by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at March 01, 2009 05:54 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at March 01, 2009 05:53 PM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at March 01, 2009 05:51 PM
by Rasa Rasika (noreply@blogger.com) at March 01, 2009 04:59 PM
Each week I select a verse from the Bhagavad-gita and compare/contrast four different translations. These translators all subscribe to the Gaudia-Vaisnava philosophy. This examination isn’t to prove one more superior to another, but to highlight the similarities and learn from the differences in ideologies.
The four Gitas are:
-Bhagavad-gita: As It Is by Srila Prabhupada (1972 edition)
-Bhagavad-gita: It’s Feeling and Philosophy by Tripurari Swami
-Srimad Bhagavad-gita by Narayana Maharaja
-Bhagavad-gita: The Beloved Lord’s Secret Love Song by Garuda dasa (Graham Schweig)
Though I’m hardly qualified to do so, I dissect each translation, sometimes interjecting my own unsolicited commentary. More on this can be found here.
For the month of March and for this Gaura Purnima time of year, I’ve decided to tackle the chatur shloki. The chatur shloki are the four verses that pretty well sum up the contents of the Bhagavad-gita. If you’re only going to read four verses from Bhagavad-gita, these are the four to read.
Krishna tells Arjuna at the beginning of this tenth chapter to listen close, He’s about to drop some knowledge that’s even better than the knowledge he dropped in chapters one through nine. And Chapter Four is a tough act to beat.
But, of course, He lives up to His word.
Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 10, Verse 8
aham sarvasya prabhavo
mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante mam
budha bhava-samanvitah
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
-Srila Prabhupada
I am the source of everything; all proceeds from me. Realizing this, the wise imbued with love adore me.
-Tripurari SwamiI am the source of both mundane and spiritual worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this well, engage in My bhajana with great joy in their hearts.
-Narayana Maharaja"I am, of everything, the coming forth into being; from me everything is set forth into motion." Mindful [of these words], they offer their love to me, the enlightened ones, being fully immersed in feelings of love. -Garuda dasa (Graham M. Schweig)
In Sufism, there seems to be an expression, “everything is the God.” From my limited exposure to it, it’s said as a reminder that everything is happening according to God’s plan and that everything, material and spiritual, comes from God. The Bhagavad-gita has a similar idea (as is often the case).
The first line aham sarvasya prabhavo, is roughly “I am the source of everything.” The word aham simply means “I am.” In the Torah and the biblical book of Exodus, God refers to Himself as “Ehyeh asher ehyeh,” commonly translated: “The I am that I am.” This is basic stuff here. God is what He is. And what is He?
He is the source of everything.
Srila Prabhupada makes it clear that the word sarvasya is everything spiritual and material. Narayana Maharaja does the same by explaining that Krishna is “the source of both mundane and spiritual worlds.” Tripurari Swami sticks closer to the Sanskrit with “I am the source of everything.”
Garuda dasa’s poetical translation puts this first line as “I am, of everything; the coming forth into being.” This seems an odd way to put it. He seems to simply be listing the definitions of the words. “I am” is, of course from aham. The word sarvasya does mean “of everything.” And prabhavo literally means “the source” or “the source of generation” - from where everything comes. He seems to be saying that Krishna isn’t just the source of everything coming into being, He’s also the act of coming into being.
In his footnotes, Garuda dasa writes, “The coming forth into being: Translates prabhavah, as it is used in a cosmological context. The word is often translated as ’source’ or ‘origin.’”
Our second line, mattah sarvam pravartate, very literally translates as “from me, everything emanates.” Srila Prabhupada and Narayana Maharaja both translates it as “Everything emanates from Me.” Tripurari Swami, who translates pravartate slightly differently, puts it: “all proceeds from me.” And Garuda dasa, taking it a step farther has it as, “from me everything is set forth into motion.”
While we now have three different definitions for the verb pravartate, each brings with it a slightly different, but very complementary, understand of God. These different definitions are not at adds with one another.
