krsna

Broadband fuels online expression The availability of fast net access is having a cultural impact Fast web access is encouraging more people to express themselves online, research suggests. A quarter of broadband users in Britain regularly upload content and have personal sites, according to a report by UK think-tank Demos. It said that having an always-on, fast connection is changing the way people use the internet. More than five million households in the UK have broadband and that number is growing fast. Bits for broadband The Demos report looked at the impact of broadband on people's net habits. It found that more than half of those with broadband logged on to the web before breakfast. One in five even admitted to getting up in the middle of the night to browse the web. QUICK GUIDE Broadband More significantly, argues the report, broadband is encouraging people to take a more active role online. It found that one in five post something on the net everyday, ranging from comments or opinions on sites to uploading photographs. "Broadband is putting the 'me' in media as it shifts power from institutions and into the hands of the individual," said John Craig, co-author of the Demos report. "From self-diagnosis to online education, broadband creates social innovation that moves the debate beyond simple questions of access and speed." The Demos report, entitled Broadband Britain: The End Of Asymmetry?, was commissioned by net provider AOL. "Broadband is moving the perception of the internet as a piece of technology to an integral part of home life in the UK," said Karen Thomson, Chief Executive of AOL UK, "with many people spending time on their computers as automatically as they might switch on the television or radio." According to analysts Nielsen//NetRatings, more than 50% of the 22.8 million UK net users regularly accessing the web from home each month are logging on at high speed They spend twice as long online than people on dial-up connections, viewing an average of 1,444 pages per month. The popularity of fast net access is growing, partly fuelled by fierce competition over prices and services.

