Hare Krishna

I was just contemplating the October 18, 1977, conversation with Srila Prabhupada about Mr. Chowdury’s desire to be initiated by him, and a new realization came that makes it seem definite that he did not authorize Jayapataka Swami (or anyone else) to be a diksa guru on or before that date.

Chowdury came to India aspiring for initiation by Srila Prabhupada, and though rtviks had been deputized to take care of the whole process, Srila Prabhupada was for some reason notified about Mr. Chowdury’s desire for initiation. Srila Prabhupada confirmed that JPS was on the list of deputized rtviks and said he could do it.

The trouble with thinking that Srila Prabhupada authorized the 11 rtviks to act as actual initiating gurus (in addition to other reasons that I won’t repeat right now) is that if Srila Prabhupada would not accept him as his disciple, he should have let Mr. Chowdury choose a guru from “the list” rather than deciding for him.

The notion that Sria Prabhupada would have usurped Mr. Chowdury’s free will and picked JPS without even talking to Mr. Chowdury about it is very doubtful, to put it mildly. It’s like Zonal Acarya thinking, but worse, since Chowdury was from USA and just visiting India. It is impersonal and makes Srila Prabhupada look bad.

Why would Srila Prabhupada deny Chowdury the right to choose a guru who inspires him (like the Zonal Acarya era) and even then pick for him a guru who resides on the opposite side of the globe? What if Chowdury did not like JPS for some reason? It contradicts the notion that the disciple has to test the guru, effectively giving him no role in the matter. I cannot believe Srila Prabhupada would trample over anyone’s freedom to approach the guru of one’s own choice by making the choice for him, especially if he had also authorized others to give initiation too.

Although there are many other reasons to think Srila Prabhupada had only authorized rtviks as of October 18, 1977, which I think are sufficient themselves, some others do not agree. I will be surprised if they can refute this analysis.

Please discuss.

Hare Krishna.

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)

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.

This is the conclusion of the chatur shloki.

Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 10, Verse 11

tesam evanukampartham
aham ajnana-jam tamah
nasayamy atma-bhavastho
jnana-dipena bhasvata

Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.
-Srila Prabhupada

Out of compassion for them, I dwelling within their soul destroy the darkness born of ignorance with the effulgent lamp of knowledge.
-Tripurari Swami

Only out of compassion for these ananya-bhaktas do I, dwelling within the core of their hearts, destroy the darkness of samsara, born of ignorance, with the blazing lamp of transcendental knowledge.
-Narayana Maharaja

For them especially,
    out of compassion,
    dwelling as the Self
    within their hearts,
I dispel the darkness
    that arises from
    the absence of knowledge
    with the radiant
    lamp of knowledge.
-Garuda dasa (Graham M. Schweig)

It’s amazing how closely each of the verses follows the next. Obviously one was influenced by the ones before it, but that is part of the tradition. Build what you can on the foundations of what you’ve learned.

Our first line (and first word of the second), tesam evanukampartham aham has to be flipped around to make much sense in English. Srila Prabhupada and Tripurari Swami both translate: “Out of compassion for them, I…” but discard the Sanskrit word eva, meaning “certainly” or “only” (depending on who is doing the translating).

The word tesam means “for them.” The “them” is a reference to “the wise.” from the first two verses (Bg 10.08 & 10.09).

However, while Narayana Maharaja includes eva (here, translating it as “only”), he seems to redefine “the wise”: Only out of compassion for these ananya bhaktas do I,…” He has made no prior reference to ananya bhaktas in his translations of the chatur shloki.

What he is referencing is the commentary by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. Ananya bhaktas are devotees of God that have no other desire than to serve God. Narayana Maharaja seems to be tying together his translation with the commentary of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

Garuda dasa’s poetic translations keeps as close to the original Sanskrit as possible: “For them especially, out of compassion….” He broadens the word eva, before translated as “only,” to mean “especially.” It’s a bit of a difference, but keeps with his trend of widening the Bhagavad-gita.

The second line aham ajnana-jam tamah and the third line nasayamy atma-bhavastho must be inverted and inter-mingled (even by Garuda dasa) to make much sense in English.

All of our translators choose to use the phrase atma-bhavasto, meaning, as Srila Prabhupada [and Garuada dasa] put it: “dwelling [as the Self] in their hearts.” Narayana Maharaja is a bit more specific with “core of their hearts.” Tripurari Swami exchanges the word “heart” for “soul.”

“Destroy” is how three of our authors translate nasayami in their verses. Srila Prabhupada glosses it as “dispel” in his word-for-word and that is the translation that Garuda dasa chose to use in his edition. “Dispel,” has a much more refined connotation than “destroy” does. You dispel doubts while you destroy enemies.

But what is it that Krishna is destroying and dispelling? Ajnana-jam tamaha, “the darkness born of ignorance,” as Srila Prabhupada, Tripurari Swami and Narayana Maharaja put it.

As often is the case, we find Narayana Maharaja adding Sanskrit words that were not in the original Sanskrit. He seems to be doing this to provide commentary not just in his purports, but in the verse as well. This is a common thing, Srila Prabhupada has done it (along with many other gurus in our line).

Here, Krishna is destroying not just the darkness, but the darkness of samsara, the cycle of repeated birth and death. When he does this, he is often taking after a previous commentator of the Bhagavad-gita. But here, he merely seems to be clarifying.

Srila Prabhupada, in his word-for-word, glosses ajnana-jam as “due to ignorance,” but chose the more poetic “born of ignorance.”

In Garuda dasa’s translation, Krishna is dispelling “the darkness that arises from the absence of knowledge.”

Srila Prabhupada moved the fourth line, jnana-dipena bhasvata, literally “the glowing lamp of knowledge,” to where the third line would be. His translation is slightly confusing at first, feeling muddled up. We first learn Krishna will destroy something and that his “weapon” is “the shining lamp of knowledge.” Only then do we learn about the “darkness born of ignorance.”

While Srila Prabhupada used “glowing” in his word-for-word, he used “shining” in his verse. Tripurari Swami chose “effulgent” and Narayana Maharaja used “blazing.” Garuda dasa picked “radiant.” It seems that all definitions and connotations here fully describe and add to the description of Krishna’s lamp of knowledge.

Narayana Maharaja clarifies further with defining this as the lamp of “transcendental knowledge.”

This is one of those verses that needs to be read a couple of times so your mind can put everything in a logical order. Srila Prabhupada’s verse is written in a much older, flowery style. While I usually prefer that, here it can become messy to our modern minds. Narayana Maharaja’s is very nice as well, but his additions, I feel, hurt his translation. Garuda dasa’s Gita can hardly be held in comparison since its purpose is mostly to be poetic rather than simply philosophical.

