Prabhupada explains the material Universe (The Intriguing Vedic Universe, ch.17)
In the Sri Isopanisad, mantra 14, Srila Prabhupada gives a simple and concise explanation of the workings of the material universe that summarizes many aspects of the universe we studied.
'The Intriguing Vedic Universe' was my first book on Vedic cosmology, explaining the mysterious universe described in the Srimad Bhagavatam. It describes not just the physical aspects, in a level of detail that rivals modern science, but also the metaphysical aspects, the missing aspect that is missing in the modern perspective.
Chapter 17: Prabhupada explains the material Universe
In the Sri Isopanisad, mantra 14, Srila Prabhupada gives a simple and concise explanation of the workings of the material universe that summarizes many aspects of the universe I tried to explain in the previous chapters.
"From the Visnu Purana (6.7.61) we receive the following information:
visnu-saktih para prokta
ksetrajñakhya tatha para
avidya-karma-samjñanya
trtiya saktir isyateLord Visnu, the Personality of Godhead, possesses different energies, known as para (superior) and apara (inferior). The living entities belong to the superior energy. The material energy, in which we are presently entangled, is the inferior energy. The material creation is made possible by this energy, which covers the living entities with ignorance (avidya) and induces them to perform fruitive activities. Yet there is another part of the Lord’s superior energy that is different from both this material, inferior energy and the living entities. That superior energy constitutes the eternal, deathless abode of the Lord. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (8.20):
paras tasmat tu bhavo ’nyo
’vyakto ’vyaktat sanatanah
yah sa sarvesu bhutesu
nasyatsu na vinasyatiAll the material planets – upper, lower and intermediate, including the sun, moon and Venus – are scattered throughout the universe. These planets exist only during the lifetime of Brahma. Some lower planets, however, are vanquished after the end of one day of Brahma and are again created during the next day of Brahma. On the upper planets, time is calculated differently. One of our years is equal to only twenty-four hours, or one day and night, on many of the upper planets. The four ages of earth (Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali) last only twelve thousand years according to the time scale of the upper planets. Such a length of time multiplied by one thousand constitutes one day of Brahma, and one night of Brahma is the same. Such days and nights accumulate into months and years, and Brahma lives for one hundred such years. At the end of Brahma’s life, the complete universal manifestation is vanquished.
Those living beings who reside on higher planets like the sun and the moon, as well as those on Martyaloka, this earth planet, and also those who live on lower planets – all are merged into the waters of devastation during the night of Brahma. During this time no living beings or species remain manifest, although spiritually they continue to exist. This unmanifested stage is called avyakta. Again, when the entire universe is vanquished at the end of Brahma’s lifetime, there is another avyakta state. But beyond these two unmanifested states is another unmanifested state, the spiritual atmosphere, or nature. There are a great number of spiritual planets in this atmosphere, and these planets exist eternally, even when all the planets within this material universe are vanquished at the end of Brahma’s life. There are many material universes, each under the jurisdiction of a Brahma, and this cosmic manifestation within the jurisdiction of the various Brahmās is but a display of one fourth of the energy of the Lord (ekapad-vibhuti). This is the inferior energy. Beyond the jurisdiction of Brahma is the spiritual nature, which is called tripad-vibhuti, three fourths of the Lord’s energy. This is the superior energy, or para-prakrti."
This is a lot of information condensed into just three paragraphs. Let's try to break it down into simple ideas:
1- Krsna possesses two energies: The superior energy (para) and the inferior energy (apara). The souls are part of the superior energy, and the material nature is part of the inferior energy.
2- The material energy covers the souls with ignorance (avidya), and this ignorance makes the souls acquire material bodies and perform different material activities, forgetting their original spiritual nature.
3- Apart from the souls, there is another part of Krsna's superior energy, which constitutes the spiritual universe. Krsna's energy has thus three main components: The spiritual creation, the material creation, and the souls, who can choose between being part of the spiritual or material creation.
4- The material universes are repeatedly created and destroyed, but the spiritual creation is eternal. In the material universes there is repeated birth and death, but in the spiritual creation there is no death.
