Don't Come Back

Return to the Moon 2020

Failure of the Moon Expedition A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Devotee (3): Prabhupada, when they said they went to the moon and they showed films of them landing and walking on the moon, was this all a bluff?

Prabhupada: Yes, here they... All laboratory work, that's all.

Devotee (3): They all made it up?

Prabhupada: Yes. more

Prabhupada: Just like these people are going to the moon planet and.... Actually whether they have gone or not, that is a doubtful thing, but the thing is, why they are coming down again? That is our challenge. If you have gone to the moon planet then colonise there. But why you have come down again and do not talk anything about? What do you think?

Brahmatirtha: Well I couldn't say. They've been there they say.

Prabhupada: They say, you believe, but we are common man, lay man, we say that if you have gone there, why you do not live there?

Brahmatirtha: Yes, they just bring back rocks to show us, we have rocks here.

Prabhupada: If there is rock, if there is sand, then why don't you colonise there? What is their answer? If there is same sand, same rock there, then why not... [break] ...some money and can bring some sand and bluff people that you have gone to moon planet. And people are satisfied, they're paying for another excursion to the Mars. This is going on. If you have gone there, there is land. If you fly in the sky and if you get a land then you can stay there. And because you cannot stay there, you come back again. So their... The Mayavadi's position is there, aruhya kricchrena param, they merge into the impersonal Brahman but there is no place to stay, they come down again to this material world. You may go many thousands and millions of miles in the sky but you want to stay somewhere. But if you cannot get any place to stay then again you come to this Moscow and New York. So our enquiry is that if you have gone there, then why don't you stay there? What is the answer? Hm? Kirtanananda Maharaja?

Kirtanananda: They say the atmosphere is not suitable.

Prabhupada: Then why, rascal, you go there? [laughter] And spend so much money, rascal? You could not understand the atmosphere is not good for us, go there and spend so much money?

Brahmatirtha: They impress the people.

Prabhupada: That means they are bluffer and they bluffing the all fools and rascals. That's all. He could not understand before going there, before spending so much money the atmosphere is not good?

Hari-sauri: But without personal, direct experience they...

Prabhupada: For your direct whims you have to spend so much money? The people are so befooled they do not challenge them. Yes. Everyone knows, suppose one is coming to the western country, Europe and America, we knew it, that it is cold country, we must take proper dress. And we have come and we are staying. So this is knowledge. So if you do not know what is the atmosphere there, what do you spend so much money? And again you are going to the Mars. Are you fixed up what is the position there? Then you'll again bring something, some dust and rock. [laughter] This business will go on at the expense of the... You can do. You have got money. You can do that. But we are Indians, we are coming from poor country. If you spend so much money for nothing, that is very, not very palatable for us. If one tenth of the expenditure you would have given to us for spreading this Krishna consciousness movement... No. Not a single paisa they will give. And they'll spoil money for going to the moon planet and bring some dust. That's ... Kirtanananda Maharaja is struggling to construct a small residential quarter here, and he has to beg, he has to collect, he has done... Why the government does not pay? "Here so many people are living. Let them live comfortably." But they'll spend this money, millions of dollars [actual cost of the Apollo moon mission was estimated at $25 billion, now more than 30 years ago], and to bring some dust. Is that very sane government? And people are so fool that they do not challenge the government, "Why you are spending for nothing?" They can do that. They brought back Nixon. Why not stop this unnecessary expenditure? Hm? Kirtanananda Maharaja?

Kirtanananda: It makes perfect sense, Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: Yes. For nothing. And it is sure certainly you can write down, their Mars going also will be failure. Let it, you take in writing. I may die. I am old man. Take it down. It will be failure. I told ten years before that "It is childish." One press reporter inquired in San Francisco, what is your... "No, this is childish, wasting money." The reporter came to see me in Los Angeles. He remembered that. If you want to spend for nothing like that, you can do that. You have got money.

Brahmatirtha: If you say to a politician, "Give Srila Prabhupada money..." Like I said to one man running for governor of this state, I said, "Why can't you help the community in New Vrindaban?"

Prabhupada: Oh, you said?

Brahmatirtha: He cited to me so many rules and regulations. They're not interested. They're interested in pleasing themselves. A man runs for government, his whole position to run for governor is to please himself so that he can become rich.

Prabhupada: That's it. Here, you are right. Sense gratification. Nobody wants to do anything. Nixon captured the presidential post for his own satisfaction. And when the people found that "Here is a trick," they agitated and got him down. So this is the difficulty, that andha yathandhair upaniyamanas the 'pisha-tantryam uru-damni baddhah [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.31]. We are blind and we are being guided by blind men. So the result is catastrophe.