BhaktivedantaSchool ofVedic Studies - Bhakti Junior CertificateCourse. . International SocidY' for Krishna Consciousness .

Name --------- Class -------

Is therelife on

other planets?

. Compiled by:

Tapasvini devi dasi

Hare Krishna Sunday School Program is sponsored by:

ISKCON Foundation

'This ooo/(is dedicated to His 'Diuine Grace srifa Prabhupada whogives us a spiritual reason for a materialbirtii. .

Contents

LessonVerse

Introduction

1. Can There be Life on Other Planets?

2. UFOs and Heavenly Vimanas

3. Extraterrestials and Mystic Powers

4. Order in the Universe

5. Is Earth Special?

6. Description ofLife on Other Planets

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tBfiagavad(iita 8.16

a-brahma-bliuuanai lotali. {.

punar auartino 1Junamam upetya tu KP-unteyapunarjanma na uiduate

Tram the highest planet in the materialuiorld. down to the lozoesi, a{{ are places ofmisery wherein repeated birth ana deathtakf place. 'But one uiho attains to Myabodel 0 son of 1(until never takes birth

•agatn.

Introduction

Is there intelligent life on planets other than Earth? This is a

question that fascinates many people. And you will find many different

opinions about life on other planets. Some people are sure there is

intelligent life out there. Some even claim to have seen aliens from these

planets. Others are convinced that Earth is the only planet which

sustains life. Moon and Mars explorations haven't turned up much

evidence ofhumanlike life.

The Vedic literatures are so complete that they even contain

information about life throughout the universe. In this session we willlearn what the scriptures have to say about this subject. It may say morethan you think!

-,

2

Lesion OneCon There be Life on Other Planet.?

Life on other planets.... Extraterresttal beings....

Aliens.... What an interesting topic! What do they

look like? How do they communicate? What do they

wear and where do they live? Can we live on their

planet? Can they live on our planet? These are

things that run through our minds when we think of

aliens.

When man first landed on the moon and

brought back moon rocks for scientific study, it was

primarily for finding out if there was life there. The

conclusion was that the moon could not sustain life.

It didn't have the necessary combinations of oxygen,

hydrogen, or other chemicals essential for life.

But take a look at life on this planet. \Ve have

beings, like fish and eels, who live within the water.

There are plants and animals that live in the deepest

of oceans, where sunlight cannot penetrate through

the miles of water. Certain animals, insects and

plants live within the blazing desert, where a man

would die within a short time. Other beings may live

on the high mountaintops where the air is so thin

and the weather so extreme that no human could

survive long. And in a place like Antarctica, solid ice

and snow, we find a wide variety of plant and animal

life.

3

How is this possible? Krishna has given each living being the

proper type of body, suited for its living place. Their particular bodies

are just suited for the environments in which they live. Isn't it possible

that that's the same case on other planets too? Perhaps humans cannot

survive on a planet like the moon but isn't it possible that there are

beings who have bodies that are ideally suited for such an environment?

The Puranas state that there are 8,400,000 species of life. Of that,

400,000 are humanlike beings living on various planets. Out of the

400,000 humanlike forms, human beings as we know them are said to be

the least powerful.

The Vedic literature is :full of

stories about humanlike life on

other planets. Lord Brahma has

his own planet. Druva Maharaj

was given the polestar as his .

planet to rule. Narada Muni

travels through the universe

playing his vina. Most of the

stories in the Vedic literatures

describe beings who are superior

to us. A person understanding

the Vedas wouldn't be too

surprised to hear reports of

intelligent life on other planets.

What about those who don't know the Vedas? What makes them

believe that life exists beyond Earth? Some think that it doesn't make

sense that only one planet (out of hundreds of planets, moons and stars)

would have life. Then why did God bother to create all the other

planets? It seems likely that since life is abundant on Earth, ·it will also

be abundant in other places. Added to that is the experiences that

people have had with extraterrestials and UFOs.

4

Some people have come to believe that there is life on other

planets because they have had first-hand experience of it. They saw

beings that were clearly not like the humans we are familiar with. They

saw a UFO which could not be mistaken for an airplane or a balloon.

When people report seeing UFOs and "little green men" they are often

dismissed as crazy or as being cheaters. Yet many of the cases are not so

easily ignored.

Here are a couple of examples of close encounters with UFOs that

were reported. The witnesses had very good reputations and were given

psychological tests after their reports. The results of the tests made it

seem unlikely that the witnesses were lying.

