The founder-acharya of ISKCON (the Hare Krishna movement) was notorious for denying the moon-landing, but he had other interesting ideas, too. My source is "Prabhupada in his own words: Biology and Nature" by Willem Vandenberg, unfortunately only available if you register at the site Academia. I didn´t know the swamiji was making contributions to cryptozoology, but there you go!
SB 5.23.3, purport
Regarding the great eagles mentioned in this verse, it is understood that there are eagles so big that they can prey on big elephants. They fly so high that they can travel from one planet to another. They start flying in one planet and land in another, and while in flight they lay eggs that hatch into other birds while falling through the air. In Sanskrit such eagles are called syena. Under the present circumstances, of course, we cannot see such huge birds, but at least weknow of eagles that can capture monkeys and then throw them down to kill and eat them. Similarly, it is understood that there are gigantic birds that can carry off elephants, kill them and eat them.
SB 1.8.34, Mayapur, October 14, 1974
There are very, very big, big birds. They are floating in the air, very, very big eagle. They fly from one planet to another. Their resting place is… They start from one planet, and they go and rest in other planet. And they lay their eggs while flying. That eggs also become a bird simply by air cohesion. That’s all.
SB 6.1.45, Laguna Beach, July 26, 1975
There is a big eagle bird. We have no information. They are very big bird. They are flying in the sky, and their rest is from one planet to another. Just like here you find the birds, they are flying from one tree to another. Similarly, there are so big birds… They are called garuda. So garuda, these birds, they start their flying from one planet and sits in another planet. Just try to understand what is their flying. Not only that, they also lay eggs while flying, and the eggs, while falling down, it becomes another bird. And these birds can pick up elephants for eating. So this is God’s creation.
Some Prabhupada quotes are just priceless. Here, he is discussing the A-bomb with some disciples...
ReplyDeleteSiddha-svarupa: The Japanese didn’t have any atom bombs to send back, though.
Prabhupada: No. It was in possession of Hitler. And your American stolen and kept it. Hitler wanted to use it, but, good sense, he did not like. He said that “I can do it immediately, but I will not do it.” So three bombs they kept ready, and when Germany was in awkward condition these Americans, they stolen, and they used it in Japan. This was manufactured by the German.
Bali-mardana: Most of the American scientific knowledge for going to space, etc., is all gotten from the Germans.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Bali-mardana: They stole the German scientists. And the Russians also, after the war, they took many German scientists.
Prabhupada: I think the aeroplane was made by the Germans first.
Bali-mardana: Yes, the jet airplane, yes.
Prabhupada: Yes. And they took it, the idea, from Sanskrit literature. Yes. They purchased the book from Benares.
Devotee: In India we have, and Hawaii, the firecrackers going up, the idea was from there.
Harikesa: The Germans also had the idea that this universe is encaged in some hard layers. And they were trying to bounce waves off of the edge of the universe.
Sounds like Lovecrafts flying creatures in "The whisperer in the dark" from wherever, with wings that made them able to fly from planet to planet.
DeleteBut they were smaller and very ugly. Not like eagles att all.
A synthesis between Hare Krishna and Lovecraft might be interesting. But I believed you already linked to one last year, some kind of Hare Krishna guy who went full ONA Satanist?? The left hand path has never been so left handed...
DeleteYes, that guy who suposedly was the brother of Prabuphada. Still dont know if they were biological brothers or just some kind of spiritual brothers once upon a time.
Delete"A brother from another mother".
DeleteAnother classic...
ReplyDeletePrabhupada: After the war they will come to sense. The Communist problem… Communist is not a problem. It is good proposal, but they are missing one point. They are making Lenin the leader. If they make Krishna the leader, then the Communistic idea will be very fruitful.
They are picking up a rascal leader, but if they pick up the nice leader, God the supreme dictator, then every-thing is all right. They are catching up a dictator, but they do not know that he is rascal number one. But if he catches the Supreme Lord as dictator, as Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya [BG18.66], then he will be happy, immediately.
Keep amongst yourself and produce. Produce food grain, produce cotton,mustard seed. Self-dependent, no use… And we don’t require motorcar. Bullock cart is sufficient. There is no need of going anywhere.
Source: "Prabhupada in his own words: False prophecies" by Willem Vandenberg.
ReplyDelete