Don't Be Carried Away By Maya

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.15
September 20, 1972, Los Angeles


Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

rupam sa jagrhe matsyam
caksusodadhi-samplave
navy aropya mahi-mayyam
apad vaivasvatam manum

Translation: "When there was a complete inundation after the period of the Caksusa Manu and the whole world was deep within water, the Lord accepted the form of a fish and protected Vaivasvata Manu, keeping him up on a boat."

Prabhupada: So here is history also. This Vedic history is not that for one thousand years or two thousand years. No, not like that. One period. One millennium, Brahma's one day, it is millions and millions of years. So just like there is night after day, day after night, similarly, the Brahma's day, Brahma's night, that is calculated. And one Brahma's day. You know, that is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg. 8.17]. So Brahma's one day means one thousand times of the yugas. The yugas means the Satya-yuga, Kali-yuga, and..., Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. So Satya-yuga's duration is about 1800,000's of years. The next, Treta-yuga, duration about 1200,000's of years. And then Dvapara-yuga, 800,000's of years, solar years.

We are calculating the years, the time also relative. That is the latest theory of the scientists, law of relativity. My hundred years and Brahma's hundred years and an ant's hundred years, a germ's hundred years, they are not the same. Similarly time calculation, if you go in the upper planetary system, that time calculation is different. Just like in modern age, the sputnik age, they are flying sputnik. The first sputnik flight, they circumambulated this earth three times in one twenty-five hour and minutes. And they saw that there is night and day. Here in this planet our night and day experience is twenty-four hours. But as soon as you leave this planet, you fly in a different speed, there is three times night and day in one hour and minutes. So similarly everyone lives hundred years, but that hundred years are all relative. An ant's hundred years and man's hundred years is not the same. Similarly, a man's hundred years and a demigod's hundred years not the same. In different planetary system the time is... Similarly, if you go still up and up, the time is relative.

So we are calculating our three thousand years, four thousand years in our system. That three thousand or four thousand years, as soon as you go little up, it become one hour, twenty-five minutes. So Brahma's one day is different. But it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita... You know, who are reading Bhagavad... Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg. 8.17]. You try to understand Brahma's one day equal to our one thousand times of the yugas. And the yugas, as I have already explained... The Satya-yuga, 1800,000's of years; Treta-yuga, 1200,000's of years. In the Satya-yuga people used to live for 100,000's of years. Valmiki Muni, he practiced yoga for 60,000's of years. So unless one has got 100,000's of years duration of life, how he could practice 60,000's of years? So we should understand, everything is relative. This is called relative world. Relativity, law of relativity.

So Brahma's one day means 4300,000's of years of our calculation. Forty-three hundred thousands of years, little more. That is Brahma's one day. And in that one day, 4300,000's of years, there are fourteen manus changing. So these are described here. The manu, Caksusa Manu, Vaivasvata Manu. There are fourteen manus. So the calculation is in one day of Brahma, ah, in one month of Brahma, there are about five thousand manus. So this calculation is taken in the duration of manu's life.

The Bhagavad-gita says,

imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha
manur iksvakave 'bravit
[Bg. 4.1]

So this is the parampara system. So here it is, Vaivasvata Manu. What is text number? Fifteen. Here it is. Vaivasvata Manu. So this Vaivasvata Manu means at the present moment the president of the sun planet is called Vivasvan. His name is Vivasvan. And because his son Manu... Vivasvan manave praha... The Bhagavad-gita was spoken long, long ago by Krsna to the sun-god, Vivasvan. Vivasvan. They are trying to understand the historical dates. So how you can understand the historical date? It is beyond your calculation. You cannot calculate even one Brahma's day. And in Brahma's one day there are fourteen manus. So it is beyond your brain substance. You can have some idea.

Now here it is said Vaivasvata Manu. Vaivasvata Manu. There are different manus. Just like first of all it is said Caksusa Manu. Similarly, next it is said Vaivasvata Manu. So this Vaivasvata Manu is the son of sun-god. There are two kinds of ksatriya families within this planet: one coming from the moon and the other is coming from the sun. The first person, I mean to say, first father of this ksatriya family from sun, his first son is manu. And his name is Vaivasvata Manu. Because he is the son of Vivasvan, therefore his father's name is also added. In India the system is still that when a man will give you name, the first name is his own name, the second name is his father's name, and the third name is his village name. So that by three names he will understand that "This man is the son of such and such gentleman and coming from such and such village." Complete name. Just like when we give our identification, we give our own name, our father's name and address. That is complete identification. So still, not in everywhere, in almost all provinces of India, the system is still current. State..., especially in Maharastra province. Maharastra province, they exactly will give you his own name his father's name, and his village name.