At about 10 a.m. onApril 24. 1964, a 26-year oldfarmer named Gary Wilcox wasspreading manure in a field onhis dairy farm in NewarkValley, New York. He saw awhite, shiny object above thefield, just on the inside edge of

Wilcox stood anxiously by, thinking that a great trick was being. played on him. One of the men said, "Do not be alarmed, ,. in an eerie voice.

They then asked Wilcox questions about fertilizer and farming and saidthat they came from Mars where it is rocky and not fit for growing crops.After a few more comments they ducked under the aircraft and disappeared.The craft made a noise Wee a car motor, glided away for about 150 feet, andthen disappeared into the air. The strange men had wanted fertilizer, so

Wilcox later brought a bag of it to the site. The next morning he noticed

that it was gone.

5

Another incidentIn January of 1975, George O'Barski, of New York was traveling

home to New Jersey after closing his Manhattan shop. The time was

around 1 or 2 a. m. His car radio began to pick up static, and a brilliantly

lit object passed the car 100 feet or so to the left. It emitted a quiet

humming sound and stopped in a playing field ahead of the car. 0 'Barskidrew closer and saw a rounded, 30-foot-Iong ship that was now hovering 10

feet above the ground. The ship had evenly spaced windows about one foot

wide by four feet high. As it sank to a height of about four feet, a dooropened between two of the windows, and nine to eleven small, helmetedfigures in one-piece garments came out on something similar to a ladder.

They were about 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall and looked like children in snowsuits.

As 0 'Barski drove by,watching in terror, the beingsignored him and scooped dirt

into bags using spoonlike

instruments. Then theyquickly reentered the craftand it rose into the sky.o 'Barski estimated that thewhole event took about 4

minutes.

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The next day, 0 'Barski returned to the site and saw the holes madeby the entities. He felt one with his hand to convince himself that they werereal. He wasn't sure he could even believe himself! As it turns out, therewere several other people who had seen what could have been the same

flying object.

Many other instances have been reported, some well-documented

and some not. Can they be true? If so, why would beings from other

planets want to come to our Earth? What is so special about the Earth

planet?

6

Questions

I. Do you believe that there is life on other planets?

2. Do you believe that entities from other planets come to earth sometimes?

3. If so, why do you think they would come to earth?

4. How would you feel if you were ill a situation like Mr. Wilcox or Mr.O'Barski?

VENUS

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URANUS

NEPTUNE

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Lesson TwoUFOs end Hcevenl, Vlmonol

In September. 1965, New Hampshire police officer EugeneBertrand stopped to investigate a parked car. He found a very upset

woman who said that her car had been followed for about 12 miles by a

flying object surrounded by a brilliant red glow. She also said the objectdived at her moving car a few times.

Bertrand didn't believe the story but he was soon called back to thepolice station to hear something similar. An 18-year old boy had burst into

the station nearly in shock. He said that while he was hitchhiking along

the highway, a glowing object with pulsating red lights suddenly floatedacross a nearby field towards him. The UFO was as big as a house and it

was completely silent as it moved closer. He dove for cover and the objectbacked away and disappeared over the trees. He frantically flagged down acar, which took him to the police station.

.,v o ~. )

Officer Bertrand and the boy returned tothe scene and both saw the object risesilently from behind a row of trees. It wasas big as a house and seemed nearly

round. It had blinding red lights thatblinked and cast a bloody red glow over

the field and a nearby house. Bertrandsaid the lights were the brightest thing he

had ever seen. Dogs howled and horseskicked in their stalls as the object floated

about two hundred feet off the ground,

fluttering from side to side.

Another officer named David Hunt arrived on the scene in time to seethe object for about five or six minutes as it headed towards the .city of

Hampton. The police also received a phone call from an excited man in

Hampton, who reported seeing a }lying saucer. "

8

Sighting of UFOs, or unidentified flying objects, are more common

than that of aliens. Often there are many similarities in the way

witnesses describe what they see. A paralyzing ray may be shot at a

witness, making him unable to move. The UFO typically rises in the sky

and disappears quickly. It may appear abruptly, then hover about in a

smaller area, and abuptly disappear. The UFOs are often said to be

surrounded by a glow or some kind of energy field.

In the Vedic literature there

are many descriptions of flying

machines called vimanas. Some are

man-made crafts similar to

airplanes that fly with birdlike

wings. Others are structures that fly

in mysterious ways and are generally

not made by humans. There are

also descriptions of humanlike

beings who operate these vehicles.