Myth of Hindu Sameness Rajiv Malhotra Published on Thursday, November 18, 2004 Abstract This essay examines the often repeated claim by Hindus and non-Hindus alike that Hinduism is the same as other religions. Some common factors that cause many Hindus to slip into sameness are as follows: Hindus arrogantly assume that other religions want to be the same as Hinduism, and hence they feel that they are doing these other religions a favor. Against this one may point out that the traditional Hindu teachings make a clear distinction between valid and not valid religious claims, by separating them as dharma and adharma, sat (truth) and asat (falsity), devika and asuric, etc. Many Hindus misapply teachings about the Unmanifest when dealing with the diversity of the manifest, and the unity of transcendence in dealing with the diversity and conflict found in the worldly. Furthermore, they fail to distinguish between shruti and smriti. The unity of all shruti is assumed to mean that all smritis must be the same. In particular, Hindus fail to understand the critical history-dependence of the Abrahamic religions and the way their core myths and institutions are built around these frozen smritis. Often what Hindus really mean is that all religions are equal in the respect and rights they deserve, but they confuse this with sameness. At the same time, there are strong arguments that religious differences lead to tensions and violence. Many Hindus have internalized these arguments, over simplifying the Hindu thought about there being one truth and all paths leading to it. To address these and other issues, this essay presents a new theoretical framework for looking at religions and global religious violence. It classifies religious movements as History-Centric and non History-Centric. The former are contingent on canonical beliefs of their sacred history. Non History-Centric religious movements, on the other hand, do have beliefs about history, but their faith is not contingent on history. The essay advances the thesis that non History-Centric faiths offer the only viable spiritual alternative to the religious conflicts that are inherent among History-Centric religions. In analyzing the predominantly non History-Centric Hinduism through this framework, the essay looks at the two main Hindu responses in its interface with the predominantly History-Centric religions of Christianity and Islam. These are: (1) how Hinduism is trying to become History-Centric, and (2) how Hinduism is self-destructing under the Myth of Sameness, by offering itself as a library of shareware for "generic" spirituality. The essay cautions that Hinduism runs the risk of becoming either (1) History-Centric itself, or (2) losing its identity and becoming digested into Christianity via the Sameness Myth. Scenario #1 leads to a three-way jihad among three History-Centric religions – Christianity vs. Islam vs. Hinduism – in which Hinduism cannot win. Scenario #2 leads to the dissolution of Hinduism through a combination of hostile and friendly takeovers by Christianity, which, in turn, worsens the two-way jihad between Christianity and Islam. Therefore, both scenarios ultimately feed the clash of Christianity vs. Islam, i.e. between conflicting History-Centric positions. To construct an alternative framework, the essay debunks the Sameness Myth, which reflects naïve Hindus' wishful thinking about how other religions ought to be rather than how they actually are. The essay calls for Hindu scholars to develop a rigorous approach to purva-paksha (scholarly critiques of other traditions within the framework of the Indian darshanas); to highlight the Hindu history of constructions through its own smriti traditions; and to refute false presuppositions about Hinduism that have spread into many academic disciplines. The essay recommends the promotion of equality-with-difference as a core Hindu principle, also referred to within this essay as difference-with-respect. This entails asserting a positive Hindu identity that is neither History-Centric nor dismissive of its distinctiveness. I: Introduction There are two current trends in Hinduism that were born of a perceived 'threat' to Hinduism. These are as follows: 1. There is a movement to focus Hinduism in terms of God's interventions in Indian history, most commonly associated with Avatar Ram's history and the related geography. Such a version of Hinduism is History-Centric. (See my earlier writings.) The term is also explained later in this essay. 2. The second trajectory is less formal and less institutionalized, but is far more pervasive and subversive. This is to unbundle (or break up) Hinduism into a set of separate generic ideas, practices, symbols, etc., that any religion or non religious worldview may appropriate in a modular fashion, assimilating what fits and rejecting (and demonizing) what does not. I call this the Sameness Myth because it is the result of the false premise that Hinduism is the same as any other religion, thereby making its parts individually available for appropriation. Both these trends feed and are fed by a 'threatened Hinduism', i.e., the sense that Hinduism is facing pressures from within and without. However, this essay does not examine such threats or pressures. (I have other essays on geopolitics and Hinduism.) History-Centrism (#1) provides any religion with an identity fortress, which is both defensive and useful for an offensive. It also tends to collapse internal differences and encourage homogeneity. I shall argue against the merits of this kind of essentializing of Hinduism, and will suggest alternative ways of bringing cohesion and identity that preserve difference. After a brief overview of History-Centrism, the main purpose of this essay will be to explain the problems that Hinduism is facing because of #2, i.e., the false myth that it is the same as other religions. I shall show that the Sameness Myth suffers from at least three problems: * Sameness with all other religions is incompatible with authentic Hindu dharma. * Sameness is making Hinduism irrelevant and redundant. It is sliding Hinduism towards extinction by dilution and assimilation, in the same manner as Christianity's inculturation strategy made many pagan religions extinct. It positions Hinduism as a takeover target by History-Centric predators, with a friendly takeover of some components and a hostile takeover and/or outright cultural genocide of other components. * In the aftermath of such takeovers the predators become stronger and the world less safe. Hence, sameness can at best be a short-term alternative and antidote to History-Centrism but it leads to unstable states of power that eventually feed more History-Centrism. The opposite of sameness is difference. Many scholars have considered 'difference' to be the source of tensions and violence. Hence, they promote the sameness myth. However, this is a European view based on their experience with Abrahamic religions that are History-Centric. This view does not apply to non-European cultures such as the Indic traditions that have a worldview of difference-with-respect. Difference-with-respect is an attitude that is practically unachievable through History-Centric religions, except in the form of artificial political correctness commonly referred to as 'tolerance'. My thesis of difference-with-respect is at odds with both #1 and #2 poles above. Furthermore, each pole's frenzy feeds the other: * Moderate Hindus recoiling against religious violence have tended to gravitate towards sameness in order to dilute their distinct identities, and hence absolve themselves of 'Hindu shame'. * Conversely, many Hindus who are concerned about the way the Sameness Myth deconstructs (and eventually destructs) their faiths have jumped on the History-Centrism bandwagon for identity protection, in the form of Hindutva. The following factors have contributed to the Sameness Myth: * U-Turns and American Perennialism: Historically, sameness emerged out of 19th century neo-Hindu leaders' constructions of Hinduism that often mapped Indic categories on to Western ones[1]. For instance, Swami Vivekananda successfully popularized Hinduism in 19th century America. But later, many of his important Western disciples and sympathizers genericized Hinduism. Several of them eventually did U-Turns back into Western identity and Western thought. Perennialism and the New Age movement were by-products of such movements[2]. Meanwhile, the mainstream History-Centric Christianity did not dissolve itself or melt itself into sameness, but, on the contrary, it strengthened its positioning by appropriating from Hinduism. * Opportunistic Hindu gurus: The Sameness Myth took a quantum leap in the 1960s when many Hindu gurus arrived in America. They attracted huge followings and piled up vast donations by playing the sameness game to appeal to the pop culture at the expense of authenticity. They lowered the bar for Westerners to enter into pop Hinduism, but this also lowered the bar to their exit once the fad had died and once enough components from Hinduism had been successfully appropriated into Western systems. (See details.[3]) * Postmodernist intellectualism: Postmodernism is the academic equivalent of pop Vedanta as an intellectual framework to deconstruct identity. (While Vedanta deconstructs the individual ego, postmodernism mainly deconstructs the collective cultural identity.) It has intellectually disaggregated Hinduism into a library of random clip art that may be clicked-and-dragged into any belief system under the control and discretion of the new owner. (For instance, postmodernist frameworks allow scholars such as Courtright to misinterpret Hindu symbols arbitrarily, and to sell their works successfully at the highest levels of the academy.) * Politics of South Asianism: It is a glaring contradiction that the very scholars who attack Indian identity (where Hinduism is the core value system) as being 'chauvinistic', are the same scholars that, simultaneously, promote (i) the divisive sub-national/separatist identities of Dalits, Dravidians and minority religions, and (ii) the South Asian identity that pressures India externally. Furthermore, these scholars suffer from various conflicts of interest as their careers are in institutions of education and funding where Western identity and chauvinism rule. Meanwhile, Western supremacy remains unaffected by the fringe activities of its liberal scholars. Besides USA and European states, Russia, China, Japan and Arab states remain highly nationalistic. Therefore, as Ziauddin Sardar and others have pointed out, the criticism of nation-states and related identities has indirectly served to empower the very imperialism, which the intellectuals attack. Many trendy postmodernist theories are being exported to colonize third world intellectuals who use them to impress white liberals. Unfortunately, many Indian intellectuals have facilitated 'softening the prey' on behalf of the predator empires – in effect serving as sepoys[4]. * Popular Hinduphobia: Hinduphobia is systematically institutionalized through education systems, media portrayals and popular English literature, thereby pushing many Hindus into sameness as a safe harbor and a place of refuge. Modern Westernized Hindus are being pulled towards sameness as a way to appear less old fashioned. 'Secular Hindus' have made it cool to say things like, “Hindus believe in everything,” “All religions are the same,” etc. This is done either out of confusion or simply to project a public identity safely. The greater the Hinduphobia experienced in an environment the greater is the pressure towards sameness as a way to offload the liability of being associated with demonized Hindu symbolism. The rest of this essay consists of the following three Sections: Section II defines History-Centrism, and explains its centrality in institutionalized Abrahamic religions and also explains why Hinduism has not depended upon History-Centrism. Section III refutes the Myth of Hindu Sameness, and explains the problems it causes. Section IV proposes a Constructive Hinduism project as the way forward in the 21st century, with the objective to build a positive Hinduism while avoiding the two competing pitfalls of History-Centrism and the Sameness Myth. (I am dissatisfied with the term 'Constructive Hinduism' for a variety of reasons and this is a tentative term only. See details[5]. It is my claim that non History-Centric faiths offer the only spiritual alternative available to the Darwinian clash among History-Centric religions, i.e., the clash between one religion's jihad and another religion's jihad. Therefore, if the projects of the kind outlined in Section IV fail, one of the following two scenarios shall prevail: (i) Either Hinduism shall be forced to become History-Centric and this will result in a three-way clash of History-Centric religions: Islam vs. Christianity vs. Hinduism, which Hinduism cannot ultimately win. (ii) Or Hinduism shall get digested into Christianity via the Sameness Myth, in which case the two-way clash between History-Centric Christianity and History- Centric Islam shall worsen. II: History-Centrism Anecdotal background: The critical difference between Indic and Abrahamic religions crystallized in my mind a few years ago, when I was giving an informal talk on Hinduism to a room full of attorneys in New Jersey, none of whom knew much about Hinduism. I started by asking this intellectually sharp audience a set of questions which went roughly as follows: What would happen to your religious lives if, hypothetically, all history were voided or made inaccessible to you or somehow falsified beyond hope? In other words, imagine that due to some strange reasons, the details of which are irrelevant, you have to live your lives without having any knowledge passed down from God through any historical events whatsoever. What would you do? Would it be possible for you to lead religious lives, and if so, by what authority would you do so? In other words, can you discover the spiritual truth for yourselves without dependence on historical sources, or would you be lost if such historical sources were simply unavailable or unreliable? To my surprise, these very highly educated Jews and Christians were stumped. Many felt that it would be impossible to be religious under such circumstances because man lacks the ability to know God's will directly without the historical prophets. Others felt that only Jesus' very specific personal sacrifice (a historical event) had made it possible for man to get redeemed, as man had no inherent capability to achieve salvation on his own. Some found the very discussion troubling and became disturbed by my thought experiment with a loss of history. I then explained to my audience that as a Hindu, my spiritual advancement through yoga was independent of the history of Patanjali who wrote the Yoga-Sutras and of any knowledge about his life history. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the Vedic mantras was independent of the personal history of the Vedic rishis, and the Vedas were considered a-purusheya (authorless); the practices of Tantra were not contingent upon belief in the history of anyone; the effect of bhajans (devotional songs) was not based on any belief in the history of the bhakti saints or the histories of any deities. Finally, I explained that deities were not historical persons but were ahistorical forces and intelligences just like the gravitation force; also, that many Hindus had personified these forces through the poetic language of their praises, as they acknowledged their inter-dependency in Nature. Therefore, if all the history of my religion were falsified, it would not make any difference to the effectiveness of my spiritual practice. Every human being comes endowed with what I call the rishi/yogi potential. There have been innumerable realized saints over time and across world cultures that rediscovered the highest knowledge. History was only 'nice to have', but not a 'must have'. The audience was rather shaken up but also highly impressed by such a stance. Could I have uncovered a serious blind spot, or at least subliminal assumption, among Biblical societies about the necessary role of history in religion? My audience's reactions reminded me of the withdrawal symptoms of addicts who are deprived of their substance dependence. I wondered: Had my thought experiment deprived them of their history dependence and triggered a sort of withdrawal syndrome? Why was their religiosity so contingent upon and hence dependent upon specific historical episodes? Are institutionalized Abrahamic religions in bondage to history? Over several days, my thesis of History-Centrism emerged. This thesis got a further boost when I participated in a major world conference on science and religion in Bangalore. The Templeton Foundation had flown in scientific luminaries committed to various Abrahamic religions, including Nobel Laureates, to discuss how scientific their respective religions were. But these speakers largely used neo-Vedantin thought (without ever acknowledging any Indic influences whatsoever) as belonging to their own religion, no matter how much they had to stretch their canons to make their case. One was left thinking that all religions were scientific, and that they were virtually identical. But I knew very well that the very same religions also have major conflicts in the real world. It occurred to me that these scholars had suppressed in their talks the History-Centric dimension of their religions, and it was this dimension, which made each religion distinct and also caused conflicts with others. My question became: Why do Abrahamic religions evade discussing their History-Centrism in scientific discussions, while this is at the very heart of their evangelical campaigns to claim uniqueness? Overnight, I revised my talk that was scheduled for the following day. I highlighted that History-Centrism could not be slipped under the rug because (i) it was in violation of the scientific method, and (ii) it was the principle cause of world conflicts. For taking this stance, I was attacked on the stage by a prominent Indian Christian scholar, who was working for Templeton. The conference was suddenly shaken out of the pretence that 'all religions are all the same'. Privately, many Indian attendees congratulated me for opening this door. I felt convinced that I was on to something big in the field of comparative religions. My talk is published in the conference proceedings. Defining History-Centrism: Most religions and (even non-religious philosophical systems) agree on some sort of upper limit of knowledge of humans in their ordinary state of mind. However, they disagree on man's potential to transcend this limit. Hindus and Buddhists regard maya as being responsible for this limit to infinite knowledge, but believe that adept yogis and others can achieve states of self-realization or enlightenment in which ultimate truth is directly experienced. Abrahamic religions believe that there is an infinite gap of knowledge between God and man, a sort of maya equivalent. But the vast majority of denominations believe that man can have access to the ultimate truth only when God sends a prophet with a message, and that man can never replace the role of the historical prophets. Without history, therefore, man is inherently lost in darkness. The Indic approach leads to the experimentation and cultivation of human initiated self-realization processes, of which yoga/meditation are prominent examples. The Abrahamic approach leads to intensive studies of historical prophets' messages, because this knowledge can never be known by any other means. The spiritual traditions based on self-realization hold that humans are born with infinite potential and their essence is divinity (sat-chit-ananda). Hence, if all historical records and knowledge were to vanish or become corrupted or inaccessible to humans for whatever reason, new self-realized living masters would be able to teach us the highest truths based on their own fresh enlightenment. Even though these masters are very rare, they have existed throughout history in many cultures. The result is that (i) knowledge of history is not necessary to be a religious person, and (ii) no culture has a monopoly on religious truth, although different cultures may have used or misused this knowledge in different ways. The Abrahamic religions (according to the interpretations of most institutions) deny the existence of any such infinite human potential that, in effect, could make every human a potential prophet. They say, only God sends a few prophets with the message containing such critical spiritual knowledge. To abandon the history through which this prophetic knowledge has been passed down, or to lose the exact account of these historically transmitted canons would be catastrophic. The latter approach to religion is defined as History-Centrism. Every major religion has both strains -- History-Centrism from God initiated prophets, and also ahistorical human initiated self-realization. But in a given religion, one or the other tends to dominate and this characterizes religion and its society in profound ways. For the Abrahamic religions, the history of religion is crucial; for Hinduism, the making of religious history via self-realization, etc., is what is important. This point is elaborated later[6]. What History-Centrism does not mean: Historicity is not the same thing as History-Centrism, and this point deserves to be elaborated. Newton had a personal history but his specific life events were not necessary for the gravitation laws to be in effect today. However, Jesus' personal life events are responsible for God granting man the ability to get saved from Eternal Damnation. Hence, there is a radical difference between these two examples of historicity. The first example does not make physics History-Centric, since gravitation would not get falsified if one falsified Newton's personal historical details or even proved that he never existed as a historical person. Gautam Buddha emphasized that his enlightenment was merely a discovery about a reality that had always been there. He was not bringing any new covenants from any God. The history of the Buddha is not necessary for Buddhist principles to work. In fact, Buddha stated that he was neither the first nor the last person to have achieved the state of enlightenment. He also asserted that he was not God nor sent by any God as a prophet, and whatever he discovered was available to every human to discover for himself. This makes Buddhism not History-Centric. A prominent theoretical physicist made the counter argument to me that the Big Bang was a unique event that physicists believe in, thereby making physics also History-Centric. However, this argument is flawed: Physicists believe in the Big Bang Theory not as a premise of physics (in the same sense as Christians believe in Jesus' historicity as the premise of Salvation). Rather, the Big Gang Theory is a conclusion that is scientifically derived based on physical laws and empirical evidence that is verifiable today. Hence, the Big Bang Theory does not make physics History-Centric: it is a result of physical theory and not a pre-requisite belief or cause of it. Those who regard it as evidence of History-Centrism are mixing causes and effects. The following significantly characterize History-Centric religions: 1. God himself intervenes in History, and it is not merely the mundane history of humans such as Newton, philosophers, yogis, kings/queens, and other humans. 2. God's historical intervention in human affairs is unique -- i.e. non-reproducible -- and hence there cannot ever be a substitute to knowing the history. (On the other hand, if Newton never existed or if we dismissed his historical details, we could today derive the gravitation laws empirically from scratch.) 3. God's historical intervention resulted in new Laws and Covenants, and the events were not merely a discovery of pre-existing reality. 4. The past must be falsified, eradicated, subjugated or reconstructed to fit the new truth created by such historical events. Hence, the socio-cultural change brought about by the unique historical event is discontinuous. It does not simply add new knowledge to old, but must erase the old for it to be legitimate. It is God vs. God, as he alters and contradicts his own past laws and messages. 5. Because this history is about God, it is not falsifiable. History-Centric religions tend to have draconian laws on blasphemy. Is Christianity History-Centric? [7] The core Historical Grand Narrative of Christianity that is the minimum necessary belief required by the vast majority of denominations consists of the following: * Adam and Eve committed Original Sin and violated God's orders. This single act brought upon all humans thereafter the condition known as Eternal Damnation. This is the condition into which every one of us is born. It has nothing to do with our individual deeds but is directly the result of the misdeed of Adam and Eve. * God then felt sorry for us and sent his one and only son, Jesus, to suffer crucifixion on our behalf, so that we may get Redemption from Eternal Damnation. This is called being Saved, and requires that the individual must believe without question or doubt the History-Centric narrative about Jesus. It is not sufficient to live a good life, to do good deeds, to pray to God, etc. Belief in Jesus' historical sacrifice is necessary to get Saved. * Evangelists are those who are committed to spread this History-Centric narrative to others around the world. (Presently, 40% to over 50% of all Americans classify themselves as Evangelicals, and this group has been rapidly growing over the past 25 years.) Different Christian denominations also believe in other supplemental History-Centric and/or Predetermined-Future-Centric narratives in addition to the core beliefs listed above. These constitute beliefs that are non-negotiable in order for someone to be a member of the given denomination. Examples of prominent beliefs of this kind are as follows: * The End-of-Time is coming, which is a precisely defined and predetermined event: Christ will return to Earth and will take back to Paradise all those who have Saved themselves as per the procedure indicated above. All others will suffer the most unimaginable atrocities from Christ, which are described in gory details in Biblical canons such as Apocalypse. * Christian Zionists are those who believe that Christ will return only after man fulfills his side of the bargain in the Bible, which is that man must restore the Nation of Israel to its original state. (The borders of this original Israel include many lands now under the Arabs.) Many of the most powerful political leaders of the US believe in this doctrine. On the other hand, non History-Centric Christianity has been taught by many Christian mystics using Indic adhyatmika techniques. But these mystics were typically persecuted by the mainstream Christian institutions, because they were seen as a threat to authority. Generic ideals of loving others, doing seva or service to others, living moral lives, and being socially responsible are non History-Centric elements contained in Jesus' teachings. But contrary to many educated Indians' naivety, such ideals do not define Christianity, because such generic spirituality is also found in every world religion, and there would be no reason to convert people away from their native faiths into Christianity simply for these reasons. The differences between religions are to be appreciated by examining their theological premises and not by superficially looking at the ethical mandates. Liberal Christians belong to certain denominations such as Unitarianism. Unfortunately, these denominations add up to much less than 10% of the US population. While the public diplomacy by Christians often emphasizes this face, it is not what is preached and aggressively promoted to 'Save the Heathens' in the third world. Indians have to deal with the aggressive proselytizing denominations, which are exported to them. Hence, Indians must understand History-Centric Christianity, and not base their purva-paksha on the views held by relatively few fringe liberal Christians, such as many liberal arts college professors. (See www.adherents.com for statistics.) Evangelical Christians have reacted to my thesis by confirming that their faith is founded on literal historical events, which I have termed History-Centrism, even though there is a mixed reaction to my use of this term. At the other end of the spectrum, liberal Christian academicians claim that this is not the 'real' Christianity: they find the hard facts about the growing institutional Christianity to be an embarrassment to their elitism. Is Islam History-Centric? [8] The minimum necessary condition to be called a Muslim is the History-Centric belief without question or doubt that the Koran is the exact and literal word of Allah who is the only God. This belief is not simply desirable, but is absolutely necessary in order to be a Muslim. Furthermore, another required core belief is the status of the Kaaba, which is located in Mecca: It is a unique artifact that was historically placed in that specific spot by Allah. No replica of it is allowed. Muslims must point only to the Kaaba to pray five times daily. If, hypothetically, the Kaaba was not History-Centric and hence unique, Muslims could build Kaabas in every mosque in the world and pray pointing locally towards those, and not towards Saudi Arabia. But this would devastate the Saudi royals' political capital over all Muslims, because the Saudis control the Kaaba. Furthermore, if replicas of the Kaaba could be installed in Muslims' homes, they would be able to pray at home just as Hindus pray to a deity. This would decentralize the Muslim sacred geography, thereby decoupling Indian Muslims from Arabs, for example. It is the non-reproducibility of the Kaaba that differentiates it from being an idol, and hence the political emphasis to consider idolatry as blasphemous and punishable by death. Sufi teachings, on the other hand, are very compatible with Indic traditions and also with the mystics of the Abrahamic faiths. But Sufis have been cruelly persecuted by Islam throughout their history. Furthermore, Islam's ideals and practices of egalitarianism and social justice are non History-Centric and are generic, but are not considered sufficient to be classified as a Muslim. History-Centric Clash of Islam vs. Christianity: To properly understand current geopolitics, the framework of History-Centrism is very helpful. Muslim and Christian leaders both claim many similarities between their respective faiths: They worship one God, who is male, and both sides accept that he is the same God. They accept the long lineage of prophets of the Middle East desert, starting with Abraham. Most of all, in terms of moral values, both believe in universal love, brotherhood, prayer, compassion, avoidance of sinful living, and so on... Then why is there so much conflict? I propose that intellectuals have simply failed to understand the deeply rooted History-Centric conflicts. Here are two examples of irreconcilable accounts of history, one issue from either side: * Islam refutes Christianity: Muslims definitely accept Jesus as a prophet of great importance and respect him as such. But Muslims simply cannot accept the Christian claims that Jesus (i) was the Son of God, (ii) had a Virgin Birth, or (iii) was Resurrected. These Christian claims would make Islam irrelevant and contradict Islam's essential historical purpose. If Jesus made the supreme sacrifice by which humans may get redeemed, then why is there any need for Prophet Mohammed or the Koran? For Islam to be valid, the problem concerning the human condition remained unresolved despite Jesus' coming to Earth. Therefore, the three Christian claims about Jesus previously outlined must be false. The vast majority of Muslim clergy teach that he was a great prophet, as were many dozens of other Abrahamic prophets, but he was no Son of God, nor had a Virgin Birth and, most of all, he was not Resurrected after being crucified. Yet, these three claims of Christianity are necessary to the legitimacy of Christianity and are non-negotiable. Bottom line: Christianity's History-Centrism cannot be accommodated within Islam's History-Centrism. * Christianity refutes Islam: Islam's claim that the Koran is the exact words of God, and hence is perfect and final, is simply unsustainable in Christianity. For if this were valid, it would make Christianity obsolete and superseded by Islam. Why would one need an older version of God's word if he has sent a new version specifically to replace the older one, as is claimed by Islam? Christian theologians do not accept Koran as the perfect record of the final word of God. Furthermore, Islam also demands (without room for negotiations or ambiguity whatsoever) that the Kaaba (located in Mecca) is absolutely unique, cannot be replicated, and is the only direction in which prayer must be offered five times daily. Clearly, this would undermine Christian institutions' authority to collect donations, interpret the canons, provide the 'true history', etc. Bottom line: History-Centric claims that are necessary conditions to be a Muslim are simply impossible for Christianity to accept. There are many other inherent conflicts besides these, but the above two suffice to make my case. Any History-Centric system must falsify all others in order for it to be valid. Both Islam and Christianity, in their History-Centric forms – which have been the dominant forms of both through most of their respective histories – are inherently conflict-ridden. Therefore, almost all the interfaith dialogs are mainly about public relations and diplomacy. Each of these religions uses the term 'tolerance' to describe its policy towards other religions. Rather than accepting this term as a sign of their greatness, one must probe the underlying problems. To tolerate means that the other is illegitimate but we shall put up with him. Would you go to someone's house to dinner if his invitation says, “I shall tolerate you to sit next to me?” We must demand respect, not tolerance. But Muslim and Christian leaders often have great difficulty about openly and formally giving respect to other religions, especially non Abrahamic religions, since this would legitimize these other religions. And, the History-Centrism of Christianity and Islam forbids them from legitimizing any other religions. Respecting other religions would .-legitimize the proselytizing campaigns that are the life-blood of many institutions. History-Centrism is the best framework I am aware of to understand the origin of religious bondage and the sustenance of religious conflicts. Is Hinduism History-Centric? There are many non History-Centric Hindu paths, such as the following: * Shruti and Vedic mantras are a-purusheya or authorless. The Vedas do not claim to be sent by a Creator or to be about historical creation, but describe reality as rta which means patterns. Neither rta nor the mantras are in any way contingent upon history. In fact, very little is known about the history of the rishis, as this is considered unimportant except to Indologists who are disputing the political ramifications of the origins of Hinduism. * Upanishads are the source texts for much of Hindu philosophy, and history has no relevance in them. * The validity of the Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali or Samkhya of Kapila is not contingent on the historicity of Patanjali or Kapila, respectively. In fact, very little is known about these historical persons and nor have Indian yogis of the past been bothered by this issue. * Bhagavad Gita, the most widely read Hindu text, preaches dharma that is not contingent on the historicity of the Mahabharata epic. * Tantra consists of spiritual-physiological processes whose efficacy has no relationship with any history of anyone whatsoever. On the other hand, the following aspects of Hinduism introduce History-Centrism. But overall, the historicity in them is positioned as being optional, and not absolutely necessary for the path to succeed: * Puranas are narratives that are popularly used metaphors to teach morals, ethics, and cultural identities. While these are seen by many Hindus as historically literal, the believers do not consider their messages to be invalidated when someone treats them as ahistorical and purely metaphorical. On the contrary, when a History-Centric follower of the Puranas is offered the position that Rama is ahistorical and his domicile of Ayodhya is inside everyone's heart, most individuals respect the view as being spiritually advanced. * Deities like Ganesha, various Goddess forms, etc., are not historical persons, although Hindus commonly personify them and relate to them as highly accessible persons. * Living Gurus are continually bringing renewals in an endless flow, making any specific guru only of relative importance, and not of absolute status. Each guru re-contextualizes the spirituality for the appropriate cultural audience, and these messages are not considered to be History-Centric despite the veneration of the historical guru. Hinduism mandates its leaders to interpret for changing geography, time, and extenuating or particular circumstance. The relative absence of History-Centrism or its weak status has enabled a vast array of conceptions of the Supreme Reality to emerge, including the following: * Nirguna: The Supreme Reality may be formless and beyond all human conceptions. This resembles Islamic notions of Allah. * Saguna: The Supreme may be personified and the individual may have a personal relationship with the Supreme. While many Hindu paths use humanized forms, others avoid forms. * The Supreme may be conceptualized as feminine. Furthermore, this feminine may be represented in a vast variety of different forms that represent different aspects of the Goddess. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to represent just as one finds in the arts. None of the representations are considered to be the literal image. * The Supreme may be conceptualized as masculine. Furthermore, this may be in a variety of Vishnu forms. Or it may be as Shiva with an entirely different conception and epistemology. History-Centrism vs. Living Spiritual Masters: History-Centrism also corresponds to Geography-Centrism, which means the uniqueness of the geography where the history allegedly occurred. Furthermore, the geography privileges the specific culture of the place where these events occurred, and the inhabitants of these cultures tend to build institutions to control the history, geography and cultural norms as assets to preserve and to project their power. The politics of such a religion comes under the control of the institutions that emerge and win. Living spiritual masters act as a counter balancing force to defuse institutional power. Therefore, History-Centric religions have considered living saints to be a threat. Such saints have the credibility to overrule institutional authority in matters of interpretation and practice, to .-legitimize the institution itself, and to take away its followers. A religion with a continual supply of living enlightened masters has: (i) regular challenges to any established institutions of power and doctrine, (ii) fresh shruti (first principles) for the current time, place and context, and (iii) geographical (hence cultural) decentralization of the spiritual movements because spiritual masters emerge in unpredictable places and situations. Therefore, History-Centric institutions only allow dead saints. For example, in the Catholic Church, to be canonized as a saint the person must have been dead for a certain number of years, thereby eliminating any threat from that person. The dead person becomes the property of the church, which controls the history and interpretations of the canonized saint's teachings, free from any of the risks associated with living saints. As a result of the prominence given to living spiritual masters, non History-Centric religions evolve towards lineages of adhyatmika (inner science) practices. One may think of this kind of spirituality as embodied knowing as contrasted with discursive knowledge, which is a set of intellectual propositions, of which History-Centrism is one kind. Canons tend to be less powerful in traditions built on embodied knowing because of the emphasis given to living masters and their direct transmissions. Centurion Archetype vs. Yogi Archetype: [9] The two pivotal events that profoundly shaped the trajectories for Eastern and Western civilizations were the spiritual encounters of emperors Ashoka and Constantine, respectively. Indian Emperor Ashoka surrendered his entire military (centurion archetype) and became a Buddhist (yogi archetype). But the opposite took place in the case of Roman Emperor Constantine (centurion archetype) who captured and seized control over Jesus (yogi archetype) for his imperialist expansion. In the former case, the yogi archetype prevailed over the centurion archetype, whereas in the latter case the centurion archetype prevailed over the yogi archetype. These two events characterize the dominant strains in Indic and Abrahamic religions, respectively. While both archetypes have existed worldwide, different ones have dominated in different traditions. The centurion archetype is violence prone and extroverted. It is constantly uneasy with itself and, hence, with its environment. The peaceful introverted archetype of the yogi is embodied (adhyatmika) and at ease with itself and others. The centurion archetype thrives on History-Centrism, heroism and control. Its priorities are worldly expansion and accumulation. The yogi archetype seeks to ultimately transcend nama-rupa (constructs based on limitations). Its priorities are adhyatmika, purifying its gunas from tamas to rajas to sattva, advancing from lower to higher chakras, and evolving from the psychic body to the supra-mental body. The centurion's belief system is founded entirely on God's historical interventions, proven by the prophets' miracles as reported in anecdotal accounts. The centurion controls this 'one true account of history' as his asset and source of personal identity. This account legitimizes his power, whether as the Catholic Pope or as an Evangelical Protestant Church. This canon combines both shruti and smriti into a frozen book. The yogi, on the other hand, is ever expanding his consciousness to discover more, has a massive library of texts that separate shruti and smriti, which is built cumulatively without purging the old. Frozen canon and History-Centrism turn religion into a Darwinian game in which many strategies get deployed to expand, takeover, monopolize and plunder – all in God's name. On the other hand, the creativity of new living spiritual masters is like an R & D lab using an open architecture that encourages fresh startups, and this threatens the orthodoxy in each era. History-Centric religions advance very rarely, as it takes God's intervention using miracles as the proof of authenticity, and these advances are violent and kill the past identity, culture and history. On the other hand, open and free adhyatmika explorations are cumulative and do not impose on prior or competing worldviews. Such traditions are not boxed in the way that History-Centric religions invariably are. The History-Centric approach demands conformity because it is membership oriented: You are either in or out, either one of 'us' or 'them', and this subliminally equates to 'we = good' versus 'others = evil'. Monotheism is more accurately described as My-Theism. Buddhism has been called the export variety of Hinduism. Its peaceful spread from India across Asia for over a thousand years was achieved without any subversion of the various host cultures or languages or identities into which it was received. This stands in sharp contrast with the violent imperialism with which both Christianity and Islam have achieved their expansions. Finally, postmodernists must undertake a serious study of Indic thought free from contemporary politics of the left and right, and from Eurocentric mis-portrayals of the past. They need to appreciate the Indic traditions' resources for deconstruction; that it seeks a positive state that is free from conflict rather than the nihilism and cynicism that often results from postmodern deconstructions. III: Myth of Hindu Sameness To evaluate the popular notion that Hinduism is the same as Christianity, let us consider some specific issues. Shruti and Smriti: One of the foundations of Indian thought is the separation between shruti and smriti as two different kinds of knowledge. Shruti is authorless. It is heard as direct inner experience without any intermediary, not unfiltered through one's own conditioned mind. It is available only in high states of consciousness achieved by rishis and advanced yogis. Smriti is constructed by persons in a historical, cultural context, and is conditioned by its authors. Hence, it must change with time and context. Shruti is eternal truth, while smriti is meant to be changed and is to be applied like case law with great care taken for each context to determine its applicability and the required adaptation. Shruti is the rishi's/yogi's present moment embodied experience of the ultimate reality. Smriti is disembodied knowledge that is objectified and discursive. Shruti is kept alive by living enlightened spiritual masters. The Bible and Koran combine shruti and smriti into one. Furthermore, smriti prevails over shruti in these canons: Shruti was collapsed into smriti. All Shruti has been reduced to Smriti - unchangeable text rather than present realization. History became the supreme smriti of the institution as that enabled it to collect taxes, impose its police authority and to expand via imperialism. Shruti was sacrificed in the process. Therefore, the finality of canon forces a freezing and imposition of old smritis that were meant only for a given historical context. The key factor is that they regard History-Centric events as though they were shruti. This drags into the already frozen canons, many incidental historical details about the way Prophet Mohammed or Jesus or their respective followers lived. Hinduism's and Buddhism's itihas (history) are viewed as smriti, and not as shruti. This separation allows changes in smriti as per human society's needs. But unfortunately, most of the condemnations of Hinduism cite smriti as though it were shruti. These critics mimic the colonial agenda to demonize native traditions and native identity. They use educational institutions and media to manufacture and/or distribute false interpretations. Hindu submission and acceptance leads to Hindus internalizing these falsities, and they often becoming pathological self-haters. One may classify cultures as shruti centric or smriti centric. The yogi is shruti centric and seeks to ultimately transcend Nama-Rupa. Shruti refreshed by living spiritual masters prevents the fossilization of old smriti. But institutionalized religions drift away from yoga. Jihad (Islamic, Christian or Hindu), is a product of smriti that has taken over shruti. People have asked me what is wrong with U-Turns. My simple response is that the appropriated shruti gets collapsed into History-Centric smriti. Postmodernists rightfully deconstruct smriti, but they suffer in two ways: (1) They lack the yoga to be able to receive shruti and are stuck in disembodied intellectualism. (2) They . facto tend to use Western smriti, because their education, mentoring and career advancement are embedded in Western smriti. Karma: The Biblical historical narrative is the essence of mainstream Christian denominations. When examined through the Indic lens, the core historical narrative of the Bible is incompatible with karma theory: * Karma is not transmitted via biological reproduction: Adam and Eve committed Original Sin when they violated God's commands. As a result of their act, God cursed the entirety of mankind forever, i.e., Adam and Eve's children, grand children, and so forth, ad infinitum, were forever condemned by God. This is known as Eternal Damnation. However, the karma of Adam and Eve cannot be transmitted to their biological offspring, and Adam and Eve must pay for their karma in their own rebirths. A given person carries his/her own personal karma into his/her own next life, and one's karma does not get transmitted to one's biological children. I do not suffer from the karma of my parents and nor do my kids suffer from my karma. I brought my past life's karma into this world and will take this life's karma into my next birth. Rebirth is not in the form of one's biological progeny. A white Christian could have been an Iraqi Muslim in a prior life, General Musharraf could have been a Hindu, Shiv Sena's head could have been a Muslim, a man could have been a woman and vice versa, and so forth. * Karma is always finite and its phala (consequence or fruit) cannot be infinite: Regardless of how bad Adam and Eve's misdeed was it could not cause eternal phala, which is what Eternal Damnation is. Every karma is finite and its phala is finite, even if it lasts a million years. * Phala cannot precede the karma: Karma theory states that first the karma has to occur and only then can its consequences occur. Effect (phala) never precedes cause (karma). But Jesus is said to have suffered (the phala) 2,000 years in advance of our birth today, and his suffering was to redeem our karma of today. This implies that Jesus suffered in advance of our karma, but phala in advance of the karma is impossible. The claim seems to be that Jesus established a sort of 'phala bank' and deposited infinite amount of phala in advance, and all those who accept his offer may neutralize all their karmas by drawing against this 'phala bank' account. This is simply impossible in karma theory. [10] These points do not necessarily falsify Christianity but point out the deep incompatibilities between the two systems. This is merely an example of the kind of engagement that would have to take place before any sameness could be stipulated. During the centuries of darshana debates in India among various schools, the above arguments would have been put forth between Hindu and Christian theologians. It is not un-Indian to engage in such discourse. The tragedy is that by the time Christianity was taken seriously in India, the support systems and resources needed to do an adequate purva-paksha had vanished. Because of colonialism, Christians started dominating the discourse. Hundreds of Christians institutions exist that study Hinduism seriously, and thousands of Christians study it. Yet, we have few if any Hindus and Hindu institutions that systematically study Christianity. This is a necessity before an adequate purva-paksha can be done. Meanwhile, we are left with nonsensical sameness talks by leaders who have failed to do an adequate purva-paksha of Christianity. Time: Biblical time is finite, with a specific beginning and an end. It is said to have begun a few thousand years ago only, and the End of Time is coming soon according to many mainstream denominations. [11] This finiteness of time boxes many Christians into haste, and eventually into terror that time is running out. The peculiar combination of (i) Eternal Damnation (i.e. an infinite problem) and (ii) Finite Time has produced a state of desperation in Christian societies. Every person is born into the infinite horror of Eternal Damnation, and the finiteness of time does not give enough opportunity to resolve this condition. Therefore, one must always be in a hurry and not waste time. The consequence of not getting saved is Eternity in Hell, and one simply cannot take any chances. This is why horrific images of Hell play a critical role in pressuring people to convert. Reincarnation doctrine was banned in Christianity so as to raise this pressure, and this is especially effective as one becomes older. This is the one and only life that a person will ever have and Time is running out! The reward offered to those who become members of this History-Centric belief is also infinite: Eternity in Heaven amidst God, along with one's family, friends and other 'good' people. The price of failure is unimaginable, the reward is too good to miss out, and the effort is trivial as one merely has to admit that the Historical Grand Narrative is true – and one is in! This turns dangerous when it becomes extroverted and fuels the centurion-like militaristic evangelism. Western linear progression in history: After the Enlightenment in Europe, the Biblical linear historical narrative from evil to good became replaced by the linear 'progress' narrative from primitive to modern. Here, modern has a specifically European meaning. This is why the teaching of world history and civilization in America is unable to incorporate more than a limited amount about ancient accomplishments, as these refute the linear history, especially when these accomplishments are from non-Western cultures. The self: The Biblical notion of the soul gives it an individual essence, which easily gets conflated with one's Earthly identity in terms of gender, race, religion, and even Americans as having the unique Manifest Destiny. Hence, there are good souls and bad souls, with different places in the chain of being. On the other hand, rebirth of the jiva-atman gives it experiences in living as different genders, races, cultures, levels of prosperity and so forth. This relativizes any Earthly identity formation as being only relevant for this one birth and not as one's atman's essence. [12] Christ will return to restore all saved dead persons back to life, in their original bodies as of the time of their deaths. This helps the plastic surgery industry and also drives the fixing up of dead bodies prior to their burial: One must look forward to eternal life in this same body, and the specifics of the body's race, gender, height, weight, age, etc., are therefore critical priorities. This sense of having one's physical body in heaven also encourages the youth industry and causes people to be in denial of aging. This is becoming a major factor in causing geriatric mental health problems, especially after the individual is forced to admit that aging has set and that s/he cannot fake youthfulness any longer. Death and aging: The ashrama system in Indian culture gives each life stage its own legitimacy and dignity, and its own dharma to follow. One is not measured by the norms of youth throughout one's life. The aged are respected, and regard their condition as being normal. Being old is not seen as an abnormality that one must cure or fight or be in denial of. This respectful aging has enabled older people in traditional Indian societies to remain integrated in multigenerational families, until recent mimicry of Western lifestyles led to dislocated aging – ironically, the result of 'progress'. The Bible's trauma of dealing with death and aging causes senility. The obsessive youth culture is the result of this fear of aging. It has been said that the West has a two-ashrama system: juvenile and senile. People invest heavily to remain young for as long as they can, forcing themselves into artificial extremes just to live up to the image. This is juvenile behavior, and it is out of the dread of eventually turning old and senile, and having a fearful death. Property, privilege and entitlement: In the Bible, God gives man ownership of all animals and nature, for man's own pleasure. To support the plunder of other peoples, this supremacy was extended by Church theologians to argue in favor of the slavery of blacks and the genocide of millions of Native Americans, on the basis that they were heathens, i.e., not Christians. It was argued that the men who were given ownership of the bounty of nature were Biblical men and not the heathens. Later, when these non-whites were converted into Christianity, this argument was replaced by a different approach to supremacy, namely, that the people of color were 'unfit to self-govern'. Therefore, it was declared the duty of Anglo-Saxon Christians to rule over others in the best interest of the others. Many criteria for 'fitness to self-govern' were established, including 'moral values', 'rationality', and so forth. Data was gathered to prove that non-whites lacked these qualities. By the early 1800s America, this had evolved into the well-known doctrine called Manifest Destiny, which was the basis for the conquest of new territory (such as Texas) from Mexico, along with the territorial expansion Westwards by conquering the Native Americans. This doctrine explicitly gave white Americans the right to 'civilize' others by whatever means they considered appropriate, and to take over their lands, property and cultures. In British India, the argument of 'fitness to self-govern' was very explicitly used to remove various native rajas and install the East India Company's governance. A prominent example was the removal of the Queen of Jhansi (who had led the war of independence against the British) on the basis that she was an 'immoral person' and that this made her 'unfit to rule'. The phrase 'regime change' that is so common in the media today was used in the 19th century by the British to force their rule upon Indians – argued on the basis that they brought 'freedom' and better 'human rights' than the local Kshatriya rulers. Scholars in Whiteness Studies have developed a notion called 'white privilege', which refers to institutionalized and deeply rooted cultural privileges that whites enjoy, even when a given white individual is free from racial prejudices. Nowadays, the term has been replaced with 'American privileges', and refers to the superior rights and entitlements that Americans must enjoy in the world over and above other peoples. The Bush Doctrine of spreading freedom and human rights has been called today's version of Manifest Destiny. It presupposes that America must impose its own social and political principles on others, in the others' best interests. Any perceived threat to the status quo of privileges and entitlements that Westerners take for granted is sufficient provocation to trigger the revival of Christian fundamentalism. Post-9/11 is seeing the rise of this fundamentalism from its latent state. One of the entitlements claimed by the West is in the field of knowledge production and dissemination, and this may be called epistemic privilege. This includes the right to select the topics for inquiry, the way issues are framed, who is qualified and certified as a scholar, the theories that are available to be applied, and so forth. Individuals like me, who criticize the system, are deemed to be 'attacking' the scholars and the scholars are depicted as 'victims'. This diverts attention away from the real issues of substance that are being contested. Naturally, many Indians have joined such a system of privilege and protection, and have thereby earned the title, 'sepoys'. Institutional authority: The Church's institutional authority over all men lasted for centuries, and similar theocracies existed in the case of Islam. (In fact, the serious study Islam entails in large part a study of Islamic Law.) This does not have a parallel in Hinduism, where the raja was supposed to protect the diverse dharmas of every person and not impose his own personal dharma upon others. The Christian and Islamic concept of enforcement of religious laws on people is different from the principle of voluntary dharmic compliance. The Gita is not a book of rules that any authority is supposed to enforce, nor was it ever the 'law'. It does not even say, “Thou shalt do this and not that...” It explains how the system of karma operates and what the consequences of various choices are on the individual choice maker. The individual remains with the freedom of choice and the knowledge of possible karmic consequences governed by the cosmos and not by human authorities/institutions. It is a description of natural rta/dharma, and not man-made laws. [13] This is why Indian gays/lesbians do not need to have a parade in Delhi to 'fight for rights' (like the parades in major US cities), because no authority took away these rights from them in the first place. Even the much maligned Manusmriti was never enforced as the law of the land, except under the British rule when it was enforced to prove that the colonizers were ruling in accordance with 'Hindu Law', a canon they constructed with the help of local pundits hired for the purpose. A primary difference between Indian and Western approaches to institutional authority is that the living gurus are given a high status by Hindus, whereas institutions occupy the preeminent status in Abrahamic religions. (This is why Hindu gurus have now become a prime target of demonology, because Christian strategists realize that no destruction of physical temples or texts or institutions will erase Hinduism as long as its new gurus continue to appear and enjoy large popular followings.) The institutionalization in Biblical societies has also brought about a culture of conformity with other members. Canonized knowledge leads to normative thinking and social standard for everyone to emulate. Conformity is also the seed of social competition. Such a society is more vulnerable to advertisement driven consumerism. Can sameness be one-sided? If X is the same as Y, then Y must also be the same as X. [14] This gives us a reliable method to empirically test the sameness hypothesis in the real world. How many Christian denominations would be willing to hold Vishnu worship ceremonies in their church? Besides a few relatively small denominations such as the Unitarians (who in combination have less than 10% share of the US Christian population), almost all mainstream denominations reject such proposals read the whole essay at: http://www.sulekha.com/ex