Tripurari Swami’s Gita once again seems to be clearest to me. Still, the verse seems cloudy. This is, no doubt, a great example of the trouble from translating from Sanskrit to English. Sometimes it works out pretty perfectly, but other times, such as in this case, it’s nearly impossible to make clear what is being said.

Nevertheless, with a little perseverance, it becomes clear that out of compassion for those that are fully devoted to God, He dwells within their hearts. By His presence, He destroys the darkness that is ignorance with His lamp of knowledge.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in his commentary (speaking “as” Krishna): “The basic idea is that the insignificant jiva (soul) can never attain real tattva-jnana (conclusive knowledge of the truth) merely on the strength of his own intelligence. No matter how much he deliberates, he can never achieve even a particle of pur jnana (intelligence). But if I bless him, then even an insignificant jiva can easily acquire complete and thorough transcendental knowledge by the influence of My acintya-sakti (inconceivable potency).”

He concludes (as do I) that it is our right to acquire the perfect knowledge of God, not by reasoning, but by devotion to God.

Today is Ekadasi, a bi-monthly fast day observed by Hindus and Jains throughout the world. There are different degrees of observance, the most basic being fasting from grains and beans. A simple Ekadasi snack that I prepare for my kids every Ekadasi is toasted lotus puffies, or phool makhana. 

Amritamsa das: PRISON.PREACHING.IS.THE.WAVE.OF.THE.FUTURE.OF.SPREADING.THE.NAME.OF.KRSNA I.WOULD.LIKE.SOME.SUPPORT.TO.IMPRESS.UPON.THE.PRISON.SYSTEM.HERE.IN.MAUI .TO. HAVE.ME.COME.IN.DAILY.IF.POSSIBLE.TO.HOLD.KRSNA.CONSCIOUS.PROGRAMS.

Correction: Oops!  We made a mistake!  This picture was actually from the original installation of Sri Sri Radha Ksira-Chora Gopinatha in 1972 (we stated earlier that this was a picture from 1976, when the Deities first came to our current temple).  It makes it even more special!

As a small treat, here is a photo of our dear Deities, Sri Sri Radha Ksira-Chora Gopinatha!  We'd love to see some comments and dicussion from our blog visitors about how much our beloved Deities have changed over the years!  Or simply comments to let us know if you would like to see some more "flashback photos"!

Mithuna Das: The Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir, the residence of Sri Sri Hari Haladhari , is a very vibrant , and rapidly growing temple in South Richmond Hill, Queens, NY.

By Ravindra Svarupa dasa

Before I encountered the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, I was engaged in graduate religious studies in a university. One day a professor remarked: “The issue is not whether or not God exists. The issue is whether or not God is available.”

By Deena Bandhu dasa

Everyone kept coming to us and profusely thanking us for this wonderful festival and asking why we didn't do it before. We told them it was Radha Shyamsundar's desire, they were tired of seeing Their devotees pushed and shoved in a crowded temple room and They wanted to come to the Yamuna where everyone could peacefully participate.

By Ramadevi dasi

The cost of the medical treatment so far has been upwards of $20,000 and Jahnu is not out of there yet. So it could be as much as $30,000 by the end. Many of you have enquired as to how you may offer some financial assistance for the medical expenses.

Srila Rupa Gosvami writes in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.101):

sruti-smri-puranadi-
pancaratra-vidhim vina
aikantiki harer bhaktir
utpptayaiva kalpate

"Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upanisads, Puranas and Narada-pancaratra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society."

tanc dhotiban

The most important quality to develop for becoming successful on the path of Krishna bhakti is the quality of tolerance. In this material world there are unlimited disturbances one after another after another. If we allow ourselves to become disturbed by these disturbances, we will not be able to absorb our minds peacefully in chanting the Lord's holy...

by Ramadevi Devi dasi

Dear Friends of Braja Sevaki and Jahnudvipa,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Hare Krishna.

For now the general news about Braja and Jahnu is good. As you may well know, Braja is back in Mayapur and, for the time being, recuperating at my house. She’s still very sore all over but her face is improving every day.
And today she wanted cheese and tomato toast for breakfast so things are looking up :0)

Jahnu was moved to a private room yesterday and will have a 24 hour attendant with him as Braja is not able to be there. He still has one chest drain in and was sedated again because of agitation. The doctors say this is normal in these situations. But hopefully, being in a private room will be more peaceful for him and he can make speedy progress. He still needs many of your prayers.

The cost of the medical treatment so far has been upwards of $20,000 and Jahnu is not out of there yet. So it could be as much as $30,000 by the end. Many of you have enquired as to how you may offer some financial assistance for the medical expenses.
After discussing it here and understanding that some of you may be concerned as to where the money might go, we decided it would be best for donors to send the money for Braja and Jahnu directly to Braja’s personal account.

We will be setting up a paypal account which will be accessible from Braja's blogsite http://lostandfoundinindia.blogspot.com

Anybody sending a donation should let me know by email as to when and how much you have sent so we can keep track of it.

There will be separate information for donations to help the driver but I haven’t been given them yet. I’ll send them out as soon as I can.

Braja and Jahnu are so grateful for all the love being sent their way. They feel that their recoveries have been expedited by all your love and prayers. Thank you on their behalf.

"And big licks from the cow shed!" said Braja!!

Your servant
Ramadevi dasi

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is loudly chanting, the holy name ecstatically dancing of its own on the theatrical stage of His tongue, as He counts the names (on knots) on a strip of kaupina cloth with His effulgent hand. His eyes are large and His long arms, which are all-embracing as He performs His pastimes, reach down to His knees. When will Sri Caitanyadeva become again visible on the path of my eyes?
Sri Caitanyastakam 5

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu becomes very blissful as He is chanting the holy names with upraised arms, drenching the ground with streams of His tears. His limbs are decorated with horripilation, which defeats the beauty of fresh kadamba blossoms. His entire body is moist with perspiration. When will Sri Caitanyadeva become again visible on the path of my eyes?
Sri Caitanyastakam 8

May Lord Gauranga bless your chanting and help you avoid the 10 offenses and be able to concentrate... feeling the purifying effects of the mantra.

March 21, 4:16 A.M.

Early-morning japa log

The other day, just after writing about dreams and saying I didn’t have many, I had a terrible nightmare last night. Black magic cultists were fighting agaisnt Hare Krishnas. We were able to beat them up, but we couldn’t cause an explosion, which we were trying to make. Every time we tried to set up the explosion, they made some trick to avoid it. The dream woke me up at about 11:30 P.M., and I discovered I had a headache. I took some medicine and went back to sleep. A good night’s sleep is very important for peacefulness. When I am getting regular, uninterrupted sleep at night, I feel right about my life. It sets you up for a good early-morning japa session. But this morning after the interruption, I didn’t wake up until 4:15 A.M. Now my japa will be way behind. My head has cleared up after the headache. I made affirmations in my mind, telling myself my life in the yellow submarine is fine and best for me. In the bathroom in the shower, I thought about my poetry. A friend remarked that I’m creating a dichotomy in the journal, with passages of Radha and Krishna on the one hand and jazz poems on the other. I think he likes the poems, but he used the word “dichotomy.” I’m going to have to ask him what he meant by it. My editor thinks the poems are great. He says they’re some of the best that I’ve written and that they show my powers of perception. For the time being, I approve them.

