles of the  Bhagavad-gita 
        were  expounded  by  the Personality of Godhead long  before  the 
        battle  of Kurukshetra - at least some 120,000,000 years  before.  
        Now  modern science has just discovered a fraction of the  truths 
        that are available in the Bhagavad-gita. 
        
             The assumption of an antimaterial universe is also found  in 
        the  Bhagavad-gita.  And from all data available it is to be  as-
        sumed  without the slightest doubt that the antimaterial world is 
        situated  in the antimaterial sky,  a sky which is  mentioned  in 
        Bhagavad-gita as sanatana-dhama, or the eternal nature.
        
             Exactly  as material atoms create the  material  world,  the 
        antimaterial  atoms  create the antimaterial world with  all  its 
        paraphernalia.  The  antimaterial world is inhabited by antimate-
        rial living beings.  In the antimaterial world there is no  inert 
        matter.   Everything there is a living principle, and the Supreme 
        Personality  in that region is God Himself.  The denizens of  the 
        antimaterial  world possess eternal life,  eternal knowledge  and 
        eternal bliss.   In other words, they have all the qualifications 
        of God.
        
             In  the material world the topmost planet is  called  Satya-
        loka,  or Brahmaloka. Beings of the greatest talents live on this 
        planet.   The presiding deity of Brahmaloka is Brahma,  the first 
        created  being of this material world.  Brahma is a living  being 
        like  so many of us,  but he is the most talented personality  in 
        the material world.  He is not so talented that he is in the cat-
        egory of God, but he is the category of those living entities di-
        rectly dominated by God. God and the living entities both be-long 
        to  the antimaterial world.  The scientist,  therefore,  would be 
        rendering service to everyone by researching the constitution  of 
        the  antimaterial world - how it is administered,  how things are 
        shaped there,  who are the presiding personalities, and so on. Of 
        the Vedic literatures,  Srimad-Bhagavatam deals elaborately  with 
        these matters.  The Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary study of the 
        Srimad-Bhagavatam.  These two important books of knowledge should 
        be  thoroughly studied by all men in the scientific world.  These 
        books  would  give  many  clues  scientific  progress  and  would 
        indicate many new discoveries.
        
             The transcendentalists and the materialists are two distinct 
        classes  of  men.   The transcendentalist gathers knowledge  from 
        authoritative scriptures like the Vedas.  Vedic literature is re-
        ceived from authoritative sources which are in the line of trans-
        cendental   disciplic  succession.   This  disciplic   succession 
        (parampara) is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita.  Krishna says 
        in the Bhagavad-gita that hundreds of thousands of years ago  the 
        Gita was spoken to the presiding deity of the sun,  who delivered 
        
                                        8
        
        
        

        
        the  knowledge to his son Manu,  from whom the present generation 
        of  man  has  descended.   Manu,  in  his  turn,  delivered  this 
        transcendental  knowledge  to his son King Iksvaku,  who  is  the 
        forefather  in  which  the  Personality  of  Godhead  Shree  Rama 
        appeared.  This  long  chain of disciplic succession  was  broken 
        during  the  advent period of Lord Krishna (five  thousand  years 
        ago),  and for this reason Krishna restated the Bhagavad-gita  to 
        Arjuna,  thereby  making him the first disciple of this knowledge 
        in this age.  The transcendentalist of this age, therefore, is in 
        the  disciplic line that starts with Arjuna.   Without  troubling 
        himself with materialistic research work,  the  transcendentalist 
        acquires  the truths concerning matter and antimatter in the most 
        perfect way (through this disciplic succession) and thereby saves 
        himself much botheration.
        
             The  gross  materialists,  however,  do not believe  in  the 
        antimaterial  worlds  of the Personality  of  Godhead.  They  are 
        therefore   unfortunate   creatures,   although  sometimes   very 
        talented,  educated and advanced otherwise.   They are bewildered 
        by the influence of the material manifestation and are devoid  of 
        knowledge of things  antimaterial.  It is a good sign, therefore, 
        that  the  materialistic  scientists  are  gradually  progressing 
        toward region of the antimaterial world.  It may even be possible 
        for  them  to  make sufficient progress to be able  to  know  the 
        details  of  this anti-material world,  where the personality  of 
        Godhead resides as the predominating figure and where the  living 
        entities  live with Him and serve Him.   The living entities  who 
        serve  the Godhead are equal in quality to Him,  but at the  same 
        time  they  are predominated as servitors.   In the  antimaterial 
        world  there  is no difference between the predominated  and  the 
        predominator  - the  relationship is in  perfection  and  without 
        tinge of materialism.
        
             The nature of the material world is destructive.   According 
        to  the  Bhagavad-gita,  there  is  some  partial  truth  to  the 
        assumption  of the physical scientist that there is  annihilation 
        of  the  material  and antimaterial worlds when  they  chance  to 
        clash.   The  material  world is a creation of changing modes  of 
        nature.   These  modes  (gunas) are known as  sattva  (goodness), 
        rajas  (passion) and tamas (ignorance).   The material  world  is 
        created  by the mode of rajas,  maintained by the mode of sattva, 
        and  annihilated  by  the  mode  of  tamas.    These  modes   are 
        omnipresent  in the material world,  and as such,  at every hour, 
        every minute,  every second, the process of creation, maintenance 
        and annihilation is taking place all over the material  universe.  
        The highest planet of the material universe,  Brahmaloka, is also 
        subjected to these modes of nature, although the duration of life 
        on that planet, due to the predominance of the mode of sattva, is 
        said  to  be 4,300,000 x 1,000 x 2 x 30 x 12 x 100  solar  years.  
        
                                        9
        
        
        

        
        Despite  this long duration,  however,  Brahmaloka is subject  to 
        destruction.   Although  life on Brahmaloka is fantastically long 
        compared  to life on Earth,  it is only a flash in comparison  to 
        the eternal life of the nonmaterial  worlds.   Consequently,  the 
        speaker  of the Bhagavad-gita,  Lord Shree Krishna,  asserts  the 
        importance of the antimaterial universe, which is His abode.
        
             Lord  Krishna  instructs  that all the  planets  within  the 
        material universe are destroyed at the end of 4,300,000 x 1,000 x 
        2  x  30  x 12 x 100 solar years.   And all the  living  entities 
        inhabiting these material planets are destroyed materially  along 
        with the destruction of the material worlds.   The living entity, 
        however,  is  constitutionally  an  antimaterial  particle.   But 
        unless  he  elevates  himself to the region of  the  antimaterial 
        worlds by cultivation of antimaterial activities, he is destroyed 
        materially  at  the annihilation of the material  worlds  and  is 
        subject to take rebirth in a material shape with the rebirth of a 
        new  material  universe.   In other words,  he is subject to  the 
        pains  of repeated birth and death.   Only those living  entities 
        who  take  to the loving service of the  Personality  of  Godhead 
        during  the  manifested  stage of material life  are  undoubtedly 
        transferred to the antimaterial worlds after quitting the materi-
        al  body.  Immortality  is obtained only by those who  return  to 
        Godhead by practice of antimaterial activities.
        
             What are these antimaterial activities?  They are medicines.  
        For  example,  when a man falls ill,  he goes to a physician  who 
        prescribes medicines which eventually cure the suffering patient.  
        Similarly,  the materialist is ailing,  and he should consult  an 
        expert transcendentalist-physician.   What is his ailment?  He is 
        suffering the tribulations of repeated births,  deaths,  diseases 
        and  old age.   Once he agrees to put himself under the  "back to 
        Godhead"  treatment,  he  is  able to  transfer  himself  to  the 
        antimaterial world,  where there is eternal life instead of birth 
        and death.
        
             Annihilation  of the material world takes place in two ways.  
        Partial annihilation occurs at the end of every 4,300,000 x 1,000 
        solar years,  or at the end of each day of Brahmaloka,  which  is 
        the  topmost planet in the material world.   During that time  of 
        partial annihilation,  the topmost planets such as Brahmaloka are 
        not  annihilated,  but at the end of each duration of 4,300,000 x 
        1,000  x  2  x  30 x 12 x 100  solar  years,  the  entire  cosmic 
        manifestation  is merged into the antimaterial body  from  whence 
        the  material  principles  emanate,   manifest  and  merge  after 
        annihilation.   The antimaterial world, which is far removed from 
        the material sky,  is never annihilated.  It absorbs the material 
        world.   It may be that a "clash" occurs between the material and 
        antimaterial worlds, as suggested by the scientists, and that the 
        
                                       10
        
        
        

        
        material  worlds are destroyed,  but there is no annihilation  of 
        the  antimaterial  worlds.   The eternally existing  antimaterial 
        world is unmanifested to the material scientist.   He can  simply 
        have information of it insofar as the principles of its existence 
        are contrary to the modes of the material world.  Full details of 
        the  antimaterial universe can be known only from the  infallible 
        source  of liberated authorities who have thoroughly realized the 
        constitution of the antimaterial principle.   This information is 
        received  by  aural  reception by a submissive  disciple  of  the 
        Personality of Godhead.
        
             The  Vedic  knowledge was thus imparted unto  the  heart  of 
        Brhama,  the first living being in the material creation.  It was 
        Brahma  who  related  this  knowledge to the  sage  Narada  Muni.  
        Similarly,  the  Bhagavad-gita was spoken by the  Personality  of 
        Godhead,  Shree Krishna,  to Vivasvan, the presiding deity of the 
        sun,  and  when  the  aural chain of   disciplic  succession  was 
        broken,  Lord Krishna repeated the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna on the 
        Battlefield of Kurukshetra.   At that time,  Arjuna took the role 
        of  disciple  and  student  in order  to  receive  transcendental 
        knowledge  from  Shree  Krishna.   In  order  to  drive  out  all 
        misgivings  which the gross materialists of the world  may  have, 
        Arjuna  asked all relevant questions,  and the answers were given 
        by  Krishna so that any layman can understand them.   Only  those 
        who are captivated by the glamour of material world cannot accept 
        the authority of Lord Shree Krishna.  One has to become thorough-
        ly  clean  in  habit  and heart before  one  can  understand  the  
        details  of  the antimaterial world.   Bhakti-yoga is a  detailed 
        scientific transcendental activity that both the neophyte and the 
        perfect yogi can practice.
        
