Flat Earth vs Round Earth (update) Rajasekhara Dasa Brahmachari

Prabhupada's Globular Earth

BY: RAJASEKHARA DAS BRAHMACHARI (ACBSP)

A reply to Mayesvara dasa's denial of a global earth.

My attention was drawn Mayesvara's reply on Sampradaya Sun to an article by Danavir Goswami entitled 'Flat-Earth or Globular Earth?' in which my name was mentioned and the suggestion that I should also put forward further arguments in support of the globular Earth.

In Mayesvara's article he has said:

"Despite Rajasekhara dasa's arguments and contentions being thoroughly refuted in the above debate, and despite being unable to reply further, he unfortunately continues to propagate the same errors and misconceptions to his unwitting audience."

This is undoubtedly Mayesvara's gravest mistake to date because these are not my so-called 'errors or misconceptions', but those of Shrila Prabhupada himself, whose 20 direct quotations that the Earth is a globe are the sole basis of my argument.

And furthermore, Mayesvara says the audience who hears about Shrila Prabhupada's vision of the globular Earth are labeled as 'unwitting'. How offensive and foolhardy you are to have made such a pompous and misguided statement.

Only those who faithfully follow in the footsteps of the previous Acharya are qualified to speak on the Bhagavatam. Not someone who opposes the vision of the Acharya and ridicules those who convey the Acharya's vision to others.

One must be empowered by the grace of the previous Acharya in order to receive the transcendental vision to perceive the secrets behind the mantras contained in the Fifth canto of Bhagavatam.

Not only that, one must be strictly following the sadhana practices given by the Acharya and live a life free from all kinds of material attachment. Explanations on the Bhagavatam by unqualified men or armchair philosophers are of no value and can benefit no one.

The most prominent feature of Danavir Goswami's article is the fact that both Shrila Prabhupada and Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati share the same vision that the earth is a globe.

Therefore it behooves the intelligent class of men to follow in the footsteps of the great Acharyas and reject the opinions of mental speculations, who must be shunned if one is going to make progress on the spiritual path Back to Godhead, which is entirely dependent on the mercy of the great Acharyas.

The Fifth Canto reveals a number of astronomical models that must be appreciated individually in order to comprehend the overall presentation of the Vedic cosmos.

Although it is impossible for a neophyte reader to comprehend the deeper meanings of the Vedic mantras which are composed in the form of sutras that can convey multiple meanings in a single verse, the Bhagavatam does in fact contain verses that convey a model of the globular Earth, and besides the geocentric model with Sumeru at the centre, we also find a discussion on the heliocentric model.

Only by following in the footsteps of the great Acharyas and imbibing their vision can such realizations of the Bhagavatam be obtained.

With regard to your statement, "and despite being unable to reply further", obviously you are again misinformed and unaware that our debate on Sampradaya Sun was curtailed due to the rather 'heavy hand' of the Sun's editors, who were chopping at my articles 'left & right', which I found rather disconcerting, as it disturbed the smooth flow of the presentation.

In the last article I wrote, I first sent it to some of the regular contributors to the Sun for their opinion, and their response was most favorable. I therefore sent the article to the Sun for publishing, with the 'rider', that if they were again going to edit my article, then I would prefer to withdraw it.

And as it happened, the Sun editors informed me that the article indeed needed editing, so I withdrew it. So your claim about my "being unable to reply further" is another piece of misinformation.

Regarding your view that you have emerged victorious from the debate with me is rather far fetched. On the contrary, as you are well aware, your numerous and somewhat voluminous presentations have completely failed to have any effect on the cosmologists at the TOVP.

On the other hand, my articles not only created a massive groundswell of support for Shrila Prabhupada's views on the globular Earth - which had not been properly presented previously – but most importantly, the cosmologists at the TOVP were reminded of Shrila Prabhupada's vision and 'low & behold' introduced the globular Earth into one of their exhibits.

The whole purpose of my articles on Sampradaya Sun was to convey the message to all concerned, that the TOVP presentation of the Vedic Cosmos must include the TOVP founder-acharya's vision of a globular Earth; otherwise they are certainly destined for a catastrophic failure.