As is often the case when translating poetry from another language, one line seems to run in and mix with the next. Such is the case here. The third and fourth lines have to be taken as a whole. This allows iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanviah to be translated in some interesting ways.
Most of us are familiar with Srila Prabhupada’s “The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” Prabhupada translates the word bhajante in his word-for-word section simply as “becomes devoted.” But in his verse, he goes a bit deeper into it with “perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me.” Often he would remind us that devotional service to God is worship. Here is another such case.
Tripurari Swami takes a slightly different approach to bhajante. He defines is at “adore.” While he doesn’t specifically address this in his purport, he does write: “Spiritual love that knows no reason cares little for the Godhood of Godhead, yet it is this kind of love that brings one in touch with the fullest expression of the Absolute, the source of everything and its feeling, the Supreme God.”
Often, Narayana Maharaja will not translate certain words in his verses. The word bhajante is within “The wise who know this well, engage in My bhajana….” In his word-for-word section, he translates it simply as “worship.”
The last word, bhava-samanvitah, is the real nectar of this verse. Srila Prabhupada writes that the wise “worship Me with all their hearts.” He glosses it as “with great attention” in his word-for-word, but in his verse, he gives it heart. Following suit, Tripurari Swami puts it as “imbued with love.”
And Narayana Maharaja’s is very sweet. He writes that the wise “engage in My bhajana with great joy in their hearts.” In his word-for-word, it’s “filled with ecstasy.”
I greatly appreciate Garuda dasa’s translation of the Bhagavad-gita back into poetry, though sometimes I’m confused with his choice of words, after a bit of study, it all becomes clear. Here is such an example. What can be translated simply (albeit, coldly) as “having comprehended this, the wise ecstatically worship Me,” is “Mindful [of these words], they offer their love to me, the enlightened ones, being fully immersed in feelings of love.”
You can go through and pick out which English phrase corresponds with which Sanskrit word if you like, “the enlightened ones” is “budhah,” “immersed in feelings of love” is “bhava-samanvitah.” Something, however, still seems muddled. This is a clear example of undertaking such a difficult task as translating poetry to poetry.
His meaning here is that the “enlightened” ones are fully immersed in feelings of love. In turn, they offer that love to God. It is cyclical. Because they love God, they are enlightened. Because they are enlightened, they offer that love to God. God then immerses them in love and they then shower Him with love.
These verses have been translated, explained, purported up and taught in Sunday Feast lectures by everyone from the lowliest bhaktas to the most exalted gurus. There are many meanings within, as is obvious from reading the three very different purports from Srila Prabhupada, Tripurari Swami and Narayana Maharaja.
Because of this, there is a great deal of discussion of these topics. We are fortunate in this regard. An example of this fortune is this four-verse commentary by Srila B.R. Sridhara Goswami, a godbrother of Srila Prabhupada, contemporary of Narayana Maharaja and sisksa-guru (teacher) of Tripurari Swami.
His translations capture the mood of our Gaudia-Vaisnana philosophical line rather than a direct word-for-word recitation (though that is there too). You can read what he has to say, here.
I apologize for being so long-winded, but this isn’t something you sum up. As Narayana Maharaja translated, we should do this with “great joy” in our hearts. God isn’t someone to just study, He is someone to adore. This adoration immerses us in love of God. With this love, as Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport, we should proceed “with determination and firmness.” Our determination and firmness, our strength, is built upon our love of God and His love for us.
The Ben Stein movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is out on DVD. It is about how the bias has swung in the US from a religious Creationist fundamentalism that blocked the Theory of Evolution to a scientific Evolutionist fundamentalism that blocks discussion of Intelligent Design.
While it is a good primer for these discussions, it is done with wry humor and the typical Ben Stein offhandedness, so interesting to watch even if you aren’t that interested in the topic.
The orchestral arrangement of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” in the opening credits alone is worth getting the DVD for.
