The above meme reads: 'thus the Surya-siddhanta states that these Patalalokas are within the Earth globe'. Due to deviating from Sukadeva Goswami's description of the Bhu-gola as being held by Ananta-sesha (not situated in the ether), and having a diameter of 500 million yojanas, and a depth of hundreds of thousands of miles, members of ISKCON such as Antardvipa dasa, Radha-Mohan dasa, and others have falsely assumed that the Bhu-gola in question means a globe floating in space, and that the Patalaloka must be within the so-called Earth globe. However, since the Patalalokas have a combined depth of 70,000 yojanas (560,000 miles), how can the Patalalokas be within the supposed Earth-globe which is said to be only 12,440 miles from the so-called North Pole to the so-called South Pole? The image below shows how Patalaloka is located below the surface of the Earth-circle (Bhu-mandala), not that it is within the core of the so-called Earth globe.

The Srimad Bhagavatam's teaches that the plane of the Earth continues for hundreds of millions of miles, and that the Earth has huge underground realms that go down for hundreds of thousands of miles. This is a teaching that few—even within the Hare Krishna movement—can fathom. Unfortunately, attachment to the Earth globe ideology prevents one from accepting reality as Krishna has created it. However, as we enter further into the age of transcendence, the Earth globe illusion will certainly shatter, and by the grace of Srimad Bhagavatam, living entities will once again be allowed to make an informed choice as to whether they want to remain in material existence with its manifold locations, or to proceed on the path of perfection, and go back home, back to Godhead.

MOUNT MERU IS IN THE CENTER OF THE BHU-GOLA

Verse 34 of the Twelfth Chapter of Surya-siddhanta states:

aneka ratnanicayo jamvunadamyo girih/
bhugola madhyago merurubhayatra vinirgatah //34//

"In the middle of the Earth-globe and protruding out (vinirgata) on both sides, is Mount Meru adorned with the river Jambu and bedecked with myriads of jewels." (Ss 12.34)

Here again, Bhu-gola has been erroneously translated as Earth-globe. This mis-translation is evident to anyone who is conversant with the dimensions of Mount Meru (see below), as well as the context provided by the verses that follow. For example, verses 37-40 of the Twelfth Chapter of Surya-siddhanta states:

samantanmeru madhyattu tulyabhagensu toyadheh/
dvipesu dikshu purvvadinagaryyo devanirmitah //37//

"At the middle of Meru (meru madhya), are situated four cities built by the demigods eastwards and in all four directions of the circumscribing ocean" (pradeshe paridhirupa samudrer).

bhuvrttapade purvasyam yamakotiti visruta/
bhadrasvavarse nagari svarnaprakara torana //38//
yamyayam bharatevarse lanka tasminmahapuri/
pascime ketumalakhye romakakhyprakirttita //39//
udak siddhapuri nama kuruvarse prakirttita/
tasyam siddha mahatmano nivasanti gatavyathah //40//

"In the East is Bhadrasva-varsha and in the middle of that is Yamakotipuri. It is said that this one has golden walls and golden gateways. To the south, is Bharatavarsha, in the midst of which is the great city Lanka. In the west, in Ketumala-varsha is the city named Romaka. In the north, in Kuru-varsha, the perfected great souls live free from all agonies." (Ss 12.37-40)

Thus chapter 12 verse 34 of the Surya-siddhanta first states: bhugola madhyago merurubhayatra...'In the middle of the Bhu-gola is Mount' Meru, and then goes on to describe Bharata-varsha's location to the south of Mount Meru: yamyayam bharatevarse lanka tasminmahapuri (Ss 12.38). Since Meru is in the middle of the Bhu-gola, and Bharata-varsha is a region to the south of Mount Meru, it cannot be said that Bharata-varsha is the Bhu-gola. Rather it has to be understood that Bharata-varsha is just one region upon the Bhu-gola. The location of Bharata-varsha to the south of Mount Meru is confirmed in Srimad Bhagavatam (see SB 5.16.1-10). The above description from Surya-siddhanata of the varshas in the four cardinal points is actually a description of Jambudvipa. As confirmed in SB 5.16.1-10, Uttara-kuru varsha is in the north of Jambudvipa, Bharata-varsha is in the south, Bhadrashva-varsha is in the east, and Ketumala-varsha is in the west. The map below is an aerial view of Jambudvipa and shows the gigantic circular landscape divided into nine varshas with Mount Meru in the center. The four varshas mentioned in the above text situated in the north (Uttara-kuru varsha), south (Bharata-varsha), east (Bhadrasva-varsha) and west (ketumala-varsha).

