Moon Madness

AUGUST 29, 2017

BY: NARASIMHA DAS

Recently I heard an odd accusation from a so-called senior devotee. He suggested that those who teach what Srila Prabhupada taught or repeat what he said about various controversial facts are trying to embarrass Srila Prabhupada because they hate Srila Prabhupada and His mission. This came up recently because some devotees in the Hare Krishna Society sent out excerpts from Bhagavatam regarding eclipses. They did this apparently in response to the recent eclipse-event mania, wherein hundreds of thousands of people drove hundreds of miles, both north and south, to bask in the darkness of a total solar eclipse.

Apparently this above-mentioned devotee is himself embarrassed by some of Srila Prabhupada’s statements and teachings, which he believes are obviously mistaken and should therefore be hidden, ignored, or totally forgotten. Those who aspire to create their own congregations worry that talk of certain subjects will scare away potential converts and thus impede their own sense gratification in the name of preaching.

Srila Prabhupada, on the other hand, was not afraid to mention things which may, in the view of some people, tend to create a backlash of contempt and doubt about Him, the Hare Krishna movement or the authority of the Vedas. Since he mentioned these things often in public lectures and in His books, it would be foolish to conclude that He wanted us to hide these facts in our own preaching.

What are the contentious issues? The structure of the universe. The size of women’s brains. The social roles of women. The relative social status and intelligence of various races and classes. The existence of hell, and so on. Srila Prabhupada didn’t harp on contentious issues but also didn’t shy away from talking about them or writing about them in them in proper context. He never agreed that the material bodies of all men and women are created equal. He saw distinctions in this world and taught us that real equality, real happiness and real knowledge free from illusion existed in the spiritual world—not in Maya’s kingdom.

We have seen several devotees leave the mission over these contentious issues, particularly the Vedic view that the moon is further away than the sun and that eclipses are due to the influences of the evil planet Rahu. For thousands of years people in India of all classes accepted the Vedic version of things because, in part, they had no other recourse.

Modern people think they know everything because they watch TV and have computers. They prefer to blindly accept the version dished out by modern science because they see that science has answered many vital questions such as, “How can we make bombs and missiles that can kill millions of people?” “How can we create technological addictions to enslave millions of people?” “How can we exploit the earth by force and enjoy lives of luxury and ease?”  “How can we engage in all manner of unhealthy habits yet remain fit through taking FDA-approved drugs?” “How can we abort unwanted embryos by popping a pill?” “How can we make synthetic pain killers so we don’t need poppy fields?” and so on.

Although the answers to such inquiries are important to many, this won’t help anyone solve the actual problems of life, namely birth, old age, disease and death.

Nor should we readily accept the computer simulations that appear to show barren moon surfaces or the moon planet in relation to the Earth.  All of this is contrived. Even Nasa, when pressed, will admit this. We have no real photos of the moon or outer space. These are all photo-shopped digital reproductions.

Ironically, while so-called devotees have left the mission or become critical of Srila Prabhupada over these controversies, a large percentage of the American people understand or suspect that the moon landing was a hoax. There are several books by intelligent people that practically prove the hoax.

Recently I saw a thorough documentary on mainstream media that points to many glaring inconsistencies in the claims of moon-landing promoters. In another instance, one famous show called “Myth Busters”, as the name suggests, tries to bust popular urban myths, and on one show, they decided, for some reason, to go after a myth that wasn’t very popular but propagated mostly by avid “moon-landing deniers.” The myth was this: The famous moon boot print photo could not possibly be real because such a perfect imprint would have been impossible on the moon, since, according to scientists, the moon’s dusty surface is very cold, dry and a near vacuum. They were very keen to debunk this “myth”, so they created a similar moon environment in a lab but were surprised and somewhat aghast to find out that it was in fact impossible to make a print. The boot-print they tried to create would crumble immediately and look like nothing distinguishable. Thus, in this rare episode, they frankly admitted they were unable to disprove this “myth” promoted by moon-landing deniers.

Some people claim that the scientists must know everything about the moon because they are able to predict eclipses and various moon phases. Vedic astrologers, however, can do the same, following the Vedic models and ideas. Also, just because you can predict an event doesn’t mean you understand what’s really going on.

But people in general feel great devotion to science, because it has given us cars, computers, nuclear weapons, jet planes, birth control pills, amazing drugs, TV, cell phones, hospitals, slaughter houses, big cities like Houston, and safe abortion clinics. Such people are not interested in the Vedas, which teach us how to live on the land, protect the Earth and go back to Godhead.

