BTG 1960 Feb 20: Anti-Material World and BTG Article 1960 April 5: Variety of Planetary System
Click here to view “Anti-Material World” PDF
Click here to view “Variety of Planetary System” PDF
Origins (1958–1959): The “Back to Godhead” Essays
The Back to Godhead Foundation (1944–1959)
Srila Prabhupada began his English-language magazine, Back to Godhead (BTG), in 1944 in Calcutta. For over a decade, he was the sole writer, editor, and distributor. By the late 1950s, while living at the Radha-Damodara temple in Vrindavan, he began writing a specific series of articles that addressed the scientific advancements of the era.
The “Antimatter” Catalyst (1959)
The specific essays that formed the book were triggered by the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded to Emilio Segrè and Owen Chamberlain for the discovery of the antiproton.
The Connection: Prabhupada seized on the scientific definition of “antimatter” (particles with opposite charge).
The Thesis: He wrote a series of essays arguing that the “anti-material world” mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita was the true destination for humanity, and that the soul (jiva) was the ultimate “anti-material” particle because it is not subject to material decay.
Drafting the “Easy Journey” Series
In early 1960, these ideas were serialized in Back to Godhead under titles like “The Anti-Material World.” * Scientific Outreach: Unlike his other writings which focused on pure devotion, these essays were deliberately “preaching to the scientists.”
The Space Race Influence: He wrote these during the height of the Soviet Lunik and Sputnik missions. He used the magazine to challenge the idea that mechanical rockets were the only way to reach other planets, proposing instead the “Yoga-system” as a more efficient technology.
From Serial to Standalone (1960)
Srila Prabhupada realized that the magazine format was too ephemeral for such a potent argument. He compiled these specific “anti-matter” essays into a cohesive manuscript.
Physical Compilation: He traveled from Vrindavan to Delhi, carrying the magazine clippings and handwritten notes.
Refinement: He added the correspondence with Dr. Y.G. Naik (Principal of Gujarat College) to the manuscript to provide “peer review” and scientific credibility.
The Result: This compilation became the first English book he ever published, printed in a small run in Delhi in 1960. It served as his “calling card” when he eventually boarded the Jaladuta ship to America in 1965.
Above: A scan of a physical copy of a 1960 first printing edition of Easy Journey To Other Planets
Publication Details (The “League of Devotees” Era)
Before the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) existed, Srila Prabhupada published under his early organization.
- Release Date: 1960 (specifically around April/May).
- Publisher: The League of Devotees.
- Location: 2439 Chhipiwada Kalan, Delhi-6 (Prabhupada’s small office/residence at the time).
- Dedication: The book was uniquely “Dedicated to the Scientists of the World,” an intentional choice to frame Vedic philosophy as a superior technology.
1966 Back To Godhead Catalog of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s published works
Back To Godhead Magazine (1966) advertising publications
Hayagriva’s Back To Godhead Publication
Above: Publication of a portion of Easy Journey to Other Planets appearing in Back To Godhead magazine in 1969.
Click here to view the article in PDF
1969 was the year of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Following the event, Hayagriva Dasa published a portion of Srila Prabhupada’s Easy Journey to Other Planets in Back To Godhead magazine. Hayagriva left out the latter portion of the book where Srila Prabhupada criticized the “childish” sputnik “playthings” along with other critiques of the modern space race. Srila Prabhupada wasn’t happy with this.
The 1970 Edition
The Move to Boston (38 North Beacon Street)
In 1970, ISKCON PRESS operated out of the temple building in Allston, Boston. This was the legendary ISKCON Press era, where young disciples—many of whom had no prior printing experience—operated large offset presses to fulfill Prabhupada’s desire for “mass distribution.” The 1970 edition was one of the first products of this high-intensity spiritual industry.
The Iconic “Space Yogi” Visuals
While the 1969 edition was a modest transition, the 1970 version introduced the aesthetic that defined the book for a generation:
Artwork Inspiration: In designing the cover of the first Easy Journey printed by ISKCON Press (Boston, 1970), Srila Prabhupada utilized a 16th century woodcut of a man poking his head through the firmament of the earthly plane, thinking to view the wondrous reality of what lies beyond such limited thinking.
Description of the engraving above: A traveller peers through an opening in the firmament in this illustration from Camille Flammarion’s L’atmosphère : météorologie populaire (Paris: Hachette, 1888), p. 163
Srila Prabhupada had Bharadraja paint a devotee chanting offenseless japa, breaking through the covering of the material world and entering the spiritual sky.
This design, while not appearing as the book cover for later printings of the book, was included in the plates/illustrations of later printings.
In the same year (1970), the cover required the following changes: “A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami” changed to “His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada”, as well as a correction in price from 50 cents to 95 cents.
Other changes included: ISKCON Press logo on title page; Updated list of books by Srila Prabhupada; Longer Krsna Book review added to the book reviews; Photo of Srila Prabhupada for preface.
“I was advised that Narada Muni was to be printed on Easy Journey, but the picture which is given on it was suggested by me.” Srila Prabhupada letter to Jadurani, Baradraj, and Murlidhar, 4 June, 1970.
Below we present the full-scan of a physical copy of the 1970 edition of Easy Journey To Other Planets
Editorial Standardization
This edition was the first to undergo a rigorous Western “polishing.”
Sanskrit Transliteration: For the first time, a standardized system for Romanizing Sanskrit (using diacritic marks) began to be applied more consistently, though it was still less formal than the “scholarly” style adopted by the BBT after 1972.
Streamlined Content: The 1960 Delhi edition’s references to specific 1950s Indian news articles and the “A Scientist’s Appreciation” letters were largely removed. The goal was to make the book a universal, “timeless” guide rather than a response to specific 1960 Indian current events.
Historical Context: The Post-Moon Landing Era
By 1970, the Apollo 11 moon landing was a year old, and the public was starting to question the cost and purpose of physical space travel.
- Prabhupada used this edition to double down on his critique of “mechanical” space travel.
- Devotees distributed this book specifically as a “superior alternative” to the NASA program, arguing that one could travel to the “highest planet” (Brahmaloka) through internal consciousness rather than external combustion.
1960-1977 Publication Catalog Of Easy Journey To Other Planets
1960 Easy Journey To Other Planets:
1970 Easy Journey To Other Planets:
1970 Second Printing Easy Journey To Other Planets:
1972 Fourth Printing Easy Journey To Other Planets:
1975 Sixth Printing Easy Journey To Other Planets:
1977 Seventh Printing Easy Journey To Other Planets:
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Srimati Jahnava devi dasi prabhu (Alachua, FL) for sharing her research and material on Easy Journey To Other Planets, without which this presentation would not have been possible.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and his transcendental books!