These descriptions share common

traits with modern UFOs.o

o

o

o

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Salva and His Mysterious AirplaneKing Salva was a friend of Sisupala's. Both were enemies of the

Supreme Lord Krishna. Salva had even made a vow to rid the world of

Krishna and the entire Yadu dynasty. To help him fulfill his vow, he

approached Lord Siva and underwent a severe austerity in which he ate

only a handful of ashes daily. No food, just ashes. After a year of such

austerities, Lord Siva became pleased and offered to fulilll whatever

desire he had.

Salva begged for the gift of an airplane, a very special airplane.

This aircraft was very mysterious. It was so extraordinary that

sometimes many airplanes would appear to be in the sky, and sometimes

there were apparently none. Sometimes the plane was visible and

sometimes not visible, and the warriors of the Yadu dynasty were

puzzled about the whereabouts of the peculiar airplane. Sometimes they

9

would see the airplane on the grolll1d, sometimes flying in the sky,

sometimes resting on the peak of a hill, and sometimes floating on the

water. The wonderful airplane flew in the sky like a whirling firebrand -­

it was not steady even for a moment.

How did Salva come by such a tremendous airplane? On Salva's

request, Lord Siva ordered Maya Danava to construct the "flying iron

city" and it was called Saubha. Maya Danava was the ruler of a kingdom

of Danavas on the planet known as Talatala. The Danavas are a powerful

group of humanoid beings who were known for their knowledge of

technology. "Maya" means the power of illusion and Maya Danava was

named this because he was expert in manipulating maya.

Salva used his vimana to attack the city of Dwarka where Krishna

was living. Although Salva was a human king, there were Danava

soldiers on the vimana too. Krishna described the band of Danavas as

having "grimacing faces and disheveled heads and who screeched out

loud. "

The story of Salva's vimana involves a flying machine that has

many similarities to those reported in UFO stghttngs. It also involves

persons who have unusual powers that are again like those reported in

UFO close encounters.

Other VimanasWe find reference to other vimanas in the Vedas. In fact, it seems

that they were not at all uncommon, Here are a few mentions of other

flying machines:

Krishna had once killed a pythonlike serpent who was trying toswallow his father, Nanda Maharaj. The soul of the serpent entered a

heavenly body which it had before its birth as a serpent. Krishna asked

how he had been degraded to take his birth as a serpent. The serpent

replied, "I am the well-known Vidyadhara (a race of heavenly beings)

named Sudarsana. I was very opulent and beautiful, and I used to

wander freely in all directions in my airplane. Once I saw some homely

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sages in the lineage of Angira Muni. Proud of my beauty, I ridiculed

them, and because of my sin they made me assume this lowly form."

Another king had been cursed to become a lizard but was freed

from the curse by Krishna's touch. He regained his heavenly body and

bowed down to the Lord, touching his crown to Krishna's feet. The kingthen boarded a wonderful celestial airplane as all the people looked on.

Bali Maharaj also had a special airplane named Vaihayasa. This

beautifully decorated airplane had been made by Maya too, and was

equipped with weapons for all types of combat. It was a wonderful

vimana, sometimes visible and sometimes invisible.

Another mention of tiimanas comes when Lord Siva's wife wished

to go to a sacrifice arranged by her father. She was trying to convince

Lord Siva to let her go, saying, "My lord, not only my relatives but also

other women, dressed in nice clothes and decorated with ornaments, are

going there with their husbands and friends. Just see how their flocks of

white airplanes have made the entire sky very beautiful. "

The evidence from the Vedas show that extraordinary flying objects

did exist and were not uncommon. It appears from the above examples

that tiimanas were considered to be the normal way of travel for these

superior beings. The oimanas could also be used to travel from planet

to planet throughout the universe.

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Travel between planets is not a new idea. Could it be possible that

UFOs are vimanas constructed by .beings who are more advanced in

technology? We tend to think of humans as being very intelligent and

skilled in technology. Yet it has only been in the past 100 years that we

have developed cars, computers, telephones, fax machines, television and

other technological wonders. Isn't it possible that there are others in

.the universe who are more advanced than we are?

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Check-uI!

Match by drawing lines.

