Science Based on "Perhaps, Maybe"

Founder-Acharya of the world-wide Hare Krishna Movement, Brahma Sampradaya Acharya

Lunacy

Moving House to the Moon A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

In 1958 or '57, when I first published this book, Easy Journey to Other Planets, so I met one gentleman. He was very enthusiastic, "So we can go to other planet? You are giving such information?" "Yes. And if you go, you will not come back." "No, no, then I don't want to go." [laughter] He said the whole idea is that we shall go another planet just like they are making the fun. They are going to moon planet, but they could not stay there. They're coming back. That is scientific advancement. And if you go there, why don't you stay there? And I read the newspaper that when the Russian aeronautics went, they were looking down, "Where is Moscow?" more

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Complete knowledge without any doubt

INDIAN MAN: So there is life on the moon, Swamiji?

PRABHUPADA: Yes.

INDIAN MAN: But can you see them? Do they have bodies?

PRABHUPADA: First of all you go there. Then see. I don't admit that they have gone to the moon planet.

INDIAN MAN: You don't believe?

PRABHUPADA: It is 1 million 600 thousand miles above the sun, the moon.

INDIAN MAN: One million 600...

PRABHUPADA: Thousand miles above the sun.

INDIAN MAN: Well, they say...

PRABHUPADA: They say. They're all fools.

INDIAN MAN: Quarter million miles.

PRABHUPADA: We don't accept them.

INDIAN MAN: 1 million 600 thousand.

PRABHUPADA: Yes.

PUSTA KRSNA: Above the sun.

INDIAN MAN: Above the sun.

PRABHUPADA: And how they will go?

INDIAN MAN: And the sun is 96,000,000 miles away.

PRABHUPADA: Yes. That they cannot go there.

PUSTA KRSNA: 93,000,000.

INDIAN MAN: Ninety-three.

PRABHUPADA: [break] [in car:] These statements are there in the Srimad-Bhagavatam since the last five thousand years, and these people have become civilized for the last three hundred years, and we have to accept their statement over the statement which is made five thousand years at least? At least they discussed or they had some knowledge. You cannot deny that. They're giving description of all the planets, where it is situated. At least they had discussion. So they were uncivilized?

PUSTA KRSNA: The moon that we see in the sky...

PRABHUPADA: The same moon.

PUSTA KRSNA: That same moon.

PRABHUPADA: Yes. And there is fire, blazing fire, just like the sun. But it is surrounded by cool atmosphere. Therefore it is pleasing. Heat coming through cool atmosphere, it is pleasing. This is the statement. What do they know? They cannot explain why it is so brilliant. We explain, "There is firelike flames; therefore it is brilliant." They say that every planet looks like that. That's not a fact. Then all the planets together, why they cannot illuminate this earth at night? Only the moon is required.

PUSTA KRSNA: Well, they give the excuse that all the other stars are so far away that the light doesn't shine bright enough.

PRABHUPADA: There are no other, nearer planets?

PUSTA KRSNA: Yes. There are other planets like Venus and Mars, but they say these planets are much closer than the sun.

PRABHUPADA: That means... So why they do not look so bright?

PUSTA KRSNA: Their philosophy is that the earth, Venus and Mars, these different planets, they don't give off any light.

PRABHUPADA: Then why do they say that all the planets look like moon? They say like that.

PUSTA KRSNA: They think the moon is just reflecting light from the sun.

PRABHUPADA: So why it is not reflecting to other planets, only to the moon? Why special advantage to the moon? They have no reason. All rascals' philosophy. Why particularly to the moon? Why not others? Simply theories and mental speculation. They have no scientific. And the shastra definitely gives the distance of the moon from the sun planet-1 million 600 thousand miles. Then similarly 1 million 600 thousand up, the Mars, then Venus, then..., everything. And moon is specifically mentioned that "It is so brilliant because there is fire, blazing fire. And the blazing fire is so illuminating that even at night it looks white, bright." This is reasonable because... Not that it is being reflected by the sun. The sun can reflect other planets, but it is there, fire. Just like sun there is fire, similarly, moon there is fire. The sun is not covered by cool atmosphere, but the moon is covered by cool atmosphere. Therefore it is pleasing. When there is sunshine and breeze, it is very pleasing. And no sunshine, simply breezing—it is not pleasing. And only sunshine, there is no cool atmosphere—that is also painful. But sunshine and breezing is very pleasing. So there is, like sunshine, blazing fire and surrounded by cool atmosphere. Therefore the moon is so pleasing.

PUSTA KRSNA: That's a very reasonable argument, but how do we understand that the moon is 1 million 600 thousand miles...

PRABHUPADA: It is stated in the Bhagavata.

PUSTA KRSNA: Does that mean that it's farther away from the earth than the... Does that mean that the earth is farther from the moon than from the sun?

PRABHUPADA: Yes, certainly. Sun is in the center of the universe, and other planets there are above the sun and lower the sun. Sun is in the middle of the universe.