Oh well, here goes, starting japa at 4:45 A.M.

Baladeva suggested that I just do my eight rounds in the house and not go to the beach early. That way I won’t be anxious about being so far behind. So I did it. I chanted quickly and dwelt on the syllables, but my mind was also wandering to other things, such as the poems. But I like to chant. I like the bouncing along from mantra to mantra and the accumulation of the numerical strength. I look to my heart for deeper dimension, the desire to chant, and it was present. But I had a tinge of wanting to get the rounds done, which marred my deep chanting. I chanted quite audibly at first, but then realized it was slowing me down, and so I went to a whisper. The best thing was that I was able to chant the eight rounds consecutively without being sleepy and getting them done at a good pace. The weakest thing was the tinge of wanting to get them done.

Two Pieces of One: Red

Are you afraid to write jazz poems,

think they’re not parampara?

But they’re sweet and virile.

Here’s one with an opening bass

solo. He’s by himself, strumming

a thoughtful staccattto, the

others are waiting silently.

Then they come on, haunting horn,

Tony Williams’ lead drumming

driving from the back. It’s

modern, dissonant, experimenting.

Sam Rivers on tenor exploring

the ranges in a lost way

but he knows what he’s doing.

Where is Krishna? Is He hiding in

the second bass solo, so complex

and thoughtful, arrhythmic?

I want to say He is. I want

to stay with it. But maybe

I shouldn’t. The group

harmonizes gently,

“two pieces of one.”

So maybe I should.

Ca-Lee-So

It’s upbeat, harmony

with Latino hint

Lee Morgan’s group.

He is known for open blast

no shyness,

the piano’s behind

him in calypso beat.

Joe Henderson on tenor, happy.

When they’re happy and talented

you want to go with them

And not hold back and think it’s wrong.

“Where’s the hari-katha?,” the others ask.

I can’t say it’s there but the

happiness and rhythm is surely

from God’s toe.

So I stick with it and try to share

with you a jolly sound and convincing you it’s holy joe.

What if it’s not?

Is it naughty to do?

It’s in His world. I don’t see

what’s so wrong.

It’s a Latin beat and happy

to bring us out of blue

making us feel good.

What’s wrong with that?

6:56 A.M.

I’ll ask my friend what he meant by “dichotomy.” He’s well-disposed toward me and my journal, and so I think he’ll say something favorable. But to be objective, I looked it up in the dictionary. The word “dichotomy” is defined as “division into two parts or classifications, especially when they are sharply distinguished or opposed.” This puts my mixture of Radha and Krishna in the poems in an unfavorable light. To this I reply that they are not dichotomous. I think the word is used wrongly. They are certainly different means of expression, but they are not necessarily against each other. One is describing a topmost goal of Gaudiya Vaisnavism, and the other is celebrating the unharmful delights of a music which I see as spiritual. Some of the definition of “spiritual” include “standing in a relationship based on communication between souls or minds: a spiritual father. Having a mind or emotions of a high and delicately refined quality. Also used in reference to a type of religious song originating among black slaves in the American south.” These definitions could all apply to jazz music. By writing the poems, I have rediscovered a means of giving myself great pleasure in poetic expression. That in itself is a reason to do them. I offer them to Krishna. I offer them to the readers of The Yellow Submarine. I use my God-given writing talent. Rupa Goswami says that to renounce something material that could be used in the service of Krishna is false renunciation. He terms the process of using material things for Krishna as yukta-vairagya. I contend there is nothing off-puttish in America’s classical music. The inclusion of the poems is not a dichotomy to the journal, a clash of opposites. Rather, it makes the day’s writing richer.

10:25 A.M.

Baladeva has installed a four-foot by eight-food corkboard against the wall, and I’m free to fill it with drawings. I hope it will impel me to become more active with my sketchbook. I procrastinate terribly in going to draw. I like to do simple things that I can execute quickly without a lot of time and details. Black-on-white is fine, freehand. Sadhus dancing and sitting with japa-mala. Faces and forms that start out without planning. Craggy heads and arms and legs at ecstatic angles. Where is the time to do it? I spend my time alone, but the day is busy, and I have to rest with headaches. Still, this vast, empty corkboard is staring me in the face, and it must be filled with drawings.

Publishing one installment of The Yellow Submarine per day also keeps me busy. I have to keep my hand moving to produce at least five pages of typed material to make it substantial enough. Think of something to say.

My editor suggested (somewhat playfully) that I change the subheading of “My dear Lord Krishna...” to “My dear Srimati Radharani....” He’s come to this conclusion after reading the sections on Radha dasya in Bhajana-rahasya. Talk with the real Boss, the real Interlocutor. I said back to him, “How about, “My dear Radha and Krishna...”? But I’ll probably keep it as “My dear Lord Krishna....” The male purusa concept of God is deeply embedded in me, since my earliest childhood. I know Srimati Radharani is the controller of the Supreme Controller, but I feel I am not advanced enough to speak to Her directly. I will pray to the Divine Couple (yugala kisora) in my prayers, but sometimes I lapse into praying to “God, the Supreme Lord,” the isvara parama of Bhagavad-gita and Brahma-samhita. Govindam adi purusam tam aham bhajami. I’m tainted with the aisvarya bhava (worship of God in awe and reverence). I’d like to talk more to Krishna as the sportive lover of all the residents of Vraja, especially the gopis, and I shall do so. But I cannot pray yet like Raghunatha dasa Goswami in Stavavali or Vilapa-kusamanjali, where he speaks in his internal mood as a gopi manjari and begs direct service of Radharani. For now, I’ll still address my prayers to “my dear Lord Krishna,” but try to remember that He doesn’t like so much awe and reverence and that he is always associated with Srimati Radharani.

Before you know it, it’s time for lunch. Baladeva cooks nicely from his list of twenty-one “comfort meals,” alternating them for variety. Today it’s ravioli. We sit and read, or if we have guests, we talk. It only takes about twenty minutes. The other men eat especially fast compared to me. Everything is offered to majestic Gaura-Nitai. A sweet for desert. Just after lunch, I sometimes feel a little lonely and remain inactive. That would be a good time for drawing or reading, if I felt up to it. Then writing my prayers, unless I’ve written them earlier. Then the afternoon relaxation session, which is a new addition (approved by my doctor). Then it’s 5:00 P.M. before you know it and time for afternoon japa. At 6:30 P.M. is a snack, and then the evening quickly winds down toward my 8:00 P.M. rest time.