             The  material world is only a shadow representation  of  the 
        antimaterial  world,  and intelligent men who are clean in  heart 
        and habit will be able to learn,  in a nutshell,  all the details 
        of the antimaterial world from the text of the Bhagavad-gita, and 
        these  are  in actuality more exhaustive than  material  details.  
        The basic details are as follows:
        
             The  presiding  Deity  of the antimaterial  world  is  Shree 
        Krishna, who exists in His original personality as well as in His 
        many  plenary  expansions.   This  personality  and  His  plenary 
        expansions can be known only by antimaterial activities  commonly 
        known as bhakti-yoga,  or devotional service.  The Personality of 
        Godhead  is the supreme truth,  and He is the whole  antimaterial 
        principle.   The  material principle as well as the  antimaterial 
        principle is an emanation from His person.  He is the root of the 
        complete tree.  When water is poured onto the root of a tree, the 
        branches  and  leaves are nourished automatically.   And  in  the  
        same  way,  when Shree Krishna,  the Personality of  Godhead,  is 
        
                                       11
        
        
        

        
        worshiped,  all  details of the material worlds are  enlightened, 
        and  the heart of the devotee is nourished without his having  to 
        work in a materialistic way.  This is the secret of the Bhagavad-
        gita.
        
             The process of entering into the antimaterial worlds differs 
        from  materialistic processes.   The individual living being  can 
        very   easily   enter  the  antimaterial  world   by   practicing 
        antimaterial  activities  while residing in the  material  world.  
        But  those  who are truly gross materialists,  who depend on  the 
        limited strength of experimental thought,  mental speculation and 
        materialistic  science,  find  great difficulty in  entering  the 
        antimaterial worlds.   The gross materialist may try to  approach 
        the  antimaterial worlds by endeavoring with  spaceships,  satel- 
        
        lites,  rockets,  etc.,  which he throws into outer space, but by 
        such  means  he cannot even approach the material planets in  the 
        higher  regions of the material sky,  and what to speak of  those 
        planets situated in the antimaterial sky, which is far beyond the 
        material universe.   Even the yogis who have perfectly controlled 
        mystic  powers have great difficulty entering into  that  region.  
        Master  yogis  who control the antimaterial particle  within  the 
        material  body  by  practice of mystic powers can give  up  their 
        material  bodies  at will at a certain opportune moment  and  can 
        thus  enter the antimaterial worlds through a specific  thorough-
        fare  which  connects the  material and antimaterial  worlds.  If 
        they are at all able,  they act in accordance with the prescribed 
        method given in the Bhagavad-gita:
        
            Those who have realized the Transcendence can reach the anti-     
            material  world  by leaving their material bodies during  the     
            period of uttarayana,  that is, when the sun is on its north-     
            ern path,  or during auspicious moments in which the  deities     
            of fire and effulgence control the atmosphere.
        
             The different deities,  or powerful directing officers,  are 
        appointed  to  act  in the administration of  cosmic  activities.  
        Foolish  people who are unable to see the intricacies  of  cosmic 
        management laugh at the idea of personal management of fire, air, 
        electricity,  days,  nights,  etc., by demigods.  But the perfect 
        yogis know how to satisfy these unseen administrators of material 
        affairs and,  taking advantage of the good will of these adminis-
        trators,  leave  their  material bodies at will during  opportune 
        moments  arranged for entrance into the antimaterial universe  or 
        not the highest planets of the material sky.  In the higher plan-
        ets of the material world,  the yogis can enjoy more  comfortable 
        and  more pleasant lives for hundreds of thousands of years,  but 
        life  in these higher planets is not eternal.  Those  who  desire 
        eternal  life enter into the antimaterial universe through mystic 
        
                                       12
        
        
        

        
        powers  at  certain  opportune moments created  by  the  demigod-
        administrators  of cosmic affairs,  administrators unseen by  the 
        gross materialists who reside on this seventh-class planet called 
        "Earth."
        
            Those  who are not yogis but who die at an  opportune  moment      
            due to pious acts of sacrifice,  charity,  penance, etc., can      
            rise  to the higher planets after death,  but are subject  to      
            return to this planet [Earth].  Their going forth takes place     
            at  a period known as dhuma,  the dark,  moonless half of the      
            month, or when the sun is on its southern path.
        
             In summary,  the Bhagavad-gita recommends that one adopt the 
        means of devotional service,  or antimaterial activities,  if one 
        wishes  to  enter the antimaterial world.   Those who  adopt  the 
        means of devotional service,  as prescribed by the expert  trans-
        cendentalist,  are  never disappointed in their attempts to enter 
        the antimaterial world.  ALthough the obstacles are many, the de-
        votees  of Lord Krishna can easily overcome them by rigidly  fol-
        lowing  the path outlined by the transcendental  devotees.   Such 
        devotees,  who are passengers progressing in the journey of  life 
        toward the antimaterial kingdom of God, are never bewildered.  No 
        one is cheated or disappointed when he adopts the guaranteed path 
        of devotion for entrance into the antimaterial universe.  One can 
        easily  attain all the results that are derived from the  studies 
        of the Vedas,  performances of sacrifice, practice of penance and 
        offerings  of  charities simply by the unilateral performance  of 
        devotional service, technically known as bhakti-yoga.
        
             Bhakti-yoga is therefore the great panacea for all,  and  it 
        has been made easy to practice,  especially in this iron age,  by 
        Lord Krishna Himself in His most sublime,  liberal and munificent 
        appearance as Lord Shree Chaitanya (1486 - 1534), who appeared in 
        Bengal and spread the sankirtana movement - singing, dancing, and 
        chanting   the  names  of  God  - throughout  India.    By   Lord 
        Chaitanya's  grace,  one  can quickly pick up the  principles  of 
        bhakti-yoga.   Thus  all misgivings in the heart will  disappear, 
        the  fire  of  material tribulation  will  be  extinguished,  and 
        transcendental bliss will be ushered in.
        
             In  the  Fifth  Chapter of the  Brahma-samhita  there  is  a 
        description of the variegated planetary system that is within the 
        material  world.   It is also indicated in the Bhagavad-gita that 
        there  are variegated planetary systems in hundreds of  thousands 
        of  material  universes,  and  that  altogether  these  universes 
        comprise  only a fraction (one fourth) of the creative energy  of 
        the Godhead.  The majority (three fourths) of the Lord's creative 
        energy is manifested in the spiritual sky,  called the para-vyoma 
        or the Vaikunthaloka.   These instructions of the  Brahma-samhita 
        
                                       13
        
        
        

        
        and  Bhagavad-gita  may  be  finally confirmed  by  the  material 
        scientist as he researches into the existence of the antimaterial 
        world.
        
             In  addition,  a  February 21,  1960,  Moscow  news  release 
        reported:
        
             Russia's  well-known professor of astronomy Boris  Vorontsov 
        Veliaminov said that there must be an infinite number of  planets 
        in the universe inhabited by beings endowed with  reason.
        
             This  statement of the Russian astronomer is a  confirmation 
        of the information given in the Brahma-samhita, which states:
        
             yasya prabha prabhavato jogandanda-koti
               kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam
             tad brahma nishkalam anantam asesa-bhutam
               govindam adi purusham tam aham bhajami
        
             According to this quote from the Brahma-samhita,  there  are 
        not only infinite numbers of planets, as confirmed by the Russian 
        astronomer,  but  there  are also infinite numbers of  universes.  
        All  these infinite universes with their infinite planets  within 
        are floating on and are produced from the Brahman effulgence ema-
        nating from the transcendental of Maha-Vishnu,  who is  worshiped 
        by  Brahma,  the presiding deity of the universe in which  we are 
        residing.
        
             The Russian astronomer also confirms that all the planets  - 
        which are estimated to be not less than one hundred million - are 
        inhabited.   In  the  Brahma-samhita there is indication that  in 
        each and every one of the infinite number of universes there  are 
        infinite number of variegated planets.
        
             The  astronomer's  view was seconded by  Professor  Vladimir 
        Alpatov,  a  biologist,  who  maintained that some of the  above-
        mentioned planets had reached a state of development  correspond-
        ing to that of the earth. The report from Moscow  continued:
        
             It could be that life,  similar to that on Earth, flourishes      
            on  such planets.   Doctor of Chemistry Nikolai Zhirov,  cov- 
            ering the problem of atmosphere on the planets,  pointed  out 
            out that the organism of a Martian,  for instance, could very      
            well  adapt  itself to normal existence with a low body  tem- 
            perature.   He said that he felt that the gaseous composition     
            of the atmosphere of Mars was quite suitable to sustain  life     
            of beings which have become adapted to it.
        
        
        
                                       14
        
        
        

        
             The  adaptability  of organisms in  different  varieties  of 
        planets  is  described in the Brahma-samhita as  vibhuti-bhinnam, 
        i.e.,  each  and every one of the innumerable planets within  the 
        universes  is endowed with a particular type of  atmosphere,  and 
        the  living  beings there are advanced  in  science,  psychology, 
        etc.,   according  to  the  superiority  or  inferiority  of  the 
        atmosphere.   Vibhuti  means "specific power," and bhinnam  means 
        "variegated."   Scientists  who are attempting to  explore  outer 
        space  in an attempt to reach other planets by  mechanical  means 
        must  realize  that  organisms adapted to the atmosphere  of  the 
        earth cannot exist in the atmospheres of other planets.  As such, 
        man's  attempts  to reach the moon,  the sun,  or  Mars  will  be 
        completely futile because of the different atmospheres prevailing 
        on those planets.   Individually,  however, one can attempt to go 
        to any planet he desires, but this is only possible by psycholog-
        ical  changes  in the mind.  Mind is the nucleus of the  material 
        body.  The gradual evolutionary progress of the material body de-
        pends on psychological changes within the mind. The change of the 
        bodily  construction of a worm into that of a butterfly  and,  in 
        modern  medical science,  the conversation of a man's  body  into 
        that of a woman (or viceversa) are more or less dependent on psy-
        chological changes.
        
             In  the Bhagavad-gita it is said that if a man,  at the time 
        of death,  concentrates his mind upon the form of the Personality 
        of Godhead,  Shree Krishna,  and while so doing relinquishes  his 
        body,  he at once enters the spiritual existence of the antimate-
        rial  world.  This means that anyone who trains the mind to  turn 
        from  matter to the spiritual form of the Godhead by  performance 
        of  the prescribed rules of devotional service can easily  attain 
        the kingdom of God,  in the antimaterial sky.  And  of this there 
        is no doubt.
        