For those members of ISKCON who have read, understood, and accepted the Srimad Bhagavatam's description of Bhu-gola, it is obvious that the Bhu-gola mentioned in Surya-siddhanta, refers to the same Bhu-gola that is described by Sukadeva Goswami—especially since the speaker of Surya-siddhanta specifically mentions the gigantic locations in Bhu-gola such as Mount Meru, as well as the notable varshas of Jambudvipa (Uttara-kuru, Bharata, Bhadrashva and Ketumala, along with the notable cities in each varsha.

bhuvrtpada vivara stascanyonyam pratistitah/
tabhyascottarago merustavaneva surasrayah //41//

"These cities are situated at an equal distance from each other on each quarter of earth's equator. At an equal distance from them, to the north is situated the Uttara Meru, the abode of the demigods." (Ss 12.41)

This is only possible on a flat-Earth. The map below from Albert Forbiger, Handbuch der alten Geographie (3 volumes, 1842–48) shows the cities of Siddhapuri, Lanka, Romaka, and Yamakoti in the four cardinal points of Jambudvipa.

As anyone familiar with Vedic cosmology will confirm, the four cities mentioned here are located in four of the nine varshas of Jambudvipa. The image below shows Ketumala-varsha at the western side of Jambudvipa, and Bhadrashva-varsha in the east. Uttara-kuru varsha at the northern side of Jambudvipa and Bharata-varsha at the southern side. Our local area of the Earth (America, Europe, Asia, etc.), is only one small part of the massive area indicated as Bharata-varsha.

The above image shows Mount Meru in the middle of Jambudvipa, and surrounded by the Salt-water Ocean which leads to the next island called Plakshadvipa. Srimad Bhagavatam describes the measurement of Jambudvipa and the surrounding ocean as follows:

"As Sumeru Mountain is surrounded by Jambudvipa, Jambudvipa is also surrounded by an ocean of salt water. The breadth of Jambudvipa is 100,000 yojanas [800,000 miles], and the breadth of the Saltwater Ocean is the same. As a moat around a fort is sometimes surrounded by garden-like forest, the saltwater ocean surrounding Jambudvipa is itself surrounded by Plakshadvipa. The breadth of Plakshadvipa is twice that of the saltwater ocean—in other words 200,000 yojanas [1,600,000 miles]."

Thus the distance from Uttara-kuru-varsha which is in the north of Jambudvipa to Bharata-varsha which is in the south of Jambudvipa is 100,000 yojanas (800,000 miles). The Skanda Purana tells a story of Revantaka who traveled the vast distance between Uttara-kuru-varsha and Bharata-varsha in one muhurta:

"They had speedily come out of Uttara-kuru region and had come to the south of India where there was the holy spot Prabhasa. They as well as Revantaka were weary and distressed due to the rapidity. Gasping for breath with profuse perspiration all over the body, Revanta stationed himself there. 0 goddess, from north to south a distance of a hundred thousand yojanas was traversed in a Muhurta by the noble-souled Revanta. With profuse perspiration all over the body, 0 goddess, he stationed himself in Prabhasa, riding the horse and accompanied by Danda and Pingala." (Skanda Purana, VII.I.11.210-212)

Though people in the modern age are accustomed to reading these narratives as they would a fable, the Puranas are, in fact, informing us of other lands that exist beyond the boundaries of out known part of the flat-Earth. In any case, the Surya-siddhanta has mentioned Mount Meru in the center of Bhu-gola and as being surrounded by varshas in each of the cardinal directions; so how can anyone possibly argue that the Bhu-gola in question is the so-called Earth globe?