Bali

disappear

Lord Siva

Maya Danava

Salva

UFO

vimana

a flying machine mentioned in the Vedas

also owned a vimana made for combat

a Danava ruler who was expert in technology

an enemy of Krishna who owned a wonderful flying machine

unidentified flying object

pleased by Salva's austerity

something vimanas and UFO's can do

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L••,on Thr••ExtrQt.rr••tiQI. Qnd My.tic Pow.r.

Maurice Masse was a lavender grower in Yolensole, France. Oneearly morning in July, 1965, he heard a whistling noise and turned to see amachine shaped like a rugby football and the size of a car. This was

standing on six legs, with a central pivot stuck into the ground beneath it.He saw two boys near the object, but getting closer he found that they werenot boys. When he was about 5 yards away, one of the beings pointed apencillike device at him, and he was paralyzed.

After some time the beings returned to their machine, and Massecould see them looking at him from within the craft. At this point, theobject's legs drew up, and with a thump, the machine floated silently away.At about 20 yards it disappeared, but it left traces of its passage in thelavender field for 400 yards. It is said that newly planted lavender will notgrow at the spot where the vehicle stood.

Maurice described thecreatures. They were less thanfour feet tall, had high fleshycheeks, large slanted eyes, slitmouths and sharply pointedchins. They moved as thoughthey were "sliding along bandsof light." Their feet did notseem to touch the ground.

William Herrmann is another man who claims to have had contactwith extraterrestial beings. He once saw them enter his bedroom withoutcoming in through the door of his trailer. They simply glided right throughthe wall.

References to strange beings that float in the air or glide are very

common in UFO reports. Others, like William Herrmann, have seen the

beings go through solid objects or have been carried through solid

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objects themselves. How can these strange abilities be explained? And

what about their appearance? Do extraterrestial beings really look like

"little green men" ?

As mentioned before,

there are 400,000 species of .

humanlike races spoken of in

the Vedas. Human beings are

among the least powerful. Inmany UFO sightings, the

beings are said to look strange

or repulsive. But in some

accounts the beings have been

described as very beautiful.

The Vedic humanoids have

different appearances. Some

of them (the Gandharvas and

Slddhas) are said to have very

beautiful human forms.

Others are said to be ugly,

frightening, or deformed in

appearance. One group is

called the Kimpurusas. Here

kim mean "is it?," and purusa

means "human."

The Vedic humanoids also possess certain powers called siddhis.

People on earth are able to obtain these powers too, but it is very

difficult. Some of the siddhis seem to be just like powers the

extraterrestials display. Here is a list of a few of the mystic siddhis. Do

you notice any that seem like tile special abilities of the beings that

Maurice Masse and William Herrmann saw?

I. Mental communication and thought-reading. Often extraterrestials havecommunicated with humans this way, not through normal speaking. Vedic humanoidsalso can communicate this way.

2. Being able to see or hear at a great distance.

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3. Laghima-siddhi: antigravity or becoming lighter than air and floating.4. Anima-siddhi and mahima-siddhi: the power to make objects or living bodies larger

or very, very small.5. The ability to move objects directly through the ether, without being stopped by solid

objects (walking through walls, carrying things through doors or closed windows,.etc.)

6. Vasita-siddhi: the power of controlling someone through hypnosis, even though faraway.

7. Antardhana: invisibility.8. The ability to assume different forms or to generate false bodily forms.9. The power ofentering another person 's body and controlling it.

Many encounters with UFOs and their passengers involve one or

more of the "powers" above. Some of the Vedic humanoid races that are

described in the Vedas are called Siddhas, Caranas, Uragas, Guhyakas,

and Vidyadharas. They usually can perform these various mystic siddhis.

In the past, many of these races were found on the earth, either

living here or visiting. For example, Lord Ramachandra's wife Sita had

been kidnapped and taken to Lanka by a Rakshasha king named Havana.

The Rakshashas are one of the 400,000 humanoid races and they were

ruling Lanka at that time. Havana showed his superiority over normal

humans and he also displayed many of the mystic siddhis.

One UFO encounter case involved a woman named Sara Shaw, who

said she was taken captive by the extraterrestials. She noted that the

beings entered her room through a closed window. 'When asked how this

was done, she said, "I feel really dumb, but it seems like they passed

through the pane ofglass without breaking it. "

The story of Aniruddha in the Bhagavat Purana contains an

example of the same sort of travel through space. A young princess

named Usha was living in her father's palace. Her rooms were closely

guarded for her protection. One day she had a dream about a young man

who was to become her husband. Usha was sure this person really

existed and she asked her friend Chitralekha, a mystic yogini, to find

him for her.