             And in the same way,  if one desires to enter into any other 
        planet  of the material sky,  he can go there just after quitting 
        the present body (i.e.,  after death).   Thus if someone wants to 
        go to the moon,  the sun or Mars, he can do so simply by perform-
        ing acts for the purpose.  The Bhagavad-gita confirms this state-
        ment in the following words:
        
            That  upon  which  a person meditates at the time  of  death,      
            quitting  his  body absorbed in  the  thought  thereof,  that      
            particular thing he attains after death.
        
             Maharaja Bharata, despite a life of severe penances, thought 
        of  a stag at the time of his death and thus became a stag  after 
        death.   However, he did retain a clear consciousness of his past 
        life and realized his mistake.   It is important to realize  that 
        one's  thoughts at the time of death are influenced by the actual 
        deeds which one performs during his life.
        
                                       15
        
        

        
             In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (Third Canto,  Chapter Thirty-Two), 
        the process of entering the moon is described as follows:
        
            Materialistic-minded  men,  who  have no information  of  the 
            kingdom of God,  are always mad after material acquisition of 
            wealth,  fame and adoration.   Such men are interested in the 
            progressive  weal of their own self-satisfaction and  so  are 
            also  interested in the progress of social and national  wel-
            fare.  These men attain their desired objects by material ac-
            tivities.   They  are mechanically engaged in the ritualistic 
            discharge of prescribed duties and are consequently  inclined 
            to satisfy the Pitas,  or bygone forefathers, and controlling 
            demigods  by  performance of sacrifices as prescribed by  the 
            revealed scriptures.  Addicted to such acts of sacrifices and 
            ceremonial observances,  such souls enter into the moon after 
            death.   When one is thus promoted to the moon,  he  receives 
            the capacity to enjoy the drinking of soma-rasa,  a celestial 
            beverage.   The  moon is a place where the demigod Chandra is 
            the  predominating deity.   The atmosphere and  amenities  of 
            life  there  are far more comfortable and  advantageous  than 
            those here on earth.  After reaching the moon, if a soul does 
            not  utilize the opportunity for promotion to better planets, 
            he  is  degraded and forced to return to earth or  a  similar 
            planet.   However,  materialistic persons,  although they may 
            attain to the topmost planetary system, are certainly annihi-
            lated at the time of the cosmic manifestation.
        
             As  far  as  the planetary system of the  spiritual  sky  is 
        concerned,  there  are  unlimited Vaikuntha planets in the  para-
        vyoma.  The Vaikunthas are spiritual planets which are manifesta-
        tions of the internal potency of the Lord, and the ratio of these 
        planets to the material planets (external energy) in the material 
        sky is three to one.  So the poor materialist is busy making  po-
        litical  adjustments  on a planet which is most insignificant  in 
        God's creation.   To say nothing of this planet earth,  the whole 
        universe  with  innumerable planets throughout  the  galaxies  is 
        comparable  to  a grain of mustard seed in a bag full of  mustard 
        seeds.   But the poor materialist makes plans to live comfortably 
        here and thus wastes his valuable human energy in something which 
        is  doomed  to frustration.   Instead of wasting  his  time  with 
        business  speculations,  he  might have sought the life of  plain 
        living  and high spiritual thinking and thus saved  himself  from 
        perpetual materialistic unrest.
        
             Even  if  a  materialist wants to enjoy  developed  material 
        facilities,  he  can  transfer himself to planets  where  he  can 
        experience  material  pleasures  much more  advanced  than  those 
        available  on the earth planet.   But the best plan is to prepare 
        oneself  to return to the spiritual sky after leaving  the  body.  
        
                                       16
        
        
        

        
        However,  if  one is intent on enjoying material facilities,  one 
        can  transfer  himself to other planets in the  material  sky  by 
        utilizing yogic powers.  The playful spaceships of the astronauts 
        are  but  childish  entertainments  and are of no  use  for  this 
        purpose.
        
             The ashtanga-yoga system is also materialistic,  inasmuch as 
        it  teaches  one  to  control the movements  of  air  within  the 
        material body.   The spiritual spark, the soul is floating on air 
        within  the body,  and inhalation and exhalation are the waves of 
        that  air containing the soul.   Therefore the yoga system  is  a 
        materialistic art of controlling this air by transferring it from 
        the  stomach to the navel,  from the chest to the collarbone  and 
        from  there to the eyeballs and from there to the cerebellum  and 
        from  there  to any desired planet.   The velocities of  air  and 
        light are taken into consideration by the material scientist, but 
        he  has  no information of the velocity of the mind and  intelli-
        gence.   We  have some limited experience of the velocity of  the 
        mind,  because  in a moment we can transfer our minds  to  places 
        hundreds of thousands of miles away.  Intelligence is even finer.  
        Finer  than  intelligence is the soul,  which is not matter  like 
        mind and intelligence but is spirit,  or antimatter.  The soul is 
        hundreds  of  thousands  of times finer and  more  powerful  than 
        intelligence.   We can thus only imagine the velocity of the soul 
        in  its traveling from one planet to another.   Needless to  say, 
        the soul travels by its own strength and not with the help of any 
        kind of material vehicle.
        
             The bestial civilization of eating,  sleeping,  fearing  and 
        sense-gratifying  has  misled  modern  man  into  forgetting  how 
        powerful a soul he has.   As we have already described,  the soul 
        is a spiritual spark which is many, many times more illuminating, 
        dazzling and powerful than sun,  moon or electricity.  Human life 
        is  spoiled when man does not realize his real identity with  his 
        soul.   Lord  Chaitanya appeared with His disciple Nityananda  to 
        save man from this type of misleading civilization.
                                                                 
             Srimad-Bhagavatam also describes how yogis can travel to all 
        the  planets in the universe.   When the vital force is lifted to 
        the cerebellum,  there is every chance of this force bursting out 
        from the eyes,  nose,  ears,  etc., as these are places which are 
        known as the seventh orbit of the vital force.  But the yogis can 
        block  out these holes by complete suspension of air.   The  yogi 
        then  concentrates the vital force in the middle  position,  that 
        is,  between the eyebrows.   At this position, the yogi can think 
        of  the  planet into which he wants to enter  after  leaving  the 
        body.   He can then decide whether he wants to go to the abode of 
        Krishna  in the transcendental Vaikunthas from which he will  not 
        be  required to descend into the material world,  or to travel to 
        higher planets in the material universe.   The perfect yogi is at 
        liberty to do either.
                                       17
        
        

             For the perfect yogi who has attained success in the  method 
        of  leaving his body in perfect consciousness,  transferring from 
        one planet to another is as easy as an ordinary man's walking  to 
        the  grocery store.   As already discussed,  the material body is 
        just a covering of the spiritual soul.  Mind and intelligence are 
        the  undercoverings,  and the gross body of  earth,  water,  air, 
        etc., is the overcoating of the soul.  As such, any advanced soul 
        who  has  realized himself by the yogic process,  who  knows  the 
        relationship between matter and spirit, can leave the gross dress 
        of the soul in perfect order and as he desires.   By the grace of 
        God,  we have complete freedom.   Because the lord is kind to us, 
        we  can  live anywhere - either in the spiritual sky  or  in  the 
        material sky,  upon whichever planet we desire.   However, misuse 
        of  this freedom causes one to fall down into the material  world 
        and  suffer  the  threefold miseries of  conditioned  life.   The 
        living  of a miserable life in the material world by dint of  the 
        soul's  choice is nicely illustrated by Milton in Paradise  Lost.  
        Similarly,  by  choice  the soul can regain paradise  and  return 
        home, back to Godhead.
        
             At the critical time of death, one can place the vital force 
        between the two eyebrows and decide where he wants to go.   If he 
        is reluctant to maintain any connection with the material  world, 
        he can, in less than a second, reach the transcendental Vaikuntha 
        and  appear there completely in his spiritual body which will  be 
        suitable  for him in the spiritual atmosphere.   He has simply to 
        desire to leave the material world in finer and grosser forms and 
        then  move the vital force to the topmost part of the  skull  and 
        leave  the  body  from the hole in the skull called  the  brahma-
        randhra.  This is the highest perfection in the practice of yoga.
        
             Of course man is endowed with free will,  and as such if  he 
        does  not want to free himself of the material world he may enjoy 
        the  life of brahma-pada (occupation of the post of  Brahma)  and 
        visit  Siddhaloka,  the planets of materially perfect beings  who 
        have full abilities to control gravity,  space,  time,  etc.,  To 
        visit these higher planets in the material universe, one need not 
        give  up his mind and intelligence (finer matter),  but need only 
        give up grosser matter (the material body).
        
             Man-made satellites and mechanical space vehicles will never 
        be  able will never be able to  carry human beings to the planets 
        of  outer  space.   Men cannot even go on  their  much-advertised 
        trips to the moon, for, as we have already stated, the atmosphere 
        on  such higher planets is different from the atmosphere here  on 
        earth.   Each and every planet has its particular atmosphere, and 
        if  one  wants  to  travel to any particular  planet  within  the 
        material  universe,  one  has  to have a  material  body  exactly 
        adapted to the climatic condition of that planet.   For instance, 
        if  one  wants to go from India to  Europe,  where  the  climatic 
        condition is different,  one has to change his dress accordingly.  
        Similarly, a complete change of body is necessary if one wants to 
        go the transcendental planets of Vaikuntha.
                                       18
        

        
             If  one wants to go to the higher material planets,  he  can 
        keep his finer dress of mind, intelligence and ego, but he has to 
        leave his gross dress (body) made of earth,  water,  fire,  etc.,  
        When  one  goes  to  a  transcendental  planet,  however,  it  is 
        necessary to change both the finer and gross bodies,  for one has 
        to reach the spiritual sky completely in a spiritual form.   This 
        change  of  dress  will take place automatically at the  time  of 
        death if one so desires.   But this desire is  possible at  death 
        only if the desire is cultivated during life.  Where one's treas-
        ures  are,  there also is one's heart.  When one practices  devo-
        tional  service,  one cultivates a desire for the kingdom of God. 
        The  following  details outline a general practice by  which  one 
        can   prepare  himself  for  an easy journey  to  the   Vaikuntha 
        (antimaterial) planets,  where life is free from birth,  old age, 
        disease and death.
        
             General practice (positive functions):
        
             1. The  serious candidate must accept a bona fide  spiritual 
        master (guru) in order to be trained scientifically.  Because the  
        senses  are  material,   it is not at  all  possible  to  realize 
        the  Transcendence  by  them.  Therefore the senses have  to   be  
        spiritualized  by the prescribed  method  under  the direction of 
        the spiritual master.
        
