Welcome to the KrishnaSoft's Electronic Newsletter.
This is the December 2001 issue entitled: "Lord Krsna is Beyond the Brahman Effulgence!"
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Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
This newsletter goes to over 1100 people who either have an interest in Vedic science and/or spiritually entertaining multimedia technology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
(1) Lord Krsna is Beyond the Brahman Effulgence!
(2) Vedic Measurements of Time
(3) Editorial Policy and Product List
1. LORD KRSNA IS BEYOND THE BRAHMAN EFFULGENCE!
Many people look at the college textbooks such as the chemistry book or physics book and agree that it is pretty complicated. However, they do not try to change the books so that they can understand them. That would create chaos since everybody would have their own book according to his or her understanding of the subject matter. They realize that people who knew more than them wrote the books. Similarly, when it comes to spiritual subject matter we are dealing with Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so it behooves us to leave alone the things that we cannot understand or that do not make sense to us.
"The sphere of outer space constitutes His eyepits, and the eyeball is the sun as the power of seeing. His eyelids are both the day and night, and in the movements of His eyebrows, the Brahma and similar supreme personalities reside. His palate is the director of water, Varuna, and the juice or essence of everything is His tongue." (Bhag. 2.1.30)
"To common sense the description in this verse appears to be somewhat contradictory because sometimes the sun has been described as the eyeball and sometimes as the outer space sphere. But there is no room for common sense in the injunctions of the sastras. We must accept the description of the sastras and concentrate more on the form of the virat-rupa than on common sense. Common sense is always imperfect, whereas the description in the sastras is always perfect and complete. If there is any incongruity, it is due to our imperfection and not the sastras'. That is the method of approaching Vedic wisdom." (Bhag. 2.1.30)
Our mind, intelligence, and ego are part of the material world and its elements. However, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the spiritual world are completely spiritual and beyond the material elements.
"When the spiritual spark, which is described as one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair, is forced into material existence, that spark is covered by gross and subtle material elements. The material body is composed of five gross elements-- earth, water, fire, air and ether-- and three subtle elements-- mind, intelligence and ego. When one attains liberation, he is freed from these material coverings. Indeed, success in yoga involves getting free from these material coverings and entering into spiritual existence. Lord Buddha's teachings of nirvana are based on this principle. Lord Buddha instructed his followers to give up these material coverings by means of meditation and yoga. Lord Buddha did not give any information about the soul, but if one follows his instructions strictly, he will ultimately become free from the material coverings and attain nirvana." (Bhag. 4.23.15)
"The gross external body of the Supreme is manifested at certain intervals, and thus the external feature or form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not the eternal form of the Lord, which has no beginning, no intermediate stage and no end. ANYTHING WHICH HAS A BEGINNING, INTERIM AND END IS CALLED MATERIAL. The material world is begun from the Lord, and thus the form of the Lord, before the beginning of the material world, is certainly transcendental to the finest, or the finer material conception. The ether in the material world is considered to be the finest. Finer than the ether is mind, intelligence, and false ego. But all eight of the outward coverings are explained as outer coverings of the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is therefore beyond the expression and speculation of the material conception. He is certainly transcendental to all material conceptions. This is called nirvisesanam. One should not, however, misunderstand nirvisesanam as being without any transcendental qualifications. Visesanam means qualities. Therefore nir added to it means that he has no material qualities or variegatedness. This nullifying expression is described in four transcendental qualifications, namely unmanifested, transcendental, eternal, and beyond the conception of mind or word. Beyond the limits of words means negation of the material conception. Unless one is transcendentally situated, it is not possible to know the transcendental form of the Lord." (Bhag. 2.10.34)
"The Supreme Brahman is beyond mental speculation, He is self-manifest, existing in His own bliss, and He is beyond the material energy." (Bhag. 10.13.57)
"With one's limited senses, one cannot argue about that which is inconceivable. Therefore, the inconceivable is called acintya, that which is beyond cintya, our thoughts and arguments. Acintya refers to that which we cannot contemplate but have to accept. Srila Jiva Gosvami has said that unless we accept acintya in the Supreme, we cannot accommodate the conception of God. THIS MUST BE UNDERSTOOD. Therefore we say that the words of sastra should be taken as they are, without change, since they are beyond our arguments." (Bhag. 10.13.57)