Since there is only one Mount Meru, one Uttara-kuru varsha, etc, there is, in fact, no way to avoid accepting place names mentioned in Surya-siddhanta such as Mount Meru as places on the Vedic flat-Earth. The difficulty for members of ISKCON in comprehending the reality of these places is that although Srimad Bhagavatam provides the direction and distance to regions such as Mount Meru, Uttara-kuru-varsha, etc, the understanding that these are directions and distances to factual locations on a larger Earth plane has been entirely lost. The idea that we live on a massive Earth plane has been replaced with the idea that we live on an isolated Earth globe with a limited circumference, and so places like Jambudvipa, Meru, etc., (that are part of the Vedic Earth) have been taken to refer to either places in a 'higher dimension' i.e. nebulous places of uncertain location, or else reclassified as areas in and around India, or else simply glossed over as teachings in the Puranas that are inconceivable and for the most part irrelevant.

SIZE OF THE EARTH ACCORDING TO SURYA-SIDDHANTA

Members of ISKCON may counteract that the Earth is measured in Surya-siddhanta at 1,600 yojanas, and not 500 million yojanas as Srimad Bhagavatam describes; and that this would seem to indicate that the Surya-siddhanta is describing a second smaller Earth. The Surya-siddhanta states:

yojana ni satanyastau bhukarno dvigunanitu/
tadvargato dasagunat padam bhuparidhirbhavet //59//

"The Earth's diameter (bhukarna) is 1600 (2 X 800) yojanas. The square root of 10 times the square of earth's diameter is earth's circumference." (Ss 1.59)

However, this smaller figure in Surya-siddhanta is simply a reference to our local area of the larger flat-Earth; indeed, the astronomical calculations and other procedures for calculating eclipses, etc. as they are presented in Surya-siddhanta, are specifically intended for our local area of the Earth. We have discussed the issue of this smaller calculation from Surya-siddhanta in a previous paper called "Reply to Danavir Goswami Part 3".

Thus the smaller figure is not a measurement for the entire Earth, and this fact is obvious to anyone who understands and accepts the existence and reality of the other places mentioned in Surya-siddhanta which are described as part of the gigantic landscape of Bhu-gola. For those devotees who think the measurement of 1,600 yojanas is a measurement for Bharata-varsha and that Bharata-varsha is the so-called Bhu-gola (the supposed Earth globe) we only have to look again at Chapter 12, verses 38-40 of the Surya-siddhanta which describes Bharata-varsha as only one of the varshas of Bhu-gola, not the Bhu-gola itself; thus the description of the Bhu-gola in Surya-siddhanta is actually a description of a much larger Earth than that indicated by the continents and oceans of our known Earth as they are represented on a modern globe. The spherical nature of the modern globe with the continents and oceans covering all areas, suggests that there are no more lands, regions, or oceans to be discovered; however, according to Surya-siddhanta itself, there are other huge areas of land further north of Bharata-varsha. Thus when we look at the detail of Surya-siddhanta's own description of the Earth, it can be seen that ISKCON is decidedly wrong when it equates the Bhu-gola in Surya-siddhanta with the modern Earth-globe.

In any case, members of ISKCON should be clear that the Temple of Vedic Planetarium is a presentation of the Srimad Bhagavatam's description of the universe, and therefore, it is the Srimad Bhagavatam's description of the Earth that must form a devotees primary idea of what the Earth is—its size, shape, and characteristics, etc. The particular description of the Earth from Srimad Bhagavatam is always our reference point regarding how to understand place names such as Bhu-gola, Mount Meru, Bila-svarga, etc. How then can Mount Meru be situated in the middle of the so-called Earth globe when the Mount Meru in question is described in Srimad Bhagavatam as having a height of 100,000 yojanas in height? Sukadeva Goswami states:

"In Jambudvipa there are nine divisions of land, each with a length of 9,000 yojanas [72,000 miles]. There are eight mountains that mark the boundaries of these divisions and separate them nicely. Amidst these divisions, or varshas, is the varsha named Ilavrita, which is situated in the middle of the whorl of the lotus. Within Ilavrita-varsha is Sumeru Mountain, which is made of gold. Sumeru Mountain is like the pericarp of the lotus-like Bhu-mandala planetary system. The mountain's height is the same as the width of Jambudvipa—or, in other words, 100,000 yojanas [800,000 miles]. Of that, 16,000 yojanas [128,000 miles] are within the earth, and therefore the mountain's height above the earth is 84,000 yojanas [672,000 miles]. The mountain's width is 32,000 yojanas [256,000 miles] at its summit and 16,000 yojanas at its base." (SB 5.16.6)

