The ultimate purpose of the study of the cosmos
People normally have curiosity in understanding the world around them. Modern educators hijack this natural propensity. Here is an alternative: the theistic view of the universe described in the Vedas
« Making Sense of the Vedic Universe, a Higher-Dimensional Reality
The ultimate purpose of the study of the cosmos
“My dear King Parīkṣit, in the province of Yamarāja there are hundreds and thousands of hellish planets. The impious people I have mentioned — and also those I have not mentioned — must all enter these various planets according to the degree of their impiety. Those who are pious, however, enter other planetary systems, namely the planets of the demigods. Nevertheless, both the pious and impious are again brought to earth after the results of their pious or impious acts are exhausted.” (SB 5.26.37)
Śukadeva Goswami names 28 hellish planets in his description, but he now reveals that there are thousands of other planets with different types of punishment for many different types of crimes. The rule is that if one commits sins during his life and doesn’t atone for them before death, one has to visit these different planets according to the severity of his acts.
How can one atone for his sins? There are processes of atonement prescribed in the Vedas, but they are generally not possible for people of our age. Practically speaking, the only viable process is that one should become a devotee, chanting the holy names sincerely. That’s the practical process for our age.
We can see that Prabhupāda was always emphasizing this point of the chanting of the holy names when meeting with members of other faiths, emphasizing that they should chant whatever names of God are mentioned in their scriptures, and if they don’t know any name, they should take from us. This point is emphasized in the Sixth Canto, where we are offered a graphic example of how even a very sinful person can be saved from the Yamadūtas by sincerely chanting the holy names, even if at the last moment.
The material world is a very dangerous place. We often prefer to close our eyes and focus on whatever material enjoyment we can find, trying to convince ourselves that everything is all right, and that this situation will continue. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. Practically everything we call pleasure, in the material sense, is based on creating suffering for others. We can drive a car only at the cost of many people working on minimum wage all over the world to produce all the parts used to build it, combined with all the animals and other creatures that suffer due to the pollution it generates, or that are crushed under its wheels as it runs. Everything we eat is produced from the smashed bodies of other living beings, plants or animals, and even the house we live in is the product of a destroyed forest, or some other form of environmental degradation. We may like to think ourselves non-violent just because we are vegetarian, but that’s not how it works on a cosmic scale.
As Kṛṣṇa explains in the Gītā, work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise, work causes bondage in this material world. All types of material activities create suffering to others in one way or another; even a walk in the park causes so many insects to be crushed under our feet. The way to become free from all of this is to perform our activities for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, connecting our activities with His service. When we do that, Kṛṣṇa protects us from all karmic reactions, and ensures that any even creatures who may be eventually harmed in the course of these activities, may advance. That’s how human life is meant to be lived, and that’s the only workable formula for lasting happiness.
As Prabhupāda explains in his purport, “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” This is the perfection of life and the real solution to life’s problems. We should not be eager to go to the higher, heavenly planetary systems, nor should we act in such a way that we have to go to the hellish planets. The complete purpose of this material world will be fulfilled when we resume our spiritual identities and go back home, back to Godhead.”
“In the beginning [the second and third cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam] I have already described how one can progress on the path of liberation. In the Purāṇas the vast universal existence, which is like an egg divided into fourteen parts, is described. This vast form is considered the external body of the Lord, created by His energy and qualities. It is generally called the virāṭ-rūpa. If one reads the description of this external form of the Lord with great faith, or if one hears about it or explains it to others to propagate bhāgavata-dharma, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his faith and devotion in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will gradually increase. Although developing this consciousness is very difficult, by this process one can purify himself and gradually come to an awareness of the Supreme Absolute Truth.” (SB 5.26.38)
In the previous verse, Śukadeva Gosvāmi concluded his explanation of the Vedic universe. Now, he explains why this description is useful.
The description of the universe in the Fifth Canto is similar to the description of the virāṭ-rūpa offered in the 2nd and 3rd cantos, which has the purpose of helping the yogī to see the universe as a form of the Lord, and thus meditate on Him. If a yogī can directly meditate on the transcendental form of the Lord, this is much better, but the question is that it is not so easy in the beginning. A yogī is thus instructed to start with what he can see, the expansive universe we see when we look at the sky, and imagine it as a form of the Lord, connecting the different planetary systems and natural features of our planet with parts of His body. By doing that, a yogī learns to focus his mind and grows in spiritual realization and gradually comes to realize the transcendental form of the Lord.