The real fact is that no one can go the moon or live on the moon by mechanical arrangements. The real fact is that not even the greatest scientist knows what’s going on even inside his own body, or in the next room. (Just see the atheist freak Steve Hawkins. He looks like a demon already.) The real fact is that the powerful instruments of scientists, as well as their senses, are imperfect. Instruments are meant to circumvent limitations and illusions, but, in fact, they only increase these limitations and illusions.

This material universe is called maya for a reason. It is colossal hoax, a shared dream. Nothing here is substantial, nothing is as it seems. Any magician at a cheap carnival can trick even the greatest scientists with a house of mirrors and make great men like Einstein bump into walls and get lost, even in a small space. Yet even a second-rate magician is not needed to fool great scientists. They are constantly fooled by their own minds and senses. Just because many imperfect people agree on something doesn’t make it real. Nor does the predicting or partial understanding of relative and illusory causes and effects make one a great scientist or thinker.

Srila Prabhupada didn’t want blind followers but preferred blind following to no following. He wanted intelligent and sincere disciples, not those with ulterior motives. He may have sometimes deliberately said or done things that tested our faith. Unless we carefully understand the limitations and imperfections of our minds and senses in understanding this complex and illusory world, we will be unable to stick to the path of hearing from real authorities; and thus we will take birth again and again in the darkness of ignorance. This is my prediction.

Once while trying to preach I was challenged by a listener who said, “We have faith in modern science because science is confirmed by experiments and observation. Science has given us jet travel, global communications, great medical advancements and comfortable living.”

I countered, “Yes technological sciences provide some good for those who think life is an accident with no meaning or purpose but the cost of our modern society to the planet and all living things is not yet understood. We don’t understand how our fast-paced modern life is making us weak, immoral, lazy and dependent. We don’t understand the damage we are doing to the environment or whether this can be ever reversed. Modern science has made us so stupid that we are willing to risk killing the planet we live on for sake of supporting extravagant exploitation that benefits a few at the expense of many.”

18 comments

  • Prahlada Nrsimha das

    All those points are not the main ones of our philosophy. If we feel uncomfortable with them, we can keep some reserve on them. We want to go to Krsna and so leave this material universe. We don’t really care the distance between the earth and the moon if we can not explain this dilemna.
    The inventions of the materialists technically work and it would not be possible if their calculations were wrong.
    We have the answers to all the fundamental questions but not necessary to all other ones and it is not so necessary.

    Personnally, I have no doubt that the women are different from us but equal. The size of the brain has nothing to do with the intelligence. The hippopotamus has a far bigger brain than us. That does not make him more intelligent than human. In France, women have 3 times better results than men in managing companies. That is the material intelligence. And to only compete with men is not a motivation sufficient to do what they are doing. Very far from that ! For spiritual intelligence, many women took Krsna Consciousness in spite of their husbands advice. And ISKCON is managed almost only by men. Look the result…..
    The world the same……look the result ! And in spite of some statements, in the acts, Prabhupada went in this direction of equality. Women in temples, responsabilities, first and second initiation given directly to the women. You could not find that in Gaudiya Math, I believe.
    The issue is that we want the pure devotee to be perfect on every field when he is supposed to be perfect only on the essential which is extremely rare. This conception is very detrimental. In Gita, Krsna says that on this world, there is always some defect like smoke with fire. Nowhere Krsna nor Prabhupada say that the pure devotee escapes to this ” curse”. It is only due to the nature of material world and is rubbed by the nature itself of the spiritual world when the pure devotee enters in it. Those so-called defects are wanted by Krsna to tamper the natural tendency of the people to immediately consider as God Himself someone really extraordinary. Believe which is very detrimental and absolutely not wanted by Krsna. So, He put some protections against that with those so-called”defects”.
    There are other reasons for that. Krsna is behind His pure devotee and is omniscient. Not the pure devotee. So, time and circunstances. In 1965, for one reason or other, Prabhupada’s Movement had to start absolutely and possibly, without this more or less sexism, the disciples of this time would not have taken this Krsna Consciousness. Which they did ! We can argue that non-sexist people would have taken this Krsna Consciousness if this touch of sexism had not be there but we absolutely don’t know that. It is only speculation…….
    There are other reasons for those so-called defects, all wanted by Krsna.

    About the Sastras, they are sometimes corrupted. Who will be surprised by that today ? JAS is not the only corrupter in the world history and the acaryas can not check everything permanently. Do you think that the Muslims who conquered India for centuries stayed inactive ? To impose their points of view about women for instance, they quickly understood that in such a country like India, the most efficient way was to go directly to the source and to make some changes in Sastras. That’s the reason we must have four legs and not only three in order to counter this evil phenomena. Krsna is there in our heart to be this fourth leg and to directly help us.