MERU IS AT THE CENTER OF THE SEVEN ISLANDS AND OCEANS:

When the Surya-siddhanta states that Mount Meru is in the middle of the Bhu-gola, the Bhu-gola is in question is the same described by Sukadeva Goswami in chapters 16-26 of the Fifth Canto. Mount Meru is in the center of the Earth having seven islands and oceans and measuring 500 million yojanas in diameter (SB 5.20.38). This is summarized in the Vishnu Purana a follows:

"Maitreya.—You have related to me, Brahman, the creation of Svayambhuva. I am now desirous to hear from you a description of the Earth;—how many are its oceans and islands, its kingdoms and its mountains, its forests and rivers, and the cities of the gods, its dimensions, its contents, its nature, and its form.

Parasara.—You shall hear, Maitreya, a brief account of the Earth from me. A full detail I could not give you in a century. The seven great insular continents are Jambu, Plaksha, Salmali, Kusa, Krauncha, Saka, and Pushkara; and they are surrounded, severally, by seven great seas, the sea of salt water (Lavana), of sugar-cane juice (Ikshu), of wine (Sura), of clarified butter (Sarpis), of curds (Dadhi), of milk (Dugdha), and of fresh water (Jala). Jambu-dwipa is in the centre of all these. And in the centre of this (continent) is the golden mountain Meru. The height of Meru is eighty-four thousand yojanas; and its depth below (the surface of the earth) is sixteen (thousand). Its diameter, at the summit, is thirty-two (thousand yojanas), and, at its base, sixteen thousand; so that this mountain is like the seed-cup of the lotus of the Earth.' (Vishnu Purana, Book 2, Chapter 2)

The text continues:

"In this manner the seven island-continents are encompassed, successively, by the seven oceans; and each ocean and continent is, respectively, of twice the extent of that which precedes it...Beyond the sea of fresh water is a region of twice its extent, where the land is of gold, and where no living beings reside. Thence extends the Lokaloka mountain, which is ten thousand yojanas in breadth, and as many in height; and beyond it perpetual darkness invests the mountain all around; which darkness is, again, encompassed by the shell of the egg. Such, Maitreya, is the earth, which, with its continents, mountains, oceans, and exterior shell, is fifty crores (five hundred millions) of yojanas in extent. It is the mother and nurse of all creatures, the foundation of all worlds, and the chief of the elements. (Vishnu Purana, Book 2 chapter 4)

Here it is clearly stated that Mount Meru is at the center of the seven islands and seven oceans. Sage Agastya also spoke of the time he looked from the top of Mount Meru and saw the seven islands and oceans:

"I saw that place, that sage, and myself at the top of mount Meru. О king, I then saw the seven oceans, the seven principal mountains, and the seven islands constituting the Earth. Even now I remain thinking of that glorious world and how and when I could get there (again)." (Varaha Purana, chapter 69:16-18)

The awesome nature of Krishna's flat-Earth has left many members of ISKCON nonplussed and seemingly incapable of accepting that the Earth is not what they have been led to believe. Though members of the society are obliged to present the Srimad Bhagavatam's teachings regarding the nature of the Earth, they unfortunately do not stick consistently with this conception. For example, the illustration below from Sadaputa dasa's Mysteries of the Sacred Universe documentary, shows an image of Bharata-varsha (erroneously depicted as a globe) located in the south of Jambudvipa.

