All planets within the material universe are temporary; only Krishna's abode offers eternal liberation from birth and death.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Initiations — December 28, 1968, Los Angeles 681228IN-LOS ANGELES [33:20 Minutes] Prabhupāda: New students they are going to be initiated today. But one thing you should know that people may not think that we are concerned with something old-fashioned. When the world is progressing to reach the moon planet we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. The people may not misunderstand that we are lagging behind with the scientific advancement.
We have already passed all this scientific advancement. In the Bhagavad-gītā this attempt of the human being to reach other higher planet is not a new thing. They are advertising in the paper, that the man's first step in the moon planet. But they do not know, millions and millions of men went there, and they have again come back. This is not a first time.
This is time old practice. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly stated: ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16] [From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.] My dear Arjuna, even if you go to the highest planetary system which is called Brahmaloka, punar āvartinaḥ, you have to come back. So, this is not a new thing, this is known to these Kṛṣṇa conscious people. So Kṛṣṇa says we should always remember that we are Kṛṣṇa conscious people.
What Kṛṣṇa says we take it as the absolute truth. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa says that even if you attempt to reach to the highest planet which is called Brahmaloka. There are many planetary systems according to Vedic literature. The planetary system in which we are now, this is called Bhūr-loka. Above this planet system is Bhuvar-loka.
Above that planetary system there is Svargaloka. This moon belongs to the Svargaloka planetary system. Above the Svargaloka there is Janaloka. Then above that there is Maharloka, above that there is Satyaloka.
Similarly, there are below planetary system: Tala, Atala, Nitala, Talātala, Pātāla, Rasātala, like that. So, there are 14 status of planetary system within this universe and our Gāyatrīmantra: oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svāḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi. The sun is the chief planet within this universe. The sun is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā: yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.52] [The sun who is the king of all the planets, full of infinite effulgence, the image of the good soul, is as the eye of this world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda in pursuance of whose order the sun performs his journey mounting the wheel of time.] So, our aim is govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ. It is not that those who are worshipping Govinda, Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are not aware of this. They know it very well. And therefore, in this verse, it is said, yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ.
The sun is the chief amongst all planetary systems. It is just like the eye. Or it is the eye of the Supreme Lord, yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala. savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ. Actually, without sun we cannot see, we may be very proud of our eyes. Can you show me what you can see?