Re: The Flat Earth? - Conclusion

Madhudvisah dasa Swami (shelter@peg.apc.org)
Wed, 05 Jul 1995 21:52:40 GMT

makaliwe@ils.nwu.edu (Hendrik Makaliwe) wrote:

>In article <3t50vu$9gt@dingo.cc.uq.oz.au>, shelter@peg.apc.org
>(Madhudvisah dasa Swami) wrote:

>> [snip]
>>
>> This material world is only a
>> small part of the creation of God (about 1/4). The other 3/4 is the
>> spiritual world...

>Please Swami, enlighten us about these numbers.
>What kind of wisdom did you use to arrive at those?
>You even managed to put that "about" before "1/4". What's that suppose to
>mean. Measurement errors? Quantum fluctuations?

We just take Krishna's and our spiritual master's word for it. There is no
other way to get such knowledge. We can't see beyond this universe so how
else are we to know what lies beyond it? In the introduction to the
Bhagavad-gita As It Is you will find:

"...in the brahmajyoti (spiritual sky) there are innumerable spiritual
planets. The number of these planets is far, far greater than all of the
planets of this material world. This material world has been approximated
as only one quarter of the creation (ekamsena sthito jagat). In this
material segment there are millions and billions of universes with
trillions of planets and suns, stars and moons. But this whole material
creation is only a fragment of the total creation. Most of the creation is
in the spiritual sky."

The verse (ekamsena sthito jagat) is Bhagavad-gita 10.42.

Ours is a different process for acquiring knowledge. We receive knowledge
from a bona fide authority. If you have the right authority you can get
the right knowledge immediately. Of course nowadays there are many
cheating "gurus" and many people have been conned by them in the past so
people are, rightly so, suspicious of "gurus" and reluctant to accept
knowledge gained in such a way. But still if you can find someone who
actually knows something he can teach it to you... It's a simple idea.

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master.
Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The
self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen
the truth." (Bhagavad-gita 4.34)

>> The defect of our Western culture is although people become frustrated
>> with material life, they have no alternative to it. Our society doesn't
>> provide a spiritual alternative. So people become frustrated and commit
>> suicide -- because there is nothing left.

>For once, there is some truth in your statement.

>cheers

>Hendrik Makaliwe

Thank you. Hare Krishna!

Madhudvisah dasa Swami
(shelter@peg.apc.org) http://www.peg.apc.org/~shelter/ctfote

All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!