"The materialist wants to understand everything by the aroha-pantha-- by argument and reason-- but transcendental matters cannot be understood in this way... one cannot bring Krsna within the limitations of prakrti. One must submit. There is no alternative. Na tams tarkena yojayet. THIS SUBMISSION MARKS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KRSNA-ITES AND MAYAVADIS." (Bhag. 10.13.57)
"I serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental bodily effulgence, known as the brahmajyoti, which is unlimited, unfathomed and all-pervasive, is the cause of the creation of unlimited numbers of planets, etc., with varieties of climates and specific conditions of life." (Bhag. 2.5.11)
"The same statement is in the Bhagavad-gita (14.27). Lord Krsna is the background of the brahmajyoti (brahmano hi pratisthaham). In the Nirukti, or Vedic dictionary, the import of pratistha is mentioned as "that which establishes." So the brahmajyoti is not independent or self-sufficient. Lord Sri Krsna is ultimately the creator of the brahmajyoti, mentioned in this verse as sva-rocisa, or the effulgence of the transcendental body of the Lord. This brahmajyoti is all-pervading, and all creation is made possible by its potential power; therefore the Vedic hymns declare that everything that exists is being sustained by the brahmajyoti (sarvam khalv idam brahma). Therefore the potential seed of all creation is the brahmajyoti, and the same brahmajyoti, unlimited and unfathomed, is established by the Lord. Therefore the Lord (Sri Krsna) is ultimately the supreme cause of all creation (aham sarvasya prabhavah)." (Bhag. 2.5.11)
Devotees accept Lord Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, impersonalists accept the Brahman effulgence as the ultimate cause of all causes, and atheists accept the material nature as the ultimate cause of all causes:
"Atheistic, materialistic Sankhyaites conclude that material nature is the cause of all causes. According to them, combinations of material elements are the causes of material happiness and distress, and disintegration of matter is the cause of freedom from all material pangs. Gautama and Kanada find that atomic combination is the cause of everything, and impersonalists like Astavakra discover that the spiritual effulgence of Brahman is the cause of all causes. But in the Bhagavad-gita the Lord Himself declares that He is the source of impersonal Brahman, and therefore He, the Personality of Godhead, is the ultimate cause of all causes. It is also confirmed in the Brahma-samhita that Lord Krsna is the ultimate cause of all causes." (Bhag. 1.17.19)
"The devotee of the Lord worships the transcendental form of the Lord, whereas the impersonalist meditates upon the glaring effulgence, or the bodily rays of the Lord, known as the brahmajyoti." (Bhag. 1.18.16)
Even Paramatma realization is beyond the Brahman effulgence:
"The Absolute Truth is realized in full by the process of devotional service to the Lord, Vasudeva, or the Personality of Godhead, who is the full-fledged Absolute Truth. Brahman is His transcendental bodily effulgence, and Paramatma is His partial representation. As such, Brahman or Paramatma realization of the Absolute Truth is but a partial realization. There are four different types of human beings-- the karmis, the jnanis, the yogis and the devotees. The karmis are materialistic, whereas the other three are transcendental. The first-class transcendentalists are the devotees who have realized the Supreme Person. The second-class transcendentalists are those who have partially realized the plenary portion of the absolute person. And the third-class transcendentalists are those who have barely realized the spiritual focus of the absolute person. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic literatures, the Supreme Person is realized by devotional service, which is backed by full knowledge and detachment from material association. We have already discussed the point that devotional service is followed by knowledge and detachment from material association. As Brahman and Paramatma realization are imperfect realizations of the Absolute Truth, so the means of realizing Brahman and Paramatma, i.e., the paths of jnana and yoga, are also imperfect means of realizing the Absolute Truth." (Bhag. 1.2.12)
The material world including the elements of mind, intelligence and false ego are temporary and are repeatedly created and destroyed:
"So this creation takes place by the glance of the Lord from His bedstead of mystic slumber. And thus all the universes and the lord of the universe, Brahma, are again and again manifested and annihilated." (Bhag. 2.10.13)
Therefore, it is absurd for anyone to dismiss anything from the sastras just because it does not make sense to them. That's limiting the scope of the sastras to the limits of the mind and intellect of the reader. That's not even on the level of realization of the Brahman effulgence what to speak of Lord Krsna who is beyond the Brahman effulgence as explained above.