16

Chitralekha could make beautiful and accurate drawings. She

drew pictures of various demigods, Caranas, Gandharvas, Yakshas and

humans. After determining that Usha's lover was a human, she began todraw pictures of the Vrishnis. As Chitralekha drew Aniruddha's picture

Usha smiled and exclaimed, "That's the one! It's him!"

Chitralekha, 'with her mystic powers, recognized Aniruddha as

Krislma's grandson. She then traveled by the mystic skyway (moving

through space and matter) to Dwarka. She found Aniruddha sleeping on

a fine bed. Citralekha used her yogic power to take him away to Usha's

palace. The mystic friend of Usha was able to carry the sleeping

Arriruddha into Usha's room without having to use the normal entrances

and doors which would alert the guards.

The great sage Vyasadeva was a human who was empowered by the

Lord. He possessed great mystic abilities. When he was a child, the

sage Vyasa had made a promise to his mother Satyavati, saying,

"Mother, if ever you need me, just set our mind on me, and I shall appear

before you." Years later, Satyavati needed to speak with Vyasa about an

important matter. She fixed her mind on her son, who was at themoment reciting Vedic mantras. When the wise sage understood that hismother had set her mind on him, he appeared before her in a moment.

Here Vyasadeva and Satyavati were able to communicate by thought and

he was able to travel through space and matter to be present in an

instant.

Many beings described in the Vedas

have extraordinary powers and unusual

appearances. Consider Bhima's son

Ghatokacha, Ravana (with ten heads) and

his sister Suparnaka (grotesque-looking),Brahma (with only four heads), and Indra

(covered with eyes). The five Pandavas

were half-human and half-deva. They all

could perform feats that ordinary humans

could not.

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400,000 species of human life is a lot! It leaves room for a great

variety of humans. But what is to stop one race from taking over the

other? Why hasn't one of the powerful species conquered all ofus?

18

L.slon FourOrd., in the Univ.rs.

One idea that seems to come up often in communicating with UFOs

is that there is law and order within the universe. Other planets are

mentioned and it's said that they follow higher authorities. This idea

also fits in well with what the Vedic scriptures teach.

The Vedas describe higher and lower planetary systems. The

beings living on the lower planets are not able to go to the higher

planets. In the material universe, Lord Brahma is the top authority. He

lives in the highest planetary .system, called Brahrnaloka. Below

Brahrnaloka are the planetary systems called Tapoloka, Janaloka and

Maharloka, They are inhabited by sages who live austere lives and spend

their time growing in spiritual knowledge.

Beneath these planets lies Svargaloka, where the Devas live. The

Devas engage in politics and warfare. Their battles with lower forces,

like the Asuras, may sometimes effect life on the earth. Natural

disasters are caused by the Devas.

The Asuras are actually

close relatives of the Devas

although they don't cooperate

well, like the Devas. Asuras are

rebellious and often try to upset

the order of the universe. They

often don't believe in or obey

God. The story of the AsuraHiranyakashipu is .a classic

example. After performing

great austerities he became

more powerful than most

Devas. His power caused the

earth to tremble and the

19

universe became unbearably hot. He eventually used his power to try to

kill Lord Vishnu.

The Vedas describe some races as being between Devas and

ordinary humans. Asuras fall into that category, as well as Vldyaharas,

Uragas and Rakshashas. Not all are demoniac but the Rakshashas are

demonic and very unfriendly to humans. The other two mentioned are

more or less neutral -. they don't try to disturb the universal order and

they neither fight with nor favor humans.

Goodness. Passion and Ignorance Affect all BeingsThe whole material world is affected by the three modes of nature

-- goodness, passion and ignorance. In living beings, one in the mode

goodness is interested in knowledge and spirituality; one in the mode ofpassion is full of desires; and one in the mode of ignorance falls into deep

illusion. There are many combinations of these modes producing a

variety of living entities.

The Vedas say that different races of humanoid beings are affected

by the modes. Humans of this earth are mostly in the mode of passion,with mixtures of goodness and ignorance. The Devas and sages of the

higher planets are mainly in the mode of goodness. There are several

groups that are mainly in the mode of ignorance. They are known for

their mystic powers, including the power of suddenly appearing and

disappearing. These beings are known for causing trouble.