The above illustration displays a conscious awareness that Bharata-varsha is actually part of the larger flat-Earth, and that Bharata-varsha is a region to the south of the gigantic Mount Meru. However, in the article below Sadaputa dasa presents an entirely different idea of Mount Meru's location—this time suggesting that Mount Meru is actually the Pamir Mountains which are located to the north of India. The following is from an article called the Universe of the Vedas by Sadaputa dasa and posted on ISKCON's official website at Krishna.com:

"Jambudvipa, the central hub of Bhu-mandala, can be understood as a local topographical map of part of south-central Asia. This is the third of the four interpretations of Bhu-mandala. In the planisphere interpretation, Jambudvipa represents the northern hemisphere of the Earth globe. But the detailed geographic features of Jambudvipa do not match the geography of the northern hemisphere. They do, however, match part of the Earth. Six horizontal and two vertical mountain chains divide Jambudvipa into nine regions, or varshas (Figure 11,top left). The southernmost region is called Bharata-varsha. Careful study shows that this map corresponds to India plus adjoining areas of south-central Asia. The first step in making this identification is to observe that the Bhagavatam assigns many rivers in India to Bharata- varsha. Thus Bharata-varsha represents India. The same can be said of many mountains in Bharata-varsha. In particular, the Bhagavatam places the Himalayas to the north of Bharata-varsha in Jambudvipa (Figure 11).

"A detailed study of Puranic accounts allows the other mountain ranges of Jambudvipa to be identified with mountain ranges in the region north of India. Although this region includes some of the most desolate and mountainous country in the world, it was nonetheless important in ancient times. For example, the famous Silk Road passes through this region. The Pamir Mountains can be identified with Mount Meru and Ilavrita-varsha, the square region in the center of Jambudvipa. (Note that Mount Meru does not represent the polar axis in this interpretation.) Other Puranas give more geographical details that support this interpretation." (Sadaputa dasa, The Universe of the Vedas)

In these two different presentations by Sadaputa dasa we see how Srimad Bhagavatam's original teaching that Mount Meru is located in the middle of a gigantic Earth-circle, is transformed into the idea that Mount Meru is a mountain on the Earth-globe, thus effectively negating the Srimad Bhagavatam's flat-Earth concept.

Contrary to the title of Sadaputa dasa's article (The Universe in the Vedas), the above explanation for the location of Jambudvipa has actually nothing to do with the universe of the Vedas. In reply to this presentation of Mount Meru as the Pamir Mountain, we can refer the reader back to the Srimad Bhagavatam verse that can be deployed to destroy all erroneous conceptions of the universe. In this verse Sukadeva Goswami States that he will tell us the name (nama) shape (rupa), measurements (mana) and characteristics (lakshanatah) of the principal regions of the Bhu-gola (SB 5.16.4). The reason why Sukadeva Goswami includes mana (measurements) and rupa (shape) is so that we do not foolishly mistake a golden mountain standing 100,000 yojanas tall with an insignificant hill to the north of India. The above idea that Srimad Bhagavatam's description of Jambudvipa refers to a region of South Central Asia rather than to areas of the Earth that exist beyond our local area, only arises because members of ISKCON do accept the Srimad Bhagavatam's description of the flat-Earth as the reality.

THE MAYAVADI INFLUENCE ON ISKCON'S PRESENTATION OF VEDIC COSMOLOGY

In the Vaishnava Siddhanta Mala by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, he discusses the nine philosophical precepts of Srila Madhvacharya, one of which is the acceptance that the universe is real. Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes:

"QUESTION: What are these nine essential instructions given to us by Sri Madhavacarya?

ANSWER: They are thus: 1) Bhagavan (God) alone is the supreme truth, one without a second. 2) He is the object of knowledge in all the Vedas. 3) The universe is real (satya). 4) Differences (between God, souls and matter) are real. 5) The spirit souls are the servants of Sri Krsna. 6) All souls are different according to their different situations. 7) Liberation (moksa) is the name of attainment of Bhagavan's lotus feet. 8) Bhagavan's pure worship (amala bhajan) is the only way to attain liberation. 9) Pratyaksa (direct perception), anumana (logic) and sabda (spiritual sound) are the three types of evidence."

In Chapter Four of this book entitled Vishva Satya (the World is real) Bhaktivinoda Thakura elaborates on the point that the universe is real:

"Question: Some say that the world is mithya (false), it is created by maya (the material potency). What is the truth?

