The bovine brew is in the final stages of development by the Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India’s biggest and oldest Hindu nationalist group, according to the man who makes it.

Om Prakash, the head of the department, said the drink – called “gau jal”, or “cow water” – in Sanskrit was undergoing laboratory tests and would be launched “very soon, maybe by the end of this year”.

“Don’t worry, it won’t smell like urine and will be tasty too,” he told The Times from his headquarters in Hardwar, one of four holy cities on the River Ganges. “Its USP will be that it’s going to be very healthy. It won’t be like carbonated drinks and would be devoid of any toxins.”

The drink is the latest attempt by the RSS – which was founded in 1925 and now claims eight million members – to cleanse India of foreign influence and promote its ideology of Hindutva, or Hindu-ness.

Hindus revere cows and slaughtering them is illegal in most of India. Cow dung is traditionally used as a fuel and disinfectant in villages, while cow urine and dung are often consumed in rituals to “purify” those on the bottom rungs of the Hindu caste system.

In 2001, the RSS and its offshoots – which include the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party – began promoting cow urine as a cure for ailments ranging from liver disease to obesity and even cancer.

The movement has often been accused of using more violent methods, such as killing 67 Christians in the eastern state of Orissa last year, and assaulting women in a pub in Mangalore last month. It also has a history of targeting foreign business in India, as in 1994, when it organised a nationwide boycott of multinational consumer goods, including Pepsi and Coca Cola.

The cola brands are popular in India, now one of their biggest markets, but have struggled in recent years to shake off allegations, which they deny, that they contain dangerous levels of pesticide.

Mr Prakash said his drink, by contrast, was made mainly of cow urine, mixed with a few medicinal and ayurvedic herbs. He said it would be “cheap”, but declined to give further details about its price or ingredients until it was officially launched.

He insisted, however, that it would be able to compete with the American cola brands, even with their enormous advertising budgets. “We’re going to give them good competition as our drink is good for mankind,” he said. “We may also think of exporting it.”

Posted in Cows and Environment

We had an interesting ice breaker at SOAS last week. I asked everyone to introduce themselves and also cite a piece of wisdom that has guided their life. It was amazing to see how universal spiritual ideas and concepts are, spanning cultures across the world.

One religious extreme we often come across is the idea that there is only one way. The idea that spirituality and God consciousness can only be experienced through a certain path and practice. Seeing so many spiritually advanced people from so many diverse traditions, such ideas never made much sense. How can one tradition have a monopoly over all spirituality? God, thankfully, is not a religious fanatic.

The other extreme, however, is to see all traditions as completely identical. Proponents claim that it doesn't matter what you follow, since everyone will end up in the same place eventually. This 'new age' approach may do wonders for PR, but logically and philosophically has no foundation. We clearly see differences in terms of detailed knowledge of the spiritual reality.

The Vedas outline that there is a unity in diversity. If one is able to go beyond ritualistic, cultural and often superficial differences between religious teachings, at the very essence of each message is the same core principles. However, there is a progression of thought amongst these traditions, each with a different emphasis, and each approaching God with varying levels of intimacy.

By Matsyavatara Dasa

Nowadays, various forms of Yoga are known the world over. In numerous cases however, Yoga has been reduced to its physical aspect (asanas or postures), with scarce knowledge of its ancient original tradition, as well as its true meaning and objective. There are actually few individuals who can apply this ancient science in its globality, aware of the physical technology it has developed in thousands of years.

Yoga is based upon the wisdom of the Vedas, which reveal the secrets of the universe and of the conscience; by its inner-self technology, one can regain a real and everlasting wellness, and ultimately realize the spiritual and immortal nature of the one’s real self.

Not an escape from the world

Traditional ancient Indian literature contains elevated teachings of philosophy and psychology, but the chore is about the art of living: learning how to move in the world and relate to the creation and its creatures in a right and harmonic way. Indian sages have indicated this attitude, encompassing the spheres of thinking, feeling and acting, by the word Yoga, from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means “to join, unite, put in contact”. This contact or union, which becomes communion at the highest levels, is between the infinitesimal atman and the Supreme Being Paramatman. Yoga could be compared to a bridge joining the human and the divine dimension. Like all authentic spiritual paths, it is not an escape from the world, nor a contingent flattening, but utilizes all the physical and psychological instruments available to emancipate the creature from the limits and sufferings of the conditioned existence, and to re-discover its essence. In the view of ancient Indian thought, the imminent and the transcendent dimensions touch each other, they are an integrated extension of one another.

Yoga utilizes all the physical and mental instruments of the individual, to obtain emancipation from limits and existential sufferings.

Spirit and Matter

The material world is not in antithesis to the spiritual world. The universe is conscience in expansion; ultimately, matter is energy and its source transcends the physical dimension, while at the same time it sustains and pervades that same reality. In this stimulating perspective, the world appears as a gigantic, charming laboratory, in which the spiritual and therefore eternal individual experiences repeated joys and pains, successes and defeats , births and deaths, searching for his real identity. The veritable disease of the West is the unilateral concentration on what is external to the subject, the neglect for studies on the person and his vital necessities, which in reality extend much beyond psycho-physical needs. Once the individual discovers his place in the universe and his relationship to creation, creatures and Creator, he can again enter the dimension described by the Vedas as "overflowing with light and bliss", already during his earthly experience. Yoga is a term mentioned numerous times in the main Indian books (Veda, Bhagavad-Gita, Bhagavata Purana, and Upanishads) and in many other important works of classic Indian literature. Through the science of Yoga, the individual can participate in his real immortal nature and again draw from that inexhaustible reserve of knowledge, consciousness, and bliss which belongs to him. This realization mitigates or eliminates existential ailments, not only related to the physical body, but mostly to mental and moral sufferings.

The techniques

The most ancient forms of Yoga are found in the Veda Samhitas,specifically in the Rigveda, conventionally considered the most ancient book that humanity has knowledge of. For instance, mentions are made of mantrayoga, based on the inner and outer recitation of mantras (mantra meditation), which illuminates the deep areas of the unconscious and allows entrance to a higher level of consciousness. Among the Upanishads, 11 are explicitly dedicated to Yoga, and are in fact called Yoga Upanishads. They explain the postures or asanas, the respiration techniques or pranayama, and the ultimate goal of these ancient practices: re-establishing the forgotten relationship with the Supreme Being. They also analyze the various phases of yoga and emphasize the importance of the active process of concentration, which gives the possibility to eliminate false identifications and breaks the chains that tie to samsara, the cycle of repeated births and deaths. A relevant treatise on Yoga is found in the Bhagavata Purana, where Krishna describes to his devotee and friend Uddhava the logic meditation, by which it is possible to develop awareness of the self and of the cosmic Being, and to restore the harmony between the self and the universe, man and God.

Spiritual realization

In the Bhagavad git,a Krishna utilizes the term Yoga to indicate the perfect action, illuminated and illuminating, the one leading to a secure result, in respect of the law and support to the cosmos. The same term is used to define equanimity and balance, among the main characteristics of the evolved spiritual person. In chapter 6 of the Bhagavad-gita, which can be rightly considered a psychology treaty by itself, Krishna enounces a series of Yoga doctrines that correspond to the ones described by Patanjali in his Yogasutras. The requirements for those who are seriously interested in developing a complete knowledge of Yoga are basically two:

• Jijnasa, the intense wish for knowledge. The ideal student focuses his attention only on the Supreme objective, on the solution to existential problems, and abandons the superficial research and dispersion on thousands of different objects.

• Abhyasa, dedication, constant practice; the attitude that reserves the necessary resources and energy to the study of the self.

The Brahmasutras, another text referring to Yoga, says: Icchami Brahman, “I’m longing for Brahman”, I wish for spiritual realization: the yearning, the will, are fundamental, because to obtain good results in Yoga, it is necessary to exercise control on the senses, to dominate the mind and at the same time receive its petitions and demands without denying them. This teaching was already stated by Patanjali, thousands of years before the repression theory elaborated by Western psychological science.

Naturally, the major reference to Yoga remains Patanjali’s Sutras; they explain that the preliminary preparation to yoga practice is the ethic aspect, which cannot be disregarded. Yoga consists of three interacting phases: rigorous consistency, study of one’s self from the psychological and spiritual perspectives, and finally the rejoining with the cosmic divine order and with God. This will first reduce and then completely eliminate the sufferings from the so called material existence, allowing the person to find its perfect balance and original harmony.

A true psychological auto-analysis

Sufferings (klesha) are of four origins: ignorance of one’s spiritual nature, identification with the ego and its multiple manifestations , the fatal and inseparable pair of attraction and repulsion, and the phobic terror of death, resulting from the attachments to certain life conditions and from the conviction that the individual will die with the body.