Sri Isopanisad Mantra Seventeen <font color="blue"> "Let this temporary body be burnt to ashes, and let the air of life be merged with the totality of air. Now, O my Lord, please remember all my sacrifices, and because You are the ultimate beneficiary, please remember all that I have done for You." </font color> _______ Do I deserve to be remembered by Krsna? Do I deserve to even desire to be remembered by Krsna? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Americans Support Biblical Creationism but Are Skeptical on Details Religion News Service USA, November 29, 2004: A Gallup Poll suggests that Americans are divided over how the world was created -- either through evolution or at the hand of God -- but either way they appear skeptical that it happened exactly as described in the book of Genesis. The poll found that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution remains controversial among Americans. About one-third say it is supported by evidence, one-third see it as bunk and one-third don't know enough to judge. A plurality of Americans -- 45 percent -- say man was created by God in his present form, while 38 percent say man developed over time as God guided the process. Just 13 percent said God had no role in the process. Yet a smaller percentage, 34 percent, said the Bible is the actual word of God and should be read literally. Pollsters said that discrepancy suggests that Americans believe man was created as-is, but not because the Bible says so. Breaking down the numbers, Gallup officials said about one-quarter of Americans are "biblical literalists" who believe man was created 10,000 years ago in his present form. They tend to be women, conservatives, Republicans and attend a Protestant church at least once a week. A slightly smaller number -- one in five Americans -- believe man was created in his present form 10,000 years ago, but not because they read the Bible literally. Just 9 percent of the country read the Bible literally but are open to the theory of evolution. The largest group -- 46 percent -- do not read the Bible literally and believe humans may have evolved over time. This group tends to be male, urban, more educated, Catholic and seldom or never attend church. "It is not surprising to find that the biblical literalists who believe that God created humans 10,000 years ago tend to be more religious and Protestant," said Frank Newport, Gallup's editor in chief. "Given the recent emphasis on the importance of religion in the Nov. 2 presidential election, it is of interest to note that this 'true believer' group tends to be more Republican than (most Americans)." The survey of 1,016 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. --------- P S ****** What if we supply them with the Vedic details of how exactly the world came to be ???