Answer: This world is real, but it is temporary. Satya (real) and nitya (eternal) – these two adjectives have different meanings. The world is not eternal, because according to the Lord's will, at some time it will be destroyed. This world is a reality, it is not false. In some places the shastra says that this world is false, but it is to be understood that this refers to its impermanence."

Here Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that the world is 'real', but only temporarily manifest, unlike the spiritual world which is eternally manifest. Although the material world creates illusion for the conditioned souls, it is regarded as 'real' energy on account of its being an emanation from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because the material world is real, Sukadeva Goswami presents the coherent idea that each place within the universe occupies a certain length, height, and width, and that there is a certain distance and direction from one place to another. Since the world is real, the measurement (mana) given by Sukadeva Goswami for the height of Mount Meru must be taken as real. Thus Vaishnavas must accept that Mount Meru is factually 100,000 yojanas in height, and that it is located in Ilavrta-varsha, not Bharata-varsha as would be the case if we accepted Sadaputa dasa's idea that Mount Meru is in South central Asia. Bharata-varsha is actually hundreds of thousands of miles to the south of Mount Meru.

A harmonium in a temple room is real; it occupies space and has dimensions (length, height, and width). The harmonium occupies a different space in the temple from the mrdanga, and one is separated from the other by a certain distance and direction. The same rule of size and distance applies in larger universe—the Earth occupies one space, and the Sun, Moon, etc., occupy a different space. Some places in the universe are to the north, south, etc. of each other; and some places are above or below the other. Thus it has to be accepted that according to Vedic cosmology, Mount Meru is in Ilavrta-varsha, not in Bharata-varsha which is hundreds of thousands of miles to the south of Ilavrta-varsha.

Mayavada is the denial of reality as it is described in the Veda. If we do not accept the nama (name) rupa (form) mana (measurement) and lakshanatah (characteristics) of the Bhu-gola as real, then we are engaged in propagating mayavada. To deny Krishna's creation as it is described in Srimad Bhagavatam is mayavadi—denial of the real. I am not accusing any devotees of deliberately presenting mayavadi, but only that we should all be aware of its insidious effect on our understanding of Sri-Krishna creation.

CHINESE WHISPERS

Bharata-varsha is a place upon the Bhu-gola, it is not the Bhu-gola itself; however, in the above meme presented by Radha-Mohan dasa, Bharata-varsha has become renamed and redefined as the Bhu-gola. The idea that Bharata-varsha is a globe-shaped planet floating in space is comparable to a game of Chinese whispers in which the final telling of a story bears no resemblance to the original, and in which members of ISKCON apply no consistency in their presentation of Vedic cosmology. In our previous review of the Temple Of Vedic Planetarium Universal Chandelier video, we seen how Bharata-varsha was presented as part of Jambudvipa; in the above meme, however, Jambudvipa has disappeared, and Bharata-varsha is presented as an independent planet. The presentation of Bharata-varsha in the form of a globe and renamed as Bhu-gola ('the Earth') is a complete confusion of Sukadeva Goswami's description of the names (nama), forms (rupa) and measurements (manah) of the Earth in question. Once this redefinition of Bharata-varsha takes place, one is no longer 're-presenting' Vedic cosmology as it is originally taught by Sukadeva Goswami in Srimad Bhagavatam.

In the above meme presented by Radha-Mohan dasa, we can see how members of ISKCON completely abandon Bhagavatam's description that Bharata-varsha is simply a location upon the gigantic Bhu-gola measured at 500 millions yojanas and held by Ananta-sesha, to the idea that Bharata-varsha is 'the Bhu-gola' itself. Meanwhile the actual Bhu-gola described in Srimad Bhagavatam is passed off as being in another dimension, which conveniently puts the Vedic flat-Earth out of sight and out of mind.

May we ask both Radha-Mohan dasa and Antardvipa dasa, why Bharata-varsha in the form of a globe is being identified as the Bhu-gola? The presentation of Bharata-varsha as Bhu-gola a complete confusion regarding the description of places in the Vedic universe as they are presented by Sukadeva Goswami in Srimad Bhagavatam.

The only way to disentangle from this mishmash is by correct apprehension of three key names in Vedic cosmology—Bharata-varsha, Jambudvipa, and Bhu-gola—and to map and depict these areas as they are described. Neither Bhu-gola or Bharata-varsha can be depicted as the so-called Earth globe because such a conception bears no resemblance to how they are described in Srimad Bhagavatam.