Becoming conscious of the origin of suffering through an in-depth psychological auto-analysis is the first step to reduce its manifestations, but its trails, the seeds at the bottom of conscience, can disappear only at the end of a serious and constant work done by the individual on himself, with the help of verified elaboration and meditation techniques. Our present experience, the circumstances and situations we live in, are the consequences of our past actions, pertaining to this life or to previous existential vicissitudes. In this context, conflicts arise mostly from the error of identifying the inner witness, the self, with the object of perception, which belongs to the external world and, in varying degrees, carries the imprint of the three qualities of nature, called gunas: harmony, energy, inertia. This wrong identification is a serious obstacle, because it hinders the perception of truth. The error comes from the witness ignoring its ontological nature, therefore the person is invited to take a route towards mental decontamination and conscience evolution through the famous 8 Yoga phases, which are: abstentions, observances, postures, breath control, introspection, concentration, meditation and samadhi or absorption in Reality.

The starting point is obviously the condition of our ordinary conscience, where the mind is restless and agitated by mental dynamics which are hard to eradicate; but the science of Yoga, if practiced seriously and with the assistance of an expert, allows you to take over the helm of your life and eliminate emotional blocks and complexes. We can thus regain height towards the enlightened peaks of conscience since, as Durkheim says, the real success in mental activity is to surpass ourselves.

The constant practice of yoga techniques allows you to take over the helm of your life and eliminate emotional blocks and complexes.

1966 February 13 : "Today the whole day was raining. Talked with Mr Mukherji by telephone also with Mrs J. K. Banerjee correspondent of Hindusthan Standard. No Expenditure"
Journal :: 1966

1968 February 13 : "I am your servant also, so I cannot accept service from you, or from any of my disciples. I accept service from my disciples only on behalf of Krishna."
Letters :: 1968

1968 February 13 : "Any one who accepts this philosophy of God's Mercy in suffering conditions, and still makes progress in Krishna Consciousness, he is sure to go back to Home, Back to Godhead"
Letters :: 1968

1969 February 13 : "It is very nice that you wish to remain brahmacari. Actually it doesn't matter if one is householder or brahmacari. Sincerity of purpose is the only qualification for Krishna Consciousness."
Letters :: 1969

1972 February 13 : "Impressive but not repressive - that is the system. Please institute these most important principles but do it so that people will not go away."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 13: "Unless one is perfectly behaved, he cannot teach others. All the GBC should be strictly to the standard, and see that others are also following them. Then our centers will be well-managed."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 13: "As GBC you should see the standard is perfectly maintained. Neglecting the principles means neglecting Krishna's order. These regulative principles are our life, if they are not respected then the whole thing is finished."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1969 February 13: "In London a report was published with the heading, KRISHNA CHANT STARTLES LONDON. So you shall also try to startle Germany with the Krishna chant. That should be our main program."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

BY SHYAMAGOPIKA DD MAYAPUR, INDIA - A community hall for the resident devotees in Mayapur was inaugurated in a colorful function on 11th Feb.09. HH Radhanath Swami, HH Umapati Swami, HH Bhakti Raghava Swami, HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami, HG Visuddha sattva prabhu participated in the inaugural ceremony and blessed the activities of Mayapur Community Sevaks. Maharajas [...]

Source: JPsoffice.com Mumbai, INDIA - Due to Ivesvara and Teja Gaurangi’s inspiration, on the day of Lord Nityananda we prepared a little sketch for GM of the pastime when Lord Gauranga met Lord Nityananda for the first time. Teja and I, started practicing one hour before, it was very exciting, we were both very nervous and we [...]

By Mayapur.tv

The Mercy of Pancha-Tattva Within Everyone's Reach. Six fancy cameras have been installed in the temple room with a high-speed internet connection. A broadcasting/mixing room has been constructed and a film crew have come from the UK to film around the campus

Today is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's appearance day and one of the most important quotes I remember from him in one of the lectures I heard on japa is that chanting must be heart deep and not only with the lips like something mechanical - in other words, chanting with the heart is our goal.

Recently on Skype Japa we discussed the importance of making our Japa the No.1 priority in our lives...it's easy to see how Japa is the cornerstone of our spiritual life and has a flow on effect into the rest of our sadhana and the rest of our day. Like a building has a cornerstone that supports the rest of the structure...so too Japa is the cornerstone of our spiritual life that supports the other areas of sadhana etc. If the cornerstone is strong, the rest is strong. Here is a nice quote to illustrate the importance of making Japa a priority:

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja at ISKCON Ujjain.

To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either “Save link as” or “Save target as”

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.9.23 - Chapter 9: Brahmā’s Prayers for Creative Energy

The following is a Śrīmad Bhāgavatam class given by H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja at ISKCON Ujjain. To download the lecture, right click on the download link and choose either ldquo;Save link asrdquo; or ldquo;Save target asrdquo; Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.9.23 - Chapter 9: Brahmārsquo;s Prayers for Creative Energy

Dear Lord, all the great sages who are thoughtful and saintly persons incessantly recount Your spiritual qualities. These sages have already burned up all the unlimited dirty things and, by the fire of knowledge, strengthened their detachment from the material world. Thus they have attained Your qualities and are self-satisfied. Yet even for those who feel spiritual bliss in chanting Your attributes, Your personal presence is very rare.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 5 Chapter 3 Verse 11

Plesse accept my humble obeisances All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Some stories for the pleasure of the devotees..

I was in Liverpool, a western suburb known for its drugs and crime. I saw one middle aged lady covered in tattoos and and piercings, she looked miserable and run down, so I thought what a perfect recipient for Lord Caitanyas mercy. I stopped her to show the books she glared at me and scrunched her face like she just saw a dead body. She said Naa!Naa! and briskly paced away. about ten minute later I see her again, but this time she was accompanied by a rough looking man with a his muscles bulging out form his sleeveless shirt. He looked at me angrily and shouted for me to come and see him, making gestures with his arms. I thought, oh no what have I got myself into now? As I was intensely praying to Lord Nrsimhadeva he quickly walked right up to my face, clenching his fist and asking me why I was talking to his girlfriend. In all humility I said that I was a religious monk showing people books about God. At that moment his whole demeanour changed and he began to act like a baby. His tone immediately changed and asked me how much the books were. he gave ten dollars and I handed him the Krsna book. His girlfriend came up to us scornful and asking this man what he was doing, she was shocked. The man yelled and cursed her and said, "I knew you brought me here for a reason". He grabbed her by the arms and waved back at me with a Krsna book wedged between his arms as he walked away...

Again at Liverpool it was blazing over thirty degrees and I was excessively tired from the heat. I was cooling down outside the shop doorways with air conditioning. I had to sit down half a dozen times already that day just to get over from the heat. I was thinking how am I going to get the energy to go on for the rest of the day. I tried to muster up some enthusiasm and stopped one gentleman in a suit, he was friendly and very interested he didn't have any money because he had left it in his office. He asked me to walk with him so he could give a donation. So I walked back to his office and it turns out that he was the regional manager for the Common wealth bank. We walked through a few glass doors and he sat me down on a luxurious couch in his air conditioned office. I thought, this is just what I needed. So, he said lets examine these books more closely. I displayed all the books I had on his desk, Bhagavad Gita, Krsna book, Srimad Bhagavatam and various small books. He asked questions about Krsna consciousness for half an hour and with in our conversation I found out that he was actually a Muslim but very interested in philosophy and theology. He was impressed with Srila Prabhupadas books and we established that the Koran and the Bhagavad gita both teach a universal and personal existence of one God and that Krsna is another name for Allah. He shook my hand and gave a donation for a small set of books. he personally walked me outside the bank and gave me his card with his contact details. I waved goodbye some what rejuvenated from the terrible heat.

Towards the end of the marathon one boy stopped me outside the Sydney central railway station. He said, "do you remember me? You tried to stop me three weeks ago and I just walked by. I was feeling very bad for not talking to you, many things had happened to me and Ive actually been contemplating more about life." He said that he was praying to God to show him the purpose of life. One day he found a peculiar blue book called the the "Science of self Realization" someone had left at his work. He began to read it and was convinced by Srila Prabhupadas preaching, his new years resolution was to follow the four regulative principles. He bought the Bhagavad Gita from our second meeting. Recently he came to Govindas and to the ashram, he likes to chant and is very submissive towards the books. He's a young Fijian Indian boy working full time as a supervisor for an arcade. Hes also a stand up comedian and was on television several times, now hes reading Prabhupadas books to find out how he can get people to laugh at the futility of material existence.

hope this meets you in good health;

Ys Hrman Krsna das (Text D:173530) --------------------------------------------

------- End of Forwarded Message ------

Plesse accept my humble obeisances All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Some stories for the pleasure of the devotees..

I was in Liverpool, a western suburb known for its drugs and crime. I saw one middle aged lady covered in tattoos and and piercings, she looked miserable and run down, so I thought what a perfect recipient for Lord Caitanyas mercy. I stopped her to show the books she glared at me and scrunched her face like she just saw a dead body. She said Naa!Naa! and briskly paced away. about ten minute later I see her again, but this time she was accompanied by a rough looking man with a his muscles bulging out form his sleeveless shirt. He looked at me angrily and shouted for me to come and see him, making gestures with his arms. I thought, oh no what have I got myself into now? As I was intensely praying to Lord Nrsimhadeva he quickly walked right up to my face, clenching his fist and asking me why I was talking to his girlfriend. In all humility I said that I was a religious monk showing people books about God. At that moment his whole demeanour changed and he began to act like a baby. His tone immediately changed and asked me how much the books were. he gave ten dollars and I handed him the Krsna book. His girlfriend came up to us scornful and asking this man what he was doing, she was shocked. The man yelled and cursed her and said, "I knew you brought me here for a reason". He grabbed her by the arms and waved back at me with a Krsna book wedged between his arms as he walked away...