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Speaks On Hindu Identity http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=59670 INDIA, November 27, 2004: "It is interesting to probe into the psyche of identity, which often is a source of security, insecurity, conflict and comfort. Perhaps the following reasons would answer the identity crises of the Hindus. The broadmindedness of Hinduism, its inherent inclusiveness and secularism, makes Hindus feel guilty about claiming their identity, as it is embedded in their philosophy that it is wrong to exclude others. Claiming a religious identity makes them feel they are excluding others, and so they shy away from doing so," says Sri Ravi Shankar in his recent column for The Indian Express. "But Hindus who know Sanskrit or a few shlokas are rare. Most educated Hindus know the Bible; they know Christmas carols. When they know nothing about their religion, how can they take pride in it?There are 1.25 billion Hindus in the world, a little over one-sixth of the world's population, but you hardly find a single Hindu lobby at international forums. You will find a Christian lobby, a Muslim lobby or a Jewish lobby, but you can't find a Hindu lobby. Just 12 million Jews in the world are such a powerful voice. Buddhists also have a voice and make their presence felt at world forums.A strong community is an asset to any nation. A weak community will always be in fear and because of insecurity will become aggressive. It is the pride in one's identity which strengthens the community," Sri Ravi Shankar continues. For the full column, click on "source" above.

How about a lie detector test ? Or a a dozen character references ?