PUSTA KRSNA: So then the moon...

PRABHUPADA: Everything is there. The whole, what is called, radius, no, diameter, from one point to another of the universe is given there. Pañchashat-koti-yojana. Pañchashat means fifty, and koti means ten million. So fifty times ten million. Huh? 500,000,000. Pañcashat-koti. And eight.

PUSTA KRSNA: Four billion.

PRABHUPADA: Four billion miles, the area, this way and that way. So if the distance is so vast then one planet situated some millions of miles away, it is not extraordinary. The whole area is four billion.

PUSTA KRSNA: Yes. But it appears at least for... It appears that the moon is so close.

PRABHUPADA: "It appears"—that is another thing. As soon as you say "appears," that means you have no knowledge.

PUSTA KRSNA: Yes.

PRABHUPADA: But we say on the authenticity of the description in the Vedic literature. Therefore it is authentic. This proves that they did not go to the moon planet. If it is above, 1 million 600 thousand miles above, then it is impossible. So this is bogus propaganda: they have gone to the moon.

PUSTA KRSNA: It's a very reasonable proposition because going to the moon, they simply come back with some rocks. Rocks they can get on the earth also.

PRABHUPADA: They are all nonsense. Some sand and some rocks, and we have to believe they have gone to. The fools may believe, but we cannot believe. We have got other information. Why shall I believe?

PUSTA KRSNA: So all of the politicians are taking the money and they're saying that...

PRABHUPADA: That's all. That's all. Exploiting, that's all. This is their business. Just like Pakistan politicians, as soon as they cannot supply food, they declare war with India. The attention is diverted. Here also we have seen in the last war. When no man was joining, so in India, they created artificial famine. So for want of food they joined military. The government created a situation, purchased all the food grains and stocked. And when the price is very high the government opened controlled shop at high price. The people had no money; therefore they were obliged to join military. These politicians, demons, they are so dangerous, simply to keep their position they are doing all nefarious activities. Because they don't believe in the next birth, they are not afraid of sinful activities. They can do anything, "Whatever I like. There is no... This life is finished." That is the whole philosophy of the modern educated man, "There is no life." Big, big professors, they say like that, "There is no life after death." Therefore the arya-samaji rascal was: "That is Hindu belief." Why Hindu belief? Does the Mohammedan do not grow old? That answer he could not give. He is such a rascal. And at last he said that "I am God."

PUSTA KRSNA: They are dogmatic.

PRABHUPADA: Dogmatic, no. Why we should waste our time talking with such foolish men? "I don't believe." No, what... You believe or not believe; fact is fact. You are going to be old man. If you say "I don't believe," then is that a very good proposition? It does not depend on your believing or not believing. The nature's course will take place. Prakriteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvashah [Bg. 3.27]. That will go on. What is there in your believing and not believing? If you keep yourself in such darkness that "If you believe, then it is fact," then you are a fool, rascal. If you depend only on your belief, then you are a fool. What is the meaning of your belief? "I believe if I touch fire it will not burn." Will this belief protect me? You touch fire; it will burn. You believe or not believe. What is this argument, "We don't believe"? This is going on. If nature's law is that you must die, then if you believe, "No, I'll not die," will that belief protect you? You have to submit to the nature's law. Why don't you understand this? You are talking of "believe and not believe." Whole world is going on in this way: "We think," "I suppose," "Perhaps," "I believe," like this. Where is science? Science does not depend on your "belief, not belief, supposing, perhaps." This is not science. But they are going on like that. Whole Darwin's theory is based on this, "Maybe millions of years past..." We want perfect knowledge, not such, what is called, samshayam. Therefore Krishna says, asamshayam, "without any doubt." That is knowledge. And samagram, "complete." So if we have got the chance of knowing complete, without any doubt, so why shall I go to you, rascal? Your knowledge is based on "perhaps, maybe." I will have to go somewhere to take knowledge, so why not go to Krishna, where the knowledge is complete and without any doubt? Why shall I go to you, you rascal? You simply say "maybe, perhaps, I think." What is the use of this knowledge? We don't accept. You cannot say that "You are right; I am wrong" because you are also going to somebody to get knowledge, I am also going to somebody to get knowledge. So here it is assured, that "complete knowledge without any doubt." But you have no such confidence. Am I right or not?

PUSTA KRSNA: Yes. The difficulty arises in... We say, well, you have to grow old. And then we say the moon is so high above the sun. So...

PRABHUPADA: So how can you deny it? First of all tell me. You have not gone there.

PUSTA KRSNA: I haven't gone, but the argument...

PRABHUPADA: No, no. The scientists. I challenge that he has not gone there. I have not gone, you have not gone, but I have got this authentic literature; you have nothing. So my position is better than yours. You are fool. You are befooled because you are simply contemplating. But I have got a definite literature, information. So my position is better than yours.