Similarly, if we come to the stage of being interested only in the transcendental form of the Lord—His qualities, pastimes, and so on—and completely lose interest in this material creation, that’s perfect. As long as we are not on this platform, however, we can advance by studying the composition of the material universe and learning to see all of its features as manifestations of Kṛṣṇa’s potency. Just as a yogī meditating in the universal form, we grow in spiritual realization by doing that. As Śukadeva Gosvāmi explains, “If one reads the description of this external form of the Lord with great faith, or if one hears about it or explains it to others to propagate bhāgavata-dharma, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his faith and devotion in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will gradually increase.”
People normally have curiosity in understanding the world around them. Modern educators hijack this natural propensity, using it to teach people an atheistic model of the universe that pushes them away from God consciousness. Śukadeva Gosvāmi, however, offers an alternative: the theistic view of the universe described in these pages. Prabhupāda had the view that if correctly understood, the model of the Vedic universe could form a coherent response to modern scientific theories, offering people an option.
He envisioned the temple of the Vedic planetarium as a vehicle to spread this alternative version, with a giant chandelier showing a working model of the Vedic universe, and different exhibitions explaining the different concepts that are part of the model. By studying this model and learning to see the universe in connection of Kṛṣṇa, understanding how our actions in this life affect our consciousness, and understanding how our consciousness determines where we stay in this gigantic universal creation, or carve our way out of it, people can automatically advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Prabhupāda emphasizes this point in his purport, connecting our cosmological study with the ultimate goal of reviving our original Kṛṣṇa consciousness: “The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is pushing forward the publication of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as explained especially for the understanding of the modern civilized man, to awaken him to his original consciousness. Without this consciousness, one melts into complete darkness. Whether one goes to the upper planetary systems or the hellish planetary systems, he simply wastes his time. Therefore one should hear of the universal position of the virāṭ form of the Lord as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That will help one save himself from material conditional life and gradually elevate him to the path of liberation so that he can go back home, back to Godhead.”
“One who is interested in liberation, who accepts the path of liberation and is not attracted to the path of conditional life, is called yati, or a devotee. Such a person should first control his mind by thinking of the virāṭ-rūpa, the gigantic universal form of the Lord, and then gradually think of the spiritual form of Kṛṣṇa [sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha] after hearing of both forms. Thus one’s mind is fixed in samādhi. By devotional service one can then realize the spiritual form of the Lord, which is the destination of devotees. Thus his life becomes successful.” (SB 5.26.39)
Here, the process to help common people reach spiritual consciousness is further explained. First, we should study the Vedic universe, learning to see the Lord behind the cosmic manifestation. After acquiring a little faith, one should hear about the spiritual form of the Lord and gradually move his meditation from the material manifestation to the spiritual form of the Lord, gradually reaching samādhi. However, he alerts us that the spiritual form of the Lord can’t be understood by academic study alone: to realize the spiritual form of the Lord, we need to practice devotional service. Practical devotional service is thus an integral part of the process.
Prabhupāda saw the spiritual society he created as a vehicle for both education and practical engagement of the public in the process of devotional service, as he describes in his purport: “It is said, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ: if one wants to progress on the path of liberation, he should associate with mahātmās, or liberated devotees, because in such association there is a full chance for hearing, describing and chanting about the name, form, qualities and paraphernalia of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all of which are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. On the path of bondage, one eternally undergoes the repetition of birth and death. One who desires liberation from such bondage should join the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and thus take advantage of the opportunity to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from devotees and also explain it to propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”
Once, Madan Mohan Malaviya, the vice-chancellor of the Benares Hindu University, came to the Gaudiya Math to ask some intricate philosophical questions to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākura. Asked the questions, however, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta answered that he should go to the next room and ask the devotees who were polishing the ārati paraphernalia of the deities.
The scholar was skeptical that these devotees could answer such difficult questions on Vedanta philosophy, but since Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta insisted, he decided to go and ask. When he approached them, they immediately engaged him in helping to polish the different items, a task that took some time.