The Vedic perspective is clearly one based on the Intelligent Design thesis. The long time frames that are evidenced by the fossil and scientific evidence are easily accommodated when scripture describes the history of the Universe as follows:
“On the upper planets, time is calculated differently. One of our years is equal to only twenty-four hours, or one day and night, on many of the upper planets. The four ages of earth (Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali) last only twelve thousand years according to the time scale of the upper planets. Such a length of time multiplied by one thousand constitutes one day of Brahma, and one night of Brahma is the same. Such days and nights accumulate into months and years, and Brahma lives for one hundred such years. At the end of Brahma’s life, the complete universal manifestation is vanquished.”
Isopanisad mantra 14
Intelligent Design is sometimes confused with fundamentalist Creationism which sees the Earth as only some 6,000 years old but it is different. ID doesn’t deny the scientific evidence, it actually uses it to show that evolution has been directed and that there are enough anomalies in the evidence to support Intelligent Design as an alternative to Evolution.
Even within my lifetime, the Theory of Continental Drift was ridiculed before it was eventually accepted, again because of fundamentalists who stop thinking and simply defend some perceived status quo.
Not everyone is happy with this documentary: “The Anti-Defamation League has condemned the film for its linking of evolutionary theory and the Holocaust: “Using the Holocaust in order to tarnish those who promote the theory of evolution is outrageous and trivializes the complex factors that led to the mass extermination of European Jewry.” Promoting the movie in Canada, Stein told the Vancouver Sun that “It’s none of their [expletive] business”.”
Still, some perspective on how to present ID can be found in Expelled, even if one would have to pick and choose. If you find yourself in Creation sorts of discussions it can be a useful tool.
Posted in Science
At the time of pralaya the oceans exceed their limits. Yet a saintly man always remains steady, even under extreme circumstances.
A wonderful dance on the 10 incarnations of the Lord set to live music of Jayadev Goswami's Das Avatar.
Houston, TX
2009-01-03
by Rupa Schomaker (rupa@rupa.com) at March 01, 2009 12:57 PM
We’ve been making monthly visits to the East Village Temple and whenever we listen to the kirtans from there and talk to the devotees I’m always reminded of why. The devotees are doing so much to spread Krishna Kirtan within every nook and cranny of New York and to try and uplift the vibe of this city of enjoyment. (more…)
As he attempts to steer the United States through the challenges posed by economic crisis and an inherited war, President Barack Obama may very well turn to the Bhagavad-Gita for leadership advice.
The 44th president was recently gifted his own copy by an old friend whose sister is a devout Krishna devotee and hoped that Obama " known for his embrace of multiculturalism " might find the Hindu sacred text inspirational.
Empirical research about psychological perceptions of science and religion:
A person's unconscious attitudes toward science and God may be fundamentally opposed, researchers report, depending on how religion and science are used to answer "ultimate" questions such as how the universe began or the origin of life.
"On the other hand, people may have a generally positive view of science until it fails to explain the important questions. Then belief in God may be boosted to fill in the gap," she said.
The most obvious implication of the research is that "to be compatible, science and religion need to stick to their own territories, their own explanatory space," Preston said.
- God Or Science? A Belief In One Weakens Positive Feelings For The Other, Science Daily
Modern science is very powerful, within its domain of the physical. The Veda is powerful in picking up where science leaves off, in the realm of the metaphysical.
by Anuradha Keshavi (rt.kanna@gmail.com) at March 01, 2009 09:22 AM
by course@ultimateselfrealization.com at March 01, 2009 08:06 AM
If you would like to contribute to our year-long "celebration" of Darwin's 200th birthday, please send your articles, editorials, or any other creative and informative pieces to nvclub108@gmail.comby Club 108 (noreply@blogger.com) at March 01, 2009 08:00 AM
The (false) ego, often thought to be the 'real self' is in a constant state of delusion, sometimes thinking he or she controls others, and in some cases this happens. Some heads of state 'control' millions of people. In addition to political and military control there is economic and intellectual control, sometimes over hundreds of millions of people. But this sense of ego meets with frustration and anxiety at some point, even if it has to wait until the moment of death.