Again at Liverpool it was blazing over thirty degrees and I was excessively tired from the heat. I was cooling down outside the shop doorways with air conditioning. I had to sit down half a dozen times already that day just to get over from the heat. I was thinking how am I going to get the energy to go on for the rest of the day. I tried to muster up some enthusiasm and stopped one gentleman in a suit, he was friendly and very interested he didn't have any money because he had left it in his office. He asked me to walk with him so he could give a donation. So I walked back to his office and it turns out that he was the regional manager for the Common wealth bank. We walked through a few glass doors and he sat me down on a luxurious couch in his air conditioned office. I thought, this is just what I needed. So, he said lets examine these books more closely. I displayed all the books I had on his desk, Bhagavad Gita, Krsna book, Srimad Bhagavatam and various small books. He asked questions about Krsna consciousness for half an hour and with in our conversation I found out that he was actually a Muslim but very interested in philosophy and theology. He was impressed with Srila Prabhupadas books and we established that the Koran and the Bhagavad gita both teach a universal and personal existence of one God and that Krsna is another name for Allah. He shook my hand and gave a donation for a small set of books. he personally walked me outside the bank and gave me his card with his contact details. I waved goodbye some what rejuvenated from the terrible heat.

Towards the end of the marathon one boy stopped me outside the Sydney central railway station. He said, "do you remember me? You tried to stop me three weeks ago and I just walked by. I was feeling very bad for not talking to you, many things had happened to me and Ive actually been contemplating more about life." He said that he was praying to God to show him the purpose of life. One day he found a peculiar blue book called the the "Science of self Realization" someone had left at his work. He began to read it and was convinced by Srila Prabhupadas preaching, his new years resolution was to follow the four regulative principles. He bought the Bhagavad Gita from our second meeting. Recently he came to Govindas and to the ashram, he likes to chant and is very submissive towards the books. He's a young Fijian Indian boy working full time as a supervisor for an arcade. Hes also a stand up comedian and was on television several times, now hes reading Prabhupadas books to find out how he can get people to laugh at the futility of material existence.

hope this meets you in good health;

Ys Hrman Krsna das (Text D:173530) --------------------------------------------

------- End of Forwarded Message ------

The other day I read an article about a Brigham Young University information pack on evolution.

Personally I resonated more with the presentation given by the Presbyterians and Catholics than by the Hare Krishna representative, Caru das.

Now, as a caveat: I recognise that I am reading an article written by someone else summarising the situation. Also, Caru is speaking to a particular audience with this, and it's not me. However, I'm going to go ahead and use this as an example, in the interests of discussion and dialogue, and not as anything personally directed at Caru (my comment at the end is tongue-in-cheek). Having said that...

The Presbyterians and Catholics basically said that if it didn't involve a foundational principle of their faith, they could accomodate it. As far as evolution is concerned their position is that life comes from life, not from dull matter, but after that evolution may occur, and they are open to empirical evidence either way.

According to the article, the Hare Krishna, Caru das, outright denied evolution as a possibility, stating:

“Evolution is a myth. There is no evidence to support it.”

To me, that's a problematic position to take.

From Madhava Ghosh's post Ten signs of Intellectual Honesty

6. Demonstrate consistency. A clear sign of intellectual dishonesty is when someone extensively relies on double standards. Typically, an excessively high standard is applied to the perceived opponent(s), while a very low standard is applied to the ideologues’ allies.

In this case, Caru das' position is that there is no evidence to support evolution, therefore it is a myth. Or more precisely: it is a myth, therefore there is no evidence to support it.

At the same time, if he is to fly the Hare Krishna flag at full mast he believes in "flying mountains". And where is the evidence for those?

If "no evidence = myth" is consistently applied to that, then...?

At the same time there *is* empirical evidence for evolution, certainly more than there is for flying mountains. Take for example the recently concluded 20 year study that examined 30,000 generations of a bacteria, and observed distinct evolutionary changes through mutation. An article on Ars Technica examines the reaction of Christian conservatives to that research: Bacteria evolve; Conservapedia demands recount.

When I read about research like that I don't find myself having to fanatically reject it or else become an atheist. I think to myself: "What great intelligence has created such a system that life forms evolve in this way? How majestic and mind boggling. God does not act like a bigger version of a human creator, fashioning animal species from clay. Instead he lays the principles of the universe and lets them work naturally. He is orders of magnitude removed."

One pithy explanation of the way in which God is ultimately in control, yet we bear responsibility for our lives is that "God is the architect of the universal system, but we are the authors of our own destiny."

In Bhagavad-gita Krishna explains both that material nature is the source of all bodies, and that he is the seed-giving father.

So I don't see that the research that these scientists have done, and the findings that they report contradict this. As I discussed it with a friend at work he said to me: "Science has no definition for life. It's problematic. We can't define what life is."

The genetic expression (the bodies) of living entities *does* mutuate and evolve over time, as demonstrated in this research, but again we come back to the point: the difference between spirit and matter.

How does the living force come into contact with the bodies, being so expertly produced by the material nature? That's the area where science leaves off, and we pick up.

Richard Dawkins reacts strongly to the imposition of religious thought into the scientific process. Science started out as the enemy of religion. It was the philosophical system that enabled a social revolution that broke the political strangehold of the church. Established religion tried to maintain its power in society by attacking science. However, science has demonstrated itself to be valid as far as it goes. However, while it excels in the empirical area, it does not extend into the metaphysical.

If we can stop trying to defeat science in areas where it is valid, we can be more rigorous about not allowing science to impose itself into the metaphysical arena. Scientific atheism is a reaction to religious fundamentalism. It's throwing out the baby with the bathwater. The more fundamentalist religious representatives become, the more atheistic scientists will become.

The solution to this impasse is to recognize the strengths and contribution of each - "the lame man and the blind man".

Unless, of course, you get funding from the Mormons, in which case you should preach something close to their doctrine in your local area to be practical.... ;-)

What do you think?

I'm currently working on an apologetic pamphlet to hand out on harinam this year. [read about Christian apologetics on wikipedia]

The working title is: "What do Hare Krishnas think about...?"

The format is to tackle significant contemporary concerns using this question - issues like the environment, financial crisis, the meaning of life, evolution, etc...

I'll also include a section at the end that talks about external aspects like tilak, clothing, etc. However, I didn't want it to be defensive, but rather pro-active. That's why I want to demonstrate that we have answers to questions that people have about life, not just about "the Hare Krishnas".

One commenter on my blog (anonymous) said:

Please check with your local GBC before publishing any booklet to make sure that some of your opinions are actually representative of the teachings and movement of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivendanta Swami Prabhupad and not that of something else, a yoga club or whatever your tendencies and affiliations are.

I replied with: "I have three GBCs. They all have their own opinions. Which one should I take?"

In one sense I was being flippant. I am not a fan of anonymous comments, especially ones that use anonymity to cast aspersions.

In another sense, however, I was pointing out the fact that ISKCON is a diverse society with many different viewpoints within it. Any realistic presentation of "the Hare Krishnas" should present that, rather than an artificial homogeneity.

Different devotees have different things to say.

Notice the subtle but important difference between:

What do the Hare Krishnas have to say about...?
and
What do Hare Krishnas have to say about...?

I will be passing my pamphlet by a number of persons for their feedback before publishing it. I don't expect to be able to completely satisfy everyone, but I do expect to get valuable insights and guidance.

Religious or philosophical revolutions cannot be divorced from social revolutions.

The other day Steven Rosen published a piece on Buddha from a Vaisnava perspective (only available to Facebook members at this point). It's the classic narrative that explains that the Vedic brahmanas as a class had become degraded. These brahmanas were performing many sacrifices in order to consume the flesh of the animals. Therefore Lord Vishnu incarnated (in the form of a saktyavesa-avatara, or empowerment of a human being) as Buddha.

A side point with a tip of the hat to Kripamoya prabhu. First of all, someone (for example, a modern anthropologist) may attempt to cast this as using a sectarian meta-narrative to ascribe everything to the tribal Hindu Deity Vishnu. "Jesus? Oh yeah, a saktyavesa-avatara of Vishnu!" It's an easy strategy to adopt and use to "embrace, extend, and extinguish" other religions.

However, as a counter to this - if the Supreme Lord does exist, then everything is part of his scene, whatever you want to call Him. And actually, Hare Krishnas don't even think that Vishnu is the Supreme - they believe that Vishnu himself is an incarnation. In this analysis of Buddha as "an incarnation of Vishnu" "Vishnu" is a employed in a more generic sense meaning "the Supreme Lord", rather than the Hindu Deity Vishnu (who is another incarnation of that "Vishnu" who empowers Buddha) . So it's not some kind of sectarian chauvinism to interpret Buddha in this way.

