krsna

"In my books the philosophy of Krsna Consciousness is explained fully so if there is anything you do not understand, then you simply have to read again and again. By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop." (letter to Brahmarupa dasa, 11/22/74) "In conjunction with this you should always read my books daily and all your questions will be answered and you will have a firm basis of Krishna Consciousness. In this way your life will be perfect." (letter to Hugo Salemon, 11/22/74)

Saranagati by Thakur Bhaktivinode (the first English translation, published in The Harmonist during the 1930's) I. 1. Sree Krishna Chaitanya, the Supreme Lord, out of Divine Pity for jiva, With His Own Associates and His Own Abode descending 2. The Love of God that can only be obtained with the utmost difficulty to give freely away, Teaches to take refuge in Him; resignation that is the very life of the devotee. 3. Lowliness is the spirit, dedication of self, loving acceptance of Him as Protector, Cherishing faith that Krishna will surely protect, 4. Assenting to only acts that are conducive to devotion, Promising to renounce conduct that is adverse to it - 5. In these sixfold ways, whoever takes refuge in Him, His prayer reaches the ears of the Gracious Child of Nanda. 6. At the feet of Rupa and Sanatana, holding the straw between the teeth, Falls Bhaktivinode clasping both the feet with his hands, 7. Crying all the while as he says: 'I am the vilest I do realise, Teach thou me resignation and make me the worthiest.' II 1. Forgetting thyself, coming into this world, Having suffered manifold pain, At Thy Feet have I come, Thee I shall tell my sorrows: 2. In mother's womb while I lay in the deadly fetters of bondage, For once, Oh Lord, showing Thyself to me Didst Thou abandon Thy poor servant, 3. Then thought I: "after I have birth, I shall worship Thee," I was born but fallen into the meshes of Maya There was not a particle of knowledge. 4. A fondled child in the lap of kindred, Laughingly I passed the time. The affection of the father and other made me forget, This world did taste sweet. 5. By slow degrees day by day, growing up as a boy With the other boys did I play. In a few more days the power of understanding was aroused, I conned my lessons night and day. 6. In the pride of learning I journeyed to many a place, Earning wealth, Supporting Kindred with all my heart, Hari, Thee I forgot. 7. Now in old age Bhakitivinode, Crying feels so sad, Not worshipping Thee the days passed in vain, What help is there now ? III 1. In pleasures of learning I spent the time in highest confidence; I never served Thy Feet; Thou art the Refuge now. 2. As intently my studies I pursued Hope increased; Knowledge was the path, I thought. The hope was unfulfilled The Knowledge proved weak That knowledge was ignorance, I now know. 3. All worldly knowledge Is treasure of Maya. Thy service it obstructs; Breeding attachment for this transitory world It makes an ass of jiva. 4. Turned such an ass, The load of the world On my back I carried long; In old age, For want of power to enjoy; Nothing now pleases me. 5. Life is become Misery now; The knowledge has proved untrue; The torment of untruth Has grown intolerable; The learning is now the pointed shaft. 6. Except Thy Feet there is no other treasure in the world; Bhaktivinode, Quitting his hold of worldly knowledge Now only values Thy Feet. IV 1. When in youth for earning money I felt a bound-less ambition, By rites of religion my help-mate's hand I did espouse; 2. Setting up a home in her company My time long I spent, Many a son and daughter were born, My spirit was broken utterly. 3. The burden of family increased day by day; Under its weight I was forced to halt. Old age arriving beleagured me, My mind was always disturbed; 4. Worried by disease, racked by cares, My heart scared by every want, Seeing no way in utter darkness I am now oppressed with fear. 5. The world's strong current does not abate, The terror of death is nigh: After finishing worldly duties I shall worship Thee. That hope is in vain. 6. "Now herken, Oh Lord, I am utterly helpless", Bhaktivinode says, "Without Thy mercy all is despair, I now crave the shelter of Thy feet". V 1. My life Is ever given to sin, In it there is not a particle of good; Torment to others Much have I caused; I have pained all jivas. 