Inside the North Pole… Alien Encounters
BY: ABHAYA MUDRA DASI
Dec 27, 2012 — BLOEVGRAD, BULGARIA (SUN) — It is said that there are many unseen passages from Earth which lead to different regions of our universe. Some lead up and some lead down. There are fourteen planetary systems in our universe. At night we see Svargaloka as a chandelier of stars over our heads and if we are observant we can distinguish that the movement of this plane is similar to the twisting of a diving dolphin, the Shishumara:
This great machine, consisting of the stars and planets, resembles the form of a shishumara (dolphin) in the water. It is sometimes considered an incarnation of Krishna, Vasudeva. Great yogis meditate upon Vasudeva in this form because it is actually visible. (SB 5.23.4)
By turning our eyes skyward we recognize many of the constellations though our knowledge of of the very planet we live on remans scant. According to Puranic sources including Shrimad Bhagavatam, the Earth plane is flat as are all of the 14 planetary planes. Beneath the surface of the Earth there are other planetary systems of which the first one is of the subterranean heavenly region. Some who understand the existence of this loka may conclude that we can access this plane through openings in the crust of the Earth plane. Still not many believers have actually dared to venture into these unknown worlds. And it is conjectured that a few who have reportedly gone have not come back to report about their experience.
Here we can see an illustration of the popular so-called scientific theory about the structure of the Earth plane:
The validity of the above theory has never been factually ascertained and therefore the structure of the earth remains speculations. The Kola Superdeep Borehole (in Murmansk, Russia near Finland) is 12,262 m deep and the project has been abandoned. The Al Shaheen oil well in Qatar is 12,289 m deep while the the Sakhalin-I Odoptu OP-11 well on Sakhalin Island at 12,345 m deep are the deepest drilled holes in the world. Scientists encountered some surprises when drilling which they openly admit in their findings. They report finding water and unchanged rock structure in depths which, according to scientific theory, should have been changing from granite to basalt. According to scientists, the upper crust should be just about 25 kilometers thick and then a solid rock should continue down for another 2,900 km.
Earthquakes are another misunderstood phenomenon. Quakes usually appear at depths of 30 to 70 km. But earthquakes that originate at depths of 300 to 700 km remain unexplained by scientists who admit that they do not know why the lithosphere crust exhibits brittle behavior. More on seismological data findings, etc, are found here (p1)
Space expeditions have likewise failed to confirm scientific theories in relationship to the actual nature of the earth and the cosmos. Even with their modern telescopes, empirical scientists are like bullfrogs croaking in a well. Their instruments cannot grant them the vast and multi-dimensional vision that is the gift of shastric knowledge. In Shrimad Bhagavatam there is an extensive description of the subterranean planetary systems. We give this excerpt from chapter 24 verses 7 through 15 of the 5th canto "The Subterranean Planetary Systems":
Shrila Shukadeva Goswami said to Maharaja Parikshit: "My dear King, beneath this earth are seven other planets, known as Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala and Patala. I have already explained the situation of the planetary systems of earth. The width and length of the seven lower planetary systems are calculated to be exactly the same as those of earth. (7)
In these seven planetary systems, which are also known as the subterranean heavens (bila-svarga), there are very beautiful houses, gardens and places of sense enjoyment, which are even more opulent than those in the higher planets because the demons have a very high standard of sensual pleasure, wealth and influence. Most of the residents of these planets, who are known as Daityas, Danavas and Nagas, live as householders. Their wives, children, friends and society are all fully engaged in illusory, material happiness. The sense enjoyment of the demigods is sometimes disturbed, but the residents of these planets enjoy life without disturbances. Thus they are understood to be very attached to illusory happiness. (8)
My dear King, in the imitation heavens known as bila-svarga there is a great demon named Maya Danava, who is an expert artist and architect. He has constructed many brilliantly decorated cities. There are many wonderful houses, walls, gates, assembly houses, temples, yards and temple compounds, as well as many hotels serving as residential quarters for foreigners. The houses for the leaders of these planets are constructed with the most valuable jewels, and they are always crowded with living entities known as Nagas and Asuras, as well as many pigeons, parrots and similar birds. All in all, these imitation heavenly cities are most beautifully situated and attractively decorated. (9)