So we have a narrative in which everything is part of the big plan of the Supreme Lord. It's not a sectarian narrative, it's the meta-narrative of theism.

Leaving that point aside, to focus on the social aspect of Buddha's revolution, which modern anthropologists, sociologists and devotees can agree on:

What gave Buddhism the ability to spread the way it did was a large group of socially disaffected people who were ready for another grand narrative, one that they could rally around to change their social situation. Buddhism provided exactly that.

These people were oppressed under the rule of the Brahmans. Buddhism provided them with a socially liberating philosophy, much more egalitarian than the rigid caste system.

This social precondition can be interpreted as historical coincidence or part of the divine plan, nevertheless, it existed, and its discontent powered the spread of Buddhism.

A similarly socially disenfranchised, disaffected, and discontent sector was responsible for the spread of the Hare Krishna movement in the 60s and 70s.

The spread of early Christianity similarly took place among the socially disenfranchised.

Modern science rose to its present prominence in a similar way. It is a philosophical system that enabled social revolution around the world, breaking the social and political stranglehold of the Church. Its political counterpart, liberal democracy, is designed to create an egalitarian state that does away with the rigid stratification of feudalism.

This is an important point to understand:

Science as a philosophy is an enabler for social revolution against the oppression of a ruling religious elite.

God is not the enemy of science. People who try to rule oppressively in the name of God are.

Religion and Science are not incompatible. They are complimentary. Science addresses "how?", in a powerful way. Religion answers the question "why?"

Religious Fundamentalism, however, is incompatible with Science.

Religious Fundamentalism is an attempt to maintain a monopoly of control over the minds and the lives of the people. It perceives Science as its deadly enemy, and can brook with no co-existence.

While Science is compatible with Religion, Religious Fundamentalism's counterpart, Scientific Atheism, is not.

The equation is simple:

The more fundamentalist Religion gets, the more atheistic the scientific reaction will be.

Got that? Dawkins is reacting.

Simhachalam

There's anticipation in the air! Tomorrow is my dressing exam for dressing Radha and Krsna. There are four Radha and Krsna deities that the students get to practice on and have been doing for the past couple of weeks. Every student has 1 1/2 hours to dress Radha and Krsna and so there were eight devotees (four in the morning and four in the afternoon) who completed their assessments. Everyone did really well. Tomorrow morning is me! Eep! Please give me your blessings that I maybe able to dress them nicely!

Today is the most auspicious appearance day of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, the spiritual master of my beloved guru, Srila Prabhupada. I was here in Atlanta in 1975 with Srila Prabhupada on this day when we along with him worshipped his spiritual master. To stand there near Srila Prabhupada seeing how devotedly he offered arati...

1968 February 12: "They want to be cheated, and Krishna sends them a cheater. You can test any follower in their knowledge of Bhagavad-gita, you will find it is nil."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 February 12: "Krishna helps one to find bona fide Spiritual Master, and bona fide Spiritual Master helps one to understand Krishna. If one does not get bona fide Spiritual Master, then how he can ever understand Krishna?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1972 February 12: "Do not think because you are sometimes sick or weak that you are not making any advancement. Simply if you are able always to chant Hare Krishna, that is the same as following all other regulative principles."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.6.13 - A journey from hellish to heavenly planets and beyond.

The definition of a devotee is based on two simple premises in my opinion. First, a devotee recognizes the authority of God as the supreme proprietor and controller of the world and of himself. Second, he or she understands their own distressed and spiritually impoverished condition in relation to God. Before we can recognize our oneness with the Lord, we need to recognize our smallness. By recognizing our smallness, we also see the oneness of all jivas with God which leads us to offer them profound respect.

Respect is not lip-deep or a misty new age projection. It is a profound regards for other jivas that creates a feeling of heartfelt compassion for their suffering. No one can love another jiva or be in a position to guide them or save them, without first having basic respect for them. You cannot be a guru, father, mother, husband or leader without respecting those who are depending on you.

Where there is false pride, you will see imitation leadership, bullying and cronyism. The results will not be inspiring. Love and devotion will be conspicuous by their absence. The "us and them" mentality will prevail. Disrespect will be the currency of communication.

When we look at the dealings of devotees in all camps, more often than not we see a culture of indifference and disrespect. Everyone attempts to present themselves or their group as self righteously perfect. We hear blatant name calling, condescension, contemptuous language, straw man arguments, guilt by association and twisted logic all over the internet between vaisnavas. And we wonder: are these immodest persons really devotees?

It takes more than theoretical knowledge, semantics and basic faith to be a devotee. Sambhanda, the first stage of bhakti, is not just knowing our eternal relationship with God, but also knowing and acknowledging our separation from God due to our own mistakes. To act with respect and without duplicity towards others is required to pass the entrance exam to bhakti. Spiritual practice (abhidheya) and the goal of life (prayojana), are out of context without sambhanda. Often more harm than good can be done by pretending to practice or to have achieved the goal without experiencing and acting on this foundation of our true position.

If someone praises God without acknowledging their own smallness and inner fallen condition, certainly they are pious, but are they a devotee?

I challenge anyone who claims to be a devotee to first accept their own distressed, miserable condition and acknowledge it publicly. To avoid seeking praise or profit for oneself based on so-called devotion and to genuinely respect others will go a long way to create an atmosphere where a real society of devotees can grow.

Such open hearted behavior is the pillar of success in spiritual life, as expressed in the teaching of Sriman Mahaprabhu: amanina manadena. According to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, this advice is the ultimate siddha-pranali mantra. (The mantra for attaining your spiritual body.)

And what about criticism? Is it all right to criticize others for their apparent failings? Or for their misuse of power? The answer is that there is no contradiction between showing respect to others and offering criticism if it is done in a humble spirit. That means we first acknowledge our own responsibility and our own limitations. For example, all of us who participated in Iskcon during the time of Srila Prabhupada, have to share some of the burden for supporting the corruption that took place after his departure. Some of the reaction came down on us. We need to proclaim our own mistakes as loudly as we point out the mistakes and misrepresentations of others.

The status quo is wanting in every respect. It is shameful what goes on in the name of bhakti these days. But devotees who call for reform or revolution cannot be successful without genuine modesty. This modesty is not to be confused with etiquette. We have all seen how words spoken without sincerity do more harm than good. What is needed is a paradigm shift towards truth without biases, a new pattern of honesty without duplicity, a reprogramming of our personality minus the arrogance and self righteousness.

Without such a shift, we may be able to temporarily impress, persuade or even control others, but the last laugh will be on us. We shall have to ask ourself at the time of death: what have i done with my life? Why did i hesitate to go deeper?

I'm afraid the answer to: "who is a devotee?" is still pending for the vast majority of us. We have not yet answered this basic question for ourself and some of us have not even bothered to ask it. Whatever our position, we cannot act for the greater good until we are able to get our own inner house in order. We must stop distracting ourselves by all sorts of things: traveling around without purpose, shouting at each other, jockeying for position, looking for respect or appreciation, giving in to bad habits.

Some of us struggle on in loneliness, thinking about what to do. Anyone who has the chance must make it his necessity to shift egoistic thinking and sacrifice old habits. No shortcuts will work. The state of mind must be simple and lead to kirtan. When we actually find a taste in kirtan, we will probably find that our life is no longer morose, our doubts no longer trouble us and our hopes no longer are in vain.

That is when we can call ourself a devotee. By then, we won't need to call ourselves anything. We will be happy without any designation and feel free amongst the noisy chaos and clamor of the world.

Narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati (SB 6.17.28). A pure devotee of Narayana is never afraid of any material danger. There are many examples of devotees such as Prahlada Maharaja, who was tortured by his father but was not at all afraid, although he was only a five-year-old boy. Therefore, following the examples of Ambarisa Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja, a devotee should learn how to tolerate all such awkward positions in this world. Devotees are often tortured by nondevotees, yet the pure devotee, depending fully on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is never disturbed by such inimical activities.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 9.4.47

I have been thinking about the packaging of products and how this reflects modern relationships in a round about way. You see most of it is not needed it is simply their to attract us The shinier the product’s packaging the more likely it is to be bought no matter what the overall quality is An overt advertising [...]