2. For my own pleasure I was never afraid of sinning, Selfish and devoid of pity as I am. Dejected by happiness of others, Always untruthful, The misery of others has been my delight. 3. Endless are the selfish desires That fill my breast To anger and insolence I am so prone, Ever drunk with vanity, Bewitched by worldliness, I wear malice and pride as cherished ornaments. 4. Ruined by sleep and idleness, Abstaining from all good works, I am ever most zealous in evil deeds. For the sake of worldy fame. An adept in the practice of duplicity, I covetous victim of greed am I. 5. Even a sinner, Shunned by all the good, And a constant offender, I am. Void of all good work, Always evilly disposed, And poisoned with various misery. 6. Now in old age, Bereft of all help, Humbled and hoping naught, Bhaktivinode At the Feet of the Lord Tells his grief. VI 1. Hear, O Lord, the tale of my sorrows - The poison of worldly enjoyment I have sipped, pretending it was the nectar; But now the sun is setting. 2. In the diversions of play my childhood, My boyhood in studies I wasted; There arose no consciousness of good in me. For enjoying my youth, I devised a home and settled down in it; Children and friends did fast multiply. 3. Old age soon arrived, All joys departed; With disease I was smitten down. The senses lost their vigour, The body grew feeble, The heart was sad lacking enjoyment. 4. Devoid of a particle of true knowledge, Missing the elixir of devotion, What help is there for me ? Thou art the Friend of the fallen; I am the worst of sinners; In mercy lift me to Thy Feet, 5. Judging me Thou wilt find no good; Have pity, judge me not. The nectar of Thy Lotus Feet Make me taste; Do Thou deliver Bhaktivinode. VII 1. Lord, this is my prayer at Thy Feet; The twigs of Thy Holy Feet My desert mind not seeking Was enamoured at stony worldliness. 2. The strength to rise again I am unable to attain. Mourning I pass my days. Lord of the humble Thou art called Thy Feet I beseech. 3. Baseness such as mine Nowhere else is to be found Give me Thy grace. In the company of Thy own, In the pleasures of Thy talk, I shall give up all evil. 4. In Thy abode, Singing Thy Name, To spend night and day is my hope. For the shade of Thy Feet, Most deliciously cool, Prays Thy servant, Bhaktivinode. VIII 1. With a mind so evil In the midst of this world, Forsaken I lay, Thy own servant, A superior person, Thou didst send. 2. Pitying me, Fallen as I was, He came to me and said, - 'Thou seem'st humble, Listen to Good words That will cheer thy heart.' 3. To deliver Thee Sri Krishna Chaitanya Has appeared in Navadwipa; Many another like myself As humble and as base, He has conducted safely across the sea of the world. 4. 'The Promise of the Vedas To fulfil, The son of Brahman, of golden colour, Bearing the name of Mahaprabhu Fills with ecstacy Nadia In the company of the super ascetic, His Brother. 5. 'The Supreme Lord Chaitanya, Who is no other than the son of Nanda, By the free gift of His Own Name, Has wrought the deliverance of the World, Go thou also And receive thy salvation'. 6. 'Hearing those words I have come O Lord, For the shelter of Thy Feet'. Bhaktivinode, Crying out in grief, Narrates the story of himself. IX 1. I have done no good, I have had no knowledge, I have never worshipped Thy Feet; Given to worldly pleasures, Self-deceived, I am now encompassed by darkness on every side. 2. Thou, O lord, art the Fountain of Mercy, At Thy Lotus Feet I surrender my soul, May Thou afford to be kind. 3. This is Thy promise - He who seeks Thy protection No harm will know; Sinner as I am, Finding no other way, I now beg for Thy favour. 4. Every other desire Wholly discarding, O, when shall I be Thine ? Thou art the Eternal Master, I am Thy eternal servant, - This is the sum of Bhaktivinode's musings. X 1. (Lord of my life) How tell Thee the story of my shame. There is no sin That I did not commit Thousands of times and more, O Lord. 2. The fruit of those transgressions Weighs me down in this life, - Who is now to blame ? At the time knowing well, Deliberately I refused to consider the end, - Yet now I want to be saved. 