Material planets require bodies suited to their unique atmospheres; technology cannot substitute for proper material embodiment.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Interview with LA Times Reporter About Travel to the Moon — December 26, 1968, Los Angeles 681226IV-LOS ANGELES [66:55 Minutes] Reporter: ...about the movement, and it occurred to me... I was wondering if there were any religious people in this country that had any misgivings or thoughts about the trip around the moon. And whether there were any, say, objections or opinions that would run counter to the usual thought about traveling to the moon, and he said that in some of your recent lectures you had said that man would not be able to land on the moon because of—now these are his words—because of spiritual beings there or that there would be an impossibility or something along that line. I was wondering if you could elaborate on that or explain what you meant. Prabhupāda: You are particularly interested with that subject matter? Reporter: Yes.
I told Dan that was what I was interested in. I have background information on the movement, for instance, and yourself. Prabhupāda: Yes. So far the movement is concerned, it has nothing to do with the moon planetary journey. It has nothing to do.
But in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the authoritative Vedic scripture which we generally follow, in that scripture there is statement that for promoting oneself to the moon planet, one has to accustom himself to the different kind of worshiping process. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that yānti deva-vratā devān [Bg. 9.25]: those who are worshiper of the demigods, they are promoted to different planets of the particular demigods. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitèn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ: and those who are worshiper of the pitṛs, or forefathers, they go to that planet. Similarly, one who is engaged in worshiping the Supreme Lord, he also goes to the supreme planet. These informations are there in the Bhagavad-gītā. And so far moon planet is concerned, that is within this material world.
And those who are pious actors, those who are engaged in pious activities according to Vedic rituals, they can go to the moon planet. That is stated in the... Reporter: Those who are engaged in...? Prabhupāda: Pious activities. Reporter: What activities? Prabhupāda: Pious. There are two kinds of activities: vicious and pious. Reporter: Pious and... Prabhupāda: Vicious. Reporter: Vicious? Prabhupāda: Yes. So those who are engaged in vicious activities, they cannot go to that moon planet.
And it is also stated that if somebody goes to the moon planet, he gets duration of life very, very long period. Reporter: If someone goes to the moon planet... Prabhupāda: Yes. He has a long duration of life there in that moon planet. Reporter: I guess I didn't understand. Prabhupāda: Just like we are living here utmost hundred years, but they can live there ten thousand years. Do you follow? Just like difference forms of body have got different duration of life.
A dog lives for six years or a cow lives for twenty years, a man lives for hundred years. Similarly, the residents of moon planet, they live for very, very long time, ten thousands of years. Reporter: The residents of the moon live for a long time? Thousands of years? Prabhupāda: Thousands of years. Reporter: Are you talking about... Prabhupāda: This information we get from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, this book. I have rendered into English. Reporter: Which book is this? Prabhupāda: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Reporter: Now was this a book which you wrote, or translated or... Prabhupāda: Translated and commented. Reporter: Translations and comments. Prabhupāda: Yes.
Similarly, I have translated this book also. This is being published by Macmillan company, one of the biggest publisher of your country. Yes. I have published this book... Reporter: Now, were you referring to this book when you meant that..., when you said residents of the moon, you mean people that go there to live or that are... Prabhupāda: They are there already.