If a race of humanoids are in the mode of ignorance, it does not

mean that they are stupid. It means they are in illusion. One can be very

intelligent and still be in illusion. For example, a great scientist may use

his knowledge to build bombs. He has superior knowledge, but he is

using it for destroying the world. From some of the Vedic stories we see

that beings in the mode of ignorance are interested in learning

technology and mystic powers. Many UFO experiences seem to be more

in the mode of ignorance. Most seem to involve beings that have

advanced technology and mystic powers.

20

Because Asuras are quite envious, they often fight with the Devas.

The Devas are also interested in protecting their enjoyable way of life so

they battle quite willingly with the Asuras. Sometimes these wars can

affect life on other planets, such as the earth.

Luckily, the wars between the Devas and the Asuras were never

allowed to get too far out of hand. Higher authorities in the universe

were sometimes called upon to bring about order. At times the Supreme

Lord Krishna would come Himself as an avatar to show the proper path.

He did this in the case of coming to this earth as Krishna to annihilate

the Kurus, as Rama to destroy Ravana and his Rakshasha partners. He

will also come in the future as Kalki and He will destroy the demons of

the earth.

Roc. kills Rav a!)a .

21

Life on other planets

A P S S y G U N F X 0 A

K A V A S U R A S J I U

0 S A B y S B X C E L C

L S R K G S E T D J L F

A I G N 0 R A N C E U X

M 0 A K L L L G D N S T

H N L X 0 H A M E 0 I D

A 5 0 U N S y N V 5 0 F

R A K 5 H A S H A S N G

B I A E C G U Y 5 J U 8

U N I V E R S E P T N K

M K M S T A P 0 L 0 K A

AsurasBrahmalokaDevasGoodnessIgnorance

IllusionJanalokaPassionRakshashasSages

22

SvargalokaTapolokaTechnologyUniverse

L•••oft Fiy.I. Earth Sp.cial?

It's obvious that most human beings don't have any of the mystic

powers. Perhaps some great yogis can travel through time and space.

Perhaps others can make themselves as small as a mouse or expand

themselves into 6 other bodies. But can you? Can anyone you know?

No, here on earth we are lucky ifwe can drive our car without getting in a

wreck and figure out how to run our new computer!

Then why do extraterrestials bother coming here? There are so

many accounts of UFOs visiting earth. Why? Why do the Rakshashas

like Ravana and Kamsa come to the earth rather than other planets?

Humans are inferior and unimportant compared to the celestial beings.

Why would Krishna bother to incarnate Himself on Earth to protect

earthlings?

The Vedas tell us that humans are special. The human form of life

is especially good for spiritual advancement. Beings that are inferior to

humans don't have the intelligence they need to understand spiritual

things. The powerful human forms, like the Asuras and the Devas, are

too busy enjoying their long lives, their wonderful mystic powers and

their great beauty. But human life is a mix of good and bad. There is

enough suffering on earth to make us eager to learn about a way to get

rid of suffering once and for all. There is also enough comfort which lets

our minds be peaceful enough to think about and study spiritual matters.

Krishna is concerned with all souls and would like to see all beings come

back to be with Him in the spiritual world. Since Earth is such a good

place for growing in spiritual life, it's only natural that He is concerned

with humans.

The Srimad Bhagavatam says, "Since the human form of life is the

sublime position for spiritual realization, all the demigods in heaven

speak in this way: How wonderful it is for these human beings to have

been born in the land of Bharata-varsa (Earth)... We demigods can only

23

aspire to achieve human births in Bharata-varsa to execute devotional

service, but these human beings are already engaged there."

This same idea has come up in reported communications with

extraterrestials. Some seem to understand that on Earth there is a

chance for salvation.

,,\J(~~~___:-'- ~ c:> _, >"0::::...:., -_.:..---:--~

I ,

Since humans on the Earth planet are important from a spiritual

point of view, higher authorities in the universe tend to protect it. We

see an example of this when Lord Vishnu incarnated as the boar Varaha

in order to lift the earth from the waters of the Causal Ocean and to kill

Hiranyaksha. The Lord also

incarnated as Matsya the fish to

save the Vedas (which are

necessary if humans are to make

spiritual advancement) from the

huge floods.

'. -..:;:::,.. -,\-','".~...,'..'::..'.:' '"...- ' ,..... ,":'.',' .': ',;'. ;..:".. ',',", <.

The basic plot of the Mahabharat is the attempt of the Daityas and

the Danavas, two groups of Asuras, to take over and rule human society.