             2. When the student has chosen a bona fide spiritual master, 
        he  must  take the proper initiation from him.   This  marks  the 
        beginning of spiritual training.
        
             3.  The  candidate must be prepared to satisfy the spiritual 
        master  in every way.  A bona fide spiritual master who is  fully 
        cognizant  of the methods of spiritual science,  learned in   the  
        spiritual scriptures such as the Bhagavad-gita,  Vedanta, Srimad- 
        Bhagavatam and Upanishads,  and who is also a realized  soul  who 
        has  made  a tangible connection with  the Supreme Lord,  is  the 
        transparent  medium by which the willing candidate is led to  the 
        path of the Vaikunthas. The spiritual master must be satisfied in 
        all respects,  because simply by his good wishes a candidate  can  
        make  wonderful progress along the path.
        
             4. The intelligent candidate places intelligent questions to 
        the spiritual master in order to clear his path of all uncertain-
        ties.   The  spiritual master  shows  the  way,  not whimsically,  
        but   in  accordance with the principles of  the authorities  who 
        have actually traversed the path.  The names of these authorities 
        are disclosed in the  scriptures,  and one  has  simply to follow 
        them under the direction of the spiritual master.  The  spiritual 
        master never deviates  from the path of the authorities. 
        
        
                                       19
        
        
        

        
             5.  The  candidate  should  always  try  to  follow  in  the 
        footsteps  of the great sages who have practiced the  method  and  
        obtained success.  This should be taken as a motto in life.   One 
        should  not superficially imitate them,  but should follow   them  
        sincerely in terms of the particular time  and circumstances.
        
             6.  The candidate must be prepared to change his  habits  in 
        terms  of  the instructions contained in the books of  authority, 
        and  for  the satisfaction of the Lord he must  be  prepared   to  
        sacrifice both sense gratification and sense abnegation,  follow-
        ing the example of Arjuna.
        
             7. The candidate should live in a spiritual atmosphere.
        
             8. He must be satisfied with as much wealth as is sufficient 
        for maintenance only. He should not try to amass more wealth than 
        is  necessary to sustain himself in a simple way.    
        
             9.  He must observe the fasting dates,  such as the eleventh 
        day of the growing and waning moon.
        
             10.  He must show respect to the banyan tree,  the cow,  the 
        learned brahmana and the devotee.
        
             These  are  the first stepping - stones toward the  path  of 
        devotional  service.   Gradually  one has to adopt  other  items, 
        which are negative in character.
        
             11. One should avoid offenses in the discharge of devotional 
        service in chanting the holy names.
        
             12. He should avoid extensive association with nondevotees.
        
             13. He must not take on unlimited disciples. this means that 
        a   candidate   who  has successfully followed the  first  twelve 
        items  can  also become a spiritual master himself,   just  as  a 
        student  becomes  a monitor in class with a  limited  number   of 
        disciples. 
        
             14.  He must not pose himself as a vastly learned man simply 
        by  quoting statements in books.  He must have solid knowledge of  
        the  necessary  books without  superfluous  knowledge  in others.
        
             15.  A regular and successful practice of the above fourteen 
        items  will   enable   the   candidate   to    maintain    mental 
        equilibrium   even   amidst great trials of  material  loss   and 
        gain.
        
             16.  In  the  next  stage,  the candidate  does  not  become 
        afflicted by lamentation and illusion.
        
                                       20
        
        

        
             17.  He  does  not  deride another's  mode  of  religion  or 
        worship,   nor  does he deride the Personality of Godhead  or His 
        devotees.
        
             18.  He  never  tolerates blasphemy against the Lord or  His 
        devotees.
        
             19.He should not indulge in the discussion of topics dealing 
        with  the  relationship between man and woman;   nor  should   he 
        engage in useless topics concerning others' family affairs. 
        
             20. He should not inflict pain - either in body or in mind - 
        upon other living beings, whomsoever they may be.
        
             Out  of the above twenty items,   the first  three  positive 
        items   are   imperative  and most essential  for   the   serious 
        candidate.
        
             There  are  fortyfour  other  items to be  followed  by  the 
        serious  candidate,  but Lord Chaitanya 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 associaate with devotees.   Association with 
        devotees is made possible by hearing them attentively,  by asking 
        them  relevant questions,  by supplying them food  and  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 in
        numerable 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 chant the holy 
        names of the Lord at all times.
        
             3.   One should hear the transcendental topics enunciated in 
        the  SrimadBhagavatam.   This  hearing is made  possible  through 
        platform  lectures by bona fide devotees and by authorized  trans 
        lations of the Bhagavatam.
        
             4.   One should make his home at Mathura,  the birthplace of 
        Lord  Krishna.   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.
        
        
                                       21
        
        
        
        

             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 author 
        ities such as Lord Shree Chaitanya 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-rasamrita-sindhu,   of   which   we 
        have   presented an English summary study entitled The Nectar  of 
        Devotion.
        
             The  whole process of transferring oneself to the  spiritual 
        sky   involves gradually liquidated the material  composition  of 
        the  gross and subtle coverings of the spirit soul.   The  above-
        mentioned  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 state 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) of 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 a 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.
        
             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.
                                       22
        
        

        
             1.  Emperor Pariksit attained the spiritual platform 
        simply  by  hearing  from such an authority  as  Shree  Shukadeva 
        Goswami.
             2.   Shree  Shukadeva  Goswami attained the same  simply  by 
        recitation,  verbatim,  of  the  transcendental message which  he 
        received from his great father, Shree Vyasadeva.
             3.    Emperor   Prahlada  attained  spiritual   success   by 
        remembering  the  Lord constantly,  in pursuance of  instructions 
        given by Shree Narada Muni, the great saint and devotee.   
             4.   Lakshmiji,  the  goddess of fortune,  attained  success 
        simply by sitting and serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
             5.   King  Prithu attained success simply by worshiping  the 
        Lord.
             6.   Akrura, charioteer, attained success simply by chanting 
        prayers for the Lord.
             7.   Hanuman (Mahavira), the famous nonhuman devotee of Lord 
        Sri  Ramachandra,  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  Ambarisha  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 Shree Krishna, 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.
        
             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 
        
                                       23
        
        
        

        
        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 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  know 
        ledge, 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.
        
             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  obli
        gation  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 
        
        
                                       24
        
        
        

        
        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 material
        istic scientific conceptions.
        
             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.
        
             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 @amd 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 American,  it is reasonable that  the 
        gigantic satellites have their creator in the spiritual sky.   If 
        
        
                                       25
        
        
        

        
        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  Shankaracharya,  Shree 
        Ramanujacharya,  Shree  Madhvacharya  and Shree  Chaitanya  Maha
        prabhu.   The  Bhagavad-gita indicates that in the material world 
        all component forms are  subject to decay and death, regardless of 
        their duration of life.
        
             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 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 holds true 
        for  all.  The  spiritual  force  is the  creator,  and  by  this 
        principle only,  transformation,  transition and development take 
        place.
                                       26
        
        
        

         
            Life  is  definitely  not generated  simply  by  a  material 
        reaction like a chemical combination,  as many foolish men claim.  
        Material  interaction 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,  Shree Krishna.   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  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 numbers 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.
        
             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.
        
        
                                       27
        
        
        

        
             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 own's 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.
        
        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 targetted 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.
        
             Shreepada  Ramanujacharya  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 sectarean,  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 anals of 
        man,  but there is no historic origin of sanatana-dharma  because 
        it eternally remains with the living entities.
        
                                       28
        
        
        

        
             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 Upanishads 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 head  does 
        not diminish in quality or quantity.*  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.
        
             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  Krishna,  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 
        
        *See Shree Ishopanishad, Invocation
        
                                       29
        
        
        

        
        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-illuminous.  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, back to Godhead, to enjoy life in the sanatana-dhama with 
        the sanatana purusha,  or the purushottama,  Lord Shree  Krishna.  
        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.
        
             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 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-varsha,  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.
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
                                       30
        
        
        

        
        
                                    CHAPTER 2
        
        
          V A R I E T I E S   O F   P L A N E T A R Y    S Y S T E M S 
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        
             In these days, when men are trying to go to the moon, people 
        should  not  think that Krishna consciousness is  concerned  with 
        something old-fashioned.   When the world is progressing to reach 
        the moon,  we are chanting Hare Krishna.   But people should  not 
        misunderstand  and  assume  that  we are  lagging  behind  modern 
        scientific  advancement.   We have already passed all  scientific 
        advancement.   In Bhagavad-gita it is said that man's attempt  to 
        reach  higher  planets  is not new.   Newspaper  headlines  read, 
        "Man's  First Steps on the Moon," but the reporters do  not  know 
        that millions and millions of men went there and came back.  This 
        is  not  the  first  time.   This is  an  ancient  practice.   In 
        Bhagavad-gita  (8.16)  it is  clearly  stated,  a-brahma-bhuvanal 
        lokah punar avartino 'rjuna:   "My dear Arjuna, even if you go to 
        the  highest planetary system,  which is called  Brahmaloka,  you 
        will have to come back."  Therefore, interplanetary travel is not 
        new.  It is known to the Krishna conscious devotees.
        
             Since we are Krishna conscious, we take what Krishna says to 
        be the Absolute Truth.   According to Vedic literature, there are 
        many  planetary systems.   The planetary system in which  we  are 
        living  is  called  Bhurloka.   Above this  planetary  system  is 
        Bhuvarloka.   Above  that  is Svarloka (the moon belongs  to  the 
        Svarloka planetary system).   Above Svarloka is Maharloka;  above 
        that is Janaloka;  and above that is Satyaloka.  Similarly, there 
        are  lower  planetary.   Thus  there  are  fourteen  statuses  of 
        planetary systems within this universe,  and the sun is the chief 
        planet.  The sun is described in the Brahma-samhita (5.52):
        
        
             yach-chakshur esha savita sakala-grahanam
               raja samasta-sura-murtir ashesha-tejah
             yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrita-kala-chakro
               govindam adi purusham tam aham bhajami
        
        
             "I  worship Govinda [Krishna],  the primeval Lord,  by whose 
        order  the sun assumes immense power and heat and  traverses  its 
        orbit.   The sun, which is the chief among all planetary systems, 
        is  the eye of the Supreme Lord."  Actually,  without the sun  we 
        cannot see.  We may be very proud of our eyes, but we cannot even 
        see our next-door neighbor.   People challenge,  "Can you show me 
        God?"   But what can they see?   What is the value of their eyes?  
        