The parks and gardens in the artificial heavens surpass in beauty those of the upper heavenly planets. The trees in those gardens, embraced by creepers, bend with a heavy burden of twigs with fruits and flowers, and therefore they appear extraordinarily beautiful. That beauty could attract anyone and make his mind fully blossom in the pleasure of sense gratification. There are many lakes and reservoirs with clear, transparent water, agitated by jumping fish and decorated with many flowers such as lilies, kuvalayas, kahlaras and blue and red lotuses. Pairs of chakravakas and many other water birds nest in the lakes and always enjoy in a happy mood, making sweet, pleasing vibrations that are very satisfying and conducive to enjoyment of the senses. (10)
Since there is no sunshine in those subterranean planets, time is not divided into days and nights, and consequently fear produced by time does not exist. (11)
Many great serpents reside there with gems on their hoods, and the effulgence of these gems dissipates the darkness in all directions. (12)
Since the residents of these planets drink and bathe in juices and elixirs made from wonderful herbs, they are freed from all anxieties and physical diseases. They have no experience of grey hair, wrinkles or invalidity, their bodily luster does not fade, their perspiration does not cause a bad smell, and they are not troubled by fatigue or by lack of energy or enthusiasm due to old age. (13)
They live very auspiciously and do not fear death from anything but death's established time, which is the effulgence of the Sudarshana chakra of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (14)
When the Sudarshana disc enters those provinces, the pregnant wives of the demons all have miscarriages due to fear of its effulgence. (15)
There is plenty of shastric reference regarding the subterranean regions. Shriman Dharmapada das Prabhu, the author of Hollow Earth in the Puranas, offers the benefit of his research here
The subterranean heavens are inhabited mainly by demonic entities. The demons may appear somewhat pious in the sense that their society is organized and they understand how to apply Vedic knowledge for their own good. But because they are blinded by the prospect of material enjoyment they do not seek ultimate liberation from material existence, which is only obtained by worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead Shri Krishna. Shrimad Bhagavatam admonishes that the inhabitants of the subterranean regions, although very happy with their material opulence, also die in due course of time.
Today on Earth there are many adherents of the hollow earth theory who have never been exposed to shastra and whose ideas about other worlds come mostly from hearsay and guesswork. As a result, any mention of other worlds becomes an invitation for speculation that divine wisdom about whatever exists within the universe can be found in these regions. But from the Bhagavatam's descriptions we can understand that the inhabitants of the lower regions are also conditioned souls who are ultimately subject to the same laws of Nature as ourselves.
Shambhala or Sambalpur
Over the last few centuries an increasing interest has arisen in the Polar Regions as doorways to these mystical worlds and many adventurous souls have embarked on quests there in search of a doorway to the underworld. Here we present an excerpt from a conversation between the Russian artist, scientist, Himalayan explorer, philosopher and three-time Nobel Prize nominee Nicholas Roerich and a Tibetan Lama as recorded in his book Shambala, about a sacred hidden city in the Himalayas:
Roerich: Lama, tell me of Shambala.
Lama: You Westerners know nothing about Shambala—you wish to know nothing. Probably you ask out of curiosity; and you pronounce this sacred word in vain.
After some cajoling and studying his querist, the Lama said: Great Shambala is far beyond the ocean. How and why do you people take interest in it? Only in some places, in the far North, can you discern the resplendent rays of Shambala (aurora?)... The secrets of Shambala are well guarded.
Roerich: Lama, I have heard of the reality of this indescribable place. I've been told that some high lamas have visited Shambala. I've heard of the Buryat Lama and how he was taken through a narrow, secret passageway. So please don't tell me of only the heavenly Shambala because I know that a real one exists on Earth ... How does it happen that Shambala on Earth is still undiscovered by travelers? On maps you may see so many routes of expeditions. It appears that all heights are already marked and all valleys and rivers explored.