11:28 A.M.

My dear Lord Krishna...

In The Nectar of Devotion, Rupa Goswami has written many wonderful examples to illustrate symptoms of bodily ecstasy. Many of them involve Your dearmost Radharani. When Akrura was taking Krishna away from Vrndavana, Radharani became so perturbed that in a faltering voice, She requested Mother Yasoda to please stop Akrura. When the gopis came to You desiring to dance with You, You asked them to go back home. They apparently became very angry and began to talk to You with faltering voices. When You were trying to capture the demon Sanka, Radharani began trembling out of fearfulness. Trembling was also exhibited by Radharani out of tribulation. Radharani trembled as She told one of the gopis, “Don’t joke with this disappointing Boy! Please ask Him not to approach Me, because He is always the cause of all grief for us.”

Of course, all the symptoms, apparently in tribulation, are sources of joy for Radharani. Even Her apparently negative moods are expressions of Her undying love for You. You Two are always exchanging in a dynamic way. You like Your devotees to become fit to relish the pastimes of You and Radharani. We have to hear in the right attitude, realizing always that You are transcendental lovers, but if we do so, You encourage us heartily to take part in Radha-Krishna katha.

In fact, You want us to join with You and Radha in the spiritual world. This is very rare to achieve, and one has to become completely pure and absolutely greedy to have it. It could be attained in three ways. Either by perfecting our practice of sadhana bhakti or by the direct mercy of You or one of Your maha-bhagavatas, or by sphurti, the direct revelation in the heart. I want to go on improving myself, increasing my sadhana and growing in my capacity to hear and relish the ways to attain Your service. In this material world, we best serve You by strictly following the orders of our spiriutal master. He intercedes for us and is sometimes called the representative of Radharani. That is, if the spiritual master or Radharani recommends us to You, You will not fail to accept us. When Radharani says to You, “This devotee is nice,” You quickly agree to usher him or her into the Kingdom of God.

I am a very small devotee, and I’m aware of my lack of qualifications. I’ve been told that an advanced devotee feels he has no good qualifications at all. If that’s true, then I’ve got something working in my favor. But the advanced devotees are fully engaged in Your service, fearlessly, compassionately, and in full renunciation. So I should not make a claim for advancement based on my poor qualities. That would be too cheap and cheating. I only ask You and Radharani to take pity on me and bless me with actual qualifications and true humility. I say, “Bless me,” but what do I mean by that? The burden of improvement.is on myself. You are giving all opportunities according to my capacity. It is I who have to enter the circle of blessing by taking up the mood of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and becoming a preacher and sadhaka of good habits. Still, I ask You both to please stand before me and give me Your grace. Let me behold You and go on hearing Your radiant pastimes.

read more sdgonline.org: the yellow submarine, my bhajana kutir #17 →

1966 March 21: "Pratipada. I distributed Prasadam to all at Dr. Mishra's Apartment. In the evening there was meeting. Five ladies and gentlemen attended. Geeta explained about individuality of living entities. Income $2.00. No expenditure."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1967 March 21: "My dear Satsvarupa, you have not followed my instructions and now you are already in trouble. I do not know how I can help in great blunder. I can only hope that Krishna will help you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1968 March 21: "ISOKRISHNA means International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and also, that Krishna is the All-Attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it is all-round perfect.
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1969 March 21: "Your comments about my disciples are so much encouraging for me. One who appreciates a sincere devotee is eligible to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1971 March 21: "About the guru next door, as well as other so-called sadhus, why be disturbed? Sincere people will be attracted by the purity of your message."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1973 March 21: "Yes, your Temple is always gathering nice devotees and I accept them. Now recruit many more young people to join our movement, it is their only future hope."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 March 21: "Please impress on him that this second initiation is not awarded cheaply or automatically, and that he must be very strict. Have him hear the tape in the right ear."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.7.14 - Actual yoga practice is to fix one's mind on Krsna.

...our view is that we shall be strictly following the rules and regulations. Monetary matters are secondary. On principle, we should better starve than neglect our rules and regulations.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Hamsaduta -- Sydney 11 April, 1972

Denton, btw, turns out to be a Kiwi

From Denton's Evolution: A Theory in Crisis:

This was a seed which was ultimately to flower in The Origin of Species into a new and revolutionary view of the living world which implied that all the diversity of life on Earth had resulted from natural and random processes and not, as was previously believed, from the creative activity of God.

- Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, p17 [emphasis added]

Herein lies the rub. Notice the assumption - natural processes and God's creative activity are seen as contradictory.

This is because the Christian creation narrative, the dominant theistic paradigm in the West at the time, is a story which, when read literally, constitutes special intervention. In other words, God creates by effectively suspending the normal laws of physics, chemistry and biology, and not through them.

In contrast, according to the Vedic narrative the material nature is responsible for the production and development of the physical bodies (for example: Bg. 9.10). Narratives which involve the Lord's direct intervention exist for the purpose of establishing that the material nature is not a self-sufficient and ultimate causal agent, but is the mechanism through which the Lord acts (SB 2.10.45).

If the Christian creation narrative is read in this way it makes perfect sense also, however at the time the Church, following on from its opposition to Copernicus (round earth) and Galileo (heliocentric solar system), insisted on a literal (empirical) reading.

The conclusions flowing from this insistence have carried over to today, 150 years later, and people still see "natural processes" as somehow atheistic.

"Random" is a word, not an explanation of a process

The question of "random" I discussed in an earlier post. Computer programmers well know that there is no such thing as "random" - just highly complex. That's what Chaos Theory [wikipedia] is about:

In mathematics, chaos theory describes the behavior of certain dynamical systems – that is, systems whose states evolve with time – that may exhibit dynamics that are highly sensitive to initial conditions (popularly referred to as the butterfly effect). As a result of this sensitivity, which manifests itself as an exponential growth of perturbations in the initial conditions, the behavior of chaotic systems appears to be random. This happens even though these systems are deterministic, meaning that their future dynamics are fully defined by their initial conditions, with no random elements involved. This behavior is known as deterministic chaos, or simply chaos.

- Chaos theory, Wikipedia

Causality and the initial conditions of the universe

The question about causality goes back to the initial conditions of the universe and how they are set. A book like Martin Rees' Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces that Shape the Universe explains the parameters of the universe that make life as we know it possible - numbers such as the relative strength of electrical and gravitational forces.