                                       31
        
        
        

        
        God is not cheap.   We cannot see anything,  not to speak of God, 
        without sunshine.   Without sunshine we are blind.   At night, we 
        cannot see anything, and therefore we use electricity because the 
        sun is not present.
             There is not only one sun in the cosmic manifestation; there 
        are millions and trillions of suns.   That is also stated in  the 
        Brahma-samhita (5.40):
        
             yasya prabha prabhavato jagandanda-koti-
               kotishv ashesha-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinam
             tad brhama nishkalam anantam ashesha-bhutam
               govindam adi purusham tam aham bhajami
        
        
             The  spiritual bodily effulgence of the Supreme  Personality 
        of  Godhead,  Krishna,  is  called the brahmajyoti,  and in  that 
        brahmajyoti  there  are countless planets.   Just as  within  the 
        sunshine there are innumerable planets, in the shining effulgence 
        of  the  body  of  Krishna  there  are  innumerable  planets  and 
        universes.   We  have knowledge of many universes,  and  in  each 
        universe there is a sun.  Thus there are millions and billions of 
        universes  and  millions  and  billions of  suns  and  moons  and 
        planets.   But  Krishna  says that if one tries to go to  one  of 
        these planets, he will simply waste his time.
        
             Now  someone  has  gone to the moon,  but  what  will  human 
        society  gain from it?  If, after spending so much money, so much 
        energy  and ten years of effort,  one goes to the moon and simply 
        touches it,  what is the benefit of that?   Can one remain  there 
        and  call  his friends to come?   And even if one goes there  and 
        remains,  what  will be the benefit?   As long as we are in  this 
        material world,  either on this planet or other planets, the same 
        miseries - birth,  death,  old age and disease - will follow  us.  
        We cannot rid ourselves of them.
        
             If  we  go to live on the moon - assuming it is  possible  - 
        even with an oxygen mask,  how long could we stay?   Furthermore, 
        even if we had the opportunity to stay there, what would we gain? 
        We might gain a little longer life perhaps, but we could not live 
        there forever.   That is impossible.  And what would we gain by a 
        longer life?   Taravah kim na jivanti:   are not the trees living 
        for  many,  many years?   Near San Francisco I have seen a forest 
        where  there is a tree seven thousand years old,  that is  not  a 
        very great credit.
        
             How goes to the moon,  how he comes back,  etc.,  is a great 
        story,  and this is all described in the Vedic literature.  It is 
        not a very new process.  But the aim of our Krishna consciousness 
        society  is  different.   We are not going to waste our  valuable 
        
                                       32
        
        
        

        
        time.   Krishna says,  "Don't waste your time attempting to go to 
        this  planet  or  to that planet.   What  will  you  gain?   Your 
        material  miseries will follow you wherever you go."   Therefore, 
        in the Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi Lila 3. 97)  it is very nicely 
        said by the author.
        
        
             keba pape, keha punye kare vishaya-bhoga
             bhakti-gandha nahi, yate yaya bhava-roga
        
        
             "In  this material world someone is enjoying and someone  is 
        not enjoying,  but actually everyone is suffering,  although some 
        people think that they are enjoying,  whereas others realize that 
        they  are suffering."  Actually everyone is  suffering.   Who  in 
        this material world does not suffer disease?  Who does not suffer 
        from  old age?   Who does not die?   No one wants to grow old  or 
        suffer from disease,  but everyone must do so.  Where then is the 
        enjoyment?   This  enjoyment is all nonsense because within  this 
        material  world  there  is  no  enjoyment.    It  is  simply  our 
        imagination.   One should think,  "This is enjoyment, and this is 
        suffering."  "Everything is suffering!   Therefore,  it is stated 
        in  the  Chaitanya-charitamrita,    "The  principles  of  eating, 
        sleeping,  mating  and  defending will always exist in  different 
        standards."   For  example,  the Americans have  taken  birth  in 
        America  as  a result of pious activities performed  in  previous 
        lifetimes.   In  India  the people are poverty-stricken  and  are 
        suffering,  but  although  the Americans are eating  very  nicely 
        buttered  bread and the Indians are eating without  butter,  they 
        are  both eating nevertheless.   The fact that India is  poverty-
        stricken  has not caused the whole population to die for want  of 
        food.   The  four  principle bodily demands  - eating,  sleeping, 
        mating and defending - can be satisfied under any  circumstances, 
        whether  one  is  born  in an impious condition  or  in  a  pious 
        condition.   The problem, however, is how to become free from the 
        four principles of birth, death, old age and disease.
        
             This  is  the real problem.   It is not "What shall I  eat?"  
        The birds and beasts have no such problem.   In the morning  they 
        are immediately chirping,  "jee,  jee, jee, jee."  They know that 
        they will have their food.  No one is dying, and there is no such 
        thing as overpopulation because everyone is provided for by God's 
        arrangement.   There are qualitative differences, but obtaining a 
        superior  quality  of material enjoyment is not the end of  life.  
        The real problem is how to get free of birth,  death, old age and 
        disease.   This cannot be solved by simply wasting time traveling 
        within  this universe.   Even if one goes to the highest  planet, 
        this problem cannot be solved, for there is death everywhere.
        
        
                                       33
        
        
        

        
             The  duration  of  life on  the  moon,  according  to  Vedic 
        information, is ten thousand years, and one day there is equal to 
        six  month  here.   Thus ten thousand multiplied by  one  hundred 
        eighty years is the duration of life on the moon.  However, it is 
        impossible  of earthmen to go to the moon and live there for very 
        long.   Otherwise the whole Vedic literature would be false.   We 
        can  attempt to go there,  but it is not possible to live  there.  
        This knowledge is in the Vedas.  Therefore, we are not very eager 
        to go to this planet or that planet.  We are eager to go directly 
        to the planet where Krishna lives.   Krishna states in  Bhagavad-
        gita (9.25):
        
        
                       yanti deva-vrata devan
                         pitrin yanti pitri-vratah
                       bhutani yanti bhutejya
                         yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam
        
        
             "One can go to the moon, or one can even go to the sun or to 
        millions  and  trillions  of  other planets,  or if  one  is  too 
        materially  attached  he may remain here - but those who  are  My 
        devotees  will come to Me."  This is our  aim.   Initiation  into 
        Krishna  consciousness insures that the student ultimately can go 
        to the supreme planet,  Krishnaloka.  We are not sitting idly; we 
        are also attempting to go to other planets, but we are not merely 
        wasting time.
        
             A sane and intelligent man does not wish to enter any of the 
        material planets because the four conditions of material miseries 
        exist on all of them.   From Bhagavad-gita we can understand that 
        even if we enter Brahmaloka, the highest planetary system of this 
        universe,  the  four principles of misery will  be  present.   We 
        learn  from Bhagavad-gita that the duration of one day of  Brahma 
        is millions of years of our calculation.  That is a fact.
        
             Even  the  highest  planetary  system,  Brahmaloka,  may  be 
        reached but scientists say that it will take forty thousand years 
        at  sputnik speed.   Who is prepared to travel in space for forty 
        thousand years?  From the Vedic literature we can understand that 
        we  can enter any of the planets,  provided we prepare  for  that 
        purpose.   If  one  prepares  himself to enter  into  the  higher 
        planetary systems, which are said to be inhabited by demigods, he 
        can go there.  Similarly, one can go to a lower planetary system, 
        of if one desires he can remain on this planet.   Finally, if one 
        desires,  he  can enter the planet of the Supreme Personality  of 
        Godhead.   It  is  all a matter  of  preparation.   However,  all 
        planetary  systems  within our material universe  are  temporary.  
        The duration of life on certain material planets ma be very long, 
        
                                       34
        
        
        

        
        but  all living entities in the material universe are  eventually 
        subject  to annihilation and have to again develop other  bodies.  
        There  are  different types of bodies.   A human body exists  one 
        hundred years, whereas an insect body may exist for twelve hours.  
        Thus the duration of these different bodies is relative.   If one 
        enters  the planet called Vaikunthaloka,  the  spiritual  planet, 
        however,  he  then  achieves  eternal life,  full  of  bliss  and 
        knowledge.  A human being can attain that perfection if he tries.  
        That  is stated in Bhagavad-gita when the Lord says,  "Anyone who 
        knows  in  truth  about the Supreme Personality  of  Godhead  can 
        attain to My nature."
        
             Many people claim,  "God is great,"  but this is a hackneyed 
        phrase.   One  must know how He is great,  and that can be  known 
        from  authorized scripture.   In the Bhagavad-gita God  describes 
        Himself.   He says,  "My appearance of taking birth just like  an 
        ordinary human being is actually transcendental."  God is so kind 
        that He comes before us as an ordinary human being,  but His body 
        is not exactly like a human body.   Those rascals who do not know 
        about Him think that Krishna is like one us.  That is also stated 
        in Bhagavad-gita (9.11):
        
        
                            avajananti mam mudha
                              manushim tanum ashritam
                            param bhavam ajananto
                              mama bhuta-maheshvaram
        
        
             "Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form.   They do 
        not  know My transcendental nature and My supreme  dominion  over 
        all that be."  We have a chance to know about Krishna provided we 
        read  the right literature under the right direction,  and if  we 
        simply know what the nature of God is, then by understanding this 
        one  fact alone we become liberated.   It is not possible in  our 
        human condition to understand the Absolute Supreme Personality of 
        Godhead  completely,  but  with the help  of  Bhagavad-gita,  the 
        statements  given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,  and  of 
        the  spiritual  master,  we  can  know Him to  the  best  of  our 
        capacity.   If we can know Him in reality, then immediately after 
        leaving this body we can enter into the kingdom of God.   Krishna 
        says,  tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so 'rjuna:  "After 
        leaving this body, one who is in knowledge does not come again to 
        this  material world,  for he enters into the spiritual world and 
        comes to Me."  (Bg.4.9)
        
             The  purpose  of  our Krishna consciousness movement  is  to 
        propagate  this advanced  scientific idea to people  in  general, 
        and  the  process is very simple.   Simply by chanting  the  holy 
        
                                       35
        
        
        

        
        names of God - Hare Krishna,  Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare 
        Hare/ Hare Rama,  Hare Rama,  Rama Rama, Hare Hare - one cleanses 
        the  dirt from his heart and gains understanding that he is  part 
        and  parcel of the Supreme Lord and that it is his duty to  serve 
        Him.   This process is very pleasant:   we chant the Hare Krishna 
        mantra,  we dance rhythmically,  and we eat nice prasada.   While 
        enjoying this life, we are preparing to enter into the kingdom of 
        God  in  our next life.   This is not a fabrication - it  is  all 
        factual.   Although to a layman this appears to be a fabrication, 
        Krishna  reveals Himself from within to one who is serious  about 
        God realization.   Both Krishna and the spiritual master help the 
        sincere soul.  The spiritual master is the external manifestation 
        of  God,  who is situated in everyone's heart as Supersoul.   For 
        one   who  is  very  serious  about  understanding  the   Supreme 
        Personality of Godhead, Supersoul immediately renders  assistance 
        by  directing him to a bona fide spiritual master.   In this  way 
        the spiritual candidate is helped from within and without.
        