My neighbor's neatly maintained lawn resembled a rubbish heap. Empty Styrofoam cups floated around. The kids broke out in a frenzy running around flapping their arms. The dry winter leaves flew in the air looking like a flock of sparrows. Plastic bags hung from tree branches and the wind howled and roared at times as if making an announcement. "Who is that?" questioned the little girl. In the

1972 February 12 : "He's a sinful man, I know him, at least sinful according to our four principles. He has been lecturing for 20 years, still his asrama stands vacant. Unless one's life is made up, what this lecturing will do?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1968 February 12 : "It was all risky, and I was alone, but I took it depending on Krishna. So if you take the risk for Krishna's sake, Krishna will supply you the required money undoubtedly."
Letters :: 1968

1970 February 12 : "This is the real course of study. I am so happy that you have introduced our classes in the two Universities. Conduct these courses diligently and influence the hearts of the students."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 February 12 : "So your activities are now supposed to be on the pure spiritual platform and by continuation of this process you will increase your spiritual blissful strength and influence those who come in your contact."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1972 February 12 : "Where is the question of not serving with devotion? Despite all difficulties we can chant, so long we have got the tongue - and even we have got no tongue - we can chant in our mind."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 February 12: "Do not think because you are sometimes sick or weak that you are not making any advancement. Simply if you are able always to chant Hare Krishna, that is the same as following all other regulative principles."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1968 February 12: "Krishna helps one to find bona fide Spiritual Master, and bona fide Spiritual Master helps one to understand Krishna. If one does not get bona fide Spiritual Master, then how he can ever understand Krishna?"
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1968 February 12: "They want to be cheated, and Krishna sends them a cheater. You can test any follower in their knowledge of Bhagavad-gita, you will find it is nil."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

Ecstatic kirtan by my Guru Maharaja.

His inspiring association, kind words, ceaseless compassion and unlimited mercy have altered the course of my life. I pray that I may always have the shelter of his lotus feet.

nama-srestham manum api saci-putram atra svarupam
rupam tasyagrajam uru-purim mathurim gostavatim
radha-kundam giri-varam aho radhika-madhavasam
prapto yasya prathita-krpaya sri gurum tam nato 'smi

I offer my respectful obeisances to my spiritual master for by his mercy I have the hope of obtaining the best of all things, the holy name. By his mercy I have hope of obtaining the shelter of Sri Caitanya the son of Mother Saci and all of his intimate associates Srila Swarupa Damodar Goswami, Srila Rupa Goswami and his elder brother Srila Sanatana Goswami. By his mercy I have the hope of obtaining Mathura Mandala which contains the sacred forest of Vrindaban, and Radhkunda and Govardhan the best of the mountains. And by his mercy I have hope that some day I will attain the service of Shri Shri Radhika-Madhava.

A community hall for the resident devotees in Mayapur was inaugurated in a colorful function on 11th Feb.09. HH Radhanath Swami, HH Umapati Swami, HH Bhakti Raghava Swami, HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami, HG Visuddha sattva prabhu participated in the inaugural ceremony and blessed the activities of Mayapur Community Sevaks. Maharajas danced to the ecstatic kirtan by Harinam devotees. A drama was enacted by community children. Srila Prabhupada was concerned about community development. In Mayapur, now we are having many facilities for community devotees. Mayapur housing commission and Mayapur Community Sevaks are really working hard to keep the community happy. At the end of the program, prasadam was distributed to all.

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See Them Eat is back!  Thanks to a submission from Soma Prabhu.

A new year always comes with new and exciting things. As devotees we are always patiently waiting to see what new things Krishna has in store for us. It is said that “change provides us with clues that the universe is holding a vision much grander than we could ever imagine.”

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Wife and husband should be seen more like spiritual friends or more like "spiritual lovers"? What is the difference between the two?

If the spiritual is authentic both definitions are synonymous. But only if it's authentically spiritual, because today it is a fashion to say spiritual: "Oh, today I got to know a very spiritual person."but often people don't know anything about the dimension of the spirit. I remember, years ago, I had so much discussion on this with one person. I had to rebuke and correct him so many times. Slowly, slowly, he stopped. He had friends—some poets—that he considered spiritual but who were actually conditioned by everything: by tobacco, by alcohol, by scurrilous language; they were very conditioned. What a distorted idea of spiritual! I have explained and re-explained to him the definition of spiritual—five, seven, ten times—and it seems that lately he has grasped it. But the idea of spiritual is generally very vague, therefore it’s better to further clarify.

Let's analyze the category that indirectly emerges from your question: if the two, instead of being spiritual lovers, are carnal lovers. Then they are known as grihamedhis, which is different from grihasthas. The distinction is that for the grihasthas the fundamental goal is spiritual realization, while for the grihamedhis the aim is to get a beautiful wife or a handsome husband and enjoy each other. (Of course we know that it's only an attempt and than there is the other side of the coin.) These are the two categories. We have to make this essential distinction: does the person want to get married to increase his or her own potentialities of enjoyment, or does the person—in this case a sincere spiritualist—choose another sincere spiritualist in the form of the other gender to have a companion for the journey of spiritual realization?

Therefore we have two categories: those who pair for enjoying life better and those who unite for reciprocal help in self-realization. We exclusively deal with the second category; the first category is dealt with by sexologists, psychologists and other researchers. We are concerned only with those who try to have a family as a suitable, propaedeutical instrument for spiritual realization. The single man and the single woman may think, "By myself I can't make it."They may think that they are not yet ready to live as brahmacari or brahmacarini. Therefore they look for a person with whom to walk a section of the path together, understanding from the beginning that the aim is to help each other to obtain liberation, to obtain love of God.

In this category—the grihasthas—there could be some short-circuits at times, because the body is there, the senses are there, and the karma is there. Therefore by being close sometimes they find themselves too close, and at times there might be exchanges of affection surpassing the level allowed in the sastras. I would say that this is not a tragedy. Some people have made a tragedy of it but then they themselves created tragedies many times greater than this. Probably I won't be acclaimed for saying what I am saying but, in all conscience, I am taking full responsibility and I have solid arguments to support my theses.

Going Beyond the Conditioning of Modern Culture

The information of the media—which the mass misinterpret as progress and emancipation—doesn't stimulate at all a 'positive' process of liberation and emancipation of the human being, but an indiscriminate consumption, which only profits the great financial and industrial groups. The disposition of modern man is to be lenient, to be accommodating with the weak side of his character, to let one's own bio-psychic impulses and the external influences dominate his personality. Even if superficially he appears original, spontaneous and self-assured, in reality he is an off-centered and fragile individual, because of being hetero-directed.

Control doesn't mean repression or suppression. Repression involves an irrational fear (taboo) that impedes the elaboration of psychic energies, which are mostly unconscious. Rather, reasonable control consists in governing the energetic manifestation, with the objective of utilizing those same energies for a constructive goal. Among the innumerable examples I could make I limit myself to the case under exam: the transformation of the sexual push into a satisfactory rapport of love, process that for years I have defined from Eros to Love.

In other words, through using a well-trained willpower¹, it's possible to control the bio-psychic energy through reason (Logos). This control is the opposite of repressing or suppressing one’s impulses, as it can produce the transformation of the egoistic-destructive pushes in ecologic energy, beneficial to the individual, the collectivity and the environment. This process is defined transformation and sublimation.

The same principle applies to inhibition. The modern psychological literature—especially the one of Freudian school—has incorrectly attributed a negative connotation to the vital psychic function of inhibition. Evidence of the erroneousness of such idea is provided by scientific research in physiology, which has amply demonstrated that inhibition is a normal neurological function to better govern the organism. On the psychic plane also, to inhibit doesn't necessarily mean to suppress, but to apply a temporary brake to a reaction of the conditioned consciousness, in order to reflect on one’s behavior. To reflect means to activate the intellect, the buddhi, and to deliberate with emotional detachment on the present event without being overwhelmed by one’s urges. Inhibition is pathologic when used stubbornly, non-critically, but it is therapeutic when propaedeutic to sublimation (Bg. II-58: One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws his limbs within the shell, is to be understood as truly situated in knowledge)

A person who lives the traditional values (sacrifice, work, saving, honesty, family, religion, etc.) doesn’t maximize commercial profit. To obtain maximum profit financial companies need to transform man in avid consumer, because to realize profit they need people to buy their products. Maximum profit for capital invested is given by a person who works to the maximum of his psychophysical capacity and consumes to the maximum of his financial capacity. The worker who is content leading his social or family relationships based on religious values and behavior is a bad consumer. He yields little, because to realize oneself in that way costs little or nothing and consequently doesn't push the individual to work to the maximum of his capacities. Similarly, the chaste girl who doesn't go out at night to have fun, the faithful wife who stays at home, the monk and the priest produce very little commercial profit. There arises therefore the need to create the consumerist, who seeks pleasure and entertainment, who seeks an individualistic, materialistic actualization and who frees himself from all the factors that could have inhibited such evolution, spending in goods and services whose sale produces profit. Modern culture achieved this by demolishing those ethical and social values—or motivational vectors—that checked the establishment of consumerism. Modern culture promoted liberation from duties, sexual liberation, blameworthiness of prohibitions, devaluation of the family and of family roles, emptying of religion, relativization of ethics and of authority. It created innumerable new personal fancied wants—essentially responding to the need of the industry to sell and gain: divorce, fashion, designer clothes and accessories, hankering for status symbols of every type, from classy cars to vacations in particular places.