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Conversation on March 9, 1976. Madhudvisa: In the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, in one of your purports, you say that a sannyasi should never discourage a young man from getting married. But on the other hand, we understand that a sannyasi should encourage young men to remain brahmacari. So it seems to me like there's some kind of contradiction. Prabhupada: According to time and circumstance. Just like Krsna says, nityatam kuru karma tvam: "Always be engaged in your prescribed work." (Bg, 3.8) And at last he says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam varja. (Bg. 18.66) So now you adjust. That is not a contradiction. It is just suitable to the time and circumstance. Madhudvisa: But is there some conclusion? Prabhupada: The real aim is that you have to become the eternal servant of Krsna.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness Founder Acarya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada The First Step Program - Application Form Revised 06/23/02 New Dvaraka Community – Los Angeles, Ca. This is an application for the First Step Program, a four-week live-in program at the New Dvaraka Community in Los Angeles, California designed to provide immeasurable spiritual benefit to every sincere participant. Thank you in advance for filling out this application as completely and honestly as possible. We know that some of the questions on this application are intensely personal. All of your strengths and challenges are likely to become apparent within a pretty short time here. We don’t expect people to be perfect. We do expect everyone to be respectful of themselves and others and humble to the degree that they can look at their issues; and to some degree be able to move freely around their own “self-image”- their ego, and their “world view” exploring a very real alternative. If you foresee potential concerns with your application, please bring them up so we can talk about it and try to work something out. We know everyone can benefit from even the slightest association with devotees, Srila Prabhupada’s books, and darshan of our deities, Sri Sri Rukmini Dvarakadisha— who you are, where you come from or what you have done in the past may always be overcome! Please include one recent Passport type photo with your application. (If you are already here at the community we can snap a digital photo- just ask!) Also, remember to attach any items noted with a * on the application. You may return this application to the Bhakta/Bhaktin Program Leader; or if you are not living locally to: The Program Director – First Step International Society of Krishna Consciousness 3764 Watseka Avenue Los Angeles, Ca. 90034 USA Thank You for your interest in visiting New Dvaraka for a few weeks of spiritual bliss! Please type or print your answers clearly. 2 PERSONAL DETAILS Today’s ____/ ____/ ____ Month Day Year Your Current Legal Name: _______________ _________________ _______________ First Middle Last Have you taken formal spiritual initiation (either within ISKCON or elsewhere) from anyone in the past? Circle One: Yes No If yes, by whom? _ Is this person affiliated with a particular group? Circle One: Yes No If so, what is the name of that group? _____________________________When? _____ Year Initiated Spiritual Name: _ Name you Prefer to be called by: __________ If you are female and married what is your Maiden Name?: _______________________ Have you ever gone by other names (aliases)? If so, please specify: _________________________, ________________________, ____________________ Check One: Are you currently interested in exploring— a long-term, live-in commitment to a spiritual community, an opportunity to retreat for some time develop the spiritual side of your life and put the day-to-day world in better perspective, or perhaps you are just curious about religious life? Your Living Address: ____________ ________________________Apt.# ______ Number Street Name City: _ State: ______ Zip: _______________ Country: ____________________________ Check One: Is this your Current? Or Last Address? Your Mailing Address: ____________ ________________________Apt.# ______ Number Street Name City: _ State: ______ Zip: _______________ Country: ____________________________ Check One: Is this your Current? Or Last Mailing Address? E-mail address: ______________________@_ Your Phone Number(s)— Home (____) ____________ Work (____) ____________ Pager (____) _____________ Cell (____) _____________ Fax (____) _____________ E-mail ____________________ @ ______________________ Driver’s License Number: _________________________Issuing State: _____________ Class(Licensed to Drive School Bus, Heavy Trucks, etc): _________________________ Expiration ____/ ____/ ____ Month Day Year Is this an International Driver’s License? Circle One: Yes No Social Security Number: __________ - _____ - ____________ Circle One: Male Female Race: _______________ Weight: ___ Circle One: Lbs. Kg. What you consider your family origin to be. Height: ____/____ Circle One: Ft./In. Cm. Hair Color: _______ Eye Color: ________ Language (or Languages) you grew-up speaking: _______________________________ Ability to speak American English: Circle One: Excellent Good Fair Poor Ability to write American English Circle One: Excellent Good Fair Poor 3 Your Birth ____/ ____/ ____ Your Age Today: _______ Month Day Year Years When did you last live at home? _________ Year Please Note: If you are under 18 we must secure written permission from your parent(s) or legal guardian before allowing you to stay with us. Are you a U.S. Citizen? Circle One: Yes No If you are not a U.S. Citizen please answer the following questions: What is your Citizenship? ___________________________ What type of Visa do you hold? Visitor Tourist Other __________________ Visa Expiration date? : ____/ ____/ ____ What is your Passport Number?____________ Month Day Year * Please attach a copy of the page from your passport with your name and passport number and also * Please attach a copy of your USA Visa. Do you have a “Green Card”? Circle One: Yes No * If yes, please attach a copy with this application. Marital status— Circle One: Never Married Single Common-Law Marriage Married Separated Re-Married Divorced Widow/er If you are currently Married— Date Married: ____/ ____/ ____ Month Day Year If you are married or have a common-law marriage what is your- Current Spouse’s Legal Name: _______________ _________________ ________________________________ First Middle Last Do you have children? Circle One: Yes No If yes, how many? ____ What are their ages? ______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ If any of your children are not living with you, do you have any court ordered responsibility to support this(these) child(ren)? Circle One: Yes No Note: We rarely admit individuals to the First-Step Program who intend to bring their children with them to the Community. Under unique circumstances and by special arrangement, we may be able to make some accommodation for an otherwise highly qualified married couple planning to attend together. If you have children, will they be coming with you to New Dvaraka? Circle One: Yes No Their Name(s) & Age(s)? ___________________ ____ / __________________ ____ Name Age in Years Name Age in Years Personal Character Reference that we may contact— This may be a devotee you have known for some time, or any personal friend: Name: ____________________________ ___________________________ First Last Address: ____________ _____ Apt.# ______ Number Street Name City: _________________________________ State: ______ Zip: _________________ Country: ________________________ How long have you known this person? _________ __________ Years Months References’ Phone Number(s)— Home (____) ___________ Work (____) ___________ Pager (____) _____________ Cell (____) _____________ Fax (____) _____________ E-mail ____________________ @ ______________________ 4 Does this person know you are applying for this First Step Program?Circle One:Yes No When is the best time to reach them by phone? ________ ________ AM PM and at Day Time which number? Circle One: Home Work Pager Cell Fax E-mail Legal Names- Father: _____________________ Mother: __________________ Ages of Parents- Father _______ Mother ______ Occupations of Parents- Father __________________ Mother _____________________ Brother’s- Name(s), Age(s) & Occupation(s)____________ _______ ________________ ____________ _______ ________________ ____________ _______ ________________ Sister’s- Name(s), Age(s) & Occupation(s)____________ _______ ________________ ____________ _______ ________________ ____________ _______ ________________ If any of your parent(s)/step-parent(s) were initiated within ISKCON please provide: Their Initiated Names- Father: _____________________ Mother: __________________ If you are under 25 years of age, please provide at least one parent(s)’ contact information: Legal Name: ________________ _______________ ____________________________ First Middle Last Relationship? Circle One: Father Mother Step-Father Step-Mother Guardian Address: ____________ _____ Apt.# ______ Number Street Name City: _________________________________ State: ______ Zip: _________________ Country: ___________________________ Parents’ Phone Number(s)— Home (____) ____________ Work (____) ____________ Pager (____) _____________ Cell (____) _____________ Fax (____) _____________ E-mail ____________________ @ ______________________ When is the best time to reach them by phone? ________ ________ AM PM and at Day Time which number? Circle One: Home Work Pager Cell Fax E-mail Did you serve in the Military? Yes No If so, What Branch? ___________ Date Entered _____/ ______/ ______ Date Discharged ______/ _______/ _______ Type of Discharge ____________________ Please attach a copy of your discharge papers. Highest Rank Held ________________________ Valuable Experience or Training Received: Do you own any possessions (houses, cars, or other “valuable” things?) ______________________ Have you ever received any awards? ______ 5 We understand that some young people, who have been visiting the Hare Krishna temple for some time, have for this reason put a strain on the relationship with their parents. If this is the case for you, look back to the time prior to this period, as you answer the following question… If you are under 25 years of age, please answer the following questions about your relationships with your parents: What is your current relationship like with each of your parents/step-parents? Father- Circle One: Excellent OK Fair Poor None Parent Deceased How long ago did you last see him in person? Circle One: In the last— Month Year More than a Year Mother- Circle One: Excellent OK Fair Poor None Parent-Deceased How long ago did you last see her in-person? Circle One: In the last— Month Year More than a Year Step-Father- Circle One: Excellent OK Fair Poor None Parent-Deceased How long ago did you last see him in-person? Circle One: In the last— Month Year More than a Year Step-Mother- Circle One: Excellent OK Fair Poor None Parent-Deceased How long ago did you last see her in-person? Circle One: In the last— Month Year More than a Year Other Parent Figure or Guardian- Circle One: Excellent OK Fair Poor None Deceased How long ago did you last see them in-person? Circle One: In the last— Month Year More than a Year EMPLOYMENT DETAILS Are you presently employed? Circle One: Yes No At this time, do you have any independent means of financial support? Circle all that apply: Savings Welfare SSI A Job I will return to after my stay at the Temple Self-Employment Trust Fund Workman’s Comp Unemployment Disability Alimony Social Security Benefits-What type, from when and where _Other _______________________________ Is this income sufficient to support the lifestyle you are accustomed to maintaining? If you were to decide to remain permanently, and become a full-time member of our Community, do you expect this income stream would continue? How long? ____ _____ Years Months How many different jobs have you had in the past year? ______________ What was the longest you stayed at any of these jobs? ______________ Why did you leave? ____ If you are self-employed, please provide the following information: Business Name: ______ Nature of this Business?__ How long in this business?____________ 6 Your Business Address: ____________ ________________________Apt.# ______ Number Street Name City: _ State: ______ Zip: _______________ Country: _________________________ Business Number(s)— Home (____) ___________ Work (____) ___________ Pager (____) _____________ Cell (____) _____________ Fax (____) _____________ Regarding your (Check One): current or most recent employment— Please provide the following information: Name of Company: ____ Your Highest Position There: ______________________________ Company Address: ____________ ________________________ Number Street Name City: ___ State: ______ Zip: _____________ Country: ____________________________ Supervisor’s Name: ___________________ ________________ First Last Supervisor’s Phone(s): Home (____) ___________ Work (____) ___________ Pager (____) _____________ Cell (____) _____________ May we speak discreetly to your supervisor? Circle One: Yes No If yes, when is the best time to reach them by phone? _______ _______ AM PM and at Day Time which number? Circle One: Home Work Pager Cell Fax How long have you been/were you, at this job? _______ _______ Months Years If you are no longer employed, what was your last date of employment at this company? ____/ ____/ ____ Month Day Year Why did you leave? ____ BACKGROUND INFORMATION Have there been any recent notable changes in your life (behavior, friends, activities, employment, personal realizations, etc.)? 7 Have you been convicted of any crime(s), misdemeanor (minor crime) or felony within the last 5 years? Circle One: Yes No If yes, please describe the charge, your sentence and your current status with these conviction(s): Have you ever been in prison? Circle One: Yes No If so, please explain, giving dates and places. Have you been cited for any moving traffic violations in the last 3 years? Circle One: Yes No If yes, please describe the charge: Regarding your Education: Please Check All that Apply- Did You?: Earn a GED? Graduate from High School? Attend Some College Earn an Undergraduate Degree If so, What College? __________________________ Degree ___ Field(s) of Study _________________________________Year? ___ Earn a Graduate Degree If so, What College? ________________________________ Degree ___ Field(s) of Study _________________________________Year? ___ Attend a Technical or Vocational School –Course of Study ______________ Year? __ Current Vocational/Technical Certificates ________________________________ * If so, Please attach a copy with this application. Current Professional Licenses (Other than Driver’s License) _______________________ * If so, Please attach a copy with this application. Do you have a recent (updated within the last year) resume? Circle One: Yes No * If yes, please attach a copy with this application. HEALTH Are you celibate by choice at this time? Circle One: Yes No How long? Circle One: Weeks Months Years Why? Have you ended a sexually active relationship within the last year? Circle One: Yes No Do you consider yourself? Circle One: Homosexual Bisexual Transsexual “Straight” Does your diet commonly include any of the following? Please UNDERLINE all that your regularly eat, and CIRCLE those that you feel you may have been overdoing in the last year: Soft Drinks Refined Sugars White Flour Hard Cheese Milk Butter Ice Cream Tofu Meat Whole-Grain-Foods Veggies Fresh Fruits Fish Beans Garlic Onion Spicy Foods Fast-Food Canned Foods Restaurant Food Coffee 8 Regarding your daily eating habits, do you most commonly— (Check One or Two): Cook for yourself Someone in your family cooks for you Dine-out Grab snacks and fast-food when you can Do you have any medically necessary dietary restrictions or necessities? If so, what are they? Do you regularly take non-prescription dietary supplements? If so, what and why? Do you have any serious illnesses? Circle One: Yes No If so, please describe ______________________ Have you had or do you have any life threatening illness (cancer, AIDS, emphysema, heart problems, asthma, epilepsy, etc.)? _____ Please list any other medical problems and what you are doing about them ______________________ Are you taking any prescription medication, or should you be taking any medications you have chosen not to take. _ Have you ever involuntarily or voluntarily received treatment for mental or emotional problems by a professional psychologist, psychiatrist or mental health center? Yes No If so, please describe your current situation on a separate piece of paper. Do you have any allergies you have to deal with regularly? ______________________ Do you have any hobbies you regularly enjoy? If so, what do you like to do? Have others mentioned they feel you have may have a problem with substance abuse? Circle One: Yes No What are your three greatest needs in order of priority? 1)__________ 2)__________ 3)__________ What kinds of issues or challenges have you faced in your close relationships? Do you have difficulty hearing? Circle One: Yes No Have you found a solution for this problem? Do you wear glasses? Circle One: Yes No Do you have trouble seeing to read? Circle One: Yes No Is it easy for you to express your feelings? Check One: Most often-Yes Most Often-No Sometimes 9 Have you ever had hallucinations? Circle One: Yes No Do you enjoy being with other people? Circle One: Yes No Sometimes Do you sometimes hanker to be alone? Circle One: Yes No Sometimes Do you have trouble sleeping? Circle One: Yes No If yes, why? Have you ever had a desire, a plan and a means to commit suicide? Circle One: Yes No Closest direct relative in case of a medical emergency? Name: ____________________________ ___________________________ First Last Address: ____________ _____ Apt.# ______ Number Street Name City: ____ State: ______ Zip: ____________ Country: ___________________________ Years Months Emergency Phone Number(s)— Home (____) ___________ Work (____) ___________ Pager (____) _____________ Cell (____) _____________ Fax (____) _____________ E-mail ____________________ @ ______________________ Did you regularly attend any sort of religious institution as a child? Circle One: Yes No If yes, what denomination? ____ At the time, did you willingly accept the standard rites of passage for people attending that institution? Circle One: Yes No Mostly Have you stopped regularly attending any religious or spiritual functions? Circle One: Yes No If yes, when? __________ And Why? Year 10 We have found from long experience that individuals practically engaged in daily activities according to their natural propensities and training, are more satisfied and successful in their long-range pursuit of devotional service. Using the following criteria, please indicate the level of work skills you have on the following list: P Indicates you have considerable Professional field experience in the skill T Indicates you are Trained in the skill but have less than 2 years of full time field experience practicing the skill S Indicates you have Some regular paid work experience in the skill N Indicates you have No work experience in the skill L Indicates a skill you have thought you would like to Learn __Carpentry __Plumbing __Electrical __Electronic __Masonry __Grounds Maintenance-Tree/Shrub Care __General Mechanical Repair __Auto Repair __Artistic Talent __Sewing __Painting __Sculpture __Printing __Desktop Publishing __Typing __Telephone Skills __Accounting/Bookkeeping __Clerical __Microsoft Office Applications __Nursing Healing __Arts __Adult Counseling __Conflict Resolution __Communicating __Facilitation __Problem Solving __Coordination of Other’s Activities __Supervision __Child Care __Elementary Teaching __Tutoring __Counseling Summer Camp Restaurant Experience: __Cooking for Meals of 50+ __Baking __Serving __Cleaning __Host(ess) __Cashiering __Prep Work __Pot Washing __Photography __Video Production __Film Editing __Sound Engineering __Fund Raising __Grant Development __Marketing __Telephone Skills __Publicity __Story Telling __Listening __Dramatic Performance on Stage __Electrical or Civil Engineering __Architecture __Drafting __Singing __Playing Musical Instruments __Songwriting __Certified Lifeguard __CPR 11 LIFESTYLE When? ________, and How did you FIRST come into contact with the Hare Krishnas? Year Check One: Read one of our books At a school Hare Krishna program From a friend or acquaintance Met a devotee or saw us chanting on the street At a yoga studio Other What was your first impression of this Hare Krishna lifestyle? Accommodations are in dormitory-style housing. Do you snore? Circle One: Yes No Many of the daily service activities you may be asked to perform while you are here are physically and mentally demanding— sometimes require heavy lifting, bending, long standing or sitting, and concentrating on oral lecture and written materials. As such, this program is not appropriate or helpful to everyone, all the time. To properly arrange for everyone to have the best opportunity to benefit from this program, please provide the following health information: Do you have any physical limitations that would make dormitory accommodations (or stairs) a hardship for you? Have you consumed alcoholic beverages in the past year? Circle One: Yes No How often? Circle One: Daily Once a Week Less than Once a Month How long since your last alcoholic drink? ________________ Are you or have you been in a treatment program, or do you regularly attend AA meetings? Circle One: Yes No Have you used non-prescription or illicit drugs for recreation in the past year? Circle One: Yes No What? _______________________ How often? Check One: Daily Once a Week Less than Once a Month What? _______________________ How often? Check One: Daily Once a Week Less than Once a Month Are you or have you been in a treatment program designed to eliminate this behavior? Have you played the lottery or engaged in other forms of gambling in the past year? Circle One: Yes No Have you sought counseling for overindulgence in this behavior? Circle One: Yes No If you have considered, or tried to follow our four regulated principles have you found any hard to follow? Please Check Which: No eating of meat, fish or eggs No gambling No use of intoxicants – including recreational drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, as well as any drinks or foods containing caffeine No sex (except for having children within marriage) 12 Have you or do you now practice Hatha Yoga? Circle One: Yes No What recent changes (if any) have you had in your religious/spiritual life? EXPERIENCE with ISKCON Do you believe God, or a spiritual guide has sent you to the Hare Krishna Temple specifically? Have you been inside a Hare Krishna Temple? Circle One: Yes No If so, in what location? _____________________________ Did you? Circle One: Visit Briefly Reside There If you lived there— How Long? _______ _______ Months Years Why did you leave? What was the name of either your “authority” or the Temple President while you were there? (Please do your best at trying to spell their name(s) even if you’re not sure how.) _______________ Have you ever been asked to leave an ISKCON Temple? If so, please help us understand what happened? Have you been chanting on (japa) beads prior to your visit to New Dvaraka? Circle One: Yes No How often? __ IF you have taken initiation within ISKCON, or attempted to follow a vow of chanting sixteen rounds of Hare Krishna japa daily, have you been successful? Have you been able to establish some absolute minimum number you can complete daily? ___________ Number Daily Have you read Bhagavad-gita? Circle One: Yes No Whose translation- if you know? ___________ Have you performed some form of meditation in the past? Circle One: Yes No What type? _________________________ How Often? __________________________ When? (Circle One): Recently Within the last Year Less than Ten Years Ago Have you performed some type of voluntary devotional service (or seva) in the past? Circle One: Yes No When? _______ Where? _______________________________ Year Name of Institution What sort of daily activity(s) did you perform? How long were you there? Why did you leave? 13 What is motivating you to consider visiting/living in a spiritual community at this time? . 14 AGREEMENT I understand that all residents of the New Dvaraka Temple ashram where I will be residing, including visitors, are expected to rise early and come to all the morning and evening programs (unless specifically excused by one’s spiritual authority within the Temple community). I will follow the four regulated principles of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness— 1. No eating of meat, fish or eggs 2. No gambling 3. No use of intoxicants – including recreational drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, as well as any drinks or foods containing caffeine 4. No sex (except for having children within marriage) while I am in residence in the New Dvaraka Community. I understand that everyone who lives in the Temple ashram is expected to perform thirty-five hours of service each week in reciprocation for the benefits provided by the New Dvaraka Community. I understand that appropriate accommodation may be possible for specific, bona fide medical conditions with prior arrangement. I acknowledge that any false information or failure to maintain the above mentioned standards may obligate the Temple administration to withdraw my visitor privileges. Life within the shelter of the Temple ashram is meant for spiritual development and the current residents have chosen to voluntarily accept these austerities as a way to become isolated from the day-to-day anxieties of the world. I too hope to take full advantage to this opportunity while I am here. I understand that accommodations are in shared dormitory style ashram facilities with attached baths. I will need to bring enough money for medical expenses, gifts and other extras, and transportation home at the end of my stay. All information provided on this application is correct and will be kept strictly confidential— to be shared only with members of the Program evaluation committee. It is hereby understood that the New Dvaraka Community can not and will not be held responsible for any personal property left, lost or stolen while in the Program. I agree that any property or money left at the New Dvaraka Community over thirty days from my departure date, announced or unannounced, becomes the property of the New Dvaraka Community. It is further understood that I release the New Dvaraka Community from all financial responsibilities in case of accident, injury, illness, or other imponderable misfortune. Signed __ Date _____/ _____/ _____

