Occam's Razor

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(Panca-tattva Prabhu said:)

 

>It is a dreadful error to think that even a single word of Srimad

>Bhagavatam is illusory or mistaken. It is completely perfect.

 

 

Dear Panca-tattva Prabhu,

 

For the benefit of all who read this exchange, I want to make a *formal

comment* (formal means that it is not meant to argue how far away the

moon is) on one of the quotes you brought up in your exchange with

Manohara Prabhu -- the following 8th Canto quote:

 

 

"The cloud of dust covered the entire horizon, but when drops of blood

sprayed up as far as the sun, the dust cloud could no longer float in the

sky. A point to be observed here is that although the blood is stated to

have reached the sun, it is not said to have reached the moon. Apparently,

therefore, as stated elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam, the sun, not the

moon, is the planet nearest the earth. We have already discussed this

point in many places. The sun is first, then the moon, then Mars, Jupiter

and so on. The sun is supposed to be 93,000,000 miles above the surface of

the earth, and from the Srimad-Bhagavatam we understand that the moon is

1,600,000 miles above the sun. Therefore the distance between the earth

and the moon would be about 95,000,000 miles. So if a space capsule were

traveling at the speed of 18,000 miles per hour, how could it reach the

moon in four days? At that speed, going to the moon would take at least

seven months. That a space capsule on a moon excursion has reached the

moon in four days is therefore impossible."

 

SB 8.10.39

 

(the correct reference is 8.10.38, not 8.10.39 -- Dhkdd)

 

This particular purport, 8.10.38, will be removed from the Bhagavatam

when the new English edition is published, as per the BBT authorities

decision, because it is based on a fundamental error. The calculation that

Srila Prabhupada uses here (that since the blood reached the sun but no

mention of the moon, this proves the sun is closer to the earth than the

moon) holds valid only if we assume the battle takes place *on the Earth.*

Srila Prabhupada assumed that as he dictated. However, in the same

Bhagavatam, (8.10.5), Srila Prabhupada says the battle ensued "on the

beach of the ocean of milk."

 

*On which planet* it was is not explicitly stated anywhere, so one can

only speculate. Chapter Five of the 8th Canto says that the instruction to

churn the milk ocean was given by the Ksirodakasayi Visnu, who appeared

to the demigods after they offered prayers to Him standing on the edge of

the milk ocean. If it was the same ocean that they proceeded to churn, the

blood must have been sprinkling from Svetadvipa Vaikuntha, not from Earth.

But this is a side point.

 

After Srila Prabhupada dictated this particular purport, his transcriber

approached him and very submissively pointed out this inconsistency. Srila

Prabhupada accepted his point and added, somewhat embarrassed, "And I

thought it was such a good way to smash the scientists!" He then ordered

the purport removed. Unfortunately, it didn't get removed, perhaps no

proper follow-up was made.

 

I don't remember the transcriber's name, but if any BBT devotee reads

this who remembers this (old) decision, please supply the missing details.

 

Let this anecdote serve as my (only) comment on the ongoing discussion.

 

your servant,

Dhyana-kunda dasi