400,000 Human Species

[Guest guest]

> what do we mean when we say there are 400,000 species of human life."

> Do you mean different races of people?...

 

The living entities are described as ananta, or unlimited; nonetheless, they

are said to belong to 8,400,000 species. As stated in the Viñëu Puräëa:

jala-jä nava-lakñäëi sthävarä lakña-viàçati

kåmayo rudra-saìkhyakäù pakñiëäà daça-lakñaëam

triàçal-lakñäëi paçavaù catur-lakñäëi mänuñäù

“There are 900,000 species living in the water. There are also 2,000,000

nonmoving living entities (sthävara), such as trees and plants. There are

also 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, and there are 1,000,000

species of birds. As far as quadrupeds are concerned, there are 3,000,000

varieties, and there are 400,000 human species.” (CC Madhya 19.138p.)

 

And catur-lakñäëi mänuñaù, and the human being the forms are 400,000. Out of

them, most of them are uncivilized. (Bhagavad-gétä 2.13 -- Pittsburgh,

September 8, 1972)

 

Human forms of life, only 400,000 out of which more than 300,000 forms of

life are uncivilized men. They do not know what is the aim of life.

(Bhagavad-gétä 9.3 -- Melbourne, April 21, 1976)

 

In the Brahma-vaivarta Pur€Ša it is said:

a…tiˆ catura caiva

lak€ˆs t€ñ j…va-j€tiu

bhramadbhiƒ puruaiƒ pr€pyaˆ

m€nuyaˆ janma-paryay€t

(Footnote. SB 2.3.19p.)

 

 

Srila Prabhupada doesn't specify further. Demigods are also included in the

human species (see below). So it doesn't seem to refer to races but levels

of consciousness.

 

 

Devotee: Do the number of demigods have something to do with the number of

species, like there are thirty-three million demigods?

Prabhupäda: There are thirty-three million. Thirty crores. There are also

divisions, Gandharvas, Apsaräs.

Svarüpa Dämodara: Do they belong to these species? They are also included in

these eight million four hundred? These Gandharvas?

Prabhupäda: Yes.

Svarüpa Dämodara: So they are counted, what, as human beings?

Prabhupäda: Some of them are devatäs, some of them are human being.

Rüpänuga: When we say four hundred thousand species of human beings, that

doesn’t include all the demigods then.

Prabhupäda: The demigods are like human beings.

(“Life Comes From Life” Slideshow Discussions -- July 3, 1976, Washington,

D.C.)

 

The demigods are included within the species of human life.

(Letter to: Rupanuga -- Los Angeles 7 March, 1970)

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Your servant, bh. Jan

 

www.veda.harekrsna.cz (Bhakti-yoga Vedic Encyclopedia Vedic Library)