In Sanskrit these fundamental, intrinsic properties of the fabric of space-time are known as dharma. The Bhagavatam states:

dharmam tu saksad bhagavat pranitam
Dharma is directly enacted by the Supreme Person
- Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.19

This is a metaphysical statement about the ontology of the universe.

Presently, scientists posit a mechanism for the evolution of universes similar to that for the evolution of life forms. There are many, many universes, each with different fundamental conditions within it.

The Vedic narrative is one step ahead of this, already explaining such a multiverse scenario in its creation narrative; and more, it describes the "container" within which these multiple universes exist.

Conclusion

My conclusion is that modern Christian Creationism and Directed Intelligent Design is very different from Vedic metaphysics. Krishna is "aloof from all the activities of this material world" (Bg 9.10p). He does become involved directly in the life of His devotee (Bg. 4.11), however this is a special case which does not apply to general creation of the manifested universe and its maintenance, which are carried out automatically by His parasya shakti.

In another post I will address the teleological arguments (arguments about "purpose") of Denton's book "Nature's Destiny". Again, arguments based on Christianity are not compatible with those of Vedic metaphysics due to the fundamental difference that Christian metaphysics (as much as they exist) equate the living entity with the body, which makes a huge difference in this case.

1966 March 21: "Pratipada. I distributed Prasadam to all at Dr. Mishra's Apartment. In the evening there was meeting. Five ladies and gentlemen attended. Geeta explained about individuality of living entities. Income $2.00. No expenditure."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1967 March 21: "My dear Satsvarupa, you have not followed my instructions and now you are already in trouble. I do not know how I can help in great blunder. I can only hope that Krishna will help you."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1967

1968 March 21: "ISOKRISHNA means International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and also, that Krishna is the All-Attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it is all-round perfect.
Prabhupada Letters :: 1968

1969 March 21: "Your comments about my disciples are so much encouraging for me. One who appreciates a sincere devotee is eligible to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1971 March 21: "About the guru next door, as well as other so-called sadhus, why be disturbed? Sincere people will be attracted by the purity of your message."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1973 March 21: "Yes, your Temple is always gathering nice devotees and I accept them. Now recruit many more young people to join our movement, it is their only future hope."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

This just came into the inbox. If everyone chips in a little then we can help them pay for medical costs.

If you want to use a credit card, or avoid costly international fees, you can make a donation into my PayPal account and, as Gopala is my witness, every penny will go to Braja and Jahnu (except for the small percentage PayPal takes as a transaction fee.)

Click here:

-----------

Dear Friends of Braja Sevaki and Jahnudvipa Prabhus,

Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

For now the general news about Braja and Jahnu is good. As you may well know, Braja is back in Mayapur and, for the time being, recuperating at my house. She’s still very sore all over but her face is improving every day. And today she wanted cheese and tomato toast for breakfast so things are looking up :0)

Jahnu was moved to a private room yesterday and will have a 24 hour attendant with him as Braja is not able to be there. He still has one chest drain in and was sedated again because of agitation. The doctors say this is normal in these situations. But hopefully, being in a private room will be more peaceful for him and he can make speedy progress. He still needs many of your prayers.

The cost of the medical treatment so far has been upwards of $20,000 and Jahnu is not out of there yet. So it could be as much as $30,000 by the end. Many of you have enquired as to how you may offer some financial assistance for the medical expenses. After discussing it here and understanding that some of you may be concerned as to where the money might go, we decided it would be best for donors to send the money for Braja and Jahnu directly to Braja’s personal account.

Account name: Bonnie A Stewart
Account number: 5000 1040 6355
Bank name: Commonwealth Bank Of Australia
Branch: Adelaide
Swift code: CTBAAU 2S500

Anybody sending a donation should let me know by email as to when and how much you have sent so we can keep track of it.

There will be separate information for donations to help the driver but I haven’t been given them yet. I’ll send them out as soon as I can.

Braja and Jahnu are so grateful for all the love being sent their way. They feel that their recoveries have been expedited by all your love and prayers. Thank you on their behalf.

"And big licks from the cow shed!" said Braja!!

Your servant Ramadevi dasi

1974 March 21: "Please impress on him that this second initiation is not awarded cheaply or automatically, and that he must be very strict. Have him hear the tape in the right ear."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

Hare Krsna Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

As I mentioned before the Mayapura festival, the book distribution seminars by Bhrghupati Prabhu and myself would be available for hearing and downloading. They are on www.iskcondesiretree.com Go to the preaching catagory, book distribution, then audio. We hope they inspire you to distribute Srila Prabhupada's books. The recordings are good except for the first few seconds on some of them you'll hear some crackling, other than that they're okay.

your servant, Vijaya das

I can't find it, but one of my correspondents cited Michael Denton as a scientific authority for their anti-evolution, special creationist stance. I got Denton's anti-evolution book, "Evolution: A theory in crisis" to read it, so that I can have an informed opinion.

Now I find out that Michael Denton doesn't even stand by the book any more himself (it was written in 1985).

This book review of Denton's follow-up book "Nature's Destiny": From the impossibility of evolution to the inevitability of evolution: Anti-Evolutionist Michael Denton turns into an 'Evolutionist', makes it abundantly clear that Denton now sees evolution as the natural mechanism by which different life forms develop.

I can't remember who quoted Denton to me, but whoever it was: wtf? I go to check out your guy to see what his chops are, and he's not even in to himself any more. Your guy is advocating the same approach that I am!

I think that the two points that I made in the previous post are what changed his mind: understanding that "chance" doesn't intrinsically mean "atheism"; and approaching the evidence with an open mind (always dangerous if you want to remain a fanatic).

ISKCON Mayapur’s small deities of Sri Sri Radha Madhava were taken to the lake in front of the Pushpa Samadhi, a temple in honor of ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada, for their annual Boat Festival this March 9. The deities were carried to the lake at 6pm in a chanting procession, surrounded by enthusiastically dancing devotees. The crowd watched intently as priests placed the deities carefully onto the ornate, altar-like boat, aligned their throne, and decorated them with flowers.

Hare Krsna Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

As I mentioned before the Mayapura festival, the book distribution seminars by Bhrghupati Prabhu and myself would be available for hearing and downloading. They are on www.iskcondesiretree.com Go to the preaching catagory, book distribution, then audio. We hope they inspire you to distribute Srila Prabhupada's books. The recordings are good except for the first few seconds on some of them you'll hear some crackling, other than that they're okay.

your servant, Vijaya das

At the ISKCON center in Mayapur they treat cows kindly. It’s true for most of India, to be sure, but the Krishna Devotees have created an Old Cows Home that really does it right. I took walks there in the mornings while in India for the URI Global Assembly. The story goes like this: in West Bengal, if a cow gets old and stops giving milk, it’s hard on the farmer’s pocketbook to keep feeding her/him/it. But in India people rarely kill cows so what to do?