3. According to the offence Punishment Thou wilt award, And I shall be put into the bondage of this world: Even so, through the cycle of those births, In the company of Thy devotees, May my mind ever repose at Thy feet. 4. This wise, cunning, desire of mine I lay at Thy Feet; The pride of my heart is gone; Kindest to the humble, Thy un-alloyed Mercy Is now Bhaktivinode's only hope. XI 1. Mind, body, family, whatever is mine, Youthful Son of Nanda, I tender at Thy Feet, 2. In weal and woe, in life and death, I am relieved of all anxiety, preferring those feet of Thine. 3. Save me or slay me as Thou will'st, Thou art the Master of Thy eternal servant. 4. If it be Thy will to cause me to be born May I have birth in the home of Thy devotee. 5. In the dwelling of Thy servant may I be born a worm - I have no desire to be born a Brahma averse to Thee. 6. I crave the boon of the society of Thy devotees Who is without a particle of desire for enjoyment or freedom from misery. 7. All I find in Thee, - father, mother, lover, son, Lord, preceptor, husband. 8. "Hear, O Kan (Krishna)", says Bhaktivinode, "Lord of Radha, Thou art my life". XII 1. What-so-ever is meant by the words "I" and "Mine", Merciful Lord, at Thy Feet I lay. 2. Lord, myself am no longer mine, Even now I become solely Thine. 3. The jiva inhabiting this body with the word "I" gives up all egotism, And forthwith the pride of being Thine takes possession of the heart. 4. My all - body, home and followers, Brothers, friends, wife, son, chattels, way, house - 5. All these now are Thine and myself Thy servant, I am now a mere occupant in Thy house. 6. Thou art the owner of the house, I obey Thy bidding. Thy pleasure is now my only endeavour. 7. My virtues and defects of the gross and subtle body Are now no longer mine, I am redeemed. 8. To Thy will my will is sub-joined; Bhaktivinode from this day forgets himself. XIII 1. Lord, there is now nothing left that may be called mine, Thou alone art my father, friends, brother. 2. Friends, wife, sons, daughters, are now Thy servants: My efforts for them are on Thy account. 3. Wealth, followers, house, way,- in as much as they belong to Thee, 4. For Thy service, I earn riches, And bear the expenses of Thy household. 5. I know neither evil nor good, I only serve, A watchman set to guard the properties of Thy household. 6. My senses I exercise according to Thy direction And desire to hear, see, smell and taste. 7. Nothing I do for my own pleasure, "Thy pleasure is the essence" says Bhaktivinode. XIV 1. In truth all things belong to Thee, the jiva is not their master; Wandering by reason of his error of 'I' and 'Mine' he suffers sorrow and fear. 2. The vanity of 'I' and 'Mine' the bound jiva thinks in his heart of hearts To be the only treasure that is his own. 3. By reason of such vanity hurled into this wordly course I suffer the pangs of a drowning man swimming about in the ocean of the world. 4. Taking refuge at Thy Feet that save from all fear This day I dedicated myself to Thee. 5. The vanity of 'I' and 'Mine' the bound jiva thinks in his heart of hearts To be the only treasure that is his own. 6. This strength alone, O Lord, on me bestow That may enable me to keep at a distance all egoisitic pride. 7. May the spirit of renunciation be firmly rooted in the heart And not prove to be momentary like the cleanliness of the elephant after bath. 8. Bhaktivinode at the Feet of Prabhu Nityananda Begs for the Grace that delivers from all vanity. XV 1. Lord, this I lay at Thy Feet: I am fallen and most vile, this the three worlds know. 2. There is no sinner so base as myself in the whole world, In the universe there is no one whose offense equals mine. 3. Those sins and offences as Thou know'st I feel ashamed even to disown. 4. Whither shall I betake myself for shelter except to Thee ? Thou art the Ruler of all the powers that be, Darling of the Lord of Braja. 5. This world of Thine, Thou permeates all things, Thou wear'st out the offense that is committed towards Thyself. 6. Thou, indeed, art the Refugee of those whose steps have gone astray. What else is there beside Thyself ? 7. Even so all who offend against Thee Will ever seek Thy refuge. 8. Bhaktivinode seeking the shelter of Thy Feet At Thy Feet surrenders himself this day.