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A Living Sadhu A Conversation with Srila Gour Govinda Swami Devotee: Srila Prabhupada always emphasized that he was eternally present in his books, instructions, tapes, and letters. So when you say we should take association of a sadhu can we do that through Srila Prabhupada's books? Gour Govinda Swami: If Prabhupada says he is there, then you try to see him, associate with him, and listen from him. Do you see Prabhupada? Do you hear from Prabhupada? Is he speaking to you? Devotee: Through his books. Gour Govinda Swami: Through his books, yes. All sadhus speak through their books. Jiva Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, Bhaktivinode Thakur, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and Srila Prabhupada all say that they speak through books. This is not a new thing. This is our Vaisnava procedure. But you should see him. Can you see Bhaktivinode Thakur? Can you see Jiva Goswami? You may say, "Oh I have read their books; I have their association." That won't help you. You cannot understand what they have said merely by reading their books. Your consciousness is very low, so you cannot understand their words. They are very, very merciful, but you should follow the proper path. If you are intelligent you will understand how they are still here, not only in the form of their books but also they are here. You should see them. Why are you thinking so foolishly? So many books were already there, so why has Srila Prabhupada said this? You are thinking, "We need only to read books. There is no need of associating with a sadhu who is physically present. Is there any sadhu? No, there is no sadhu at all." Your motto is, "Seeing is believing." You cannot see, so you cannot believe. Because you are a conditioned soul, your vision is defective. You cannot see a sadhu. Krishna is there. Can you see Him? No, you cannot, because you are not endowed with proper vision. First develop the proper vision and then you can see Krishna. Then you can see how a sadhu is there. It is not a fact that sadhus are not present. How is everything going on? How does the sun rise, the wind blow, and Indra give rain? All these things are going on. No sadhu? No Krishna? It's nonsense, foolishness. We are so proud and puffed up. We are identifying our self as the body, mind, and false ego. We think we are very great, so we say, "Oh, there is no sadhu." We are in the category of identification with the body and mind. We have not come to the beginning of the stage of purity. No! Devotee: So we have to associate with a living sadhu? Gour Govinda Swami: Definitely. There is always one there. But he is not a cheap person. Such a person is very rare. If you can get his mercy then you can see him. Otherwise, by your own effort and perception, you cannot see him. No, no, no. You always think that you are drasta, the seer, and that the sadhu is drsta, the one to be seen. Everyone is like this. They think they are the seers. But it is just the reverse. You are to be seen and they are the seers. Think this over very deeply. I think you cannot completely understand what I say. We always think that we are the seer and that they are to be seen, but this is not a fact. It is just the reverse. They are the seers and we are to be seen. Devotee: How are we seen by the sadhu? By our service? Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. The sadhu is the seer. If he showers his mercy upon you, he sees you. If you receive that merciful glance then you are very fortunate. However, you are in the category of bodily consciousness. How can you have it? Guru is the manifestation of the Supersoul, caitya-guru, in the heart. He manifests a body and appears. He knows your heart. Devotee: I don't quite understand. Gour Govinda Swami: Yes, try to understand. As I told you, just hear patiently. A new bhakta cannot understand it because it is a topic of the highest class. You are in pre-primary class, how can you understand? You are not even in the primary class. How can you understand this topic of the highest class? Just accept the bona fide authorities. That will help you. The teacher says, "Two plus two is four." The primary school student accepts it. If the teacher asks the child, "What is two plus two?" The child will reply, "Two plus two is four." "Why is two plus two four?" "My teacher says." He will answer like this. That means he has accepted authority. This is the only principle in the beginning. How is two plus two four? Why not three or five? That will be explained in a higher mathematics class, not in the beginning. You have to have patience and get a promotion. My guru-maharaja says in his purport that the beginning is purity of consciousness. First come to this beginning stage. Then gradually other things will come up. You are not in the beginning stage so how will the higher topics come up? This is a very, very subtle and very deep philosophy. Putting full faith in the sadhu you need only submissively hear — sravanam, sravanam, sravanam. In that way you can get the mercy of that sadhu. That will help you. Only one thing is required, nothing else — sravanam, sravanam, sravanam. Just hear. Serve that sadhu, please him, hear submissively, surrender yourself at his lotus feet, and submissively ask questions. Out of mercy, the sadhu will impart this tattva-jnana to you. This is the only process. Unless you get association with a living sadhu, what can you do? Will you put some question to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada will answer you? This process is a living thing. It is always there, and it is always current. It is not that inquiry was done a certain way in the past and now things are done differently. No! It is an eternal process, pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya.