by noreply@blogger.com (Devadeva Mirel) at March 01, 2009 05:37 AM
by Vrndavana Vinodini dd (noreply@blogger.com) at March 01, 2009 04:36 AM
"Human intellect is developed for advancement of learning in art, science, philosophy, physics, chemistry, psychology, economics, politics, etc. By culture of such knowledge the human society can attain perfection of life. This perfection of life culminates in the realization of the Supreme Being, Viṣṇu. The śruti therefore directs that those who are actually advanced in learning should aspire for the service of Lord Viṣṇu. Unfortunately persons who are enamored by the external beauty of viṣṇu-māyā do not understand that culmination of perfection or self-realization depends on Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu-māyā means sense enjoyment, which is transient and miserable. Those who are entrapped by viṣṇu-māyā utilize advancement of knowledge for sense enjoyment. ŚrīNārada Muni has explained that all paraphernalia of the cosmic universe is but an emanation from the Lord out of His different energies because the Lord has set in motion, by His inconceivable energy, the actions and reactions of the created manifestation. They have come to be out of His energy, they rest on His energy, and after annihilation they merge into Him. Nothing is, therefore, different from Him, but at the same time the Lord is always different from them.
When advancement of knowledge is applied in the service of the Lord, the whole process becomes absolute. The Personality of Godhead and His transcendental name, fame, glory, etc., are all nondifferent from Him. Therefore, all the sages and devotees of the Lord have recommended that the subject matter of art, science, philosophy, physics, chemistry, psychology and all other branches of knowledge should be wholly and solely applied in the service of the Lord. Art, literature, poetry, painting, etc., may be used in glorifying the Lord. The fiction writers, poets and celebrated litterateurs are generally engaged in writing of sensuous subjects, but if they turn towards the service of the Lord they can describe the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. Vālmīki was a great poet, and similarly Vyāsadeva is a great writer, and both of them have absolutely engaged themselves in delineating the transcendental activities of the Lord and by doing so have become immortal. Similarly, science and philosophy also should be applied in the service of the Lord. There is no use presenting dry speculative theories for sense gratification. philosophy and science should be engaged to establish the glory of the Lord. Advanced people are eager to understand the Absolute Truth through the medium of science, and therefore a great scientist should endeavor to prove the existence of the Lord on a scientific basis. Similarly, philosophical speculations should be utilized to establish the Supreme Truth as sentient and all-powerful. Similarly, all other branches of knowledge should always be engaged in the service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same is affirmed. All "knowledge" not engaged in the service of the Lord is but nescience. Real utilization of advanced knowledge is to establish the glories of the Lord, and that is the real import. Scientific knowledge engaged in the service of the Lord and all similar activities are all factually hari-kīrtana, or glorification of the Lord."
Bhaktivedanta Purports Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.22
by Gauranga Kishore Das (gaurangakishore@gmail.com) at February 28, 2009 11:34 PM
by noreply@blogger.com (Devadeva Mirel) at February 28, 2009 09:27 PM
>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 10.87.39
Spoken by the Personified Vedas
by Avadhuta-priya dasi (noreply@blogger.com) at February 28, 2009 08:17 PM
by Jaya Kesava Das (jayakesavapda@hotmail.com) at February 28, 2009 06:36 PM
In Florida, an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians,Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.
The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, “Case dismissed!”
The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, “Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays.”
The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, “But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant.”
The lawyer said, “Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance r holiday for atheists.”
The judge said, “The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned.”