             According  to  the Bhagavata Purana,  the Supreme  Truth  is 
        realized in three stages.   First there is impersonal Brahman, or 
        the impersonal Absolute;  then the Paramatma, or localized aspect 
        of  Brahman.   The  neutron  of  the atom may  be  taken  as  the 
        representation of Paramatma, who also enters into the atom.  This 
        is described in the Brahma-samhita.   But ultimately the  Supreme 
        Divine  Being  is realized as the supreme  all-attractive  person 
        (Krishna)  with  full  and inconceivable potencies  of  opulence, 
        strength,  fame beauty,  knowledge and renunciation.   These  six 
        potencies  are  fully exhibited by Sri Rama and Sri Krishna  when 
        They descend before human beings.  Only a section of human beings 
        - the unalloyed devotees - can recognize Krishna on the authority 
        of  revealed  scriptures,   but  others  are  bewildered  by  the 
        influence  of material energy.   The Absolute Truth is  therefore 
        the  Absolute  Person  who  has  no  equal  or  competitor.   The 
        impersonal Brahman rays are the rays of His transcendental  body, 
        just as the sun's rays are emanations from the sun.
        
             According  to  the  Vishnu Purana,  the material  energy  is 
        called  avidya,  or nescience,  and is exhibited in the  fruitive 
        activities of sense enjoyment.  But although the living being has 
        the tendency to be illusioned and trapped by the material  energy 
        for  sense enjoyment,  he belongs to the antimaterial energy,  or 
        spiritual  energy,  which  is  directly part and  parcel  of  the 
        spiritual  whole.   The subject matter of this  spiritual  energy 
        exhibited by living beings is undoubtedly very complicated for an 
        ordinary  man,   who  is  therefore  astounded  by  the  subject.  
        Sometimes  he  partially  understands it  through  the  imperfect 
        senses,  and  sometimes  he fails to know it altogether.   It  is 
        best,  therefore,  to  hear  from the  highest  authority,  Shree 
        Krishna,  or from His devotee who represents Him in the chain  of 
        disciplic succession.
                                       36
        
        
        

        
             This Krishna consciousness movement is meant for the purpose 
        of  understanding  God.   The  spiritual  master  is  the  living 
        representative  of Krishna who helps externally,  and Krishna  as 
        Supersoul helps internally.  The living entity can take advantage 
        of  such  guidance  and his life  successful.   We  request  that 
        everyone  read  authoritative literature in order  to  understand 
        this  movement.   We  have  published  Bhagavad-gita  As  It  Is; 
        Teachings  of Lord  Chaitanya;  Srimad-Bhagavatam;  Krishna,  the 
        Supreme Personality of Godhead;  and the Nectar of Devotion.   We 
        are  also publishing our magazine Back to Godhead every month  in 
        many  languages.   Our mission is to save human society from  the 
        pitfalls of incarnating again in the cycle of birth and death.
        
             Everyone should attempt to go to Krishna.  We have published 
        an  article in our Back to Godhead magazine entitled "Beyond  the 
        Universe."   This article describes a place beyond this  universe 
        according to knowledge which is in Bhagavad-gita.   Bhagavad-gita 
        is  a  very popular book,  and there are many editions of  it  in 
        America and also many from India.   Unfortunately,  however, many 
        rascals have come to the West to preach Bhagavad-gita.   They are 
        designated  as rascals because they are bluffers who do not  give 
        real information.   In our Bhagavad-gita As It Is,  however,  the 
        spiritual nature is authoritatively described.
        
             This  cosmic manifestation is called "nature," but there  is 
        another nature,  which is superior.   The cosmic manifestation is 
        inferior nature,  but beyond this nature, which is manifested and 
        unmanifested,  there is another nature, which is called sanatana, 
        eternal.   It  is  easy to understand that everything  manifested 
        here  is temporary.   The obvious example is our body If  one  is 
        thirty  years old,  thirty years ago his body was not manifested, 
        and in another fifty years it will again be  unmanifested.   That 
        is  a  factual  law  of  nature.   It  is  manifested  and  again 
        annihilated,  just  as waves in the sea rise frequently and  then 
        recede.   The materialist, however, is simply concerned with this 
        mortal life,  which can be finished at any moment.   Furthermore, 
        as  this  body will die,  so the entire universe,  this  gigantic 
        material body,  will be annihilated, and whether we are fortunate 
        or  unfortunate,  on this planet or  another  planet,  everything  
        will be finished.   Why then are we wasting our time trying to go 
        to  a planet where everything will be finished?  We should try to 
        go  to Krishnaloka.   This is spiritual science;  we must try  to 
        understand it,  and,  after understanding it ourselves, we should 
        preach this message to the whole world.  Everyone is in darkness. 
        Although people have no knowledge,  they are very proud.   But it 
        is not advancement of knowledge to go to the moon after ten years 
        of effort and take a rock and come back.  The space travelers are 
        very proud:  "Oh, I have touched it."  But what have they gained?  
        Even if we were able to live there, it would not be for long.  It 
        will all be destroyed in the end.
        
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             Try  to  find that planet from which one will never  return, 
        where  there  is  eternal life,  and where  one  can  dance  with 
        Krishna.   This  is the meaning of Krishna  consciousness.   Take 
        this  movement seriously,  for Krishna consciousness gives one  a 
        chance  to reach Krishna and to dance with Him  eternally.   From 
        Vedic  literature  we  understand that this material world  is  a 
        manifestation of only one fourth of the complete creation of God.  
        The  three-fourths  portion of God's creation  is  the  spiritual 
        world.   That we can find in Bhagavad-gita.   Krishna says, "This 
        material  world  is but a fractional part of the whole."   If  we 
        look  as far as we can see - up to the sky - our vision is  still 
        confined  within  only  one universe,  and  there  are  unlimited 
        universes  clustered together within what is called the  material 
        world.   But  beyond  those  clusters  of  unlimited  numbers  of 
        universes  is  the  spiritual sky,  which is  also  mentioned  in 
        Bhagavad-gita, where the Lord says that beyond the material world 
        is another nature,  which is eternal;  there is no history of its 
        beginning, and it has no end.  "Eternal" refers to that which has 
        no end and no beginning.   The Vedic religion is therefore called 
        eternal  because  no  one  can trace back  when  it  began.   The 
        Christian religion has a history of two thousand years,  and  the 
        Muhammadan religion also has a history,  but if one were to trace 
        back Vedic religion,  he would not find its historical beginning.  
        Therefore it is called eternal religion.
        
             We may rightly say that God created this material world, and 
        this  indicates that God existed before the creation.   This very 
        word  "created" suggests that before the creation of  the  cosmic 
        manifestation, the Lord was existing.  Therefore God is not under 
        the creation.   If God were under the creation, how could He have 
        created?   He  would instead have been one of the objects of this 
        material creation.   But God is not under the creation; He is the 
        creator, and therefore He is eternal.
        
             There  is  a  spiritual sky,  where  there  are  innumerable 
        spiritual planets and innumerable spiritual living entities,  but 
        those who are not fit to live in that spiritual world are sent to 
        this material world.  Voluntarily we  have accepted this material 
        body,  but  actually  we  are spirit souls who  should  not  have 
        accepted it.   When and how we accepted it cannot be traced.   No 
        one  can  trace the history of when the  conditioned  soul  first 
        accepted the material body.   There are 8,400,000 forms of living 
        entities  - 900,000  species  of living entities are  within  the 
        water,  2,000,000  species  of  life are  among  the  plants  and 
        vegetables.    Unfortunately,   this   Vedic  knowledge  is   not 
        instructed  by  any university.   But these are facts.   Let  the 
        botanist  and anthropologist research into the Vedic  conclusion.  
        Darwin's theory of the evolution of organic matter is, of course, 
        very  prominent  in  the  institutions  of  learning.    But  the 
        
                                       38
        
        
        

        
        Bhagavata Purana and other authoritative scriptures of scientific 
        magnitude describe how the living entities in different forms  of 
        body  evolve  one  after another.   It is not  a  new  idea,  but 
        educators are giving stress only to Darwin's theory,  although in 
        Vedic  literature  we  have  immense information  of  the  living 
        conditions in this material world.
        
             We are only a fractional portion of all the living  entities 
        in  the many universes of the material world.   Those who are  in 
        the material world and material body are condemned.  For example, 
        the  population  in prison is condemned by  the  government,  but 
        their  number is only a fraction of the whole population.   It is 
        not  that  the whole population goes to  prison;  some,  who  are 
        disobedient,  are confined in prison.  Similarly, the conditioned 
        souls  within this material world are only a fraction of all  the 
        living  entities in the creation of God,  and because  they  have 
        disobeyed  God  - because  they  did not abide by  the  order  of 
        Krishna - they have been put into this material world.  If one is  
        sensible and inquisitive,  he should try to understand: "Why have 
        I been put into the conditional life?  I do not wish to suffer."
        
             There  are  three kinds  of  suffering,  including  miseries 
        pertaining  to  the body and mind.   In Hawaii,  in front  of  my 
        house,  a  man was keeping some animals and birds for the purpose  
        of  taking  them to be slaughtered.   I gave this example  to  my 
        students:   "These   animals are standing here,  and if you  tell 
        them,  'Oh,  my dear animals, why are you standing here? Go away!  
        You  are meant for the slaughterhouse,'  they  cannot  go.   They 
        have no intelligence."
        
             Suffering without knowledge, without remedy, is animal life.  
        One  who  cannot understand that he is suffering and  who  thinks 
        that  he is very well off is in animal consciousness,  not  human 
        consciousness.   The human being should be cognizant of suffering 
        the  threefold miseries of this planet.   One should know that he 
        is suffering in birth,  suffering in death,  suffering in old age 
        and suffering in disease, and one should be inquisitive as to how 
        he may avoid the suffering.  That is real research work.
        