5- There are many planets scattered throughout the universe. These planets exist only during the lifetime of Brahma. When Brahma dies, all the planets of the universe are destroyed.
6- At the end of each day of Brahma, lower planets are destroyed (up to Swargaloka) and only the higher planets (Maharloka and higher) remain. The planets that are destroyed are created again on the next day of Brahma.
7- Time on the upper planets is calculated differently from our planet. One of our years is equal to just twenty-four hours (one day and night), on many of the upper planets. Similarly, the four ages of the earth (Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali) last only twelve thousand years according to the time scale of the upper planets.
8- One day of Brahma (12 hours) corresponds to 1,000 sequences of Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali-Yugas. There is also the night of Brahma (the other 12 hours of his day) that lasts for the same period. Such days and nights accumulate into months and years, and Brahma lives for one hundred such years. At the end of Brahma’s life, the complete universal manifestation is vanquished.
9- During the night of Brahma, all the living beings from the planets that are destroyed, such as this planet, the sun, and the moon (which are part of Swargaloka) as well as the lower planets, are merged into the waters of devastation during the night of Brahma.
10- During this period, these living entities remain materially unmanifest, although spiritually they continue to exist. This unmanifested stage is called avyakta and lasts for the period of the night of Brahma.
11- When Brahma finally dies, there is another avyakta state, when all the living beings who didn't achieve liberation are merged into the body of Maha-Vishnu and have to wait for a very long period until a new cycle of creation starts.
12- Both the materially unmanifested state that occurs at the end of the day of Brahma, as well as at the end of his life are called avyakta. There is another avyakta which is the spiritual world. There, all beings are also materially unmanifested, but there they are spiritually active.
13- In the spiritual world (the spiritual atmosphere, or nature) there are a great number of spiritual planets that exist eternally.
14- All the planets in the spiritual sphere continue to exist even at the end of Brahma's life. They are not affected by the cycles of creation and destruction that happen in the material universes.
15- There are many material universes, each one under the jurisdiction of a particular Brahma. The combination of all the different material universes constitutes just one-quarter of the energy of the Lord (ekapad-vibhuti). This is the inferior energy.
16- Beyond this inferior material energy there is the spiritual nature, which is called tripad-vibhuti, three-quarters of the Lord’s energy. This is the superior energy or para-prakrti.
To these points, we can add the famous letter Prabhupada wrote to Svarupa Damodhara Maharaja (27 April, 1976) detailing his conclusions on the structure of the Vedic Universe for the planetarium in Mayapur:
“My final decision is that the universe is just like a tree, with root upwards. Just as a tree has branches and leaves so the universe is also composed of planets which are fixed up in the tree like the leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. of the tree. The pivot is the pole star, and the whole tree is rotating on this pivot. Mount Sumeru is the center, trunk, and is like a steep hill, like the alps mountains which also have very high peaks. I have seen in Switzerland one mountain peak which was so high that is penetrated through the clouds. The tree is turning and therefore, all the branches and leaves turn with the tree. The planets have their fixed orbits, but still they are turning with the turning of the great tree. There are pathways leading from one planet to another made of gold, copper, etc., and these are like the branches. Distances are also described in the 5th Canto just how far one planet is from another.
We can see that at night, how the whole planetary system is turning around, the pole star being the pivot. Each planet has its orbit fixed but the sun is moving up and down, north and south. It is not that we shall accept the theory that the sun is fixed up and the others are all going around the sun. That is not correct. Even the 7th star is rotating once around the pole star in each 24 hours. The whole universe is just like a big tree, that is a fact. I do not think that the modern astronomers have any such idea that the whole universe is like a big tree. The planets which are full of living entities are one after another, one above the other. The relative positions of the planets is fixed up but the whole thing is turning. The sun is going north and south, it has its own orbit below the moon. So now you all Ph.D.'s must carefully study the details of the 5th Canto and make a working model of the universe. If we can explain the passing seasons, eclipses, phases of the moon, passing of day and night, etc. then it will be very powerful propaganda.”