So here also, Vaivasvata Manu. Vaivasvata Manu means the son of the gentleman whose name is Vivasvan. He is the president of this solar world, of the sun, sun planet. There is also president. You have got your president here. Why not in the sun planet? Why...? How can you deny with teeny knowledge that there is no life, there is no city, there is no...? Simply you go on smoking ganja and telling anything, but the fact is different. The fact is different. From common sense we can understand that this is a planet made of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. So this whole material world is made of these five elements. Somewhere, some portion is very prominent. Here the earth is very prominent. Similarly, in the sun planet the fire is very prominent. But there are five elements. Nothing is made... Just like if you go to a fireplace, there the temperature is different, but the fireplace is made of these five elements: earth, water, air, fire, ether. Nothing but.

Therefore if we study Bhagavad-gita very carefully, you understand everything. A little brain required. Just like we can... Just you, when you go to the oven, fire, fireplace, that fireplace, the stove... What is the stove? The stove is made of these five elements, earth, water, fire, air, but there the fire is very prominent. Therefore you cannot touch it. You do not go there. Similarly, sun planet is not very wonderful thing. It is also made of the same ingredients as it is made here in this planet, because the whole material world is made of these five elements. But there the fire element is very prominent. Therefore we are thinking, "How one can live there?" How one can cook in the kitchen when the fire is so hot? It is possible. Just like you can see in the water. You cannot live in the water, but there are thousands and millions of living entities. They are very comfortably living. The same living entities, you bring on the land, they cannot live. But you can live.

So it is, God's creation is like that. According to karma, there are different species of forms of life, but they have got all facilities to live. That is God's creation. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. The direction is there, that this living entity wanted a body to swim in the sea very jubilantly, so now he has got the body of a fish. So let him live very peacefully. That is God's mercy. You take very much pleasure with that surf... What is called, in the sea?

Devotee: Surfboard.

Prabhupada: Surfboard? Yes. (laughter) So if you increase your engage..., "How I shall be swimming and enjoy this sport all day and night?" then Krsna will give you the body of a fish. (laughter) Yes. He is very kind. And you will very nicely live in the sea, always swimming without any difficulty. Every life. As you increase your propensity for a certain type of activities, nature is ready immediately: "Take this body. Why you are anxious? Take this body." Similarly, if you become anxious to have a body like Krsna, that is also ready. Now it is your choice. If you like, you take the body of a fish, or if you like, you take the body of sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], eternal, blissful knowledge.

So we are trying to give that body. Not a fish body, cat's body, dog's body. That we have experienced, past life. We have got this life now to make discretion, to make choice, what kind of body we are going to get next. That is intelligence. That is intelligence. Not that to give away with the waves of this time. Mayar bose jaccho bhese' Khaccho habudubu bhai. Bhaktivinoda Thakura therefore sings that "Don't be carried away by the waves of maya. Now you have got intelligence. You try to understand that you are eternal servant of Krsna and do the needful. Then get out of this maya's webs." This is Krsna consciousness movement, giving the right information, that "If you do not want to be carried away by the waves of this maya, material nature, then take to this consciousness so that at the time of your death you will change this body to Krsna planet, Krsna, Goloka Vrndavana." Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. Krsna says. Krsna is not making lying propaganda. He has no business. He is giving you information, that if you become Krsna conscious, janma karma me divyam, always thinking of Krsna -- how He is acting, why He has come, why He has appeared, why He has given us the Bhagavad-gita, what lessons He is giving -- in this way, if you simply try to understand Krsna, janma karma me divyam yo janati tat..., in truth, not whimsically, not sentimentally, with sound philosophy, knowledge, argument, you try to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is, then you get tyaktva deham... Then after giving up this body, undoubtedly you go back to Krsna, go back to home back to Godhead.

This is the proposition, Krsna consciousness movement. Otherwise, these changes of Manu, changes of millennium, changes of devastation... In every... Manvantara. At the end of Manu, there is another devastation. Pralaya-samplave, caksusodadhi-samplave. After the span of life of Caksusa Manu, there is another inundation. And then again everything comes out gradually and the water dries. Just like you see the Pacific Ocean, it is drying. Of course, we shall not live, but if hundreds years after, if somebody comes here, he will see that the Los Angeles city has expanded and the Pacific Ocean has diminished. This is going on. In this way, one day will be, there will be no Pacific Ocean. And therefore, without water, everyone will die. Simply sunshine, bright sunshine. So then again, as there is after bright sunshine there is cloud and rain, similarly, again there will be rain. Then again there will be water. Samplave, inundation. This is going on. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. This material world, these scientists, the rascal scientists, they are trying to save it, "How to run on our motorcar, how our grandchildren who are coming, how they will drive this motorcar." They are thinking and trying to find out some energy. But the rascals, they do not know where they are going. He is thinking for the future grandchildren. What is the relationship with grandchildren? There are so many living entities, they are coming and going. Bhutva bhutva praliyate.