             We  have  suffered from the beginning of our  birth.   As  a 
        baby,  the  human  being is tightly place in the abdomen  of  the 
        mother in an airtight bag for nine months.   He cannot even move, 
        there are insects biting him,  and he cannot protest.   After the 
        child comes out, the suffering continues.  The mother undoubtedly 
        takes  much  care,  but  still  the child  cries  because  he  is 
        suffering.   There  are  bugs biting or there are  pains  in  his 
        stomach; the child is crying, and the mother does not know how to 
        pacify  him.   His  suffering begins in the womb of  his  mother.  
        Then,  after his birth,  as he grows up, there is more suffering.  
        
                                       39
        
        
        

        
        He does not want to go to school,  but he is forced to.   He does 
        not  want  to  study,  but the teacher gives him  tasks.   If  we 
        analyze our life, we will find that it is full of suffering.  Why 
        then  are  we coming here?   The conditioned souls are  not  very 
        bright.  We should inquire,  "Why am I suffering?"  If there is a 
        remedy, we must take advantage of it.
        
             We  are  eternally  connected with  the  Supreme  Lord,  but 
        somehow   or  other  we  are  now  in   material   contamination.  
        Therefore, we must take up a process by which to go back again to 
        the spiritual world.   That linking process is called yoga.   The 
        actual  translation  of the word yoga is "plus."  At the  present 
        moment we are minus God,  or minus the Supreme.  But when we make 
        ourselves  plus  - connected  - then our human form  of  life  is 
        perfect.   During  our lifetime we have to  practice  approaching 
        that point of perfection,  and at the time of death, when we give 
        up  this material body,  that perfection has to be realized.   At 
        the time of death, one must be prepared.  Students, for instance, 
        prepare for two to five years in college,  and the final test  of 
        their   education   is  the  examination.    If  they  pass   the 
        examination,  they get a degree.   Similarly,  in the subject  of 
        life,  if we prepare for the examination at the time of death and 
        pass  it,  then  we  are  transferred  to  the  spiritual  world.  
        Everything is examined at the time of death.
        
             There  is  a  very  common Bengali proverb  that  says  that 
        whatever  one does for perfection will be tested at the  time  of 
        death.  Bhagavad-gita describes what we should do at the point of 
        our  death,  when  we are giving up this present body.   For  the 
        dhyana-yogi  (meditator)  Shree  Krishna  speaks  the   following 
        verses:
        
        
                       yad aksharam veda-vido vadanti
                         vishanti yad yatayo vita-ragah
                       yad icchanto brahmacaryam charanti
                         tat te padam sangrahena pravakshye
        
        
                       sarva-dvarani samyamya
                         mano hridi nirudhya cha
                       murdhny adhayatmanah pranam
                         asthito yoga-dharanam
        
        
             "Persons learned in the Vedas,  who utter omkara and who are 
        great sages in the renounced order, enter into Brahman.  Desiring 
        such perfection,  one practices celibacy.  I shall now explain to 
        you  this  process by which one may attain salvation.   The yogic 
        
                                       40
        
        
        

        
        situation  is  that of detachment from all  sensual  engagements.  
        Closing  all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind  on  the 
        heart  and the life air at the top of the head,  one  establishes 
        himself  in  yoga."   (Bg.  8.11-12)  In the   Yoga  system  this 
        process is called pratyahara, which means, in technical language, 
        "the  opposite."   Now  the eyes are engaged  in  seeing  worldly 
        beauty, so one has to withdraw them from enjoying that beauty and 
        concentrate on seeing beauty inside.   That is called pratyahara.  
        Similarly, one has to hear the omkara sound from within.
        
        
                            om ity ekaksharam brahma
                              vyaharan mam anusmaran
                            yah prayati tyajan deham
                              sa yati paramam gatim
        
        
             "After  being  situated in this yoga practice and  vibrating 
        the sacred syllable om,  the supreme combination of  letters,  if 
        one  thinks  of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits  his 
        body, he will certainly reach the spiritual planets."  (Bg. 8.13)  
        In  this  way all the senses have to stopped  in  their  external 
        activities,  and  the mind must be concentrated on  vishnu-murti, 
        the  form of Lord Vishnu.   That is the perfection of yoga.   The 
        mind  is very turbulent,  so it has to be fixed upon  the  heart.  
        When  the  mind  is fixed within the heart and the  life  air  is 
        transferred to the top of the head, one can attain the perfection 
        of yoga.
        
             The  perfect yogi then determines where he is to go.   There 
        are innumerable material planets,  and beyond these planets there 
        is the spiritual world.   Yogis have this information from  Vedic 
        scriptures.   For examples,  before I came to the United States I 
        read descriptions of it from books.   Similarly, a description of 
        the  higher  planets and the spiritual world can be found in  the 
        Vedic  scriptures.   The yogi knows everything;  he can  transfer 
        himself  to any planet he likes.   He does not need the  help  of 
        spacecraft.
        
             Material  scientists  have been trying for many  years,  and 
        they  will  go on trying for one hundred or  one  thousand  years 
        more,  but  they  will  never  reach  any  planet.   Maybe  by  a 
        scientific process one or two men can reach some planet, but that 
        is  not the general process.   The generally accepted process for 
        transferral  to other planets is the practice of the yoga  system 
        or the jnana system.   The bhakti system,  however,  is not meant 
        for transferral to any material planet.   Those who engage in the 
        devotional  service  of Krishna,  or the Supreme  Lord,  are  not 
        interested  in any of the planets of this material world  because 
        
                                       41
        
        
        

        
        they know that no matter to which planet one elevates himself, he 
        will  still find the four principles of material existence  there 
        nonetheless.  On some planets the duration of life is much longer 
        than on this earth,  but death is there.   Those who are  Krishna 
        conscious, however, transcend this material life of birth, death, 
        disease and old age.
        
             Spiritual  life  means  release from  this  botheration  and 
        misery.   Those  who are intelligent,  therefore,  do not try  to 
        elevate themselves to any planet of this material world.  Men are 
        trying  to reach the moon,  and although it is very difficult  to 
        gain  entrance that planet,  if we do gain entrance the period of 
        our lives will be enhanced.   Of course,  that does not apply  to 
        life in this body.   If we were to enter the moon with this body, 
        instant death would be certain.
        
             When  one  enters into a planetary system,  he must  have  a 
        suitable  body  for that planet.   Every planet is  inhabited  by 
        living  entities  with  bodies suitable  for  that  planet.   For 
        instance, we can enter the water in this body, but we cannot live 
        there.   We may stay there for fifteen or sixteen hours, or maybe 
        twenty  four hours,  but that's all.   Aquatic animals,  however, 
        have  particular bodies suitable for living their whole lives  in 
        water.   Similarly,  if one takes a fish out of water and puts it 
        on the land,  it will die instantly.   As we understand that even 
        on this planet there are different kinds of bodies for living  in 
        particular  places,  so,  similarly,  if we want to enter another 
        planet, we have to prepare ourselves to get a suitable body.
        
             If  one transfers himself and his soul transmigrates to  the 
        moon by this yogic process,  he gets a long duration of life.  On 
        the higher planets,  six of our months equals one day.   Thus the 
        beings  there  live  for  ten  thousand  years.    That  is   the 
        description in the Vedic literature.   So undoubtedly one can get 
        a  very long duration of life,  but still there is death.   After 
        ten thousand or twenty thousand years,  or ever after millions of 
        years (it does not matter), death comes.
        
             Actually,  we are not subject to death.  That is affirmed in 
        the  beginning  of Bhagavad-gita  (2.20);  na  hayante  hanyamane 
        sharire.   We are spirit soul, and therefore we are eternal.  Why 
        then  should  we  subject ourselves to death and  birth?   It  is 
        intelligent  to  think  in  this  way.   Those  who  are  Krishna 
        conscious are very intelligent because they are not interested in 
        getting promotion to any planet where there is death,  despite  a 
        long  duration of life there.   Rather,  they want to get a  body 
        like God's.   Ishvara paramah krishnah sach-chid-ananda-vigrahah.  
        (Brahma-samhita 5.1)  God's body is sach-chid-ananda.   Sat means 
        "eternal,"  and  chit  means "full of knowledge."   Ananda  means 
        "full of pleasure."
                                       42
        
        
        

        
             As  stated  in  our  pamphlet  Krishna,   the  Reservoir  of 
        Pleasure,  if  we transfer ourselves to the spiritual  world,  to 
        Krishna's planet or to any other spiritual planet,  then we  will 
        get a body similar to God's:  sach-chid-ananda - eternal, full of 
        knowledge  and  full of bliss.   So those who try to  be  Krishna 
        conscious  have a different aim of life than those who are trying 
        to  promote  themselves to the better planets  in  this  material 
        world.   Lord Krishna says,  murdhny adhayat-manah pranam asthito 
        yoga-dharanam:  "The perfection of yoga is to transfer oneself to 
        the spiritual world." (Bg. 8.12)
        
             The  spirit soul is a minute particle within the  body.   We 
        cannot  see it.   One practices the yoga system to raise the soul 
        to the topmost part of the head.  This practice goes on while one 
        is  living,  and  the perfection is reached when  one  can  place 
        himself  on the top of the head and then break through.   Then he 
        can transfer himself to whatever higher planets he  likes.   That 
        is the perfection of the yogi.
        
             If the yogi is inquisitive to see the moon, he can say, "Ah, 
        let  me see what the moon is like.   Then I shall transfer myself 
        to  higher  planets,"   just like travelers  who  go  to  Europe, 
        California,  Canada,  or  other  countries  on  earth.   One  can 
        transfer  oneself  to  many  planets by  this  yoga  system,  but 
        anywhere  he goes he will find visa systems and customs  systems.  
        To go to other planets, one must be qualified.
        
