74 Sri Isopanisad

literature. The Vedic literature is full of knowledge matured by
experience. But modern man is averse to receive knowledge from
the Vedas, Puranas, and other scriptures.

In the Visnu Purana we have information, that Lord Visnu,
the Personality of Godhead, possesses different energies, known
as pard, superior, and apara, or avidyd—inferior. The material
energy in which we are at present involved is called the avidya,
inferior, energy; and the material creation is made possible by
such energy. But there is another, superior energy called the
para-Sakti, where everything is different from this material
inferior Nature. That nature is the eternal or deathless creation
of the Lord.

All the material planets—upper, lower and _ intermediate,
including the Sun, Moon and Venus—are scattered over the
universe. These planets exist only during the lifetime of
Brahma. Some lower planets, however, are vanquished after
the end of one day of Brahma, and they are again recreated
during the next daytime of Brahma. Time calculation on the
upper planets is different from thal of ours. One of our years
is equal to twenty-four hours, or one day and night, on many
of the upper planets. The four ages of Earth (Satya, Treta,
Dvapara, Kali) make a duration of twenty-two thousand years
and five months in terms of the lime of these upper planets.
Such a length of time multiplied by one thousand is one day of
Brahma, and one night of Brahma is the same. With such days
and nights accumulating into months and years, Brahma’s life
is estimated at one hundred years. And at the end of his life,
the complete universal manifestation becomes vanquished.

The living beings residing in the Sun and Moon, as well as
those in the Martya-loka system—which includes this Earth and
many planets below the Earth—are all merged into devastating
water during the nighttime of Brahma. During this time no
living beings or species of life remain manifested, although
spiritually they continue to exist. This non-manifested stage is
called avyakta. And again, when the enlire universe is vanquished