Recently the principal of ISKCON's Bhaktivedanta College in Radhadesh, Belgium was approved to enter the renounced order of life known as sannyasa in the Vedic tradition. Below is an interview conducted by Dina Dayala Dasa that highlights the reasoning behind his making such a committment.

Devotees from ISKCON’s headquarters in Mayapur, India gathered in the nearby town of Shantipur this March 8 to celebrate the annual festival there. The Shantipur festival is held in the house of fifteenth century saint Advaita Acarya, one of the four primary associates of Shri Chaitanya, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

The annual “Boat Festival” is one of the most unique events at ISKCON’s Krishna Balarama temple in the holy town of Vrindavana, India. Every spring, devotees fill the temple’s courtyard with water to create a pool, decorate its surface with flowers, and take the temple’s presiding deities of Radha-Shyamasundar on a ride in an ornate, flower-bedecked boat. But the event has become almost too popular in recent years, with crowds packing the temple so tightly that many devotees have been unable to attend.

The two ISKCON Mayapur residents who were badly injured in a car crash on March 12 are steadily recovering after devotees around the world feared the worst. Jahnudvipa Dasa from Denmark and his wife Braja Sevaki Dasi from Australia were rushed to the local Apollo hospital when their taxi collided head-on with a truck near Kolkata airport.

ISKCON’s Food For Life program in Portugal is celebrating fourteen years of dedication to helping the needful this March 19. In 2007, the local government awarded the organization a Silver Medal recognizing its service, and today its efforts show no signs of slowing down.

Being vegan is supposed to do lots of lovely spiritual and gastrointestinal things to you. You're supposed to feel lighter and healthier, for one. And your bowels work better (if "better" can be defined as "with alarming frequency"). A less-publicized side effect of veganism, however, is the constant urban foraging.

Tegnap este még felhívott Gaura Sakti prabhu, hogy a Prithvi-pati prabhu lebetegedett. Sajnálatos dolog és ez engem még annyiban érint, hogy rám ruházták az út szervezését, kommunikációt.
2 héttel ezelőtt már próbálták ezt, de akkor sikeresen hárítottam a feladatot, de úgy látszik nem tudom elkerülni a karmám.
Ahogy írtam, szeretnék rendszeresen beszámolni, hogy mik történnek kint.
Egy meglepetéssel is készülök, amit remélem, sikerül megcsinálnom. Ha igen, akkor az oldalon láthatjátok majd… Én most indulok itthonról a templomba, ahonnan együtt indulunk a reptérre.
Szóval, kérlek, imádkozzatok értünk, hogy sikeresen tudjuk a ránk bízott feladatokat végrehajtani és az bombayi tapasztalatokkal gazdagabban tudjuk a szolgálatainkat folytatni.

RIGA, LATVIA - About once a week since I first moved here, I’ve met a lady on or near Barona street asking for money for the Hare Krishna “Dzivibas Ediens” (Food for Life) program, which feeds the homeless and anyone else who lines up in front of the Barona street building.

Last Saturday Lokanath Prabhu arranged a joint harinam between the various yatras here in Johannesburg, South Africa. What really struck me was how much can be achieved by the spirit of togetherness. The harinam was such a complete facility to distribute Lord Caitanya's mercy in different ways the Srila Prabhupada has taught us. There was lots of prasad distributed. Three boxes of books were also distributed and the holy name was of course also given out freely.

Above a child recipient of the mercy relishes every grain of the sumptuous breyani prasad he just received from the devotees.

Those enjoying Krishna Lunch this week may have received something extra with their meal — a flier. On Monday, meal servers began handing out the fliers, detailing the economy’s impact on meal costs.

Hundreds of Hindu worshippers came together at their local Letchmore Heath temple to celebrate the full moon and colours of spring. The Holi and Gaura Purnima festivals at Bhaktivedanta Manor on Sunday included a bonfire, spring welcoming rituals and the throwing of coloured powders on revellers.

Toronto, Ontario

WOMEN WITH KRISHNA

We went for a short afternoon walk with a small traveling party, and passed by Toronto’s famous Casa Loma, possibly the largest castle in Canada. It was built by a man for his wife. Certainly, women have inspired great endeavors throughout the ages.

Nitai Priya, one of our female devotees, was invited to speak at the University of Toronto at on of the student clubs on “The Role of Women in Krishna Consciousness”. It has not been her fist time to present this topic to a group of people. Before going she asked if I had any remarks to make that could possibly add to her presentation. She did say that on former occasions the audience primarily women, would ride on the wave of saying that women are better than men.

So I got started, “First of all, we are not men nor women, but spirits with a body that has a particular type of function that is complementary. And while male bashing has become popular in recent years, do think twice about appreciating both genders. After all the chairs we sit on, the microphone you use, the room and building in which you sit with its heating or air conditioning system have all likely been manufactured, assembled and delivered by men and is repaired by men. Let’s appreciate and develop a balanced view.

In the Bhagavad-Gita Krishna lists good memory, fine speech and intelligence as feminine traits. Naturally there are qualities found on both sides of the gender table that are worth taking note of. In Vedic culture, many goddesses are adored right next to their male counterparts. In the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, women share the same responsibilities in their service to the public. Many women are administrators and many take up priestly duties.

Some members carry views that are discriminatory and have personally formed attitudes, but our guru, Srila Prabhupada, on the whole, demonstrated fairness if ever there was provocation. The point he repeatedly made was – “WE ARE NOT THESE BODIES!”


3km

Suppose today if by biotechnology it were possible to produce a person of the same size and shape of Einstein, will such a person possess the same intelligence and personality of Einstein? The answer is no. Biotechnology cannot copy the spiritual nature of a person. Thus, the idea that life could be mechanistically recreated by incorporating existing DNA into an already existing natural process does not seem to be a correct one and further indicates that life is beyond physical characteristics.

According to USA Today, "When Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars on Saturday night, its triumph provided as uplifting a story line as the movie itself. For such an unlikely film to win - independent, low budget, much of it in a foreign language - underscores an American strength that's sometimes forgotten: the ability, as a nation of immigrants, to embrace and assimilate people from different cultures."

In the same section of Srimad Bhagavatam, we find the following verse (11.7.48): "The various phases of one's material life, beginning with birth and culminating in death, are all properties of the body and do not affect the soul, just as the apparent waxing and waning of the moon does not affect the moon itself. Such changes are enforced by the imperceptible movements of time."

This is one of the things we can learn from the moon.

This song was written by George Harrison about Srila Prabhupada after his first meeting with him in 1969. When he recorded the Abbey Road album with the Beatles he changed the wording so that rumors wouldn't be derived from an affectionate song being addressed to a man.

If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.