             Krishna   conscious  persons  are  not  interested  in   any 
        temporary planet, even if it offers a long durartion of life.  If 
        the yogi,  at the time of death,  can pronounce om,  the  concise 
        form  of  transcendental  vibration,  and at the  same  time  mam 
        anusmaram,  remember Krishna,  Vishnu, he will attain perfection.  
        The  purpose of the entire yoga system is to concentrate the mind 
        on  Vishnu.   Impersonalists  imagine that they see the  form  of 
        Vishnu,  or  the  Lord,  but those who are  personalists  do  not 
        imagine  this  - they actually see the form of the Supreme  Lord.  
        Either way,  if one concentrates his mind through imagination  or 
        if  one  actually sees,  one has to concentrate his mind  on  the 
        Vishnu form.   Mam means "unto the Supreme Lord, Vishnu."  Anyone 
        who  leaves this body and concentrates his mind on Vishnu  enters 
        into  the spiritual kingdom after quitting his body.   Those  who 
        are  actually  yogis  do  not desire to enter  any  other  planet 
        because  they  know  that  life is  temporary  on  the  temporary 
        planets, and thus they are not interested.  That is intelligence.
        
             Those who are satisfied with temporary happiness,  temporary 
        life  and temporary facilities are not intelligent  according  to 
        Bhagavad-gita  (7.  23).   Antavat  tu phalam tesham tad  bhavaty 
        alpa-medhasam:   "One  whose  brain substance is very  meager  is 
        
                                       43
        
        
        

        
        interested  in temporary things."  That is the version of  Srimad 
        Bhagavad-gita.   I am eternal,  so why should I be interested  in 
        nonpermanent things?   Who wants nonpermanent existence?   No one 
        wants it.  If we are living in an apartment and the landlord asks 
        us to vacate,  we are sorry, but we are not sorry if we move to a 
        better apartment.   This then is our inclination.  We do not wish 
        to die, because we are eternal.
        
             The  material  atmosphere is robbing us of  our  eternality.  
        The  Srimad-Bhagavatam  says,  "Our  duration of  life  is  being 
        diminished  by the sun,  beginning from its rising until the time 
        it sets."  Daily we are losing the duration of our lives.  If the 
        sun rises at  5:30 in the morning,  at 5:30 in the evening twelve 
        hours  have been taken away from the duration of our  lives.   We 
        will never get this time back.   If we ask any scientist, "I will 
        give  twelve million dollars - please give me back  these  twelve 
        hours," he will reply,  "No,  it is not possible."  The scientist 
        cannot do it.  Therefore the Bhagavatam says that from sunrise to 
        sunset the duration of our lives is being diminished.
        
             Time is called kala - past, present and future.  What is now 
        present,  tomorrow will be past and what is now future,  tomorrow 
        will be present.  But this past, present and future are the past, 
        present and future of the body.  We do not belong to the category 
        of  the past,  present and future.   We belong to the category of 
        eternity.   Therefore one should be concerned with how to  attain 
        or how to be elevated to the platform of eternity.  The developed 
        consciousness  of  the human being should be utilized not in  the 
        animal propensities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending but 
        in  searching out the valuable path which will help him get  that 
        life  of eternity.   It is said that the sun is taking  away  our 
        duration of life - every minute,  every hour,  every day - but we 
        engage  ourselves in the topics of Uttama -shloka,  the topics of 
        the  Lord,  that time cannot be taken away.   It is an asset  - a 
        plus,  not a minus.   The duration of life, so far as the body is 
        concerned,  may be taken; however one tries to keep it intact, no 
        one can do it.  But the spiritual education we receive in Krishna 
        consciousness  cannot  be taken away by the sun.   It  becomes  a 
        solid asset.
        
             Chanting Hare Krishna,  Hare Krishna,  Krishna Krishna, Hare 
        Hare/ Hare Rama,  Hare Rama,  Rama Rama, Hare Hare is a very easy 
        thing to do.   Time spent chanting cannot be taken away like time 
        pertaining to the body.   Fifty years ago I was a young man,  but 
        that time has been taken and cannot be returned.   The  spiritual 
        knowledge I received from my spiritual master, however, cannot be 
        taken away, but will go with me.  Even after I quit this body, it 
        will go with me;  and if it is perfect in this life, then it will 
        take me to the eternal abode.
        
             Both  the  material and spiritual worlds belong to  Krishna.  
        We  are not proprietors of anything.   It is all the property  of 
        the Supreme Lord,  just as everything in the state belongs to the 
        
government,  either  in  the prison house or outside  the  prison 
        house.   Conditioned life is just like life in a prison house  in 
        this  material world.   A prisoner cannot freely change from  one 
        cell  to  another.   In  free life one can go from  one  home  to 
        another home, but in prison life one cannot do that but must stay 
        in his cell.  All these planets are like cells.  We are trying to 
        go  to  the moon,  but it is not practical by  mechanical  means.  
        Whether we are American, Indian, Chinese or Russian, we have been 
        given  this planet to live on.   We cannot leave - although there 
        are  millions  and  billions  of planets  and  although  we  have 
        machines by which we can - because we are conditioned by the laws 
        of  nature,  God's laws.   A man who is put into a  certain  cell 
        cannot  change at will without superior authority.   Krishna says 
        in  the Bhagavad-gita that one should not try to change from  one 
        cell to another.  That will not make anyone happy.  If a prisoner 
        thinks,  "I am in this cell - let me request the warden to change 
        my  cell,  and I will be happy," that is a  mistaken  idea.   One 
        cannot be happy so long as he is within the prison walls.  We are 
        trying  to  be  happy  by changing  cells  - from  capitalism  to 
        communism.   The aim should be to become free from this "ism" and 
        that  "ism."   One  has to change completely from this  "ism"  of 
        materialism;  then he can become happy.   That is the program  of 
        Krishna consciousness.
        
             We are taking advice from the Supreme Person.   He says, "My 
        dear Arjuna, you may be elevated to the highest planetary system, 
        which is called Brahmaloka and is desirable because life there is 
        very  long."  We cannot calculate even a half-day there.   It  is 
        beyond  our  mathematical calculations.   But even in  Brahmaloka 
        there is death.   Therefore Krishna says, "Do not waste your time 
        trying to elevate yourself or transfer yourself from this  planet 
        to that planet."
        
             The  people I have seen in America are very restless.   They 
        go  from  one apartment to another apartment or from  country  to 
        another  country.   That  restlessness is there  because  we  are 
        searching  after  our real home.   To go from this place to  that 
        place will not give eternal life.   Eternal life is with Krishna.  
        Therefore Krishna says, "Everything belongs to Me, and I have the 
        superexcellent abode, which is called Goloka Vrindavana."  If one 
        wants to there,  he must simply become Krishna conscious and  try 
        to  understand  how  Krishna appears  and  disappears,  what  His 
        constitutional position is,  what our constitutional position is, 
        what our relationship with Him is,  and how to live.   Simply try 
        to understand these ideas scientifically.   Everything in Krishna 
        consciousness  is  scientific.    It  is  not  bogus,  whimsical, 
        sentimental, fanatical or imaginary.  It is truth, fact, reality.  
        One must understand Krishna in truth.
        
             We have to give up this body, willingly or unwillingly.  The 
        day  will come when we will have to submit to the laws of  nature 
        
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        and give up this body.   Even President Kennedy in his procession 
        had  to  submit to nature's law and change his body  for  another 
        body.   He  could  not say,  "Oh,  I am the president;  I am  Mr. 
        Kennedy.   I cannot do that."  He was forced to do it.   That  is 
        the way nature works.
        
             The  purpose  of  our developed human  consciousness  is  to 
        understand  how  nature works.   Aside from human  consciousness, 
        there is consciousness in dogs, cats, worms, trees, birds, beasts 
        and  all  other species.   But we are not meant to live  in  that 
        consciousness.   The Srimad-Bhagavatam says that after many, many 
        birth we have attained the human form of body.  Now we should not 
        misuse  it.   Please utilize this human life to  develop  Krishna 
        consciousness and be happy.
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
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                                 G L O S S A R Y       
                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        
        
        Apara prakriti - Inferior or material energy.
        Ashtanga-yoga - The materialistic art of controlling the airs of 
             the body for transferral to any planet desired.
        Avidya - Nescience.
        Bhagavan - The opulent one, the living being who is the 
             fountainhead of all energies.
        Bhakti-yoga - Loving devotional service unto Krishna - the 
             activity of superior energy.
        Bhava - Attachment, the stage prior to love of Godhead.
        Brahma - The first living being in the created material world, 
             the presiding deity of this universe.
        Brahman - Effulgence emanating from the transcendental body of 
             Lord Krishna.
        Brahmajyoti - The spiritual bodily effulgence of Krishna.
        Brahma-pada - Occupation of the post of Brahma.
        Brahma-randhra - Hole on the topmost part of the skull.  By 
             lifting the vital force to the brahma-randhra, a yogi can 
             leave the gross and subtle bodies and reach the 
             transcendental Vaikuntha planets.
        Dhuma - Dark, moonless fortnight.  Those who die during this 
             opportune period for death may rise up to the higher 
             planets, only to return again, after death, to the earthly 
             planet.
        Gunas - The modes of nature.
        Hare - A form of address to the energy of the Lord.
        Jiva - The living spirit, or vital force.
        Kala - Eternal time.
        Para Prakriti - Superior form of energy which creates the 
             antimaterial world.
        Para-vyoma - The variegated spiritual planetary system which 
             comprises the major three-fourths part of the Supreme Lord's 
             creative energy.  Also called Vaikunthaloka.
        Pitas - Bygone forefathers.
        Pratyahara - The process of closing all the doors of the senses 
             and fixing the mind on the heart and the life air at the top 
             of the head, thus establishing oneself in yoga.
        Rajas - The material mode of passion.
        Sanatana - Eternal, that which has neither beginning nor end.
        Sanatana-dhama - The eternal nature, the antimaterial sky beyond 
             the material universe.
        Sanatana-dharma - the eternal nature of the living being, to 
             render service.
        Sankhaites - Speculators who scrutinize the material principles 
             with minute analysis and synthesis.
        
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        Sattva - The material mode of Goodness.
        Satyaloka - The topmost planet of the material world.  Also 
             called Brahmaloka.
        Siddhaloka - Planets of materially perfect beings who have full 
             capacities to control gravity, space, time, etc.
        Soma-rasa - A celestial beverage drunk on the moon.
        Tamas - The material mode of ignorance.
        Uttarayana - Period when the sun passes toward the northern side, 
             in which the deities of fire and effulgence control the 
             atmosphere, the opportune time for persons who have realized 
             the Transcendence to leave their material bodies and reach 
             the antimaterial world.
        Vaikunthaloka - See: Para-vyoma.
        Vibhuti-bhinnam - Specific variegated endowment by which each 
             planet has its own atmosphere, making bodily or 
             psychological change necessary for the organism of one 
             planet to adapt to life on another planet.
        Vishnu-murti - The form of Vishnu.
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
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