Posted in Jokes
Krsna Ksetra prabhu, Anuttama prabhu, Saunaka Rsi prabhu, Ranchor prabhu, Radha Krishna prabhu and Krishnasharan prabhu, Merudevi dasi, Villa Vrindavan and plenty of Italian prasadam |
The biggest event on most ISKCON devotees’ calendars – the Gaura Purnima festival at Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir in Bengal, India – kicked off this February 24. Traditionally, Gaura Purnima honors the birth in 1482 of Sri Chaitanya, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. |
Kolkata-On Sunday February 15th, more than six thousand people participated in the "Prema and Bhakti Sammelen," an all-day forum in honor of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, India's 16th Century saint and avatara. |
At its recent annual general meetings in Mayapur, India, ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission approved Yadunandana Dasa as a candidate for sannyasa, the renounced order of life. Yadunandana is the principal of Bhaktivedanta College, a Vaishnava school accredited by the University of Wales, Lampeter, and located in the rural Ardennes region of Belgium. |
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 28, 2009 11:56 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 28, 2009 11:56 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 28, 2009 11:55 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 28, 2009 11:52 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 28, 2009 11:49 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 28, 2009 11:48 AM
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 28, 2009 11:45 AM
P.L. Sethi, a building contractor who assisted Srila Prabhupada in acquiring and building ISKCON’s Juhu temple, passed away on February 16 in Mumbai, India. He was 88. Although he was never officially initiated into ISKCON, Sethi always regarded Prabhupada as his guru. From the moment the two first met in 1971, Sethi became a life member and a staunch, loyal follower of Srila Prabhupada. |
by letters (wmdean@btopenworld.com) at February 28, 2009 11:43 AM
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Four months after suffering a life-threatening brain hemorrhage, ISKCON guru and leader Jayapataka Swami has made a triumphant return home to Mayapur, India. Flying in from ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Hospital in Mumbai on February 20, the Swami was greeted at Kolkatta airport by hundreds of devotees. After thanking them with a short speech, he left for Mayapur, where he arrived at around 6pm. |
"At the same time I have my most important project - to keep the garden of my heart green with bhakti - so that one day the Divine Couple feels attracted to come there. In Vraja they say: If you keep the garden green then one day the parrots will come."This is an example of how we should always be watering our hearts garden with nice chanting and hearing of the holy names...by doing this we will be able to see Krsna face to face.
by Aruna (noreply@blogger.com) at February 28, 2009 11:30 AM
ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission have added a new member to their ranks. Dina Sarana Dasi joined the GBC by unanimous vote on February 21 -- day 10 of the ISKCON management entity’s Annual General Meetings in Mayapur, India. |
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E. Burke Rochford Jr., a professor of sociology at Middlebury College, has studied the Hare Krishna movement for over thirty years, and as a well-wisher and friend of the movement, has written numerous articles addressing its development. In January of this year, he came to Bhaktivedanta College to give a course on ISKCON and Society, and has been an inspiration for the many students who attended. |
On February 19th, 2009 the assistant Hakim of Almaty province, S. Mukanov, has demanded the farm property occupied by the Krishna Society be vacated by March 1, 2009. Mukanov emphasized that failure to vacate will result in new court cases against the Krishna Society. |
Battlefield Bhajans Vol. 37
Written in Sri Mayapura Dhama
Dedicated to Srila Prabhupada
Bhaktivedanta Ashram, NYC
I arrived in NYC via Seattle. My planed landed late and no one was there to pick me up. I thought oh well, no big deal, I’ll just catch a train. Just when I was settled on that, a man said Hare Krsna and asked me if I wanted to catch a ride for free to 2nd Ave and 19th street. I got out on 19th st and ran to Matchless Gifts; where I was giving class. The class was very nice. It more like a small gathering of friends and I shared some realizations and the need to take up the spreading of this message very urgently. After some wonderful prasadam, I took the devotees out on a small harinama to the ashram. The next morning I lead the singing in the morning program. The mood was sweet and I was trying to reflect on my relationship with my spiritual master. The devotees requested me to give Srimad Bhagavatam class. I tried to focus the class on the spreading of the Holy Names and the distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books. HG Ramesvara Prabhu made many wonderful points and realizations about Srila Prabhupada desire to have his books distributed. After class I made my pilgrimage to the Donut Plant to take darshan of Sri Sri Jagannatha Baladeva and Subadra and partake in the transcedental doughnuts that are served there.