To present a model based on the Fifth Canto is not a problem, but to provide a comprehensive explanation of such a model and its relevance to the world that we know, the globular Earth, will undoubtedly be its crowning glory.

SHRILA PRABHUPADA'S QUOTES ON THE SPHERICAL EARTH-GLOBE

For those not familiar with Shrila Prabhupada's opinion on the round globular earth, here are eighteen of Shrila Prabhupada's quotes that confirm his conception regarding the earth as a globe, which is in conformity with the other Vaishnava acharyas, the Surya-Siddhanta, as well as modern science.

These quotes thoroughly expose the concocted 'flat-earth' model of Bhu-mandala now being presented by Iskcon's 'Temple of the Vedic Planetarium' in Mayapur.

Morning Walk. December 9, 1973, Los Angeles:

"In Vedic literature it is bhu-gola, jagad-andha. These words are there. We can see also it is round, jagad- andha. The universe is round. And Goloka. Or Bhu-gola. Bhu-gola, the earth is round. So in the Vedic literatures... Therefore their knowledge is also imperfect because they do not refer to the Vedic literatures. It is already there. Bhu-gola. Bhu means the earth; gola means round. It is already there. And the geography's called, according to Sanskrit, it is called Bhu-gola. Long, long ago, before Galileo".

Lectures, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.17, Los Angeles, January 12, 1974:

"And again, if you start your plane in sunlight, in the morning, in daylight, so in the morning, and go to the western side, you will find never night. You will find never night, always light, always light. Sometimes we have got experience. We start from a place, say, at ten o'clock, and going western side. Then, after few hours, we see it is still ten o'clock, and the light is there. This is our practical experience".

Lecture, September 25, 1969:

"The Russian sputnik circumambulated the earth in one hour twenty-five minutes and went around earth twenty-five times. That means within one hour & twenty-five minutes the sputnik man (cosmonaut) saw twenty-five times day and night".

Radio interview - The Joe Pyne Show

Interviewer: "According to your cosmology you say the world is flat."

Prabhupada "Now they are actually talking, it is a long story but the plane of the solar system, all the planets – that is relatively flat. That is what the Vedas are talking about."

Interviewer: "You say the world is flat."

Prabhupada "Everywhere I walk it is."

Lecture on SB 3.28.21- Nairobi,Novembre 1,1975:

"Sastra never says flat. No,no,it is not flat. It is round.This is sastra. Everything is round".

Lecture, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 13.8-12, Bombay, September 30, 1973:

"All the planets and the universes, they are egg shaped. Therefore they are called anda, jagadanda, brahmanda."

Lecture, Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.2.5, Melbourne, April 3, 1972:

"Jagad-anda means this universe is a big, I mean to say, volume. Just like anda, egg. Everything, every planet is just like egg. This brahmanda, this universe, is also like egg. So there are many many, many millions of jagadanda. And in each and every jagad-anda, kotisu vasudhādi-vibhuti-bhinnam, there are innumerable planets also."

Morning Walk, December 9, 1973, Los Angeles:

"In Vedic literature it is bhu-gola, jagad-andha. These words are there. We can see also it is round, jagad- andha.. The universe is round. And Goloka. Or Bhu-gola. Bhu-gola, the earth is round. So in the Vedic literatures... Therefore their knowledge is also imperfect because they do not refer to the Vedic literatures. It is already there. Bhu-gola. Bhu means the earth; gola means round. It is already there. And the geography's called, according to Sanskrit, it is called Bhu-gola. Long, long ago, before Galileo."

Lectures, Bhagavad-gita 2.12, Bhagavad-gita 2.12, New York, March 9, 1966:

"There is a control… Just like here, in this planet, when you go up, you see it is ball, but in this ball there are so many controlling deities here also. President Johnson, prime minister of India, this and that and so many things. But when you go up you see just like a ball. So when you come here you find… "

Philosophy Discussions on Charles Darwin:

"How much big the Varaha animal was to show that it can pick up the whole earth, earthly planet just like a ball. He cannot imagine such big animals."