Lama: But as yet ... people have not found all things so, let a man try to reach Shambala without a call! You have heard about the poisonous streams which encircle the uplands. Perhaps you have even seen people dying from these gasses when they come near them ... Many people try to reach Shambala, uncalled. Some of them disappear forever. Only a few of them reach the holy place and only if their karma is ready."
The interested reader can learn more about the pioneer Roerich from these sites:
www.Roerich.org and Wikipedia.
Shambala—according to Shrimad Bhagavatam 12.2.18—is the place where Lord Kalki will take birth.
shambhala-grama-mukhyasya brahmanasya mahatmanah
bhavane vishnuyasha sahmkalkih mahatmanah
Lord Kalki will appear in the home of the most eminent brahmana of Shambhala village, the great soul Vishnuyasha.
Many assume that Lord Kalki will appear in the mystical other-worldly city of Shambala, though others point to the town (grama) of Sambalpur in Orissa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambalpur. Some who believe that Shambala is located in the subterranean regions assume that the coming Golden Age will soon be initiated from within the Earth. But according to Shrimad Bhagavatam, Kalki will come at the end of Kali Yuga or after another 427,000 years. However, it is a fact that a 10,000-year Golden Age that has been promised by Shri Krishna Himself will soon arise. This age offers the posibility for self realization withing the limits of Kali Yuga, or via widespread sankirtan, the chanting of the mahamantra.
It is obvious that some modern theories regarding a hollow earth are not based on scripture. Rather they appear to be a mixture of science fiction of novelists like Jules Verne, of hearsay or of Himalayan folklore. Thus Hollow Earth theories without the benefit of shastra are prone to mix fact with fiction. Indeed, most "Hollow Earthers" still think of the world as globe-shaped which contradicts shastra. Only through recourse to the Puranas via disciplic succession can the shape of the Earth be understood. As quoted above, Shrimad Bhagavatam clearly states that the seven planetary systems beneath the Earth are of the same shape and size as the Earth plane. Even so, for whatever its flaws, the Hollow Earth theory it is closer to truth than longstanding scientific theories of a earth globe circling the Sun in space.
Modern Voyages to Inner Worlds
There are narrations of Northern cap explorers who claim to have reached the heavenly regions within the Earth. In fact such descriptions do bear some resemblance to those from the shastras and for this reason we also accept them as valid. One of these is the curious case of the Norwegian Olaf Jansen.
While on a fishing expedition in the 1820's, Olaf Jansen and his father stopped at the northern side of Spitsbergen Island to take on supplies. Then setting sail for points north, Olaf's father became possessed of a desire to head into far northern seas, to the warm lands described in the Norse legends. He assured the boy that they would be protected by gods Thor (Jupiter) and Odin. Somehow Olaf Jansen and his father strayed into an opening near the Northern polar region and found their way into an underground kingdom.
Olaf would recall years later that they met people who spoke what sounded like Sanskrit and who were friendly and very tall. They wore fine clothes and lots of gold. The society of these giants was organized and cheerful. They saw mammoth sized elephants and other huge animals. Grapes were the size of apples whiles apples grew to the size of pumpkins. The life span was up to 800 years and people were highly educated. The inner regions were illuminated by what appeared to be an inner Sun. It appears as though the reflections of this Sun are seen as Aurora Borealis around the North and South Poles where the main openings to the unexplored regions are concealed.
On their return journey the boy lost his father at sea. He was saved by a fishing boat and successfully returned to Norway. There he confided his adventures to his disbelieving uncle who treacherously had him imprisoned where he ramained for twenty years. Olaf Jansen would later recount his adventures to Californian Willis George Emerson who believed him and who wrote his amazing story down (which can be read in full here.
There is another curious instance from 1947 which comes from a most credible souce, that of US Navy Admiral Richard Byrd, who spent much of his life exploring the arctic regions. His fascinating account of his meeting with super beings at the top of the world can be accessed here.
