# MOON-THING

The rest of the Moon-thing series will be background reference quotes from BBTI copyrighted materials (used with permission):

‘This moon project is childish. Those who aspire to go to the moon are like crying children. A child cries, "Mother, give me the moon," so the mother gives the child a mirror and says, "Here is the moon, my dear son." And the child takes the mirror, sees the moon in it and says, "Oh, I have the moon." Unfortunately, this is not just a story.' – Life Comes From Life

"First they may get a handful of dust, then they promise to bring back tons of dust. What is the meaning of all this?" – The Science of Self-Realization

Letter from Srila Prabhuapada on 7 November, 1972: But such questions as yours: why there is so-called discrepancy between the views of Bhagavat and modern scientists regarding the moon and other planets, and whether Hitler is good or bad man, these are most insignificant matters, and for anyone who is sincerely convinced that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for him these questions do not arise.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.11.5

ArurukSanti mAyAbhir
utsisRpsanti ye divam
tAn dasyUn vidhunomy ajJAn
pUrvasmAc ca padAd adhaH

SYNONYMS
ArurukSanti--persons who desire to come to the upper planetary systems; mAyAbhiH--by so-called mystic power or material advancement of science; utsisRpsanti--or want to be liberated by such false attempts; ye--such persons who; divam--the higher planetary system known as Svargaloka; tAn--such rogues and ruffians; dasyUn--such thieves; vidhunomi--I force to go down; ajJAn--rascals; pUrvasmAt--previous; ca--also; padAt--from the position; adhaH--downward.

TRANSLATION
Those fools and rascals who want to ascend to the upper planetary system by mystic power or mechanical means, or who endeavor to cross even the upper planets and achieve the spiritual world or liberation, I cause to be sent to the lowest region of the universe.

PURPORT
There are undoubtedly different planetary systems for different persons. As stated in Bhagavad-gItA (14.18), UrdhvaM gacchanti sattva-sthAH: persons in the mode of goodness can go to the upper planets. Those in the modes of darkness and passion, however, are not allowed to enter the higher planets. The word divam refers to the higher planetary system known as Svargaloka.

Indra, King of the higher planetary system, has the power to push down any conditioned soul attempting to go from the lower to the higher planets without proper qualifications. The modern attempt to go to the moon is also an attempt by inferior men to go to Svargaloka by artificial, mechanical means. This attempt cannot be successful. From this statement of Indra it appears that anyone attempting to go to the higher planetary systems by mechanical means, which are here called mAyA, is condemned to go the hellish planets in the lower portion of the universe. To go to the higher planetary system, one needs sufficient good qualities. A sinful person situated in the mode of ignorance and addicted to drinking, meat-eating and illicit sex will never enter the higher planets by mechanical means.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.23.29

pAraM mahimna uruvikramato gRNAno
yaH pArthivAni vimame sa rajAMsi martyaH
kiM jAyamAna uta jAta upaiti martya
ity Aha mantra-dRg RSiH puruSasya yasya

SYNONYMS
pAram--the measurement; mahimnaH--of the glories; uruvikramataH--of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who acts wonderfully; gRNAnaH--can count; yaH--a person who; pArthivAni--of the whole planet earth; vimame-- can count; saH--he; rajAMsi--the atoms; martyaH--a human being who is subject to death; kim--what; jAyamAnaH--one who will take birth in the future; uta--either; jAtaH--one who is already born; upaiti--can do; martyaH--a person subject to death; iti--thus; Aha--said; mantra-dRk--who could foresee the Vedic mantras; RSiH--the great saintly VasiSTha Muni; puruSasya--of the supreme person; yasya--of whom.

TRANSLATION
One who is subject to death cannot measure the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Trivikrama, Lord ViSNu, any more than he can count the number of atoms on the entire planet earth. No one, whether born already or destined to take birth, is able to do this. This has been sung by the great sage VasiSTha.

PURPORT
VasiSTha Muni has given a mantra about Lord ViSNu: na te viSNor jAyamAno na jAto mahimnaH pAram anantam Apa. No one can estimate the extent of the uncommonly glorious activities of Lord ViSNu. Unfortunately, there are so- called scientists who are subject to death at every moment but are trying to understand by speculation the wonderful creation of the cosmos. This is a foolish attempt. Long, long ago, VasiSTha Muni said that no one in the past could measure the glories of the Lord and that no one can do so in the future. One must simply be satisfied with seeing the glorious activities of the Supreme Lord's creation. The Lord therefore says in Bhagavad-gItA (10.42), viSTabhyAham idaM kRtsnam ekAMzena sthito jagat: "With a single fragment of Myself, I pervade and support this entire universe." The material world consists of innumerable universes, each one full of innumerable planets, which are all considered to be products of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's material energy. Yet this is only one fourth of God's creation.

The other three fourths of creation constitute the spiritual world. Among the innumerable planets in only one universe, the so-called scientists cannot understand even the moon and Mars, but they try to defy the creation of the Supreme Lord and His uncommon energy. Such men have been described as crazy. NUnaM pramattaH kurute vikarma (BhAg. 5.5.4). Such crazy men unnecessarily waste time, energy and money in attempting to defy the glorious activities of Urukrama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

> > ## The above article was first published in the mid 1990s in the now defunct soc.religion.vaishnava newsgroup. The following are the Bhaktivedanta sources relating to the moon-thing:

> > > A SYNOPSIS
> > > THESE QUESTIONS DO NOT ARISE
> > > BOOK REFERENCES
> > > LECTURES
> > > SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM
> > > PRESS INTERVIEW
> > > MOON DISTANCE DIFFERENCE
> > > CONCLUSION