If the selection above is hosted by YouTube then after the video plays there will be several links presented to other videos. ISKCON News Weekly has no control over the selections presented and is not responsible for their contents.

some personal memories of the great spiritual commader in Prabhupadas army, Tribhuvannath prabhu

Many in Kazakhstan remain wary, certain that officials will try again to impose harsh new restrictions on freedom of religion and belief. "This is not the end of the attempt to adopt such a law," Yevgeny Zhovtis, head of the Almaty-based Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, told Forum 18. "I think they will try again." He believes fresh attempts could come in 2011 or 2012, after Kazakhstan has completed its chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). "But I'm not sure that they won't try again in 2009."

Though India is a cecular republic, and though secularism commands separation of state and religion, State governments have taken over all prominent Hindu temples and shrines which is an anti-secular act. The best part is that only Hindu temples have been targeted for government control whereas no Christian church or Muslim mosque has been touched.

The number of new claims of sexual abuse made against US Roman Catholic priests rose by 16% to more than 800 last year, a Church report says. It says the Church paid $436m (£313m) in 2008 for abuse cases. Most of the money was used to compensate victims.

New Delhi (PTI): Two police officers were injured when a group of people, protesting after discovery of a cow carcasses in their village, pelted stones on police personnel in south Delhi on Saturday. Residents of Dera village in Mehrauli informed police around 6.30 AM that their cows were found slaughtered in the nearby jungle and claimed that their remains were thrown in the village.

My first introduction to natural, organic and eco-friendly products stems back to the early '90s, when I stumbled upon Burt’s Bees lip balm at an independently owned health food store in the heart of Westport, Kansas City, Mo. Before the eyesore invasion of ’98, when Starbucks frothed its way into the neighborhood, leading to its ultimate demise, Westport was the kind of 'hood I still yearn for.

This week's Harinam:

Where: Samuel St and Thomas St, Whites Hill, QLD
When: 2.30 pm, Sunday March 22, 2009

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I'm currently reading Michael Denton's book "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis" [wikipedia]. I picked up a copy from the local Theosophical Society Bookstore last night.

It's an old book, written in 1985, but I'm interested to master the arguments that he puts forth in it.

I'm not very far into it, but here are two things that immediately spring out:

1. On the rear cover is an excerpt which I believe lays out one of the underpinnings of his argument, that "(t)he intuitive feeling that pure chance could never have achieved the degree of complexity and ingenuity so ubiquitous in nature has been a continuing source of scepticism ever since the publication of Origin of the Species

I had a discussion with a Gauranga Kishore about "chance" and evolution:

"Chance" is a word.

Everyone knows that there is no such thing as chance. The universe is deterministic and infinite complexity arises from the massive repeated interaction of simple principles. Chaos is just massive complexity. "Chance" is a word used to describe it, but it's just a word.

The question is this: where does the stochastic system [definition] come from?

Is it self-manifested, or does it have a cause? If it is self-manifested then Darwinian evolution has no cause other than material nature, which is the atheist's metaphysical definition of "chance".

Otherwise, Darwinian evolution is indirectly caused by the direct cause of the universe.

According to Vedic metaphysics the Param Brahma is the direct cause of the cosmic manifestation, therefore He is the indirect cause of Darwinian evolution.

Chance is just a layman's word to describe massive complexity. Darwin can describe the massive complexity, but Darwinian evolution can't make authoritative statements about the cause without becoming a metaphysical system - which it's not. It's an empirical system.

2. He begins by pointing out that there are two different philosophical approaches to the debate around evolutionary theory. One is the "conservative" approach - evolutionary theory's overarching narrative is largely correct, and anomalous or omitted evidence represent areas where the theory requires refinement. The other is the "radical" approach which states that the overarching narrative itself is faulty. He chooses the radical approach for his book.

That immediately set me at ease. He's not fanatical. Like Srila Prabhupada in his introduction to Bhagavad-gita he sets the tone as one of open-minded inquiry. Now let me see what he has to say, and judge it on its merits.

I'll be sure to read this critique of the book, and this one as well, when I've finished it.

Addendum: According to wikipedia, Denton's views have changed since 1985 to become something closer to my current thinking:

Denton's views have changed over the years. His second book Nature's Destiny argues for a law-like evolutionary unfolding of life and therefore assumes evolution as a given. He no longer openly associates with Discovery [an Intelligent Design organization], and the Institute no longer lists him as a fellow.

I remember hearing a class by Swami B.V. Tripurari where he recounted a talk he gave somewhere in the US. Afterwards a man began to challenge him point-by-point. Swami said to him: "Look, these guys, Jiva Goswami and others, took the time to write down what they were all about. Why don't you do the same thing. Go away and write down what you are all about, and then get back to me."

So it is with a lot of anti-evolutionaries. They attack the overarching evolutionary theory piecemeal, without presenting their own overarching narrative as an alternative.

One staunch anti-evolutionary who is taking the time to write down what he's all about is Turkey's Islamic Creationist Adnan Oktar. He is currently five volumes in to his 14-volume piece de resistance - the "Atlas of Creation".

His works are being translated into 57 languages by his publisher. It's apparently not the most sound scientific work:

One of the pictures in the first volume of Mr. Oktar's work features what is labeled as a caddis fly. It is in fact a man-made fishing fly with a metal hook clearly visible.

...but at least he's making the effort. He's obviously a man with strong "convictions":

Mr. Oktar says this is a "little detail" and believes that "just 10 pages of my book can defeat Dawkins."

He's offered a reward of 10 million Turkish lira (around $6 million) to anyone who can produce a fossil that proves evolution. He has also invited his Oxford foe to a debate.

Prof. Dawkins says he has no intention of accepting, as that would only "give legitimacy" to "this weird phenomenon." Mr. Oktar, he says, "doesn't know anything about zoology, doesn't know anything about biology. He knows nothing about what he is attempting to refute."

More details in the Wall Street Journal article An Islamic Creationist Stirs a New Kind of Darwinian Struggle.

All I can say is: at least he's taken the time to write down what he's all about, which most creationists/anti-evolutionaries do not.

A friend wrote to me:

I was talking with a devotee mentor of mine who has done a few lecture on refuting Darwin's theory and he made an interesting point and i was wondering what you thought of it.

He was saying that there is a great deal of fossil evidence that is missing. For instance, the evolution from a cow (mammal) to a whale (also a mammal), which had to have taken millions of years, there is not transitional species found. For such a drastic evolution to happen there has to have been hundreds of transitional species. Things such as beaks becoming longer or horses getting bigger are understandable, but evolution of land to water or water to land mammals have no evidence. So the conclusion is such evolution is not possible.

Here's my reply:

Four points:

1. The conclusion does not follow from the premises:

• Evolutionary theory requires transitional forms.
• Transitional forms have not been discovered.
• Therefore evolution is not possible.