The contemporary map below (on which the inner Earth is called Agarta) is found on many Hollow Earth websites. Admiral Byrd's flight is duly marked. This map shows the continents of the inner earth as well and indicates other places on the surface of the Earth from which Atala and the other sub-planes can be accessed. The map is somewhat confusing because it shows that the inner earth can be accessed also through several large caves. But Agarta and the cave regions are actually two different places. The caves lead to sub-planes located within the Earth, and which are inhabited by demoniac species, while the poles are the doorways to the missing islands (like Plakshadvipa) which are described in the 5th canto of Shrimad Bhagavatam. These islands are inhabited by godly living entities.
There are other curious maps that were used in centuries past wherein the region surrounding the North Pole is clearly presented as a track of land. In the center of the map Mouth Sumeru is visible and it leads to the celestial regions. You can see on the map below from 1569 that the Polar region is divided by four rivers.
By understanding all information in perspective we see that space curves not only when we look at the sky above but also when we look down on our earthly plane. The Poles are access points to the other islands of Bhu-mandala. Due to our round vision they appear concave and seem to be inside the Earth. The traveler who wishes to go there will have to adopt a different perception, one that is "un-curved." What Olaf Jansen describes as an inner Sun is the same Sun we see from the Earth's surface. He describes seeing the same stars in the "Inner Earth," although they were larger. The North Pole in particular is part of Jambudvipa (as are the other continents shown on any modern-day map of Earth). Jambudvipa is located in the very center of the Earth plane (Bhu-mandala). The description of Jambudwipa is found in Shrimad Bhagavatam's 5th canto, ch.19.
Presenting the Earth as spherical is a product of relatively recent speculation. Even post-Vedic scriptures like the Bible confirm the view of Bhagavatam's concept of the Earth. The Bible clearly states: "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in." (From the NIV Bible, Isaiah 40:22) It was only after Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei that the world would adopt the concept of the Earth as a globe due to the invention of the telescope. It is ironic that prior to Copernicus any concept that contradicted a flat earth was condemned as heresy, and now the situation is quite reversed. But no matter how advanced modern instrumentation may be, it shares the limited perception of the round eye. By adhering to the limited perceptions caused by our round eyes we will never be able to understand other planes, neither of the Earth nor of heavens.
1. The Arctic Region, Mercator 1569
2. Map of a flat earth from the pre-Copernicus era
Compare what is seen in figure 2 above to the structure of the universe according to Shrimad Bhagavatam.
In his Arctic Voyages Nils Nordenskjold describes trafficking in mammoth tusks along the Yenisei River that runs from Mongolia through Russia and drains into the Arctic Ocean. He notes: "In the Siberian Polar Sea, the animal and vegetable types, so far as we can judge beforehand, exclusively consist of survivals from the Glacial period which next preceded the present, which is not the case in the Polar Sea where the Gulf Stream distributes its waters and whither it thus carries types from more southerly regions."
In his Phantom of the Poles William Reed writes, "When it can be shown that conditions are such that no Arctic icebergs (composed of fresh water) can be formed in the far north on the earth's outer surface, they must be formed in the interior. If the material that produces colored snow is a vegetable matter (which the analysis shows), and is supposed to be a blossom or the pollen of a plant, when none such grows in the vicinity of the Arctic Ocean, then it must grow in the interior of the earth."
Nicholas Roerich writes: "I remembered how during our crossing of the Karkaroum Pass, (my guide) the Ladhaki, asked me: ‘Do you know why there is such a peculiar upland up here? Do you know that in the subterranean caves here many treasures are hidden, and that in them lives a wonderful tribe which abhors the sins of the Earth?' And again when we approached Khotan the hooves of our horses sounded hollow as though we rode above caves or hollows. Our caravan people called our attention to this... When we saw entrances of caves, our caravaneers told us, ‘Long ago people lived there; now they have gone inside; they have found a subterranean passage to that subterranean kingdom.'"