 Rigid versus Rigorous

Many times, listening to his tapes and reading his books, I heard Srila Prabhupada say that illicit sex is illicit sex. Very true, but I have heard him thundering against extra-conjugal illicit sex and have heard him being understanding, compassionate—not approving, not accomplice—towards those who, out of weakness, break the principles in family life. Pay attention to this point: I don't approve the breaking of principles and I am not accomplice of those who break them, even within family life. But I am ready to be quite tolerant, ready to provide help to overcome these weaknesses—without an air of catastrophe, without excessive criminalization—because those instincts, if negated or brutally repressed, slide into the unconscious and create much more damage than when they are dissolved in the sunlight. One can't avoid taking them in consideration. Either accepting such instincts or rejecting them should be done consciously, with awareness. One should use all one's resources to sublimate these instincts to a higher level, the spiritual one. And even if one succeeds nine times out of ten but the tenth time bangs his head, he should try again till perfection.

There are spirit souls who are more reawakened and those who are less reawakened; those who have more success and those who have less success, but the important thing is not to embark in disasters. I believe that in the past many tragedies occurred due to interpreting things, although in good faith, in a rigid manner instead of in a rigorous manner. There is great difference between these two concepts. What is rigid is unfortunately also very fragile. What is rigorous is much better. Rigid has a negative connotation while rigorous has a positive one. A rigid, crude, hard, radical negation—which, I repeat, could be in good faith—means repression, but if these impulses don't act on the conscious level they act, and even more powerfully, on the unconscious level. In a moment of distraction or in a moment in which our perception of God is a little hazy, in a moment of tiredness or in a moment of disappointment, these impulses surge out like a torrent overflowing its ridges and flood our consciousness. And the apparently faultless person becomes abominable.

This is a school of life. We have to learn the art of living. We have to be comprehensive towards the needs of others. We should help all those who are sincere but conditioned and with weak willpower to canalize and orient their urges upwards—without brutally negating them. If one is addicted to tobacco, let him smoke a cigarette once in a while. If one is an alcoholic, let him drink a glass once in a while. If one is addicted to sex, let him have an intercourse once in while. In this way the mind organizes itself to do always better, to improve. If a devotee is helped, cared for and inspired spiritually, receiving guidance and mercy by the spiritual master and understanding by the vaishnavas, and behaving sincerely, then this process will lead to a purification of one’s samskaras and desires. Bhakti is especially meant for the correction and transformation of one’s deep, unconscious tendencies (vasanas). Brutal negations are a terrible teaching and it's for this reason that great thinkers have classified also organized religion—or rather the Churches—as one of the neurosis-generating environments: family, work and religion. Religions, when interpreted rigidly, to the letter, are dangerous means of serious conditioning, of neurosis, but religion, when explained by the spiritual master, sadhus and realized persons, is an extraordinarily effective means of spiritual realization.

In the same 'tree' category there are hundreds and thousands of different trees, similarly there are many different human beings. We can't make one law for everyone and make it so rigid that it doesn't work for anyone. There must be general moral definitions, but they can’t be applied in the same way to every individual. We should have general definitions because man lives in community, is a social being and can't negate his social needs. General definitions drive the group to grow; comparison among peers generates the drive for improvement, also among spiritualists. But even in law, the general definitions are not applicable to all individuals in the same way. Therefore the legislator—in our case the spiritual master, the Vaisnavas—has to understand the peculiarities of each person. The law remains one for everyone, but there should be personal considerations in the application.

Question:

I would like to verify if I understood properly: we should see our spouse as a person who is helping us dissolve that attachment that is not spiritual—and which causes damage—and therefore we see him or her as a friend, with a sentiment of reciprocal help. This relation is like one of the various camps established in climbing a mountain, right?

 Yes, if you feel alone and incapable of reaching the summit you might be overcome by desolation and by anguish. You might lack the energy to even start the climb. But you do have the desire to reach the summit and therefore we are not talking of grihamedhis but of grihasthas, whose aim is spiritual realization. Sometimes it's necessary to make this journey in two, because by oneself one doesn't have enough strength, even psychologically. It's crucial that the spouses remind each other of why they got together. When a spouse has a difficult moment, the other must remind him or her of the original motivation in a consistent way. Otherwise, if they both forget, they go somewhere else.

 Question:

It's about continence, abstinence from sex. Sometimes the couple fails to control the sexual urge and becomes so "confidential," so familiar that they reach a point where they don't value each other any more; they can't see each other's good qualities anymore.

 This is a very interesting question. There is a confidentiality that doesn't diminish respect. That's confidentiality on a spiritual basis. When familiarity becomes excessive and it's reduced to the material plane, it inevitably creates disrespect and causes disappointment. Step by step this darkness envelops the zone of light until the relation is largely consumed, depleted. During the excitement, the enthusiasm of the moment one doesn't perceive that this is happening, but it does actually happen. One whose vision is sufficiently detached—but attentive, profound, discriminating—can understand when this happens. Therefore we should try to define what love is, because this helps a lot, it helps enormously in creating categories. Life needs categories; otherwise we don't understand what's happening.

yasya deve para bhaktir

yatha deve tatha gurau

tasyaite kathita hy arthau

prakacante mahatmanau

 "Only unto one who has unflinching devotion to the Lord and to the spiritual master does transcendental knowledge become automatically revealed."

(Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23)

In the path of bhakti, love is defined as the sentiment for guru and Krishna. Just like food has to be inserted in the mouth; there are innumerable other ways of inserting food but they don't work. One could make little balls of rice and stick them in one’s ears, but it doesn't work. One could even try intravenously, and also in that case there would be nourishment, but it won't give pleasure and real strength. Srila Prabhupada said: "We teach all men to love Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you learn how to love Krishna, which is very easy, then immediately you love every living being simultaneously." (Letter of 10th March 1970) Only the unflinching love for God gives the strength to love all other creatures. This is an essential point; the capacity to love all others is the result of loving God. Otherwise love undergoes devolution, degeneration; it becomes egoistic. Slowly, slowly it shrinks to the level of ahankara, false ego, the reflected self, the atma reflecting on the mental field.

What is the ahankara? It's the sum of all the psychic contents with which we identify. Love in this form shrinks to the minute field of the psychic contents, thus practically negating all the real needs of the living being. The effect of love for God, or love "in God"(yasya deve para bhaktir—deve is in the locative case) is not like falling inside a well and getting locked up. Love of God multiplies in love for the husband, for the wife, for the children, for the parents, for the neighbors, for the so-called enemies and for the so-called friends. Therefore through bhakti we can enter into respectful affection. There is morbid affection, which has no respect—think of the pedophiles and the rapists. Criminologists working on the psychological profiles of criminals, would assure that they always talk of affection, of an overflowing affection, but they often cause huge disasters. Love of God is that affection that bubbles over, overflows, and benefits everyone.

Pull quotes:

 This is a school of life. We have to learn the art of living.

I believe that in the past many tragedies occurred due to interpreting things, although in good faith, in a rigid manner instead of in a rigorous manner.

When familiarity becomes excessive and it's reduced to the material plane, it inevitably creates disrespect and causes disappointment.

1 As for the development of any other quality, either physical or mental, also for willpower a discipline is needed (sadhana-bhakti). The efforts will be abundantly repaid, because a wise, well-developed willpower ensures success in all human activities.

This is the first of 14 parts of a seminar given in 2004

The priests to Lord Vishnu:

O Lord of lords, we are completely ignorant of the execution of dharma, artha, kâma and moksha, the process of liberation, because we do not actually know the goal of life. You have appeared personally before us like a person soliciting worship, but actually You are present here just so we can see You. You have come out of Your abundant and causeless mercy in order to serve our purpose, our interest, and give us the benefit of Your personal glory called apavarga, liberation. You have come, although You are not properly worshiped by us due to our ignorance.

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 5 Chapter 3 Verse 9

Karnamrita das: The stark reality of Kali's age wars, bodily hatred and violence poverty, starvation, new epidemics many diseases, types of slow deaths.

Karnamrita das: Uncovering the Blue Flute Player from the "Blues" My material life’s ideals— to be happy and fulfilled by meaningful, loving relationships, useful work complementing my nature helpful to others, making a difference in the world.

VOICE Newsletter Team: V.O.I.C.E. News Letter for the month of January'09 is more colourful with more and more inspirational articles, preaching news.etc

Jayo das: I am writing to request your prayers for Yamaraja prabhu: he is suffering from a bone cancer! Let him stay with us to continue his service at BTG, or let him be able tp leave his body in full KC

Janardana dasa: On behalf of Sri Krsna Balaram Mandir we would like to extend our humble invitation to all the Vaishnavas all over the world for our post Gaura Purnima Festival which will be held from March 15th to 22nd

By Kesava Krsna Dasa

There is something called “treadmill” yoga. One can walk and run for miles on a treadmill and sweat until one drops, but one is going nowhere in particular. Is there any wonder why the path of devotion appears to be an immense slog?

By Deena Bandhu dasa

This is one of the best times of the year as the weather is very pleasant and it is not so hot like after Mayapur Festival. Since our festival ends on the 22nd, then everyone has time to reach Mayapur for the Maha-abhisheka on Feb. 25th.

By Matsya Avatara Dasa

Only he who is free inside, by the application of abstinence (yama) and prescriptions (nyama), can think independently and freely decide, acting with emotional detachment and with no interest for the result of his actions but only constructively in favor of all creatures

Mens International Yoga Asana Championship from Mike McInnis on Vimeo.