Receiving Mantra Diksa by Tape Recording by Tripurari Swami "The will of the Vaisnava is the heart of the affair. If his will is in place, if he gives his consent, the connection is complete and everything else surrounding initiation is secondary." Q. Some devotees are preaching that when Prabhupada initiated disciples though a tape recording he was in fact cheating them and never really initiated them because they were not qualified to be initiated at the time. What is your opinion? A. Srila Prabhupada's policy of giving mantra diksa (initiation) through a tape recording of his chanting the diksa mantras is clear from the written record, and there is no indication whatsoever that he intended anything less than fully initiating those whom he accepted as disciples when he employed this convention. The earliest of the more than one hundred letters in which he clearly stated this policy was in 1970. In that letter Srila Prabhupada wrote to Gurudasa the following: "The most important point in this letter is second time initiation of some of the devotees, specifically Jaya Hari Das Brahmacari, Jyotirmayi Devi Dasi, and Mandakinidevi Dasi. So I am sending herewith the sanctified Gayatri Mantra Tape and papers for holding the ceremony, as well as a sacred thread and special instructions for the devotees with the Gayatri Mantra. "Now what we have to do is to hold the Gayatri Mantra ceremony according to the instruction paper, then at the end teach Jaya Hari personally how to count on the finger divisions. Then play the Gayatri Mantra tape for him, and let him repeat the Mantras along with my vibration, word-to-word, and then hang the Sacred Thread on his neck as usual. The girls don't require Sacred Thread, as you know, but they simply can responsively chant the Gayatri Mantras. In each individual case the instruction should be given and the mantra replayed. This Gayatri Mantra function should be held amongst the devotees only." The opinion that he intended to cheat thousands of his disciples by pretending to initiate them is, in the very least, uninformed. Why then did he also engage such initiated disciples in the seva puja of the Deity? If he cheated some and not others that he initiated in the traditional way, we would expect those who he cheated to be less advanced, but this can hardly be demonstrated to the satisfaction of any thinking person. Prabhupada gave initiation by tape recording--or initiation by any means--only to disciples who were actively serving and had been strictly followings for many months the four regulative principles of no meat eating, intoxication, illicit sex, or gambling. These principles he established as strict criteria for living in his ashrams and for initiation. Living in his ashrams and initiation also required chanting at least sixteen rounds of japa faithfully every day. Even after meeting these requirements a candidate still had to be recommended for initiation by a senior devotee before he would be accepted. If those that Prabhupada initiated by tape were not qualified then, what qualifies them to hear the mantras from another guru now? This question is especially relevant when you consider that many of such persons have not been following any regulations or performing much of any spiritual practice for a number of years. Rupa Goswami says: anasaktasya visayan yatharham upayunjatah nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate "When persons accept worldly objects without attachment for them, employing them in the service of Krsna, this is called balanced detachment (yukta vairagya)." (Brs 1.2.255) Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura extended the application of this verse to include more than merely accepting the remnants of the Deity (garland, clothes, foodstuffs, etc.) and worldly things in moderation for one's upkeep. He believed in employing all modern devices in the propagation of Gaudiya Vaisnavism and considered this to be a dynamic expression of Krsna kirtana. Srila Prabhupada's policy involved following the lead of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, who had extended the meaning of Srila Rupa Goswami's conception of yukta vairagya. Among numerous unprecedented examples of yukta vairagya, such as riding in automobiles and employing printing presses, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta once gave Hari nama initiation over the telephone. Srila Sridhara Maharaja was asked about Prabhupada's policy of initiating disciples with a tape recording of his chanting the diksa mantras. Upon hearing about it, Sridhara Maharaja himself and later Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami adopted this policy when initiation in person was not possible. [i have at my disposal copies of Sridhara Maharaja and Promode Puri Goswami chanting these mantras on tape.] Here is one example of what Pujyapada Sridhara Maharaja said on this topic: Devotee: Are tapes of your Divine Grace or our own guru (Srila Prabhupada), are these transcendental sound vibrations from the tape recorder? Or does it have to be heard from the person? Pujyapada Sridhara Maharaja: The will of the Vaisnava is everything. The books written by the mahatmas, that is something like tape. They have given instructions through the medium of so many symbols. That has got value. The will, the center from which the vibration is passed, if still in connection, if the Vaisnava's consent is there, it will work. Our Guru Maharaja through telephone gave Harinama to one person in Dacca on his death bed. He was recommended by his disciples. With phone he gave, but because of his consent, his will, the connection was there. In this way we are to take it." When asked about the extent of the connection between Srila Prabhupada and some of his disciples who had never personally met him, Sridhara Maharaja replied with the same answer: "The will of the Vaisnava is the heart of the affair. If his will is in place, if he gives his consent, the connection is complete and everything else surrounding initiation is secondary." Q. These devotees go on to say that Prabhupada was a strict follower of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and that Bhaktivinoda speaks of two kinds of initiation, anusthanika and vidvaviruddha. They say that Prabhupada gave some of his disciples anusthanika diksa when he gave them the mantra on tape, whereas he gave others vidvaviruddha diksa when he spoke the mantra into their right ear. They also say that those who only received anusthanika diksa from Prabhupada must now hear the diksa mantras from their guru in order to be properly initiated. A. The term anusthanika diksa refers to the externals of the initiatory rite, or an initiation ceremony that lacks substance. The term vidvaviruddha diksa refers to the actual transmission of spiritual knowledge. To say that Prabhupada is a strict follower of Bhaktivinoda Thakura and to then say that he gave anusthanika (external or insubstantial) diksa to many of his disciples is contradictory. Bhaktivinoda Thakura may have spoken about these two types of diksa, but he himself gave vidvaviruddha (spiritually substantial) diksa, the essence of which is the desire on the part of a qualified guru to share his own experience in the land of faith in seed form with his disciple. Those who in the name of vidvaviruddha (substantial) considerations are overly concerned with the details of initiation (such as whether initiation was through tape) may themselves be more involved in anusthanika (external) considerations. Better to be a saragrahi (essence seeking) Vaisnava, as was Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Q. Some Vaisnava gurus now preaching in the west, both inside and outside Gaudiya Math, teach that neither Srila Prabhupada nor anyone else can properly initiate disciples by tape recording or that any such initiation cannot be considered substantial. Some of Prabhupada's own initiates have accepted these opinions and been reinitiated by one of those gurus saying the proof against initiation by tape recording is that many devotees did not make much advancement after being initiated by Srila Prabhupada in this manner. A. We should offer due respect to every genuine teacher of Vaisnavism or Krsna consciousness. Still, everyone knows that all contemporary Vaisnava and Gaudiya gurus preaching in the west are living almost entirely on the remnants of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's successful preaching campaign. These gurus may not adopt the policy of diksa via tape recording for themselves, nor recommend it, but they should have the wisdom to acknowledge that what an empowered preacher does in unprecedented circumstances like those that Srila Prabhupada encountered are certainly valid. Indeed, the results--a new worldwide community of devotees--speak for themselves and are the ultimate pramana (evidence). Although many disciples of Srila Prabhupada have not been following strictly in his absence, we do not find that those who received second initiation by tape are any more prone to this. It is very common for disciples to have more enthusiasm in the presence of a great devotee and to be carried by his spiritual strength. In his absence, many disciples need the encouragement and association of others to continue on the path. This is not abnormal or any fault on the part of the Guru or the process. After all, one of the qualities of bhakti with real feeling (bhava-bhakti) is that it is sudurlabha (rarely attained). Gurus in any branch of Vaisnavism who tell those disciples that they could not have been initiated by tape, were not actually initiated because they were unqualified at the time, or that any initiation by Srila Prabhupada is somehow void or insubstantial, become themselves questionable by this act. This is especially apparent when these gurus want to then re-initiate devotees who have already been initiated by Srila Prabhupada. The motives behind such preaching are much more questionable than the innovative system of mantra diksa by tape recording that was employed by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in his successful and unprecedented campaign to introduce the entire world to Krsna consciousness.

Yes, good preaching this harmony amidst diversity rather than unity amongst uniformity. Long live the soft-hearted Vaisnavas which in Kali-yuga are very rare indeed. ____________________________ The best monument will be our purified hearts, our demonstrating such character that people will find that irresistible. That's what attracted me to Srila Prabhupada, not big temples or any such trappings. In fact, there were no such things when I joined. And my enthusiasm for chanting and making spiritual progress has not flagged, ever. _____

k SB 11.6.43: O Lord Kesava, my dear master, I cannot tolerate giving up Your lotus feet even for a fraction of a moment. I urge You to take me along with You to Your own abode. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

Yes give us more from this most special part of Srimad Bhagavatam. Hare Krsna /images/graemlins/cool.gif

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Malaysia Celebrates Meatless Day info@hindusangam.org.my KUALU LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, November 24, 2004: The Malaysia Hindu Sangam President, Datuk A. Vaithilingam, issued the following statement: I wish to inform you here that at the World Millennium Peace Conference for Spiritual and Religious Leaders held at the United Nation New York from 28-31 August, 2000, Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani made repeated appeals on the need to save animals and thus suggested that more human beings should become vegetarian. Please note that I represented the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism at the above conference. In this connection Dada Vaswani visited Malaysia in March this year and urged the Malaysians of all races and religion to support The International Meatless Day on November 25, 2004. Many leaders then pledged their support for November 25 to be declared as an annual Meatless Day. The purpose of this campaign is to promote compassion, non-violence and reverence for life. The campaign believes in awakening compassion in the hearts of people towards our fellow brothers and sisters in the animal kingdom. It is believed that reverence for life is but one step towards world peace. I'm happy to inform that at the meeting of Hindu Organization Leaders held on November 22 in Kuala Lumpur leaders of the 26 organizations pledged that more than 2,000 followers will be a vegetarian on November 25, 2004. I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Pishu Murali Hassaram the chairman of the organizing committee based in Penang for having launched this programme on November 25 at the Esplanade, Penang under the distinguished Patronage of Tan Sri Koh Tsu Khoon, Chief Minister of Penang. I hope more Malaysian irrespective of race or religion will make November 25 each year a Meatless Day. Those who wish to know about the Meatless Day may look in the website http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Resort/1088.

Hanuman Mantra When one has had the great misfortune to have lost something, one can chant the following mantra to reclaim that object: This mantra was chanted by Hanuman to reclaim Sitadevi from the hands of Ravanasura. To gain its siddhi one lakha is required but the effect is there just even by chanting this mantra thrice. namo 'stu ramya salaksamanaya devyai ca tasyai janak atmajayai namo stu rudendra yama anilebhyo namo stu candraya marud ganebhyah

My Devotional Practice BY SRILA BHAKTI DAYITA MADHAV GOSWAMI MAHARAJ I have had renounced material life for quite some time. Why have I done so? Simply to engage in the devotional service. What kind of devotion? Devotion for the service of Lord Krishna. Why service of Sri Krishna? Lord Sri Krishna is the cause of all causes and my eternal connection is with Him. Who is Lord Krishna? Lord Krishna is the reservoir of all complete blissful existence and has the ability to attract all other living entities (All-attractive) by virtue of giving Bliss and Happiness. He is replete with unlimited knowledge and the seers of truth know Him in His three-fold aspect of - Sat-chit-ananda - complete knowledge, existence and bliss. Who am I? I am the part of His potency, always having an eternal link with Sri Krishna who is all existence, all knowledge andall bliss, but I am not Sri Krishna, I am His eternal servant. What type of link? The link is eternal in all respects. Sri Krishna has two energies: material and spiritual(apara and para). The spiritual energy is the cause of soul and the material energy is the cause of mind, body and senses. I had renounced this material world, knowing myself to be eternally subservient to Him, to dedicate myself to His service. All my gross, subtle and causal bodies are ever in relation with Sri Krishna, thus I will at all times and in all circumstances attempt to engage myself in His service. Consequently I set out to follow all the primary injunctions of the scriptures, regarding cultivation of knowledge of the soul and not this temporary material body. The general public, admiring my indifference to material affairs and rigid cultivation of spiritual practices, started honouring me and began to address me as a 'sadhu'. Thus I lived amidst such adoration and fame. Originally my purpose had benn to cultivate my devotion as a disciple. Unfortunately, overcome by the force of my previous bad habits, I once again desired to savour the luxuries of this body and amass prestige. My spiritual practices now existed only outwardly in name. Except the satisfaction of my perverted desires, now nothing brings any substantial delight to my heart. Previously, on gaining any opportunity to serve Supreme Lord, I would consider myself fortunate but now I see it as a troublesome task! Earlier, service executed for the spiritual master seemed like an opportunity for achieving perfection but now the very same seems burdensome. Enthusiastically, I had been serving all the devotees and saintly people, but now the very suggestion of such service annoys me. My mind now feels disconsolate on not being indulged in nice, lofty seats and cushions, lengthy praises of adoration, not leaving out sumptuous dainty dishes. I now, have some reservations to speak to people frankly and openly, being very much afraid of public opinion and loss of prestige. This was not at all my previous disposition and often I would wonder how long could I continue in this hypocritical dress of a devotee. In the place of true devotion to Lord Krishna, presently only a jumble of self-concocted practices exist. My priority now is to serve my senses. It is not that, I have not reflected time and again, how I had sunk in this sorry plight. I was able to detect my faults, time and again but was not ready to confess them on account of my fear of public opinion and loss of my false pride. It is my extreme misfortune that now in the guise of a saint I am directly or indirectly endeavouring in the pursuit of wealth, women and prestige. I have forgotten the earlier vows which I had taken in pursuit of devotion. In the deception of actual renunciation, I have become complacent and reflect that after all, in my tender immature stage of devotion, bad habits are bound to exist, thus giving indulgence to my passions in an unrestricted manner. Many a time, I have analysed that in leading such a depraved life, I have spoiled my chances to attain the Lotus Feet of Sri Krishna against my ultimate welfare. Irregardless of whether I have failed the test in some situations, I will without loss of courage, stay entrenched in the practice of devotion. My eternal spiritual master will definitely shower his blessings on me. It is only by his service and his merciful blessings that I can overcome all spiritual impediments. The service of devotees, the spiritual master and the supreme Lord is my devotional practice.