SRILA PRABHUPADA'S TRANSLATION OF BHU-GOLA AS 'ROUND EARTH'

So if Bharata-varsha is part of the Bhu-gola, not the Bhu-gola itself, how has the situation come about in ISKCON whereby Bharata-varsha has been mistakenly identified as Bhu-gola, and moreover why the Bhu-gola itself has been erroneously presented as an 'Earth-globe' rather than as an 'Earth-circle', namely a flat-Earth?

Members of ISKCON can, of course, point to several discussions wherein Srila Prabhupada also appears to equate the name Bhu-gola with the so-called 'round Earth' (see Bhagavad-gita lecture 1.43, London, July 30, 1973, and Morning Walk Conversation, December 9, 1973, Los Angeles). In these discussions Srila Prabhupada states that the Bhu-gola is a name for the Earth. In both discussions Srila Prabhupada states that the Sanskrit word gola means 'round', that the name indicates that the Earth is round, and that the Vedic rishis knew the Earth was round long before Galileo. Although members of ISKCON have attempted to use these statements as part of their argument for the Earth globe, the statements have been taken out of context of Srimad Bhagavatams's own description of the Bhu-gola, and then used injudiciously as evidence that Srila Prabhupada was a supporter of the globe ideology. The measurement of Bhu-gola by Sukadeva Goswami (SB 5.20.38) at pancasat-koti yojana (500 million yojanas) rules out any possibility that the Bhu-gola in question is a reference to the supposed Earth globe of 24,900 miles circumference. The Bhu-gola is described in Srimad Bhagavatam as round, but as we have discussed in Part 3 of a paper called "Does Hinduism Subscribe to the Flat-Earth?", the Bhu-gola is actually described as having the roundness of a circle, not the roundness of a globe:

If the Bhu-gola was round like a ball, there would be no room for anything else in the universe, (since the complete Vedic universe from top to bottom is only 4 billion miles). The circular shape of Bhu-gola allows the Earth to cross the center of the universe whilst leaving room above and below the Earth plane for other features in the universe. The image below shows the circular shape of Bhu-mandala as it crosses the center of the universe.

We have addressed these statements from Srila Prabhupada many times before in our previous papers, and won't repeat the points already made. The main point we wish to emphasize here is that the description of Bhu-gola in Srimad Bhagavatam does not conform in any way to the modern globe idea, and thus there are no references in Srimad Bhagavatam to support the idea that Bhu-gola refers to the modern Earth globe. This leaves only the description of Bhu-gola in Surya-siddhanta as a final resort for those trying to argue that the Vedic Bhu-gola corresponds to the modern Earth globe idea, but as we have see the Bhu-gola described in Surya-siddhanta contains the same gigantic areas such as Mount Meru as they are described in Srimad Bhagavatam, and thus there is no basis to translate Bhu-gola as 'Earth-globe', and indeed, no shastric authority to present an Earth globe as part of Vedic cosmology.

Srila Prabhupada himself never presented any of the content of the Surya-siddhanta in his preaching, and left the study of the text to his disciples. It is our contention that disciples of Srila Prabhupada such as Sadaputa dasa and Danavir Goswami have approached the Surya-siddhanta with the basic presumption and faith that the Earth is a globe, and have subsequently superimposed this preconceived ideas about the Earth onto the Vedic Bhu-gola conception (which as we have pointed out is an entirely different conception of the Earth). The requirement now is to go back to Srila Prabhupada's initial instruction to present Vedic cosmology according to Srimad Bhagavatam:

Prabhupada: ...that "We are intending to make a huge planetarium. If you can help us?"
Tamala Krishna: Mentioning the Fifth Canto, Bhagavatam?
Prabhupada: Exactly to the description of Fifth Canto, we want.
(Room Conversation, May 8 1977, Hrishikesh)

Again:

"Now, here in India, we are planning construction of a very large "Vedic Planetarium" or "Temple of Understanding." Within the planetarium we will construct a huge, detailed model of the universe as described in the text of the fifth canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam… The model will depict… The earthly system (bhu-mandala with Sumeru in center, seven islands (saptadvipa), seven oceans (sapta-samudra), Manosattara Parvata, Lokaloka Parvata, Alokavarsa." (Letter to S.L. Dhani, 14 November 1976)

Since ISKCON is to present Bhu-mandala, etc., 'exactly to the description of Fifth Canto', then Bharata-varsha has to be presented as part of the larger flat-Earth not as an independent planet floating in space (such an idea has no reference in Srimad Bhagavatam). Srila Prabhupada's many statements about the Earth being a globe floating in space have to be explained in context of his own instruction to study the Fifth Canto and present the cosmology 'exactly' to the description found therein.

Again there is no force upon people to believe the Srimad Bhagavatam's teachings regarding the Earth, but those who claim to be presenting Vedic cosmology must be held accountable and responsible for presenting the correct understanding of the Vedic Earth at the Temple of Vedic Planetarium.

For the last fifty years, members of ISKCON (who have been assigned the task of building the Temple of Vedic Planetarium) have been mystified, perplexed, deluded, and ultimately defeated in a futile and vain attempt to reconcile and merge two completely opposed world-views (Vedic and secular) regarding the nature of the Earth and its place in the greater universe. Whatever belief one currently holds with regards to the Earth globe idea, responsible members of ISKCON cannot allow the corruption of the original Vedic Earth-circle concept to go unchallenged. The Srimad Bhagavatam unambiguously declares the Earth to be a colossal circular plane that is held by Ananta-sesha, not a small globe-shaped planet that floats in space. The globe idea is heretical to the teachings of Srila Vyasadeva; and those members of ISKCON who continue to propagate such an idea—despite knowing the truth of Bhu-mandala—are unfortunately propagating a heretical doctrine in the name of so-called Vedic cosmology.

HOW DID THEY GO WRONG?

By way of explaining how a text like Surya-siddhanta can be so utterly misunderstood and misrepresented, we refer the reader back to a paper by Jahnavi-Nitai dasa wherein it was pointed out that a so-called Earth-globe in an ancient sculpture of Bhu-Varaha, was actually a conch-shell in one of the hands of Varaha. The image below shows the meme purporting to show Varaha lifting an Earth globe:

Note here the definitive sounding proclamation that 'in this statue, Indian sculptors show the Earth in round shape 800 years earlier than Galileo'. As it turns out, the so-called Earth-globe is simply the conch-shell in one of the hands of Varaha:

See our Response to Jahnavi-Nitai dasa, Did Varaha Lift an Earth-globe?.

How is it possible for anyone to present such definitive assertions about the above sculpture, when the basis of the assertion is clearly so entirely wrong? Such mistakes are only possible by those who have neither understanding or faith in the original Puranic description of the Earth. Those who know that the Puranas describe a flat-Earth model will not be thrown when uninformed people present such misleading 'evidence' for the presence of an Earth-globe in ancient Vedic culture. In the same way when members of ISKCON trumpet so-called proofs for the Earth-globe in texts such as Surya-siddhanta, it is because they have either no proper understanding of, or actual faith in the Srimad Bhagavatam's description of our location on the flat-Earth. Just as a person can superimpose their 20th century idea of the Earth-globe onto the conch-shell of Varaha-deva, in the same way members of ISKCON have superimposed their idea of the Earth-globe onto the Surya-siddhanta's description of the Bhu-gola ('round Earth'). As it turns out the 'round' in Bhu-gola means round as in circular, not round as in spherical.

Just as ancient artifacts from Vedic culture can be misconstrued to support the globe ideology, we have likewise shown how ancient Sanskrit texts such as the Surya-siddhanta are misinterpreted to prevent 'evidence' for a so-called Earth globe that actually doesn't exist in the Vedic world-view. The lesson here for members of ISKCON, is that all concerned need to take a closer look at the details of shastric texts before jumping to false conclusions based on a pre-conceived idea of the Earth.

In Part 4 we shall look at some further instances of how the Surya-siddhanta has been mistranslated and misinterpreted in order to support the fallacious idea that the Vedas teach an Earth-globe concept.

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