This happened long, long ago when humans were doing quite well in the

world. People lived long, peaceful and honest lives, the earth provided

an abundance of fruits, vegetables and grains, and men were righteous

and rellgious.

But human life became affected by some things happening in the

higher planets. Just as humans were flourishing, powerful and demonic

creatures began to take birth from the wives of earthly kings. Once the

godly Adityas fought with their wicked cousins the Daityas and

conquered them. Losing their power and positions, the Daityas began to

take birth on this planet. They plotted that in this way they could easily

become rulers of the earth and bring it under their demonic rule. And so

the Asuras began to appear among different creatures and communities.

24

As these demonic creatures continued to take birth on the earth,

the earth herself could not bear the weight of their presence. The

Daityas and Danavas appeared as very strong kings. They were bold and

proud and ready to crush those who fought against them. They harassed

the teachers, ruler, merchant and all other creatures. Moving about by

the hundreds and thousands, they began to slay the earth's creatures

and they brought terror to the world. Puffed up by their great strength,

they threatened the sages who peacefully meditated in the forests.

Mother Earth, taking the

shape of a cow, approached Lord

Brahma pleading with him to save

the earth. Lord Brahma ordered the

Devas to incarnate on the earth just

as the Asuras had done, saying, "Inorder to remove the burden of the

earth, each of you is to take birth on

the earth to stop the spread of the

demonic forces." Brahma also asked

Lord Vishnu to appear on earth to

put an end to the demons, and He

agreed to do so.

Various Devas appeared on the earth, being born of earthly

mothers. Lord Krishna also appeared and gradually destroyed the

Danavas. The war fought between the Pandavas and the sons of

Dhritarashtra is the main story of Mahabharat and many of the demonic

kings were killed in this battle.

Earth is indeed a special place. It is special enough that higher

forces protect it from otherwise devastating results. The "invasions" by

Asuras and Rakshashas also offer the chance for wonderful spiritual

lmow1edge to be spoken. Ravana's invasion resulted in the appearance of

Lord Rama, who taught the life of an ideal king. When Krishna appeared

to save the earth from the demonic kings He spoke the Bhagavad Gita,one of the most important scriptures in the world today.

25

Lellon SixD.seription of Lif. on oth., Plan.t,

Our universe is home to many millions of planets. Some are the

abodes of the Devas, others are homes for ghosts. Some planets are

places where the living entity goes to be punished for his sins and other

planets are where he goes to enjoy his good karma. In the Fifth Canto of

the Srimad Bhagavatam you will find descriptions ofvarious planets.

Jambudwip There is a detailed description of a place called

Jambudwip. It is located within this universe in a planetary system

called Bhu-mandala. There are many extremely large mountains there,

thousands of miles high. Between four of the mountains are four huge

lakes. The water of the first tastes just like milk. The water of the

second is like honey. The water of the third tastes like sugarcane juice

and the fourth is :filled with pure water. The celestial beings such as the

Caranas, Siddhas and Gandharvas, who possess perfect mystic powers,

enjoy coming to these lakes.

On the side of one of the mountains is a big tree that has rivers of

honey flowing out of it. The honey falls from the top of the mountain and

flows all around the land making the whole area smell sweet.

On the slope of another mountain is a mango tree thousands of

miles high. Mangoes as big as mountain peaks and as sweet as nectar

fall from the top of this tree for the enjoyment of the Devas. When the

gigantic fruits fall from so high, they burst and the sweet, fragrant juice

flows out and cascades from the mountains in waterfalls. It becomes a

river of mango juice pleasantly flowing through the land. The wives of

the Yakshas drink the juice of this river and their bodies become so

fragrant that the atmosphere is perfiuned for eighty miles around.

There are also fruits from the jambu tree, which are :full of pulp

and have very small seeds. These fruits are as big as elephants and as

they fall they break to pieces and form another river. This floods the

26

entire land with juice. The mud on the banks of the river gets wet from

the flowing juice and then is dried by the sun. It produces huge

quantities of gold called .Iambu-nada. The denizens of the heavenly

planets use this gold for ornaments.

The residents of .Jambudwip have no wrinkles on their bodies and

no gray hair. They never feel tired and they are not affected by old age,,, \ I .

disease or sudden death. They all live happily until it is tin:le fo~j:.hem todie. .- ....' , <

The description of life in Jambudwip sounds

quite fantastic. There are also descriptions ofplanets

where there is no sunshine, but whose light comes from

glittering gems that are on the heads of great serpents.