I went to the airport and met a nice boy there, he was also tarveling to India and asked many questions about the culture there. I explained about Lord Caitanya and how Srila Prabhupada came to the west and gave us the highest form of culture and teachings. The boy asked if there was a place he could get a book and smiling I pulled a few small books out of my bag. He was very happy to receive them. During the flight he would come to my seat and talk about Krsna and about spiritual life. After about three hours in the air, I was awaken by the flight attendent. She asked me if I was a doctor, I said no, but I can give you something to cure the disease of old age, birth and death. She looked at me and walked off. I was curious as to her need for a doctor and I asked the women across from me. Seems a women had a heart attack and left her body two rows away from me. I was happy in one sense because she was two seats from a suitcase with all The Lordships in it. The flight attendent asked me to consoul the family. I gave them some comforting words about the nature of the soul and asked them to chant the Maha mantra. When I went back to my seat, one women thanked me and expressed that it was God’s arrangment that a Hare Krsna monk was on this flight. I agreed, and was amazed at the mercy of Krsna. I explained how this women left in a very auspicious way. That the Salagram Sila was only a few feet from her when she passed. The women asked many questions about spiritual life. I explained that death is everywhere and can happen at any minute, therefore we need to take to the path of spiritual life seriously and immediatly. She agreed and promised me she would visit one of our ISKCON temples in India. The event made me think about the truth to the statment “live every day like its your last.”. Such a true statement and we should live everyday fully engaged on Krsna’s service, because it may very well be our last.
Although Väsudeva Vipra was a leper and had suffered greatly, still, after Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu cured him He instructed him to preach Kåñëa consciousness. Indeed, the only return the Lord wanted was that Väsudeva preach the instructions of Kåñëa and liberate all human beings. That is the process of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Each and every member of this Society was rescued from a very abominable condition, but now they are engaged in preaching the cult of Kåñëa consciousness. They are not only cured of the disease called materialism but are also living a very happy life. Everyone accepts them as great devotees of Kåñëa, and their qualities are manifest in their very faces. If one wants to be recognized as a devotee by Kåñëa, he should take to preaching work, following the advice of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu. Then one will undoubtedly attain the lotus feet of Çré Kåñëa Caitanya, Lord Kåñëa Himself, without delay.(Purport Cc, Madhya 7: 148 )
Sadhana:
Chanting: I am trying to chant as much as possible. Srila Prabhupada wanted devotees to come to India and gather strength for preaching. This is what I am desiring. I have been trying to really dive into my sadhana to really strengthen my preaching.
Reading: Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, one chapter a day. It is very nice and I am finding many new points that Srila Prabhupada brings up in his purports.
Sankritana: Because I left for India, my scores are very low this month:
Maha Big: 3
Small: 10
We are on a new path, it is very exciting and scary also. We are falling at the feet of all the vaisnava’s and begging for blessings that we will make this life successful.
Yours in Srila Prabhupada’s service,
Partha-sarathi Dasa
Monks and farmers celebrate arrival of cow destined for life at new Hare The birth of a calf on a farm near Watford would not normally cause tears of |
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Have you ever thought it would be impossible to visit all of the prominent temples in India? Think again. ‘Kunda Satyanarayana Kala Dhamam’ a Vedic museum on a sprawling 18 acres of land was inaugurated by the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, India a fortnight ago. |
The ISKCON Studies Institute will hold its second conference at Villa Vrindavana, near Florence, Italy, from 3–6 July. The theme of this year's conference is "The Guru: Person, Position, Possibilities." |
Doubt is the motor of the modern mentality, the indefatigable engine that drives the spirit of our age. Such doubt was honored with an early recognition in the essays of the Renaissance courtier Michel de Montaigne: “We are, I know not how, double within ourselves, with the result that we do not believe what we believe, and we cannot rid ourselves of what we condemn.” |
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We made the national news recently as our new calf - whom we’ve named Gangotri - was born. We are all very happy to see her into the world and pray that she will never have to struggle like her namesake. The Guardian supplement did a nice piece with a colour picture. |
Recently I was doing some research on the qualities of Kali Yuga for the temples vyasa-puja offering to Srila Prabhupada.by Syamesvari (noreply@blogger.com) at February 28, 2009 08:57 AM
by Bhaktimarga Swami (noreply@blogger.com) at February 28, 2009 08:30 AM
by Bhaktimarga Swami (noreply@blogger.com) at February 28, 2009 08:24 AM
by Bhaktimarga Swami (noreply@blogger.com) at February 28, 2009 08:21 AM
Take Back NYUby Club 108 (noreply@blogger.com) at February 28, 2009 08:00 AM
Lover of the Lord - words and music by Mangalananda Dasa (Michael Cassidy) ©2000 Mangalananda Publishing
In this film you can see historical footage of how the Pancha-tattva of ISKCON Mayapur were brought to the altar (Chaitanya, Nityananda and Advaita are shown) - each one weighs more than 3 tonnes.
