Morning Walk Conversation Prabhupada: …not come? Karandhara: He’s coming Prabhupada. He just pulled up. Prabhupada: Oh. Jayahari: Prabhupada, this morning you talked about astrology in your lecture. Is this accepted in the Vedic scripture and by the gurus? Prabhupada: Oh yes. Astrology means… That is also Vedic. Jyotir-veda. Jyotir-veda. That is also part of the Vedas. The brahmanas, they learn these three things: astrology and medicine. These two things. A brahmana is supposed to go to every householder’s place, and he will inform, “Today is such and such tithi. The such and such thing should be done.” And if required, if somebody inquires about, “Now I am going to that place. What will happen? Just find out the auspicious moment,” so they will give him. Still it is current. It may be wrongly done or rightly, but the system is still there. Astrologer. The king should be always accompanied by a first-class astrologer. [break] …there is a whole street, both sides simply astrology. [break] …good astrologers. Jayahari: Astrology is very popular in the western world. [break] Prabhupada: Where is our scientist? Svarupa Damodara: Here, Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada: Oh, how are you? Thank you very much. Come on. How are you? Feeling all right? Dr. Wolfe: Fine, thank you. Prabhupada: Hare Krsna. Svarupa Damodara: I brought a friend, Srila Prabhupada, from Calcutta. He was my class friend in Calcutta. He is from St. Xavier’s College. He graduated. Prabhupada: Oh. Bengali? Sujit: Bengali. (Bengali conversation) Prabhupada: (Bengali) …Mahatma Gandhi Road. Svarupa Damodara: Daniel, come here. Daniel Sardar. Sujit: Sujit. Prabhupada: Sujit, oh. (Bengali conversation regarding his being a student of science, chemistry and plastics engineering, and Srila Prabhupada tells him that he attended Scottish Churches’ College) [break] …astrology? Sujit: What is my opinion? Prabhupada: No. I am asking scientist. Svarupa Damodara: First of all I did not believe astrology in the beginning. I thought it was a pseudo science. Prabhupada: No, you may think, but what is the opinion of the scientist? Svarupa Damodara: Oh, scientists would say that there is no background. Prabhupada: So how it so happens? Svarupa Damodara: Because they say something which cannot be proved by experimental science, that does not work, calling science. Prabhupada: So then how do you say that life is from matter? That cannot be proved by experiment. Svarupa Damodara: That is why they are going to prove it. They are trying to prove it. Prabhupada: Then again, “going to prove.” They cannot prove, they’ll not not admit it. Sujit: See, astrology, I think, what he said is half true. Astrology is a science but it is not an exact science like mathematics and chemistry. Prabhupada: No, No, it is mathematics. Astrology is simply based on mathematics. Exactly. Svarupa Damodara: To calculate the planetary… Prabhupada: Just see. The comet… Sujit: It is from astronomy. Prabhupada: Astronomy, yes. Astrology is part of astronomy. Yes. Sujit: It’s part of the science. It has been accepted as part of the science. Prabhupada: No, it is… Svarupa Damodara: Astrological science is mostly speculative theory. Prabhupada: Astronomy also. Sujit: They are proving a lot of things. They are calculating when a certain star can be in certain positions. Svarupa Damodara: No, that can be done. Prabhupada: So our astrology is calculated by the position of the stars. By astronomy you calculate the position of the star, and they know, “If the star is in such and such position, the result will be like this.” That is astrology. Svarupa Damodara: This looks like collecting some facts from some experience. Prabhupada: No, no. It is calculated by the astral movement. It is a great science. People do not know it now. Svarupa Damodara: So Wolfe Prabhu was telling me that “So we don’t believe in astrology, but when Srila Prabhupada says, then you believe.” Prabhupada: Huh? Svarupa Damodara: Wolfe, he was telling me that, because I was telling him that I did not believe in astrology. Then one day Srila Prabhupada was talking on astrology. Then Wolfe said, “If Srila Prabhupada said, then you believe. And if it is not said by Srila Prabhupada, you don’t believe.” Prabhupada: No. We believe in astrology. But because it is a difficult science, people do not understand it properly. That is another thing. In my practical life I see. In my horoscope, everything is written, what I am doing. Everything is written. So… Svarupa Damodara: That would be called like genius. Sometimes. If somebody can predict what is going to happen in the future, can be, just like, taken… Prabhupada: No, these astrologers can give everyone exact, the history of life, what is going to happen, what happened. Svarupa Damodara: But it is true, though Srila Prabhupada, in our family life, when we want to do something, they always go to a… Prabhupada: Astrologer. Yes. Svarupa Damodara: And then they… [break] (end)
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
December 29, 1973, Los Angeles