At the outset, I must state quite frankly that I have neither the knowledge nor the competence to undertake a coherent and a reasoned account of the developments that have led to our current ideas concerning the "astrophysical universe". But it is safe to assume that there are many facets to the astrophysical universe, and I shall therefore limit myself to only one facet, namely, the developments that have led to our present ideas concerning gravitational collapse and black holes. Even here I cannot be fair to all aspects though I can perhaps claim, by virtue at least of longevity, that I have been personally associated with related problems for a longer period than anyone else in this audience.¹