That's the video for the men. The first two competitors are Nathan and Stephen from Australia (it's done in alphabetical order by country). Nathan nailed his routine right on 3 minutes - close! Steve didn't do too good in his set in LA, but he was awesome in Melbourne. I realized I was way, way out of my league when I saw him warming up with that one-armed balance backstage at the Australian finals - at least until we meet again next year...

You can see the calibre of the 2009 world men's champion, Dev Kapil of Singapore, at 53:45. That's real Indian yogi stuff. I think it was pretty obvious he'd won when he did his set.

You can see the women's video too at www.yogacup.com. The Australians are first up again. Go girls!

Prague, Taichi akademie

You have a choice whether you would like to spend your life simply making a living or if you opt to make a powerful, positive difference in the history of this planet. Do you prefer to be someone who contributes to the ever-increasing degradation of the planetary society by your participation in its sense gratificatory culture? Or would you rather have...

Different from the other churches mentioned, the vice president of the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Charu Das, took a firm stance on the issue. "Evolution is a myth," Das said. "There is no evidence to support it. "Das said that the real evolution is that of the soul, where one moves from a lower species to a higher species. "All species were originally created in the beginning by God," Das said.

Everything that we collect from the yoga class on the night of Wednesday 18th February is going to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire appeal, so come along and help out by doing yoga.

It’s $18 ($15 conces.) for the class and dinner afterwards. You can give more if you like. 100% of the proceeds will go to help the bushfire victims, some of whom have lost everything, including close family members.

We’re saving every cent for the new studio at the moment, but we also think it’s important to come together as a community to support our neighbours in their time of need.

The Australian Red Cross has announced that money is what’s most needed, and no administration costs will be deducted from donations, so that’s how we’re going to do our little bit to help.

My chili plants are growing wonderfully. This is my showcase specimen. Lots of rain showers this week has ensured a moist soil without the need to water.

Warmer weather ahead will cause the literally hundreds of buds on my 8 main plants to flower and fruit quickly. It seems I have two varieties, but time will tell.

At this stage, it's hard for me to discern the variety in fruit at the moment. Many chilies start off looking like this. Check the total list of 35 possibilities and see if you can guess. I am tending towards the Bequinhos from Brazil. But as the fruits grow, their true nature will become evident.

By the way, I casually threw some black mustard seeds in a circle in my planter box. They sprouted in a couple of days. Succulent mustard greens grow very fast indeed.

I can use them in soups or dals or salads, or just dig them back in to the soil to enrich it with mega doses of nitrogen. Gardening is so much fun, even in a tiny space.

Recently I’ve went through pretty much hell employment wise.  I’ve mananged to acquire and quit two jobs within two months. The root of all the problems stems from my lacking the vaisya mentality being more in sudra mode and thus being taken advantage of by employers who can perceive my ignorance and naivety in this [...]

1966 February 11: "There was no response of the visitors invited to come and join Hari Kirtan this evening. But I alone executed the Kirtan ceremony with my tape recorder till 10 pm. The following letters were posted: Morning Telegram, Times Mirror Co., N.B.C. Radio, WOR, WNYC."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966

1967 February 11: "I wish that each and every Branch shall keep their independent identity and cooperate keeping the Acarya in the centre. On this principle we can open any number of Branches all over the world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1973 February 11: "Even they are going to jail daily, but still they will not stop their chanting and distributing. Our Sankirtana activities will go on unchecked. Simply we must have the determination to continue under all circumstances."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

The streets seemed almost eerie in their muted commotion. 

I had emerged from my apartment mid-afternoon, bracing myself for the insanity of Vrindavan streets.

But something was different today.

I furrowed my brow, slightly smiling. I walked on to the mukutwalla’s - the deity clothing and jewelry expert - to confirm my order and choose jewelry for my parent’s deities, Sri Radha Raman. I braced myself for this too – the shop was usually busy, the owner of Nanda Kishor usually too preoccupied with other customers to pay me much heed.

But today was different. 

I opened the glass door to the shop. The owner sat placidly in his usual spot by the door, the soft afternoon light slanting in and illuminating him and his shop as he read from a clipboard. I was the only customer.

In India, there are no superfluous greetings or niceties. The owner simply glanced up, then gestured me to sit. With few words, he had arrayed before me boxes and bags of jewelry. 

In the quiet, as I selected jewelry, he began to ask me where I was from, about my family. I felt surprised and charmed by his newfound curiosity. In turn, I asked him, “How long have you been doing this business?”

“All of my life. And my father before, and father before.”

I whistled. I continued sifting through colors and styles of necklaces. 

“You see, up there? My ishta-deva, [my personal connection with the deity form of Krishna,] is Sri Radha Raman,” he gestured to a jeweled frame placed high up on a shelf; the picture of the Krishna deity was black and white. Common history told that the deity had resided in Vrindavan for over 450 years. “It’s a very old picture,” he added.

I became curious. “How long have you lived in Vrindavan?”

“Whole life. Three generations… my great-grandfather moved here many, many years ago.”

I whistled a second time. “Wow. Vrindavan must have been so… so… hidden then. Mystical.”

“Oh yes.”

“I confess, I find Vrindavan very hectic. It’s hard for me to taste the sweetness here.”

The mukutwalla was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “Ah, there is a hidden mysticism to Vrindavan. It is not on the surface. The hidden mysticism of Vrindavan…” he trailed off.

I glanced up from the jewelry array and my hands stilled.  It was just a moment, and unceremonious, but it will remain with me all of my life as the moment I began to see the real Vrindavan. 

I will never forget the expression on the mukutwalla’s face. His eyes were gazing out the window, as if focused on something far off. He seemed to be envisioning Vrindavan in the time of his great-grandfather, a land of ancient forests, hidden mysticism, and the beautiful Radha Raman deity. 

Humility washed over me in a great wave. I knew nothing. Nothing. I was simply a young girl from the West who had come to Vrindavan for barely a month. I had taken this land – and everyone in it – at face value. 

I glanced up to the antique picture of the mukutwalla’s ishta-deva. “You know, I just realized… my parent’s deities names are also Radha Raman,” I said softly.

The mukutwalla turned to me and smiled.

A general issue has been resurfacing in whatever preaching attempts that have very easily come my way recently. (Really I’m not putting much prana into that department at present) Basically, everyone is telling me, yes Krishna is very, very nice but… Guru I just don’t know about that. How can I take instructions from an [...]

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.6.12 - Krsna's appreciation for His devotee's service increases exponentially.

In Indore many gentlemen would come to meet Srila Prabhupada in his room, usually with their own ideas of spiritual life. Srila Prabhupada complained, "They come to the guru with their own opinions to see if the guru will agree. If the guru agrees, he is very good. But if the guru disagrees, they think, ‘He is not good.' "

(Told by Giriraja Maharaja, BTG #32-06, 1998)

We are very happy to announce that we just launched the new iskconmedia.com. The site has much more content than before and features a clean and easy to use design. Have a look:

The mp3 section has thousands of files sorted by ISKCON devotees and album. We started with this selection but will add more in the future.

For example, here is Indradyumna Swami’s page with biography and lectures.
You can also vote individual devotees, albums and mp3 files.

We don’t want to explain everything so just visit the new site and tell us what you think.

 http://www.iskconmedia.com/

your servants,
iskcontech team

"I do not like to work with patients who are in love. Perhaps it is because of envy-I, too, crave enchantment. Perhaps it is because love and psychotherapy are fundamentally incompatible. The good therapist fights darkness and seeks illumination, while romantic love is sustained by mystery and crumbles upon inspection. I hate to be love’s executioner."

Happy Valentines Day

Baladev das singing the Tulasi Puja prayers.

Wow! All done.

2008-12-31
Dallas, TX

Download: 2008-12-31 - 21 - 12 hr Bhajans - Baladev das - Tulasi Puja Prayers.mp3

“Gee something smells good in there,” I heard the voice coming from the open front door as I stirred the pot of dahl that I was cooking to offer my Deities this afternoon. “Oh no,” I thought to myself, “I don't want someone lusting over my offering before I've offered it.” I turned to see a pleasant looking woman with her 10 year old daughter standing at the door, looking ever so well-meaning with a magazine in her hand.

“Good afternoon,” I pleasantly greeted them as I slowly walked up to the doorway to talk. The smiling lady started to preach to me about how they were giving out these magazines today, and that they told how God is the answer to all the problems of the world today.

I agreed and immediately told her that He certainly is, and that He is the cause and source of everything, and that we worship Him with everything we do. I went on to explain to her in a nice way, how we even offer our cooking to God as a sacrament before we eat it, and we don't even enjoy the smell of food before it's been offered to God.

She obviously understood my reference to her previous comment and countered with her own argument, “Yes, but God gave us smelling didn't he?”

“Well yes”, I replied, “but we use our smelling to serve Him, for His pleasure, not to enjoy the senses separately from Him. Once the food is offered to God, then we appreciate how wonderful it smells.”

The concept seemed to float past her, strangely attractive, but slightly out of reach. I reflected on how such concepts that devotees who practically serve the Deity form of the Lord find simple and straightforward, are very difficult to grasp for one who does not have a personal relationship with the Deity.