Shriman Dharmapada das writes on his website, "The documented experiences of the Arctic explorers Peary and Cook bear out the fact that the Arctic basin is a depression. As they approached the North Pole, they both reported exaggerated sledding speeds (Siberian husky dogs). The terrain not only flattened, but was curving inwards rather sharply. So a little distance covered made for an apparent more-than-normal upwards progress, rather than along the orthodox concept of curvature of the Earth. This is something that affected their celestial latitude calculations, and something which was symptomatic of change from an outer to an inward slope. The abnormal sledding speeds increased as Peary approached and departed from the immediate proximity of the Pole. Right as he left, he covered 153 miles in 48 hours, over Arctic ice, on a sled, running over rough ice terrain and such. This is hardly believable—one could hardly imagine dogs covering such distances even on nature trails in a warm climate."
Our world is often visited by demonic inhabitants from these nether regions who have speedy ships that can overcome the pull of gravity by their round shape. We call their vimanas "flying saucers." People who have interacted with the demons know that they possess mystic powers and can abduct unsuspecting humans and take them to their realms, later erasing their conscious memory.
But through hypnosis many such encounters have been uncovered. Some victims of abductions said that many of these beings expressed their concern about the condition of the Earth and warned humans to stop playing with energies that are going to destroy the Earth. Generally, the "aliens" that visit this plane live beneath the Earth. Because they are naturally concerned about their safety, some gullible humans interpret the message that they are well-wishers of humanity. As we see from the description of Shrimad Bhagavatam, they are sense gratifiers and they do not want their enjoyment interrupted. It is known that they conduct scientific experiments on humans and are interested in human behavior which indicates that in the area of emotions the human race is more evolved because there is greater facility to become God-conscious in this human form of life.
The flying saucers reported in the media do not come from the higher celestial systems of the universe. The demigods are not interested in coming to Earth in Kali Yuga when yagnas are hardly performed. In Kali Yuga human beings interact with the demoniac races much more than one might suspect. Just as in our modern culture technological advancements are held as supreme, so it is in the realms of the Danavas.
The Sacred Northern Direction
Nonetheless, the North Pole may play a key role in understanding the structure of the Universe or the Universal Form of Shri Krishna. The north is the direction that points above. It is the direction of the Pole Star that is essentially a spiritual planet. In this sense, the north is the direction pointing to the Spiritual Sky where birth and death seize to exist. When the Sun changes his course from south to north around December 15th each year, it is time for celebration. On this day called Makara Sankranti (when the Sun enters Makara or Capricorn) people offer presents to one another. Nowadays, due to modern changes in the calendar people celebrate New Year 15 days earlier although it does not coincide with the astronomical New Year. One who is spiritually advanced prays for spiritual liberation on this day. One of the great heroes of Mahabharata Bhishma Pitamaha waited till Makara Sankranti to leave his body. Lord Shri Krishna also confirms in Bhagavad Gita (8.24) the importance of uttarayana or the northern course of the Sun as a time for liberation.
Shri Krishna desires only a reciprocal and loving relationship with His devotees. For the devotees of the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna, no benefit is gained through the association of mystical beings—whether demons or demigods—since they, like us, are mere mortals. The devotees take interest only in the transcendental name, fame, paraphernalia, associates and qualities of the Supreme Lord. In the following fascinating lecture entitled "UFO's and Krishna Consciousness" Shriman Sadaputa das, ISKCON's leading sadhu-scientist and co-author of Forbidden Archaeology, brilliantly discusses the existence of extra-terrestrials from a strictly Puranic perspective. Readers of The Astrological Newsletter are urged to give this scientific presentation their valued attention.
Only by understanding Krishna consciousness, and not by elaborate excusrisons, can this Universe be understood. Shri Krishna is within every atom and simply by understanding the nature of His appearances and disappearances the devotee can learn whatever is worth knowing. One does not need to go to the other side of the world in order to realize the existence of those who inhabit the place.
We do not need to travel far to reach a distant star,
But close is far for the kind who leave their souls behind.