My son Nitai and I are in Melbourne for a cookery class this Sunday at the famous Gopals Restaurant.
Today, partly as a way of empowerment for my task ahead, and partly because it's fun, I attended the awesome sunrise chanting session in the gloriously beautiful onyx and marble-clad inner sanctum of the Hare Krishna Temple.
I grabbed the (albeit dodgy, flat) drum and the microphone, as one does, and sang my heart out. The boys were there with their recording devices, so I thought I'd invite you to sing-along with Kurma..
(ps click on the microphone icon - it may take a minute).
(pps slip on your dancing socks).
Felraktam egy szavazást az oldalra. Kíváncsi vagyok, hogy a látogatók közül milyen arányban hisznek a lélekvándorlásban. Persze lehet, hogy ez sokaknak ez természetes, de vannak olyanok is, akik először látogatnak az oldalra. Nekik is szól ez a kérdés.
A szavazást az oldal jobb oldalán találhatjátok.
Human beings want to be able to fly. Airplanes, helicopters and other noisy modern contraptions get us as close to flying as possible. Swimming with snorkels and aqualungs or floating on one's back in salt water almost replicates the sensation. But we can never fly or float as accurately and effortlessly as a bird or a fish. The ability for some living entities to fly is for us acintya sakti or inconceivable power. Similarly Lord Maha Visnu lies down in the causal ocean effortlessly generating trillions of universes while relaxing in yoga nidra or mystic slumber.
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People's health could be harmed by social networking sites because they reduce levels of face-to-face contact, an expert claims. Dr. Aric Sigman says websites such as Facebook set out to enrich social lives, but end up keeping people apart. |
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Divorce adds to the impact of global warming as couples switch to wasteful single lifestyles, Australian senator Steve Fielding says. He told a Senate hearing on today that divorce led to a "resource-inefficient lifestyle" and it would be better for the planet if couples stayed married. |
Sympathizing with Hollywood celebrity Mike Myers over his “Love Guru” being declared the “worst movie” of the year, protesting Hindus have offered forgiveness if he pays his obeisance in a Hindu temple. US-based Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who led the protests against “The Love Guru” for lampooning Hinduism starting March last, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that ksama (forgiveness) was one of the main virtues of Hindu ethics. |
by noreply@blogger.com (Devadeva Mirel) at February 28, 2009 05:12 AM
Date: February 25, 2009
Verse: Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.24.13
Speaker: Sivarama Swami
etavaty eva susrusa karya pitari putrakaih
badham ity anumanyeta gauravena guror vacah
by course@ultimateselfrealization.com at February 28, 2009 03:30 AM
For most people, when they are told that they should fast on a certain day or give up certain foods as a sacrifice to God, they think of it as a burden and spend the entire day thinking of all of the good foods that they are missing and they think about the ways that they have inconvenienced themselves for God. Strange isn’t it? Fasting means that a person has a level of commitment to God and to their worship and still something as minimal as giving up a few choice dishes counts as an inconvenience? What to speak of the things that we as people as God for everyday. (more…)
What a pleasant surprise. For those who like their films visually appealing and literate, intelligent and delightful, this will be a most satisfying entertainment. It is G-rated though it is not a children's film. The screenplay is an imaginative expansion by Alan Sharp (Rob Roy) of a small novel written in 1936. The book is principally conversations between the narrator of the novel and the Anglican dean who comes to dinner to discuss reincarnation. |
Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (One day) the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
- Acts 19:13-16
As you may be aware, for the last month or so, in between shifting atma and my usual day job, I've been working an apologetic pamphlet to distribute on Harinam, tentatively titled: "What do Hare Krishnas think about...?"