My smiling visitor then took another tack, utilizing a well-worn tenant of post-Christ Christianity: “Well we're all sinful at heart aren't we?”

I immediately thought of the verse from Caitanya Caritamrita where Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami tells us, 'nitya siddha krsna prema, sadhya kabu naya, sravanadi suddha citte karaye udhaya' and gave her the essence: “Well, we believe that we are pure and beautiful at heart, but we are just covered by this material sinfulness. Just like Jesus said to hate the sin, not the sinner. By serving God with our sense we can reawaken our original pure and beautiful nature”.

“That's such a beautiful way of looking at things,” said the lady, genuinely appreciative of the sampradayic knowledge, as she went back to her main mission of trying to get me to take her magazine; while her daughter watched on, seemingly bemused that her mother was being preached to by someone else, who seemed to know as much, or even more about God than she.

“Thanks all the same, and I really appreciate your sincerity in coming out here and knocking on doors, but we are going to live in a holy place in India in a week, so I won't be needing that. But I wish you all the best, and may God be with you.”

“And may he be with you too”, said the sincere preacher at my door, who took my leave and went on to spread the good word leaving me reflecting on what an amazing process of self-realization we have been given by Lord Caitanya, that easily and clearly illuminates the subtlest of spiritual truths, which remain hidden to even the most sincere practitioners of other traditions.

Patricia N from Southwark, London, UK writes: "Kurma, can you share with me some non-grain flour ideas?"

My reply: "Yes. Here's my list of non-grain flours, some you may not have encountered."

amaranth

Amaranth flour: Milled from the seeds of the amaranth plant, this flour boasts a higher percentage of protein than most other grains, and has more fibre than wheat and rice. It is also higher in the amino acid lysine, which some food scientists believe makes it a more complete protein than flour made from other grains. Amaranth flour can be used in cookies, crackers, baking mixes, and cereals.

Arrowroot flour: The rootstalks of a tropical plant are the source of this flour, often used as a thickener for sauces and desserts; the finely powdered arrowroot turns completely clear when dissolved (giving gloss to sauces), and adds no starchy flavor. Because of its easy digestibility, it is also an used as an ingredient in cookies intended for infants and young children. I use it as a grain-free substitute to corn flour (cornstarch for all US readers).

Buckwheat flour: A common ingredient in pancake mixes, buckwheat flour is also used to make Japanese soba noodles. It is available in light, medium, and dark varieties (the dark flour boasts the strongest flavor), depending on the kind of buckwheat it is milled from. You can make your own buckwheat flour by processing whole white buckwheat groats in a blender or food processor.

Chestnut flour: This tan flour is made from chestnuts, the meaty, lowfat nuts that are often served as a vegetable. The flour is a little sweet and is traditionally used in Italian holiday desserts. Italian shops sell it.

Potato flour (potato starch): Steamed potatoes are dried and then ground to a powder to make this gluten-free flour, which is commonly used in baked goods for Jewish Passover (when wheat flour may not be used).

Quinoa flour: Higher in fat than wheat flour, quinoa flour makes baked goods more moist. You can make your own quinoa flour by processing whole quinoa in a blender; stop before the flour is too fine - it should be slightly coarse, like cornmeal.

Tapioca flour: Milled from the dried starch of the cassava root, this flour thickens when heated with water and is often used to give body to puddings, fruit pie fillings, and soups. It can also be used in baking.

Water-chestnut flour (water-chestnut powder): This Asian ingredient is a fine, powdery starch that is used to thicken sauces (it can be substituted for cornstarch) and to coat foods before frying to give them a delicate, crisp coating.

I am sure this is not a complete list. I also encountered flatbreads made from banana flour whilst in India. Last time I posted this information I received this letter from a reader:

"I also have some more flours used by Gujarati Krishna Devotees.

1) Ragigara (or Ragigaro or rajgira) flour - Very small - is a very small tiny seeds like yellow mustard seeds but much smaller. The seeds can be used to make popcorn and these popped seeds are used to make khir with milk and sugar. The flour is used to make halavah which turns out to be a brown and sticker than regular halavah. The flour is used to make vada, parathas, puris, rotis and small pakoras with mashed potatoes using herbs, ground black pepper and salt added. (note from Kurma: this is amaranth, as described in my list above.)

2) Singado flour. Pakoras are made using ground peanuts and mashed potatoes, little baking power, salt and coriander leaves and ground black pepper. (note from Kurma: this is another name for Water Chestnut flour, as described above.)

3) Cassava grits and flour. (very starchy but sweet tasting roots). Boil the grits with 2 to 3 times the water. It turns into mashed potato consistency and any chopped vegetables can be added. These can also be used to make halavah and base for the Ekadasi Pizza. Boiled Cassava makes excellent subji with lots of fresh tomatoes. Boiled - sliced (one inch thick sticks) - Fried sticks sprinkled with black pepper and salt and a little lemon, make amazing chips that far surpass potato chips. Hope this helps. Gandhari Dasi"

I awoke to the sounds of stomping feet and beating drums. There was a contagious buzz already surrounding the group the morning of the event. Gaura’s house was filled with busy people. Some were rehearsing, some were ironing, some were rushing from here to there to help with the preparations for the event but everyone was excited, and everyone had a smile on their face. For the first time that I could see, busy preparation time had actually turned into “service attitude of love” time. Although everyone had their part to do, people were happy to be a part of making this event happen. I took a deep breath and smiled, not quite knowing what the evening was going to bring. I knew that the show had been sold out and that there would be standing room only, but I wasn’t quite sure what that meant. (more…)

1967 February 11 : "Here the climate is certainly like India and I am feeling comfortable but uncomfortable also because in New York I felt so much at home on account of beloved students like you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 February 11 : "There will be a great exposition in Montral and millions of people will gather there from all parts of the world. We have to prepare literatures and draw the attention of the university students as our members."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1967 February 11 : "Wherever we get opportunities we must perform Kirtana. Our popularity in this part of the country is increasing. You should also arrange for such Kirtana programs in different churches and societies."
Letters :: 1967

1970 February 11 : "We should not pray to Krishna for anything except to ask to engage in His service. If we are engaged in His service then automatically everything will be revealed."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1970 February 11 : "This is very essential. I would like to know if the initiated devotees are chanting regularly sixteen rounds and following the regulative principles rigidly."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1973 February 11: "Even they are going to jail daily, but still they will not stop their chanting and distributing. Our Sankirtana activities will go on unchecked. Simply we must have the determination to continue under all circumstances."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1966 February 11: "There was no response of the visitors invited to come and join Hari Kirtan this evening. But I alone executed the Kirtan ceremony with my tape recorder till 10 pm. The following letters were posted: Morning Telegram, Times Mirror Co., N.B.C. Radio, WOR, WNYC."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1966

1967 February 11: "I wish that each and every Branch shall keep their independent identity and cooperate keeping the Acarya in the centre. On this principle we can open any number of Branches all over the world."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

We rang in the New Year at Radha Govinda Mandir with kirtan, and spent the first day of the New Year doing kirtan in Princeton, NJ. It was the first time that I was able to attend the program, even though the devotees there have the program monthly. The room was small but we were able to fit enough devotees in it to have a rocking kirtan that everyone was able to enjoy. (more…)

Perugia, a historic city and the main town of a fertile and open region, welcomed Marco Ferrini who, on January 31st, held a conference titled: “Karmic affinities and affectionate relationships” which took place at the well known Sala dei Notari of Priori Palace.

 

A great number of participants from different ages and social- cultural backgrounds, listened with great interest to the topics and took part to the program of questions and answers with a lively participation.

In relation  to the Traditional Indian culture, the lecturer explained the concept of karma, according to it, each  action produces a specific effect,  determined by the spirit of acting.

The teachings of ancient Wisdom explain that each human soul  is not only made of matter and psyche, rather, its most precious and essential constituency is made of spiritual nature. Different “electromagnetic and psychological” fields spring from its psychophysical structure, and, consequently,  in relation to their nature and quality, other fields of attraction originate.  For this reason people are born in the same family, because of “karmic affinity”, depending on performed experiences and on the consequent psychological formation and level of consciousness which were originated.

The karmic load is the result of  the sum of the consequences of ones actions.  It is evident that  a good action will not generate the same consequences as a bad action which will harm others with the purpose to achieve a selfish target.

The highest goal of existence is to reach the understanding and growing inside, step by step along the Journey of Life, a kind of compassionate Love that allows us to relate to others in as much constructive and evolutionary way as possible, so as to reach the highest level of pure devotional Love for God and for all creatures, the real source of happiness, as shown by the great acharyas of the various spiritual authentic Traditions.

 

The purpose of man is realizing his divine nature, with the understanding of the importance to live without making enemies and without damaging any other living beings because we are all part of the same common divine origin.  We should grow  in goodness, respectfulness, tolerance and show compassion for all creatures, realizing our deep instances, while releasing the conditionings caused by the  distorted and egocentric perception of our self, which is the main cause of sufferance and personality disturbances.