Letter to Madhava Vrindaban, 3 October, 1976:

"Regarding details of the universe, be satisfied by reading only Bhagavatam. What is the use of reading other books—you are not going there. Some portion of the earth is flat. When you stand in any place you see flat, so for us to some extent it appears flat, but it is round."

Lectures, Bhagavad-gita 1.24-25, London, July 20, 1973:

"You can become immediately out of the scope of maya if you always remain surrendered to Krsna. Maya will not touch you. Just like if you remain always in the sunshine, there is no question of night. Nowadays it is very easy. If you simply drive your plane on the western side, you'll never get night.

You just roundabout. Yes. Just like it is materially possible. You drive your plane simply on the western side. Start your plane in the morning and go to the western side and don't stop it. You go on for three, four, as many days as you like. You'll never get night. This is practical."

Lectures, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.17, Los Angeles, January 12, 1974:

"And again, if you start your plane in sunlight, in the morning, in daylight, so in the morning, and go to the western side, you will find never night. You will find never night, always light, always light. Sometimes we have got experience. We start from a place, say, at ten o'clock, and going western side. Then, after few hours, we see it is still ten o'clock, and the light is there. This is our practical experience."

Lecture: The Nectar of Devotion, Bombay, January 4, 1973

Prabhupada: "Just like the sunrise. As soon as the rises, you start your airplane, and you go on, towards the eastern, western side, you'll find always day. A practical… There will be no sunset. We have seen it while coming from Paris to London. Was it not? There was sunshine. We started from Paris at twelve o'clock and we reached London at three o'clock".

Syamasundara: "Los Angeles".

Prabhupada: "Los Angeles. Yes. Los Angeles at three o'clock. It actually took eleven hours, but it appeared three hours. But there was no sunset. Actually so many hours have been passed".

Lecture on SB, Bombay, September 30, 1973:

"Jagad-anda means this universe is a big, I mean to say, volume. Just like anda, egg. Everything, every planet is just like egg. This brahmanda, this universe, is also like egg. So there are many many, many millions of jagad-anda. And in each and every jagad-anda, kotisu vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam, there are innumerable planets also."

Letter to Madhava, Vrindavana, 3 October, 1976:

"Some portion of the earth is flat. When you stand in any place you see flat, so for us to some extend it appears flat, but it is round".

Discussion about Bhu-mandala-july 3,1977,Vrindavana:

"Yes, it is round. No, we don't say flat. You can take it flat. It is not flat".

Lecture, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 1.43, London, July 30, 1973

Prabhupāda: "Jagad-anda. Jagad-anda means universe. Brahmanda or jagad-anda. Anda. Anda means it is egg-shaped, round, egg-shaped. Therefore it is called anda, brahmanda. Bhu-gola. Gola means round. I have heard that before the science, the people were under the impression that this world is square. Is it not?"

Devotees: "Flat".

Prabhupada: "Flat. Flat, yes. But in the Vedic sastra, millions of years ago it is mentioned: bhu-gola. Gola means round. Just see. And these rascals say that formerly people were not so intelligent. They are intelligent because they are thinking that this world is flat. And those who have spoken millions of years ago, "It is round," they will have less intelligence. Just see. Bhu, gola. Gola means round. Bhu-gola. Similarly, jagad-anda. Abda means round, just like egg. Anda means egg. Jagad-anda. This universe is egg-shaped. And we can see also, the sky is round. This is the wall of this universe."

Purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita. Adi - Lila (5.119):

"The Lord of Svetadvipa expands Himself as Sesa Naga, who sustains all the planets upon His innumerable hoods. These huge global spheres are compared to grains of mustard resting on the spiritual hoods of Sesa Naga.....'On your thousands of hoods rest the innumerables global spheres......each sustains a global sphere that appears like a grain of mustard."