So our relationship is just like sometimes there is wind and some straws gather together, and as soon as the wind is finished the straws are again strewn everywhere. So our this gathering, this father, mother, son, children, grandchildren, it is like that. By nature's blast, we gather together, again finished. So where is your grandchildren, where is your grandfather?

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

They are, by the freaks of nature, by the arrangement of nature, they are gathering together. So-called nation, so-called family, so-called society. Again, by freaks of nature, they are thrown here and there. Sometimes somebody is going to be cat, sometimes he's he is going to be dog. So if your grandchild, grandson is going to be a cat and dog, how he is coming to drive your motorcar? (laughter) But these rascals, they do not know. They are trying to make provision, "How my grandchildren will drive car. The petrol will be finished, and what other energy we shall make in stock so that my grandchildren will come and very comfortably drive his car?"

This is called maya-mohita.

maya-mugdha jivera nahi svatah krsna-jnana
jivere krpaya kaila krsna veda-purana

That is stated in the Caitanya-cari... We are so much engrossed by the influence of maya that we are trying to do so many things, but our only business is how to forget Krsna. That's all. Our real business is how we can kill Krsna -- "There is no God" -- how we can forget Krsna. And we are very busy in finding out petroleum energy. This is our business. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, anadi-bahirmukha jivera svatah krsna nahi jnana.(?) We are so much foolish, influenced by the illusory energy, that by automatically we cannot understand Krsna. Because we are influenced. Therefore this propaganda required. Not that automatically they will come to Krsna consciousness. There is need of spreading, unless... If you want to save..., if you are actually benevolent to your countrymen, to your society, to the human society, you must preach this Krsna consciousness movement. Otherwise they are going away, they are carried away by the influence of maya. That is... Therefore the most welfare activities, the most valuable welfare activity is to spread this Krsna consciousness movement all over the world. Otherwise they are being carried away by maya. Anadi-bahirmukha jivera svatah kr..., ataeva krsna kaila veda-purana.

Now we have to accept knowledge from Vedas, Vedic knowledge, not this rascal's knowledge. Rascal knowledge is that "Yes," as soon as he comes to the imperfect point, "yes, we are trying." You are trying. What is this trying? Trying means that your knowledge is imperfect. And another rascal will come, he will say, "Now here is the perfect." And ten years after, another rascal will come," No, this is not perfect. This is perfect." This is going on. This is called scientific advancement. This is... Advancement means... But we don't change our Vedic knowledge. We do not say, "Now, Krsna, five thousand years ago, said like this. Now we are advanced. We change this line." Of course, others are doing. In the scriptures... Just like the Christians, they are changing the words. But you cannot do that. Then where is the authority? If you change the word of the scripture, then where is the authority of the scripture? Just like in lawbooks, there is some law made already. Whimsically you cannot, I mean to say, erase the words and put something that "It should be changed like this." That will not be accepted. Law, if there is change... Actually, there is no change. There cannot be change. Real law means there is no change. Just like day and night, it is coming. The fortnight, the dark period and the light period, it is coming for millions and millions and time immemorial. The same law is going, going on. You cannot change. So as soon as you change, that means it is imperfect. You change.

So Vedic laws are not like that. You cannot change. Five thousand years ago Krsna said, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "You give up all other religious principles. Simply surrender unto Me." We are preaching the same thing. No change. No change. There is no possibility of change. Then how Krsna is authority? So change means imperfect knowledge. This very change. And perfect knowledge... You will find that one who is very experienced medical practitioner, he gives you a prescription, and you visit him again and again, he gives you the same prescription unless you are cured. His prescription is so nice that he doesn't change. But a nonexperienced physician, every time you go, he will change the prescription. But actually, those who are experienced, he knows "This is the disease, and ultimately this medicine will cure. So let him repeat that medicine." So our is that platform. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam [Adi 17.21]. We repeat only. We don't change: "Now harinama is not curing so let me add, instead of Hare Krsna, ‘John Krsna,' if I may." No. No "John Krsna." (laughter) That same Hare Krsna must be repeated. And you will be cured. So change means imperfect knowledge. No change means that is perfect knowledge. So we follow that no change policy. No, not that because I think I have become now advanced, I change this to that. That mean I am not advanced. My knowledge is imperfect. Therefore I am changing.

So this verse, the appearance of Vaivasvata Manu is described. So Vaivasvata Manu is incarnation of God. Svayambhuva Manu, Vaivasvata Manu. As I told you, there are fourteen manus within the day. Now out of that fourteen manus, this is the seventh manu. It is going on. This Vaivasvata Manu is the seventh manu. So another seven manus, when they will be finished, this one day of Brahma will be finished, and there will be another devastation. This is the law of nature.

Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.15 -- Los Angeles, September 20, 1972