This argument is not correct. It may be that transitional forms have not *yet* been found. Absence of proof is not conclusive evidence of non-existence.

It may also be debatable whether transitional forms have or have not been found. See the following in reference to this point.

2. Known Intermediate Forms

Tiktaalik [wikipedia], whose discovery was published in 2006 [2006 NY Times article], is the current poster child for intermediate evolutionary forms. It's an intermediate from water to land. Archaeopteryx [wikipedia] (discovered in the 1800s) is one that was known about when I was a kid that is an intermediate between dinosaurs and birds. The Earth is large and we are still discovering living species, what to speak of extinct ones. A lack of huge amounts of fossilized intermediate forms is not a show stopper.

Tiktaalik, a "fishapod" - an intermediate form between fish and terapods, discovered in Canada in 2006

3. Lack of alternative narrative.

For this to really be an effective rebuttal of evolution it needs to be linked to alternative theory that explains the observed phenomena and makes testable predictions, and posits and relies on an absence of transitional forms. Such a theory gains strength as a hypothesis as time goes on and no transitional forms are discovered. On the other hand, if transitional forms are found (and if Tiktaalik [2008 New Scientist article] and Archaeopteryx don't already represent at least one, then that theory will be falsified. That's scientific, and a valid scientific alternative.

4. Belief with scanty evidence

The implicit argument here is: "You are believing in something that isn't supported by the evidence". However, coming from a Hare Krishna, who advocates flying mountains and oceans of milk, it's kind of ironic. Calling people out for "believing" something with no evidence is kinda rich... sort of like sawing off the branch you are sitting on. There is more scientific evidence for evolution than for oceans of milk, and at the same time the stories of the Vedas do not account empirically for the fossils that we are finding, with the flow-on implications for orders of life and different epochs.

Conclusion

Personally I think this line of argument, without it being part of advancing an alternative theory (a coherent, systematic, and comprehensive narrative), is only really for the already convinced. To call it conclusive evidence is to overstate the case. It's more about shoring up people's faith. It might lend circumstantial evidence to an alternative hypothesis, but there isn't one here. It falls into a category of "arguments we would make against evolution, but would never apply to our own narrative, which we keep hidden in the background while we try to bring evolution down".

To be scientific anti-evolutionists need their own theory. Otherwise, evolution still wins as the current best-fit model. That doesn't mean that its perfect, completely right, or even right at all - it just means it's the best fit in terms of explaining what we see, and making useful and testable predictions.

Addendum: For current thought on the evolution of whales, see this New Scientist article

Sastra Dana newspaper, 16 Rounds To Samadhi, has found it’s home in a smoke shop Smoke This. The shop is located in Pacific Beach, San Diego. We  wrote the paper specifically with the modern youth in mind so we find it encouraging the way our paper has been received at this shop.

20 March 2009--This morning at 4:10 a.m. on my first morning in Vrindavan I was blessed with the most sublime opportunity to lead over 100 devotees in the the chanting of the Gurvastakam prayers for Srila Prabhupada during the mangala arati kirtan in his samadhi mandir (pictured below). It was really a .............. ================================================================== Thought...

From the Vedic scriptures we can understand there are two types of mentalities that one can posess; the fly (who seeks the drop of poision in the ocean of nectar) or the honey bee (who seeks the drop of nectar in the ocean of poison). We have the choice which mentality we wish to adopt. Free choice [...]

Last year Scott Jarvie took the photos which have memorialized Holi for anyone who has not yet been. It would be well worth while to peruse his blog, as he is a re-enlisted "combat" veteran.

As many devotees within Toronto's growing Hare Krishna community may know, the temple has regularly facilitated classes, seminars and workshops over the last several years based on books like Bhagavad-Gita, Isopanisad, Nectar of Instruction and topics like Vaisnava Etiquette and the Yoga Ladder.

1966 March 20:
"Chaturdashi & Amabasyha. Some four gentlemen and ladies came to see me. We talked for some time. They have given their addresses. No income and no expenditure."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1969 March 20: "It is not the doctor, or the medicine, or the place, but it is ultimately Krishna Who is the Master to do every thing. With this viewpoint we shall go forward."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 March 20: "Our foremost concern is Krishna. If Krishna's service is well done, then we should forget our personal inconveniences. That will make you victorious in achieving Krishna's blessings."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1970 March 20: "Regarding the statement that the printing would take eight months, so we cannot wait for eight months. Therefore do not accept a new schedule."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1970 March 20: "Our first business is this preaching work so. If you think studying 2 1/2 years more can be better used immediately to push our Krishna Consciousness movement, then that will be very nice."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 March 20: "Yes, the big Deities are already shipped. We must have immediately the installation of these big Deities. As soon as I arrive, I shall install Them."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1974 March 20: "On your word I am accepting the following devotees for second initiation. This initiation should be taken very seriously, and those who accept it have to prove exemplary or it will become a farce."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

You will never never never know me. 

Achieve your Goals and Satisfy your Heart! Unlocking the secrets of Bhakti Yoga.

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

Please join us in this enlightening discussion lead by world reknown monk, and entertaining speaker, Devamrita Swami. He’s back in town this week!

An enlivening evening not to be missed!

$8 includes Vegan Feast!

Starts at 6pm sharp

103 Beach Rd, 1st Floor, AKLD, NZ

1966 March 20:
"Chaturdashi & Amabasyha. Some four gentlemen and ladies came to see me. We talked for some time. They have given their addresses. No income and no expenditure."
Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1969 March 20: "It is not the doctor, or the medicine, or the place, but it is ultimately Krishna Who is the Master to do every thing. With this viewpoint we shall go forward."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

1969 March 20: "Our foremost concern is Krishna. If Krishna's service is well done, then we should forget our personal inconveniences. That will make you victorious in achieving Krishna's blessings."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1969

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.7.12-13 - Amidst so many material difficulties we should try to see Krsna's direction behind it all.

1970 March 20: "Regarding the statement that the printing would take eight months, so we cannot wait for eight months. Therefore do not accept a new schedule."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

The Lib Dems have voted in favour of allowing state-funded faith schools to continue selecting pupils by faith. The party has also rejected calls to ban the setting up of new state-funded faith schools in a vote at its spring conference in Harrogate.

1970 March 20: "Our first business is this preaching work so. If you think studying 2 1/2 years more can be better used immediately to push our Krishna Consciousness movement, then that will be very nice."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1970

1971 March 20: "Yes, the big Deities are already shipped. We must have immediately the installation of these big Deities. As soon as I arrive, I shall install Them."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1974 March 20: "On your word I am accepting the following devotees for second initiation. This initiation should be taken very seriously, and those who accept it have to prove exemplary or it will become a farce."
Prabhupada Letters :: 1974