Purport to Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi-lila (5.121):

"The Laghu-bhagavatamrita gives the following description: "The Sankarshana of the second group of quadruple forms appears as Rama, taking with Him Sesha, who bears the global spheres. There are two features of Sesha. One is the bearer of the globes, and the other is the bedstead servitor. The Sesha who bears the globes is a potent incarnation of Sankarshana, and therefore He is sometimes also called Sankarshana. The bedstead feature of Sesha always presents himself as an eternal servitor of the Lord."

QUOTES ON THE AXIAL ROTATION OF THE EARTH GLOBE

These eight important quotes by Shrila Prabhupada defeats the false notion that the earth is flat and does not rotate on its axis. These statements expose the concocted model of Bhu-mandala now being presented by the amateur cosmologists behind Iskcon's Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur.

Lecture by Shrila Prabhupada on Bhagavad-gita [7.5] Bombay, February 20, 1974:

"The spiritual force behind is moving the material world. Yayedah dharyate jagat. Jagat means gacchati iti jagat, which is moving or going forward. Everything is moving. All these planets are moving. Your earthly planet is also moving—within twenty-four hours covering 25,000 miles, day and night. The whole material planets, earthly planets, you have 25,000 miles, and this is rotating. Similarly every planet is rotating. The sun is also rotating".

Lecture by Shrila Prabhupada on Shrimad-Bhagavatam [3.26.3] Bombay, December 15, 1974

"Just like on account of the sunshine all the planets are resting and rotating. That is scientific. Due to the heat of the sunshine, all the planets in the sky, they are rotating. It is due to sunshine. Similarly, this brahmanda, this universe, not only one universe, but millions of universes, they are also rotating in the brahmajyoti".

Lecture by Shrila Prabhupada on Bhagavad-gita [16.8] Tokyo, January 28, 1975:

"Now, as we see in the street that the cars are moving in high speed but they are within the orbit, within the line, demarcation of line, white line or yellow line, so there is some brain, there is some management, everything is there, Similarly, all these planets, they are rotating with high speed. Just like this planet. It is rotating 25,000 miles in twelve hours. Is it not? The circumference of this earth is 25,000 miles and... Yes, day and night, twenty-four hours. Almost one thousand miles per hour".

Lecture by Shrila Prabhupada in London, September 26, 1969:

"And actually, scientifically, it is true that due to the heat of the sun planet all other planets are rotating; otherwise they'll fall down. But they're floating in the air, in the sky, due to this sunlight. Anyone who knows science, he'll admit, "Yes, that's a fact." And sun is the source of all energy in this material world. All this vegetation, all living condition, minerals—there are so many things—this is due to the sun. So sun in the king of all planets, as it is stated in the Vedic literatures".

Room Conversation with Shyamasundara:

Prabhupada: "Decision means because you are imperfect, human beings are imperfect, so their machine, these motorcars, there are so many accidents, so many killing. But because God is so perfect, although all the planets are rotating in their speed, just like this earth is rotating... What is the speed? At least in twenty-four hours it is completing 25,000 miles. That means its speed is about 1000 miles at least.

And similarly, other planets are also moving, similarly. And the sun planet is moving at 16,000 miles per minute or second, calculated. But all these planets are moving in this way, so much speed, but they are not colliding. The perfect arrangement is there, and they are floating. How it is possible? This is accidental? Do you think this is accidental?"

Room Conversation -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Madhavananda: "They say that it's fixed. They say the polestar is fixed, but it doesn't revolve around. They say everything moves, but the polestar is fixed".

Prabhupada: "Polestar is fixed, that is fact. And all, It is like pivot. Everyone round, round. Urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham (BG. 15.1). This tree is spread downwards. The root is upward"

Pusta Krishna: "The scientists also say all of the stars are moving around. But they don't see the earth as moving around.

Prabhupada: Why not? What is this nonsense? If all the stars can move, what is the earth? That is their nonsense".

Lecture by Shrila Prabhupada in New Delhi on November 16th 1973

"Due to the sunshine all the planets are rotating in their prescribed orbit"

Letter to Upendra, Los Angeles, 1st March, 1968:

Shrila Prabhupada, "God means Supreme controller, can you control anything? Not even your own body. What to speak of millions of planets spinning so perfectly in their orbit"

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