Even though he was a famous scholar, Madan Mohan was humble in heart and agreed to help them in their service. As he did that, however, something changed in his heart. Suddenly, he could understand the intricate questions that were previously troubling him. By the time he finished polishing the brass items, everything was clear in his mind.
When he went back to the first room, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī asked if he got the answer to his questions, and he confirmed that as he helped polish the paraphernalia, the answers automatically came in his mind. Bhaktisiddhānta then explained that the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be understood only through service attitude (sevonmukhe hi jihvado); it can’t be understood just by reading books. He then described the example of his own guru maharaja, Śrīla Gaura Kiśora Dās Babaji, who, although illiterate, had the highest level of spiritual realization and could explain all kinds of intricate philosophical concepts, because he was sevonmukha, inclined to serve Kṛṣṇa.
Before meeting Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākura, the scholar was trying to find the answers by mere intellectual exercises. Bhaktisiddhānta understood that his problem was not a lack of intellectual arguments, but the simple fact that he never started the process of practical devotional service. When this gap was finally filled, he could finally understand everything.
“My dear King, I have now described for you this planet earth, other planetary systems, and their lands [varṣas], rivers and mountains. I have also described the sky, the oceans, the lower planetary systems, the directions, the hellish planetary systems and the stars. These constitute the virāṭ-rūpa, the gigantic material form of the Lord, on which all living entities repose. Thus I have explained the wonderful expanse of the external body of the Lord.” (SB 5.26.40)
Ultimately, the purpose of the description of the universe in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to bring us to the platform of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Śukadeva Gosvāmi tries to conduct us to this ultimate realization in several ways.
The first is by describing the structure of the material universe, and thus helping us to understand its temporary nature and realize the futility of a life of sense gratification, even if in celestial conditions. What is the value of gaining one million dollars if the money will disappear in five minutes? Would one billion make it any better? Or one trillion? The point is not the amount, but the fact that it is not really ours. An intelligent person wants something permanent. Similarly, the opulent life of the inhabitants of Bhū-mandala, or of the demigods in Svargaloka, sounds purposeless when we understand the futility and illusion of it.
A second way in which Śukadeva Gosvāmi pushes us in the direction of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is by narrating the prayers of great personalities, such as Prahlāda Maharaja and Hanumān, who act as the leaders of the different varṣas of Jambūdvīpa, as well as many other great devotees. In the Gītā, Kṛṣṇa mentions that “Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.” Everyone is inclined to follow great personalities, and thus by seeing that the greatest personalities of the universe worship Kṛṣṇa and consider devotional service the ultimate goal of life, we also become inclined to do the same.
Apart from describing the higher realms of the universe, he also describes the realms of the asuras, where people remain blind to the path of self-realization, as well as the hellish planets, which are the ultimate result of materialistic life. This compounds the previous arguments: to become either a great devotee or a successful materialist, we need to accept austerities and inconveniences. Nothing comes for free. The same way a devotee needs to put in some effort to chant and serve, a materialist has to work to improve his or her economic condition. The difference is that the devotional path ultimately makes us free from all material contaminations and eligible for eternal blissful life in the spiritual world, while the materialistic path makes us progressively more conditioned, under the control of lust, anger, and other qualities, down to the level of the inhabitants of Pātāla and eventually to hell. When we understand where the two paths lead us, the choice becomes obvious.
Finally, Śukadeva Gosvāmi describes the importance of educating the innocent public on this important science. Once one comes into contact with this description of the universe, learns about the different paths we can take inside of it, and learns to see it in relation to Kṛṣṇa, it becomes natural to follow the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The description continues in the Sixth Canto, with the description of the pastime of Ajāmila, a practical example of the potency of the holy names that brings us hope after hearing the description of the hard reality of the souls entrapped in hell. This description is also a call for action, illustrating how even a little bit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness can drastically change the destiny of even the most sinful people. How can we sit at home after understanding the difference we can make?
From this, more details of the process of devotional service are given, culminating with the description of the personal pastimes of the Supreme Lord in the Tenth Canto. As Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains, we should first hear about the universal form, and then hear about the spiritual pastimes of the Lord. After hearing of both forms, we can gradually break our fixation on the physical world we see around, and bring our mind to steady meditation into His transcendental form, qualities, pastimes, etc.
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« Making Sense of the Vedic Universe, a Higher-Dimensional Reality
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