Mars Looks Quite Familiar, if Only on the Surface
New York Times – KENNETH CHANG – Aug 13, 2012
Over the weekend, the Curiosity, which landed early on Aug. 6 after an eight-month flight, started sending back a 360-degree high-resolution panorama of its surroundings.
As the accompanying NASA news release noted, the images show “a landscape closely resembling portions of the southwestern United States.” Go to story
excerpt from conversation, Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976:
DEVOTEE: This is a new picture of Mars, just came in the Washington Post today. Here is what the scientists say the mountains are on Mars. Big crater they are talking about. This is a recent photo.
PRABHUPADA: So? What do they say?
SVARUP DAMODAR: Says it’s a Grand Canyon. Just like in Arizona there’s a canyon called Grand Canyon.
PRABHUPADA: So might be from Arizona? (laughter) Like Arizona, that means Arizona.
RUPANUGA: Just like Arizona, the same rocks you find in Arizona.
PRABHUPADA: Just see.
SVARUP DAMODAR: This is called Martian Grand Canyon, and an ocean meandering gorge ten times the size of Arizona’s Grand Canyon.
PRABHUPADA: That we can photograph it and make ten times, hundred times. Their business is in Arizona.
RUPANUGA: I think so.
PRABHUPADA: And this is only the propaganda.
RUPANUGA: I agree. I think it was all like a movie set.
PRABHUPADA: That’s all. They are not going. Arizona is there, only accept. Why they are taking Arizona? That means they are in Arizona. Just like one man was stealing from the room, and there were some sounds, and the master of the house said “Who is there? What is that sound?” The man said, “No, I am not stealing. No, no I am not stealing.” It is like that. (laughter)
RUPANUGA: Throughout this article they make comparisons with earth.
PRABHUPADA: And there is no man. Just see the foolishness. The same logic, “No, no, I am not stealing.” Who asked that you are stealing? He asked for the sound, but he disclosed. It is like that. Why they are bringing Arizona?
RUPANUGA: Srila Prabhupada, you catch them red-handed.
PRABHUPADA: Oh, yes, that I can do. It is like that. Who asked them to speak of Arizona? You are speaking of Arizona. “No, no, I am not stealing.” (laughter) It is like that. They could have mentioned other places.
RUPANUGA: Arizona is convenient.
PRABHUPADA: That means they are working in Arizona. The mind is there. Arizona-minded because they are working in Arizona, so they are disclosing mind.
SVARUP DAMODAR: But they are claiming that this photograph was taken two hundred million miles away from the earth.
PRABHUPADA: That, they can say anything, but they are doing everything in Arizona.
VIPINA: What is the point then, Prabhupada? Just to take money and use it some other way?
PRABHUPADA: No, no, just to cheat people that they are very big scientists, give them fat salary. That’s all. But what people will benefit by this?
SVARUP DAMODAR: They want to study whether there is life there or not.
PRABHUPADA: There is life, you do not know.
SVARUP DAMODAR: They are not sure yet.
PRABHUPADA: There is life everywhere. We can say from the shastra [Vedic literature]. There cannot be any place vacant. It is not possible. Must be life there. All planets are vacant, simply this planet is congested, overpopulation. What is this nonsense? What is the difference between this planet and other planets, chemically or physiologically?
SVARUP DAMODAR: They say there are differences.
PRABHUPADA: Huh? Differences, that may be little, the difference between cat’s body, dog’s body, man’s body, little difference must be there. But the elements are the same. At least, I’ll not believe. No, I am not blind, but in the shastra, every planet is congested. That is in the Bhagavatam.
SVARUP DAMODAR: Yes, actually we also have some information even in science that there must be life there in other planets.
PRABHUPADA: I, he was of my age, perhaps you know his name, Dr. Shah? He was my friend in Allahabad. So he said, “No there is life.” He said, Dr. Menga Shah(?). There is no question of disbelieving, he said, and he is also big scientist, Dr. Menga Shah (?), Dr. Megha-kunda(?), they were all my customers.
SVARUP DAMODAR: That’s in U.P.?
PRABHUPADA: U.P., Allahabad. The Jawaharlal Nehru, he was very big, big customer.
SVARUP DAMODAR: There are in fact some reports in the last few years that there is some bacteria that can survive in the medium of ammonia-ammonia is alkaline solution. Normally life survives in…
PRABHUPADA: Life survives in fire, water, fire. That is our information.
SVARUP DAMODAR: Also they proved that there are certain bacteria that can survive in about a 170 degrees. High temperature.
PRABHUPADA: Why bacteria? Human beings. Otherwise, how Krishna is speaking to the sun-god? Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bhagavad-gita 4.1]. Simply the sun-god is alone living?
SVARUP DAMODAR: No.
PRABHUPADA: Then the sun planet there are living entities. Their body is made of fire, that’s all.
SVARUP DAMODAR: So it’s better to say that when science says, scientists say there is no life in other planets, we can conclude that the senses or the forms that we have, or the elements that we have different…
PRABHUPADA: They are different. Just like in the water, superficially we don’t see any living being. But inside you go, there are many millions of living entities. They took photograph. What is the meaning of photograph from such a distance? If you take photograph of the sea, what you will find? It is vacant. So the rascals are taking photograph, and I have to believe it. Photograph, what is the meaning of photograph? There is no meaning. Take the photograph of the sea, if I know what is there. Then go deep into the water, you’ll find millions and trillions.
SADAPUTA: There are also living entities living in the air that we can’t see.
PRABHUPADA: You can’t see so many things. What is the value of your eyes? Why do you believe so much your eyes? You cannot see even your eyelids, so close. Still, you are blind. When there is some particle, you cannot see. You have to struggle how to get out this particle. If you see, then take it. So what is the value of your eyes? Why do you believe so much? Adhyaksha, they are called adhyaksha, only believe in direct perception.