2. MEASUREMENTS OF TIME IN THE SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM
To the surprise of the nonbelievers, the Srimad-Bhagavatam also talks about atoms and measuring time using atoms as the basis:
"The material manifestation's ultimate particle, which is indivisible and not formed into a body, is called the atom. It exists always as an invisible identity, even after the dissolution of all forms." (Bhag. 3.11.1)
"The time covered by the sun in passing over an atom is calculated as atomic time." (Bhag. 3.11.4)
One atomic time unit is an anuh and the other units are as follows:
6 anuhs = 1 trasarenu (trasarenu is a hexatom that can be seen)
3 trasarenus = 1 truti (8/13500 second, 1687.5 trutis = 1 second)
100 trutis = 1 vedha (8/135 second)
3 vedhas = 1 lava (8/45 second)
3 lavas = 1 nimesa (8/15 second)
3 nimesas = 1 ksana (8/5 second)
5 ksanas = 1 kaasthaa (8 seconds)
15 kaasthaas = 1 laghu (2 minutes)
15 laghus = 1 naadikaa or 1 danda (30 minutes)
2 dandas = 1 muhurta
6 or 7 dandas* = 1 prahara or 1 yama
4 praharas or 4 yamas = 1 day = 1 night (around 12 hours)
15 days + 15 nights = 1 paksah (fortnight)
2 paksahs = 1 maasah* (month) [1 day + 1 night for Pitaa planet]
2 maasas = 1 rtuh (season)
6 maasas = 1 solar movement
2 solar movements = 1 year of humans and 1 day + 1 night for demigods
12000 years of demigods (YODs) = 1 catuh yuga (4,320,000 years)
4800 YODs = 1 Satya yuga = 1,728,000 years
3600 YODs = 1 Tretaa yuga = 1,296,000 years
2400 YODs = 1 Dvaapara yuga = 864,000 years
1200 YODs = 1 Kali yuga = 432,000 years
1000 catuh yugas = 1 day of Brahmaa = 1 night of Brahmaa = 14 Manus
"Outside of the three planetary systems [Svarga, Martya, and Patala], the four yugas multiplied by one thousand comprise one day on the planet of Brahmaa. A similar period comprises a night of Brahmaa, in which the creator of the universe goes to sleep." (Bhag. 3.11.22)
There are about 71 Manus during one day of Brahmaa (1000/14).
*Since there are 30 days and nights in one month, that comes to only 360 days (and nights) per year rather than the modern figure of 365, but there are two points to be considered in this matter. First, there are actually thirteen months (maasas) in the Vedic calendar with the thirteenth month being added to the calendar every third year:
"According to Vedic astronomical calculations, there are thirteen months. The thirteenth month is called adhi-maasa or mala-maasa and is added every third year... Time is compared here to a big wheel which has 360 joints, six rims in the shape of seasons, and numberless leaves in the shape of moments." (Bhag. 3.21.18)
Secondly, there are 6 *OR* 7 dandas in a prahara [1/4 of a day or 1/4 of a night]:
"Fifteen laghus make one naadikaa, which is also called a danda. Two dandas make one muhurta, and six or seven dandas make one fourth of a day or night, according to human calculation." (Bhag. 3.11.10)
Therefore, a day or a night is not always of the same duration.
3. EDITORIAL POLICY AND PRODUCT LIST
"One should engage in practical service to the Lord. In our Krsna consciousness movement, *ALL* our activities are concentrated upon distributing Krsna literature. This is very important. One may approach any person and induce him to read Krsna literature so that in the future he also may become a devotee.... By fully concentrating on distributing books for Krsna, one is fully absorbed in Krsna."
Our newsletters are geared to show you the benefits of the instructions contained in the transcendental books of Srila Prabhupada so you can judge for yourself the value of these books and obtain them in book or CDROM format. We also have video demos of the Gita CDROM and Bhagavatam CDROM available for those without computers or those who want to get a glimpse into what is on the CDROM.
Krishna Software Inc. has produced some multimedia CDROMs and all the details and reviews of these CDROMs can be found at our website http://www.krishnasoft.com. Here is our current list of products:
(a) Multimedia Bhagavad-gita As It Is CD: Lord Krsna's eternal instructions to Arjuna and the rest of the world about Isvara (Supreme Lord), jiva (the soul), karma (activities), kala (time), and prakrti (nature). This is a 30-hour audio-visual CDROM. Also available with Hindi translations.
(b) Multimedia Srimad-Bhagavatam CD: An encyclopedia on the science of Krsna consciousness. This CDROM deals in detail with bhakti-yoga and covers various subjects-- the creation of the universe, Vedic astronomy, transmigration, birth-death, etc. This is about 35 hours of audio-visual presentations.
(c) Multimedia Krsna CD w/Vedic Astronomy: This is a 51-hour audio-visual presentation of the Krsna book and a Vedic Astronomy simulation based on the Srimad-Bhagavatam. All on a single CDROM. Free sample demo downloadable from our website.
(d) Multilingual Word Processor CD [version 4.00]: Type in diacritics, Hindi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, and Assamese without knowing the alphabet. This is for those who want to write articles using multiple languages. Free demo downloadable from our website.
All of the above software was tested on various Intel 486 and Pentium processors running Windows 3.1, Windows '95, Windows '98, Windows Me, and Windows NT (client and server).
Latest information and secure ordering is available at our web site: http://www.krishnasoft.com. Any upgrades can be downloaded from this website as well.
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End of Newsletter- written and edited by KSI staff; (c) 1998-2001 Krishna Software Inc.
Our staff consists of: Hari Rama Dasa, Virender Dayal, Rajni Dayal, and volunteers.
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All glories to Lord Sri Krsna and His transcendental potencies! All glories to the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the literary incarnation of Lord Sri Krsna!