From The Earth To The Moon

“There are an infinite number of living beings, both moving and nonmoving, who have many different abodes, with some residing in the earth, some in the sky, and some in the water. But O helpless Tulsi, for you Shri Rama’s holy name is your only home.” (Dohavali, 37)

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जल थल नभ गति अमित अति अग जग जीव अनेक |
तुलसी तो से दीन कहँ राम नाम गति एक ||

jala thala nabha gati amita ati aga jaga jīva aneka |
tulasī to se dīna kaham̐ rāma nāma gati eka ||

“There is so much going on in the way of science and technology. There are new advancements taking place every single day. There were barriers that we thought to previously exist which are no longer around.

“For instance, air travel. The hot air balloon itself was an amazing invention. People could now get an aerial view of the land upon which they lived. Maps could be drawn with greater accuracy. The future invention of the camera progressed things along even further.

“Today, things are advancing so rapidly that there is talk of living on other planets. Travel to the moon, for instance. Set up a new colony, since people are so unhappy over here. I am not exactly sure what they are looking to find, but just see the potential.

“Are devotees not interested in such things? Are they content to simply stay off the grid and chant the holy names? Does that resistance not make them appear backwards and outdated? Would it not be better to keep up with the times, to remain relevant in the modern day?”

It is not so much that there is a lack of curiosity. It is more so that there is nothing new to these discoveries. It is like a child explaining to a father the potential for walking.

“Dad, just see. I can walk now. I can move from place to place. Are you not amazed? Come with me. I will show you how it is done. Why are you not excited? Let’s go!”

Long before these so-called discoveries, seers of the truth, tattva-darshis, knew of the potential in destinations. They were aware of the ability to travel. The Sanskrit word for this condition is sarva-ga or sarva-gatah.

“The word sarva-gatah (all-pervading) is significant because there is no doubt that living entities are all over God’s creation. They live on the land, in the water, in the air, within the earth and even within fire. The belief that they are sterilized in fire is not acceptable, because it is clearly stated here that the soul cannot be burned by fire. Therefore, there is no doubt that there are living entities also in the sun planet with suitable bodies to live there.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 2.24 Purport)

Sarva-ga means that the living entities are everywhere. On the land. In the air. Deep within the ocean. There are both moving and nonmoving beings. Some with two legs. Others with four. Some that are large enough to crush trees. Some that are too small to be perceived by the naked eye.

If the living entities are everywhere, there had to be an original placement. The instances of life had to find a way to reach those destinations. That travel took place beyond the purview of man. That is to say, there was no need of scientific discovery or technological advancement. The mechanisms are essentially self-maintaining.

We could say that the individual living entity, who is not dispersed throughout or simultaneously in many places at once, is kind of a nomad. In the material world, it has no fixed home. It may remain in a particular species for thousands of years, such as with the sons of Kuvera cursed to appear as trees situated in Vrindavana, but the stay is not permanent.

A person who is familiar with this science is not so interested in temporarily travelling to the moon with the use of expensive and risky methods. They understand that there is the potential to appear on the moon in the future, with a suitable body, through pious deeds in the mode of goodness, sattva-guna.

Individuals can become a bird and fly through the air. They can assume the body of a fish and live within the water. They could be a lion and rule the jungle. They can aspire to great intelligence in a future birth as a well-respected scholar.

The more important question is the usefulness of such travel. What will those changes bring that is not already available? How will life be any better? That is always the question to ask, for any important change, for any contemplated choice of action.

इति ते ज्ञानम् आख्यातं
गुह्याद् गुह्यतरं मया
विमृश्यैतद् अशेषेण
यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु

iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ
guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā
vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa
yathecchasi tathā kuru

“Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad­-gita, 18.63)

Goswami Tulsidas requests to always live in the holy name of the Supreme Lord, who is known as Rama. This is a decision based on intelligence. It is a conclusion reached after careful deliberation, in the manner suggested to the student named Arjuna after hearing the wisdom of the ages.

An intelligent person wonders what there is to the holy name that someone so respected and gifted with ability would long for that home, in birth after birth. Why would someone intentionally forego the pursuits of the amazing pertaining to the natural world in favor of support and nourishment for the eternal spirit soul?

In Closing:

With a bang and a zoom,
All the way to the moon.

A new colony to create,
A better life to instate.

But Tulsi already to see,
Potential destinations to be.

Choosing only for Rama’s side,
With holy name to reside.