    • Dattatreya

      Some women are smart cookies , but most of them are not very bright , and easily led astray by sense gratification propaganda , a bit like children are more easily taken advantage of …

      Look at Sweden , Germany etc … which have all women gubernments ( especially Sweden which brags about it !!! ) , they have become hell holes , and in Europe , every 8 seconds , a woman gets raped / beaten , and sometimes killed by low life invading ” rapefugees ” , and it’s WOMEN that organized and promoted that state of affairs , with the Jewish lobby at the helm …

      Prabhupada’s shastras where not polluted by Muslims , and the Feminazis are blowing what Prabhupad said about women out of proportion … for an agenda …

      BTW …If women are so eaqual to men , where are all women bands like Led Zepellin , or Pink Floyd , Beatles , etc … been hidin’ … for decades now ?!?

      • Prahlada Nrsimha das

        I have a very different experience of women but anyway…..
        They have a different intelligence than men, like for other things. So, if you expect them to have the same kind of intelligence than yours, you will be disappointed and will judge them as no intelligent. You just not caught their form of intelligence which is complementary to ours.
        Anyway, in the “beginning”, we have Radha-Krsna, so the feminine nature is present even in the spiritual world. So……
        After, in a very general point of view, we naturally meet the people who suit to us.
        Jayadvaita is stupid, Bhakti C the same, Param Gati, Pragosh idem…..we don’t specially need women for having examples of silliness…..lol !

        • Dattatreya

          ” So, if you expect them to have the same kind of intelligence than yours, you will be disappointed and will judge them as no intelligent. You just not caught their form of intelligence which is complementary to ours. ”

          What kind of patronizing crap is this ?!?

          I’m married since 35 years , and my wife is happy as pig in shit …

          And please … don’t start dragging in Radha – Krishna into your delusional rants …

          Do you use toilet paper ?!?

          • Prahlada Nrsimha das

            Only water and pure. You, I am not sure.

          • Prahlada Nrsimha das

            As pig in shit ? Well….you are with the right woman for you.

          • Prahlada Nrsimha das

            You look far better than women in this field of non-intelligence !

          • Dattatreya

            OK… that’s always a good start …

            Me water ?!?Of course … at first , and then water and soap … before the shower … including rinsing the mouth 3 times , changing Brahmin underwear n’such …

            Do you wear Brahmin underwear ?!?

          • Dattatreya

            Sorry … I’m not the sanctimonious type , and I use war room language because this is war , and you , along with some decent material , infuse beloney in there … every now and then …

            Do you take everything to the first degree ?!? … ever heard of ” gallows humor ” ?!?

            Pray … tell us who’s your Guru , and what Parampara does he belong to ?!?

      • Prahlada Nrsimha das

        It is great, Dattatreya, to see people like you whose knowledge is only theoratical.

        • Dattatreya

          For info , I joined in 1974 …

          I asked you three clear cut questions which you seemingly are trying to avoid …

          1) Do you wear Brahmin underwear

          2 ) Who’s your Guru ( i.e. who gave you the name you’re sporting )

          3) What Parampara does your Guru belong to

          • Vrajananda dasa

            Prahlada Nrsimha has been initiated by Bhagavan dasa in France. It seems that he received second initiation from Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami.
            He likes to explain his personal philosophy extensively everywhere he can.

          • Dattatreya

            I know that Bhagavan / Bhaktisvarup crowd quite well !!!

      • Ray

        Hare Krishna : wow, such a brave opinions Dattatreya Prabhu, how very right wing opinions about refugees :

        where is compassion gone…?

        I partially agree with you, but too much demonising haha. Macho style, looks like “good” old fanatical education.
        I was born in the 70’s . You were lucky to see Srila Prabhupada. But , this obliges…

        obeisances,

        Ray, France

        • Dattatreya

          Rapefugees ?!?

          I have nothing against helping actual … and occasional refugees fleeing persecution ( provided they were not ” persecuted ” for being actual scum to begin with !!! ) …

          However , what we are witnessing here and now is an orchestrated invasion by barbaric and disgusting rapist / thieving fighting age young agressive men … every 8 seconds now in Europe , a woman gets raped ( and beaten … often killed or infected with a cocktail of STD’s )

          That is all part of the Coudenhove -Kallergi plan , and the ” Greater Israel ” megalomania …

          ” Islam is Israel’s broom !!! ” ( Bernard Henry Levy )

  • Prahlada Nrsimha das

    The eleven who put the original mess in 1978……I don’t remember their gender ?

  • Prahlada Nrsimha das

    Please, Dattatreya, stop flattering me ! Please….

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