Prabhupada 0665 - Krsna's Planet, Goloka Vrndavana, Is Self-illuminated
Lecture on BG 6.13-15 -- Los Angeles, February 16, 1969
Tamal Krishna: "Rather the cessation of material existence enables one to enter into the spiritual sky, the abode of the Lord. The abode of the Lord is also clearly described in the Bhagavad-gītā as that place where there is no need of sun or moon, nor of electricity."
Prabhupāda: Now you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, we have already… I think in the Second Chapter there is, anyway, that it is said that:
- na tad bhāsayate sūryo
- na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
- yad gatvā na nivartante
- tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
- (BG 15.6)
Now Kṛṣṇa describes, "My abode, how it is. In that sky, where My abode is there, there is no necessity of sunlight, there is no necessity of moonlight, there is no necessity of electricity." Now you cannot find such abode within this universe. You travel with your sputnik or any machine, you find out some place where there is no sunlight, there is no moonlight. The sunlight is so extensive, all over the universe there is sunlight. Where you'll find that place? That means that place is beyond the sky. That is also stated: paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). Beyond this material nature there is another spiritual nature. So we do not know what is the formation of this material nature, and what to know about the spiritual nature. Then you have to hear from Kṛṣṇa who lives there. Otherwise you remain nonsense all your life.
Here is the information. How can you know which you do not, cannot reach, cannot know - your senses are so imperfect. How can you know? Simply you have to hear. Just like you have to hear about your father from the mother. There is no other way. The father certifies, mother certifies, "Here is your father, you have to accept." You cannot make any experiment. Beyond your means. Similarly, if you want to learn about the spiritual sky and God's kingdom, then you have to simply hear from the authority. There is no question of experimental knowledge. Simply hearing. So hearing means, just like you have to believe some gentleman as your father, hearing from the authority of your mother. Simply from the Vedic literature which is accepted as the mother, authority of mother, knowledge. Mother authority. Veda-mātā. It is called Veda-mātā.. Veda means knowledge and it is received from the mother. So Veda-mātā, the knowledge mother, you have to know what is Kṛṣṇa. And here Kṛṣṇa is personally explaining. So you have to believe it. Then you get the knowledge. Otherwise there is no possibility. You cannot make any experiment. Then you’ll fail. Go on.
Tamal Krishna: "All the planets in the spiritual kingdom are self-illuminated like the sun in the material sky…"
Prabhupāda: So they… Because here, this planet, this earthly planet is not illuminating, therefore you require illumination by the sun, by electricity, by moon. But there the planet… Kṛṣṇa is self-effulgent – His planet is also self… One example is the sun. Sun is the self-illuminating planet. If in the material world there is possibility of this illuminating planet, what to speak of the spiritual world? All the planets there, they’re illuminating. Self-illuminating. Just like jewel. Jewel, a diamond, a piece of diamond, you put it in the darkness, it is self-illuminating. There is no question of illumination to show, ‘here is the diamond’. It is self-illuminating. Even in this material world, you’ll find. So that planet, Kṛṣṇa planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana, that is self-illuminated. We have given that picture in our Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, self-effulgent. There are many millions of planets in that spiritual sky. Go on.