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k by Swami Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha The Original Supreme Lord Sri Krsna Himself has revealed the ontological aspects and glories of Sri Govardhana. It has been especially narrated in the most ancient history and civilization of India mentioned in the Rg Veda that Indra, the presiding deity of the clouds, was worshipped on the Earth so that crops could be grown and reanimated by rainfall. We hear from the Srimad-Bhagavatam that according to human tradition and custom, annual worship of Indra was introduced in Vraja-dhama so that there could be cultivation of land and protection of the cows. That was the only means of livelihood for the residents of Vraja-dhama. Sri Krsna saw that His father Nanda Maharaja and other milkmen had collected many articles for the Indrayag (oblation ceremony for the worship of Indra). Sri Krsna asked His father about the utility of performing such a function. Nanda Maharaja said that if Indra, the presiding deity of the clouds was propitiated, there would be rainfall at the appropriate time. Thereby, paddy crops and grasses would be grown and that would be helpful for their livelihood and for the sustenance of the cows. Nanda Maharaja again said, "If we neglect to perform our hereditary custom and duty, we will never get eternal welfare." After hearing this from His father and other milkmen, in order to infuriate Indra, Sri Krsna made the Vrajavasis (residents of Vraja) understand the futility of the worship of Indra and convinced them of the efficacy of worshipping Govardhana: "Indra is a demigod without any hold over the fruits of actions. He cannot award bad fruit for a good action and good fruit for a bad action. Birth and death, happiness and affliction are due to the actions of the individual souls. Even worldly actions are the cause of enmity, friendship and indifference. Indra cannot undo the fruits of actions. Although cultivation, trade, protection of cows and money-lending are the livelihood of the vaisyas (trader class of society), the Vrajavasis have only accepted protection of the cows as their principal means of livelihood. The residents of Vraja-dhama live in the forests and mountains; therefore, cities, crowded human habitation and houses are not good for them. Therefore, they should start an oblation function for the worship of the cows, brahmanas and mountains. Just as an unchaste lady who leaves her husband cannot get actual welfare by serving another person, similarly, the Vrajavasis cannot get actual welfare by serving others, leaving the service of Giriraja Govardhana Who is their actual shelter." Krsna advised the milkmen of Vraja-dhama to worship Giriraja Govardhana with all the articles collected for the Indrayag. He also advised them to bring milk, yoghurt and other milk products to cook different preparations of food, viz. Payasa (preparation of milk, rice and sugar), Mudgasupa (soup prepared from a kind of pigeon pea or pulse), Pistaka and Saskuli (sweet preparations made of rice, coconut, sugar and milk). Krsna also directed them in the method of worship of Giriraja Govardhana: "It should be done by the ceremony of giving away cows and offering honorarium to the Vedic brahmanas who will perform the oblation. Brahmanas should be served with good preparations of food. After that, all others, including the Candalas (lowest caste), fallen persons and dogs should be served with appropriate offerings. Cows should be served with fresh grass. After Govardhana-puja, everyone should be adorned with ornaments, good dresses and anointments and should sit down to honour prasada. Lastly, everyone should circumambulate Govardhana mountain with the cows, brahmanas and the Fire-god." Being enchanted and subdued by his deep parental affection, Nanda Maharaja worshipped Giriraja Govardhana and all the brahmanas properly with all the articles collected for the Indrayag, as per the desire of his beloved son Sri Krsna. After that, while serving the cows with grass and straw, Nanda Maharaja performed parikrama of Govardhana with all the gopas and gopis, with the cows leading in front. All the gopas were adorned with beautiful ornaments and the gopis sitting on the bullock-carts performed Govardhana parikrama while constantly singing the glories of Krsna. To proclaim to the Vrajavasis that Giriraja Govardhana is non-different from Krsna, Sri Krsna repeatedly and loudly uttered the words, "I am the mountain Govardhana," and began to eat all the offerings given to Govardhana by extending thousand of hands. In another Form of Gopala, the son of Nanda Maharaja, Krsna made obeisances to His own manifested Form of Govardhana. Sri Krsna Himself introduced the practice of making prostrated obeisances to Govardhana as well as the circumambulation of Govardhana. Those who disregard Govardhana will be killed by Him in the form of serpents, etc. Devaraja Indra, the emperor of the demigods, became furious at the Vrajavasis for stopping the Indrayag. Indra oppressed the Vrajavasis by incessant heavy rainfall and a strong hailstorm-like cataclysm. All the Vrajavasis were severely distressed and took shelter of Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna then protected them by lifting Govardhana with His left hand. Later on, Devaraja Indra could understand his mistake and came to Krsna with the Surabhi cow. He worshipped Krsna and prayed to Him to forgive his offence. Giriraja Govardhana is identical with Krsna and He is also the foremost servitor of Krsna. Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami prays to Giriraja Govardhana as follows: giri-nrpa! haridasa-sreni-varyeti-nama mrtam idam uditam sri-radhika-vaktra-candrat vraja-nava-tilakatve kØpta! vedai sphutam me nija-nikata-nivasam dehi govardhana tvam (Sri Govardhana-vasa-prarthana-dasakam, verse 8) "O Giriraja Govardhana, when your nectarean name was uttered from the lotus lips of Srimati Radhika in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.21.18), 'Hantayam adrir abala hari-dasa-varya,' i.e. 'O simple-hearted innocent gopis, this mountain is foremost amongst all the servitors of Sri Hari,' then you were consecrated by all the Vedas as the new beautiful tilaka (sandalpaste mark) of Vraja-dhama. I therefore pray to you to bestow me a dwelling place in your vicinity." The Supreme Lord Sri Krsna stopped the worship of the demigods and introduced the worship of Govardhana, i.e. He introduced the service of Krsna and Krsna-bhaktas. One meaning of Govardhana is to enhance the sense-organs, so Govardhana-puja signifies the enhancement of the transcendental eternal spiritual sense-organs of Krsna and Krsna-bhaktas. Since heaps of various items of cooked vegetable dishes were offered to Giriraja Govardhana in Govardhana-puja, this festival is also well-known as the Annakuta Festival. Sri Govardhana-dhari Gopala was originally installed by Vajra (the grandson of Krsna and son of Aniruddha). Due to Srila Madhavendra Puripada's extraordinary pure devotion, Govardhana-dhari Gopala reappeared in Govardhana near the bank of Govinda-kunda. Madhavendra Puripada performed the Annakuta Festival in Kali-yuga. This topic is narrated in detail in the Caitanya-Caritamrta (Madhya-lila, chapter 4).

**************************** The average man really buys into that puny world of more more now now. To unhook them from the sham we have to teach renunciation by not stealing their money anymore, celibacy by stop buggering little boys, and philosophy by true humility in the presence of Sri Krsna. Words buy us nothing, but instead build our own illusions of greatness which are oh too obvious to even the common man who lives only for such trivial false prestige. ************************************************ We don't want your money We don't want your little boys We're not gonna sell you a bunch of words We only wany your soul punk so that Krsna can be happy.

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Here are 50 facts worth knowing about our world... will they make us want to change it? 1 THE average Japanese woman can expect to live to 84; her counterpart in Botswana will die at 39. 2 BLACK men born in the US stand a one-in-three chance of going to jail. For white men the odds are one in 17. 3 ONE in five of the world's population - 1.25 billion people - is undernourished. 4 NEARLY half of British 15-year-olds have tried illegal drugs and nearly a quarter are regular cigarette smokers. 5 CHILDREN living in poverty are three times more likely to suffer mental illness than children from wealthy families. 6 EIGHTY-ONE per cent of the world's executions in 2002 took place in just three countries: China, Iran and the USA. 7 SUPERMARKETS in the UK know more about their customers than the government does. They use loyalty cards to determine your income and what your interests are. 8 EVERY cow in the EU is subsidised by £1.40 a day - three out of four Africans have less than that to live on. 9 SAME-SEX relationships are illegal in more than 70 countries. In nine - including Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia - the penalty is death. 10 EVERY hour, UK households throw away enough rubbish to fill the Royal Albert Hall. 11 THERE are 27 million slaves in the world. 12 A THIRD of the world's population is at war. In 2002, 30 countries were fighting in 37 armed conflicts - a combined population of 2.29 billion people. 13 THE UK has the second-highest rate of teen pregnancies in the developed world, behind the US. There are 30.8 births for every 1,000 teenagers. Teenage mothers are twice as likely to live in poverty. 14 ONE in five people live on less than 50p a day. 15 THERE are 44 million child labourers in India, some working 16-hour days. 16 PEOPLE in industrialised countries eat between six and seven kilograms of food additives every year. A ham sandwich can contain up to 13 E-numbers. 17 GOLFER Tiger Woods is the world's highest-paid sportsman, earning £44million a year, including £30,000 a day for wearing Nike caps - which Thai workers get £2.20 a day to make. 18 EVERY week an average 88 children are expelled from US schools for carrying a gun. 19 LANDMINES kill or maim one person every hour. 20 THERE are at least 300,000 prisoners of conscience, often held in appalling conditions, sometimes tortured, simply for peacefully expressing their own beliefs. 21 CARS kill two people every minute. 22 THE US owes the United Nations $1bn in unpaid dues. Yet it spends the same amount on its military programme every 23 hours. 23 TWENTY-SIX million people voted in the 2001 UK General Election. More than 32 million votes were cast in the first series of Pop Idol. 24 IN Kenya, bribery payments make up a third of the average household budget. 25 THE world's trade in illegal drugs is estimated to be worth around £225bn - about the same as the world's pharmaceutical industry. 26 TO fly a kiwi fruit from New Zealand to the UK means five times its weight in greenhouse gases being pumped into the atmosphere. 27 MORE than 150 countries are known to use torture. 28 AMERICANS spend £5.6bn on pornography every year - the same amount their government spends on foreign aid. 29 THE average urban Briton is caught on camera 300 times a day. With 10 per cent of the world's 30 million CCTV cameras, we are the most watched nation in the world. 30 IN 2001, 13.2 million Americans and 2.5 million Britons had plastic surgery. 31 BRAZIL has more Avon ladies than members of its armed forces. Physical beauty is so highly prized that calling someone vain is a compliment. 32 EIGHTY-TWO per cent of the world's smokers live in developing countries. 33 THE world's oil reserves could be exhausted by 2040. 34 MORE than 70 per cent of the world's population has never heard a dial tone. In Africa just one in 40 people has a phone. 35 A QUARTER of the world's armed conflicts of recent years have involved a struggle for natural resources. 36 ALMOST 30 million Africans are HIV-positive. By 2050 the disease may have claimed as many as 280 million lives. 37 TEN languages die out every year. 38 MORE people die from suicide than in armed conflicts. In the past 45 years, suicide rates have grown by 60 per cent worldwide. 39 SEVEN million American women and one million American men suffer from an eating disorder. 40 THERE are 67,000 people employed in the lobbying industry in Washington DC - 125 for each member of Congress. 41 SINCE 1977, there have been 80,000 acts of violence or disruption at abortion clinics in North America. 42 THERE are 300,000 child soldiers fighting in conflicts around the world. 43 MORE people can identify the golden arches of McDonald's than the Christian cross. The same goes for the Shell oil logo, the Mercedes badge and the Olympic rings. 44 A THIRD of the world's obese people live in the developing world. Campaigners blame Western countries for dumping cheap, processed, fatty foods on poorer nations. 45 IN 2003 the US spent $379bn on its military. This was 22 times the combined military spending of the seven "rogue states" - Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. 46 MORE than 12,000 women are killed in Russia every year as a result of domestic violence. 47 SIXTY-ONE per cent of British teenagers believe aliens have landed on Earth, while 39 per cent have any belief in Christianity. 48 TWO million girls and women are subjected to genital mutilation every year. 49 IN China, as a result of the preference for sons over daughters and the country's one-child-per-family law, there are 44 million fewer women than men. 50 SOME 120,000 women and girls are trafficked into Western Europe every year. The UN estimates the trade is worth £4 bn a year. Taken from - 50 Facts That Should Change The World -by Jessica Williams

PETA Campaign Pitches Fish As Smart And Sensitive http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/11/ 16/national1426EST0601.DTL NEW YORK, U.S.A., November 16 2004: Animal-rights activists have launched a novel campaign arguing that fish are intelligent, sensitive animals no more deserving of being eaten than a pet dog or cat. Called the Fish Empathy Project the campaign reflects a strategy shift by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as it challenges a diet component widely viewed as nutritious and uncontroversial, says this article. "No one would ever put a hook through a dog's or cat's mouth," said Bruce Friedrich, PETA's director of vegan outreach. "Once people start to understand that fish, although they come in different packaging, are just as intelligent, they'll stop eating them." PETA has campaigned for years against sport fishing and has joined other critics in decrying the high levels of mercury or other toxins in many fish and the pollution discharged by many fish farms. The Empathy Project is a departure in two respects--attempting to depict the standard practices of commercial fishing as cruel and seeking to convince consumers that there are ethical reasons for not eating fish. The project was inspired by several recent scientific studies detailing facets of fish intelligence. Oxford University researcher Theresa Burt . Perera, for example, reported that the blind Mexican cave fish is able to interpret water pressure changes to construct a detailed mental map of its surroundings."Most people dismiss fish as dim-witted pea-brains. ... Yet this is a great fallacy," wrote University of Edinburgh biologist Culum Brown in the June edition of New Scientist. "In many areas, such as memory, their cognitive powers match or exceed those of 'higher' vertebrates, including non-human primates." To press their argument, PETA activists plan demonstrations starting next month at selected seafood restaurants nationwide. PETA also will urge changes in commercial fishing practices. Friedrich questioned why there is popular support for sparing marine mammals--dolphins and porpoises--yet minimal concern for species like tuna, "whose suffering would warrant felony animal cruelty charges if they were mammals." Friedrich acknowledges the difficulty of changing long-held customs, but thinks his project is worthwhile. "We'd rather go too far than not far enough," he said.