Sonic Yogi

Spiritual time is unlimited. Material time is limited. Even spiritual time is unlimited amount of time and has no end, here is an idea of material time in relationship to spiritual time.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.11.38

 

kālo 'yaḿ dvi-parārdhākhyo

 

nimeṣa upacaryate

 

avyākṛtasyānantasya

 

hy anāder jagad-ātmanaḥ

 

SYNONYMS

 

kālaḥ — eternal time; ayam — this (as measured by Brahmā's duration of life); dvi-parārdha-ākhyaḥ — measured by the two halves of Brahmā's life; nimeṣaḥ — less than a second; upacaryate — is so measured; avyākṛtasya — of one who is unchanged; anantasya — of the unlimited; hi — certainly; anādeḥ — of the beginningless; jagat-ātmanaḥ — of the soul of the universe.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The duration of the two parts of Brahmā's life, as above mentioned, is calculated to be equal to one nimeṣa [less than a second] for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is unchanging and unlimited and is the cause of all causes of the universe.

 

PURPORT

 

The great sage Maitreya has given a considerable description of the time of different dimensions, beginning from the atom up to the duration of the life of Brahmā. Now he attempts to give some idea of the time of the unlimited Personality of Godhead. He just gives a hint of His unlimited time by the standard of the life of Brahmā. The entire duration of the life of Brahmā is calculated to be less than a second of the Lord's time, and it is explained in the Brahma-saḿhitā (5.48) as follows:

 

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

 

jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

 

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo

 

govindam ādi-puruṣaḿ tam ahaḿ bhajāmi

 

"I worship Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, whose plenary portion is Mahā-Viṣṇu. All the heads of the innumerable universes [the Brahmās] live only by taking shelter of the time occupied by one of His breaths."

So, the life of Brahma, the duration of a universe or a cosmic manifestation is calculated to be 311 Trillion and 40 million years.

Thus 311 Trillion and 40 million years is LESS than one second of absolute time which is eternal and never ending.

Time as we know it does not exist in the spiritual world. Time includes past, present and future.

There is not even "present" time in the absolute world.

How can there not be a "present" time?

Obviously, it is hard to get our minds around a plane of existence where there is not even a "present" time.

It's obviously not an easy concept to grasp and there is not a lot of information in the shastra that deals with the conception of spiritual time.

Here is a purport by Srila Prabhupada that explains it as best it can be explained.

SB 2.9.10 purport>

Since there is no deterioration, there is no past, present and future in the estimation of time. It is clearly stated in this verse that the influence of time is conspicuous by its absence. The whole material existence is manifested by actions and reactions of elements which make the influence of time prominent in the matter of past, present and future. There are no such actions and reactions of cause and effects there, so the cycle of birth, growth, existence, transformations, deterioration and annihilation — the six material changes — are not existent there.

Even Lord Brahma and other great sages and demigods are unaffected by time.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.15.3

devā ūcuḥ

tama etad vibho vettha

saḿvignā yad vayaḿ bhṛśam

na hy avyaktaḿ bhagavataḥ

kālenāspṛṣṭa-vartmanaḥ

SYNONYMS

devāḥ ūcuḥ — the demigods said; tamaḥ — darkness; etat — this; vibho — O great one; vettha — you know; saḿvignāḥ — very anxious; yat — because; vayam — we; bhṛśam — very much; na — not; hi — because; avyaktam — unmanifest; bhagavataḥ — of You (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); kālena — by time; aspṛṣṭa — untouched; vartmanaḥ — whose way.

TRANSLATION

The fortunate demigods said: O great one, just see this darkness, which you know very well and which is causing us anxieties. Because the influence of time cannot touch you, there is nothing unmanifest before you.

PURPORT

Brahmā is addressed herein as Vibhu and as the Personality of Godhead. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead's incarnation of the mode of passion in the material world. He is nondifferent, in the representative sense, from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore the influence of time cannot affect him. The influence of time, which manifests as past, present and future, cannot touch higher personalities like Brahmā and other demigods. Sometimes demigods and great sages who have attained such perfection are called tri-kāla jña.

As far as the topic of this thread is concerned, yes there is time in the spiritual world according to Srila Prabhupada.

It is spiritual time, not material time.

Material time is a perverted reflection of time in the spiritual world.

Srimad Bhagavatam 3.11.38 purport.

"Eternal time is never lost along with the life of Brahma. It continues, but it has no ability to control the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the Lord is the controller of time. In the spiritual world there is undoubtedly time, but it has no control over activities. Time is unlimited, and the spiritual world is also unlimited, since everything there exists on the absolute plane".

If you have to ask how to find guru you are not ready for a guru.

Just read the available books by Srila Prabhupada and accept him as your shastra guru.

Then, when you are well acquainted with the knowledge of Krishna consciousness you won't have to ask how to find guru.

Then, the guru will be quite obvious to you.

The formal diksha guru who gives Pancharatric diksha is not as important as shastra guru who gives you access to shastra or the siksha guru who teaches you all the techniques of bhakti-yoga.

The diksha guru is the least important guru.

Without proper knowledge of shastra and the techiniques of bhakti-yoga, you aren't ready for diksha.