An "apologetic" text is one designed to present a point of view to people outside the tradition. The target audience has a different value structure that must be taken into account, and that's what makes an apologetic presentation different from "preaching to the choir".
In the course of preparing this I've been thinking about a lot of things, and discussing things with people.
Something I've come to notice is what I call "Prabhupadism". Prabhupadism can become a philosophical deviation - one that changes the epistemology (valid means of knowing, or sources of knowledge) of Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy. Whereas Srila Prabhupada taught, in the line of Madhavacarya and Jiva Goswami that our epistemology relies on guru, sadhu, sastra, anumana, and pratyaksa, Prabhupadism asserts that the epistemology is "Prabhupada uvaca" and nothing else.
The problem with this is two-fold:
First of all, without the complete epistemology it is impossible to distinguish between different things that Srila Prabhupada said for different reasons. In Prabhupadism, a thing is true because Srila Prabhupada said it. Prabhupada uvaca is the ultimate and independent pramana (evidence). This makes it impossible to distinguish between essential and unchangeable points, and details of presentation.
Secondly, it makes it very difficult to present Krishna Consciousness to people who do not accept Srila Prabhupada as pramana. If your ultimate statement is: "Srila Prabhupada said it, and I believe it! then you are going to have a hard time convincing others on that basis.
Rather than things being true because Srila Prabhupada said it, Srila Prabhupada said some things because they are true, and said other things because they were the most appropriate thing to say given the time, place, audience he was speaking to, and effect he wished to achieve. Distinguishing between these two requires analysing Srila Prabhupada's statements in light of the other pramanas - something which he himself taught.
I can use an analogy to make this clearer.
An analogy
My son, Prahlad, will sometimes say something like: "Because my father said so!"
That is good for him, because it works. However, it will be ineffective in convincing others. While for him "my father said so" is a valid pramana, for others it is not. As an apologetic it is ineffective.
In the same way, if we say: "because Prabhuapada said so", it may be useful in fixing our own understanding, but it does nothing to convince others. If it is true because Srila Prabhupada said it, then to say: "because Srila Prabhupada said so" is the ultimate and independent pramana, and there is nothing more that can be said about it.
However, as my son grows up my hope is that he will understand that the things that I have said to him I have said for a reason. For example, if my son asks me: "Why?", will I reply with: "because my father said so!"
No. I will explain to him the underlying reasoning. As he grows older he will no longer say: "Because my father said so", and he will begin to understand and own the conclusions himself, and to be able to present and rationally defend them.
Things are not true because I have said them - I have said them because they are true, and I can demonstrate that.
That kind of presentation will be effective.
Prabhupada and Prabhupadism
Srila Prabhupada himself did not practice Prabhupadism. Neither did he say: "It is true because I say so!", nor did he say: "because (my) Srila Prabhupada said so!".
He spoke on the strength of the standard pramanas of our philosophy and his personal realization of it.
To hark back to the biblical passage at the beginning of this post - if all you have is "Prabhupada said" then that may be good enough for you, but if you can't *say it yourself* and defend it with multiple pramanas and an apologetic, forget about being able to communicate and convince.
In other words: Prabhupada might have said that, but you are not Prabhupada. What do you have to say for yourself?
Without being able to present it and defend it without resorting to "Prabhupada said", then you will be incapable of presenting and defending the tradition in an apologetic setting, outside the tradition, and will instead get a beating.
Kanistha-adhikari means one who is convinced, but cannot convince others because he lacks the background knowledge. Madhyama-adhikari has the background justifications and can examine and present different perspectives, and demonstrate why the one he is advocating is the superior solution.
To have only "Prabhupada said" is a natural stage of growth, just like at a certain stage a child has only "my father said so" as his pramana. However, to extend this to be the ultimate and independent pramana is to turn it into a deviant doctrine.
I'll be giving more examples of this as I present some of the things that I've been thinking about over the next while.
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