The planet ofMaya Danava, who is a powerful sorcerer,

is described. We learn of the planet where demons,

who are the enemies of the Devas, live in holes

like snakes and are very powerful and cruel

from the moment they are born.

There are also descriptions of life on hellish planets. It is quite a

contrast to what we have just heard about Jambudwip but it is also quite

fantastic. The hellish planets lie on the southern side of the universe

below a planetary system called Patalaloka.

Here are a few verses from the Srimad Bhagavatam telling what

the hellish planets are like.

Sucimukha "One who in this world or this life is very proud of

his wealth always thinks, 'I am so rich. Who can equal me?' His vision

is twisted, and he is always afraid that someone will take his wealth.

Indeed, he even suspects his superiors. His face and heart dry up at the

thought of losing his wealth, and therefore he always looks like a

wretched fiend. He is not in any way able to obtain actual happiness, and

he does not know what it is to be free from anxiety. Because of the sinful

things he does to earn money, augment his wealth and protect it, he is

27

put into the hell called Sucimukha, where the officials ofYamaraj punish

him by stitching thread through his entire body like weavers

manufacturing cloth. "

Raurava "A person who accepts his body as his self works very

hard day and night for money to maintain his own body and the bodies of

his wife and children. While working to maintain himself and his family,

he may commit violence against other living entities. Such a person is

forced to give up his body and his family at the time of death, when he

suffers the reaction for his envy of other creatures by being thrown into

the hell called Raurava. In this life, an envious person commits violent

acts against many living entities. Therefore after his death, when he is

taken to hell by Yamaraj, those living entities who were hurt by him

appear as animals called rurus to inflict very severe pain upon him.

Learned scholars call this hell Raurava. Not generally seen in this world,

the ruru is more envious than a snake."

Dandasuka ''Those who in this life are like envious serpents,

always angry and giving pain to other living entities, fall after death into

the hell known as Dandasuka. In this hell there are serpents with five or

seven hoods. These serpents eat such sinful persons just as snakes eat

mice."

Paryavartana "A householder

who receives guests or visitors with

cruel glances, as if to burn them to

ashes, is put into the hell called

Paryavartana, where he is gazed at

by hard-eyed vultures, herons,

crows, and similar birds, which

suddenly swoop down and pluck out

his eyes with great force."

It is said that in the region of Yamaraj there are many, many

hellish planets. Sinful people must enter these planets according to the

28

degree of their sins. Those who are religious, however, enter other

planetary systems, namely the planets of the Devas. But both the sinful

and the religious are brought to earth after their good or bad reactions

are finished.

Travel between planets does

exist. After death we may find

ourselves in another planetary

system to enjoy or suffer the

reactions to our life here. But on all

the planets there is repeated birth

and death. The Devas may live for a

long time but they do not live

forever.

o o

(

-*-/'{,I

No matter what planet we live on now or what planet we may go to

in the future, one thing is for certain. We can never escape repeated

birth and death, which means suffering, until we transfer ourselves to

one of the planets in the spiritual world. This can only be done by

devotional service to the Lord. As we have learned from this session,

Earth is the most ideal planet to perform devotional service. We may not

have the technological intelligence of the higher humanoids but we can

take full advantage of our intelligence to engage in service to the

Supreme Lord Krishna.

In the words of the Devas, "A short life in the land ofBharata-varsa

is preferable to a life achieved in Brahmaloka for millions and billions of

years because even if one is elevated to Bralnnaloka, he must return to

repeated birth and death. Although life in Bharata-varsa, in a lower

planetary system, is very short, one who lives there can elevate himself to

:full Krishna consciousness and achieve the highest perfection, even in

this short life, by fully surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Lord. Thus

one attains Vaikunthaloka, where there is neither anxiety nor repeated

birth in a material body."

29

Life on Other Planets

I ACROSS I DOWN4. one race of 1. gold produced

celestial beings from the jambu5. a heavenly fruit

region in this 2. fruits that areuniverse -------_.__.- -as-bjg~as ___

6. the ruler of the elephantshellish planets 3. when one falls

10. on other it creates aplanets, these river of juiceanimals have 7. one who is toogems on their attached to thisheads goes to

Sucimukha8. envious

animals in thehellish planets

9. rivers of it flowin Jambudwip