Dr. Frog's Thesis There was a well not far from the oceanside in which a frog had lived his whole life. Being foolish and proud, he considered the well to be his own property, and thought there was no better place for a frog to live. Indeed, the frog thought the well to be the whole world. One day another frog happened to stumble into that well. The well-frog was surprised at this sudden visit of a strange frog from outer space. A discussion then ensued. Well-frog: "Where do you come from?" Visiting-frog: "From the oceanside." W-f: "What is this, 'ocean'?" V-f: "It is a vast body of water." W-f: "Oh. Would you say it is up to half the size of my well?" V-f: "Your well does not compare in any way to the size of the ocean. The ocean is unlimited." The well-frog then gave a jump from one end of his well to the other. "See?" he said to the newcomer-frog. "I've just proven that nothing greater than this can exist." The visiting frog's eyes bulged in astonishment. "You really believe that? I think you've been in this hole in the ground far too long. If you get out of here and see the ocean, then you'll know how insignificant your little well is in comparison." The well-frog was irritated. "Why be so fanatical? I don't doubt that the ocean may be as large as my well. I'm not so narrow-minded as to declare my well to be the biggest body of water in all existence. Your boasting about the ocean is just unscientific. Look, I've just performed an experiment that demonstrates that nothing can be larger than this well. Now let's talk sense. There's water here, and there's water in your ocean. So certainly they must be of equal size. This is my strong conclusion. Give up this fanaticism and be reasonable." PURPORT: There are scientists, philosophers and intellectuals everywhere who attempt to establish a standard of reality based upon their own limited powers of observation. All of them may be compared to Dr. Frog making his thesis on the maximum possible size of a body of water. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3913145.stm

http://www.apolloarchive.com/

May 5, 2004: North Shore, Hawaii Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja [srila Prabhupada's senior disciples, Nrihari dasa and his good wife Bhavatarini dasi are very expert at singing devotional songs in Western melodies, in the English language and accompanied by guitars; and their songs enchant large audiences. They visited Srila Narayana Maharaja at his residence in Oahu, Hawaii in early May. On Srila Maharaja's request they sang several beautiful songs for in English, including the last verse of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Sri Siksastakam. After the singing of Sri Siksastakam was completed Srila Maharaja commented on it, and they were so kind as to share with us the following transcription of his conversation with them:] [srila Narayana Maharaja:] "Make Me Happy, Make Me Sad." What is the meaning of this song? This is the view of Srimati Radhika. This is Her mood. "Make me happy, make me sad; break my heart, make me glad – I love you Krsna." aslisya va .-ratam pinastu mam adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah ["Let Krsna tightly embrace this maidservant who has fallen at His lotus feet, or let Him trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. He is a debauchee, after all, and can do whatever He likes, but He is still no one other than the worshipable Lord of My heart." (Sri Siksastakam, verse ] This is the eighth sloka of Sri Siksastakam. You have translated the essence as, "Make me happy, make me sad . . ." So why have you then prayed to Srila Prabhupada at the end of the song, "Let me serve you, Prabhupada, eternally”? You sang, “I didn't know that Krsna was God until I met you, Srila Prabhupada. Let me serve you, Prabhupada, eternally," and then you added the refrain, "Make me happy, make me sad…" It seems that there is some improper mixing there. Who is praying? Are you praying? Or is Srimati Radhika praying? [bhavatarini dasi:] At the end I am praying to Prabhupada. [srila Narayana Maharaja:] What is your prayer? [bhavatarini dasi:] "Prabhupada, whether you make me happy or sad, I love you." [srila Narayana Maharaja:] No. This is wrong. The words or sentiments "I love you" for Gurudeva is not good. We may pray, "I want to serve you" – not "I love you." The prayer should not be like that. Perhaps you will have to correct it. This cannot be sung in the assembly of knowledgeable devotees. Make it for Krsna – as told by Srimati Radhika. Then, in the last line you can pray, "Prabhupada, when I will realize this reality – the mood of Srimati Radhika, which is more than mahabhava and which is known as madanakya-bhava. When I will realize all this? Please be merciful to me." You can pray in this way.

THE PANCHA TATTVA MANTRA Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is always accompanied by His plenary expansion Sri Nityananda Prabhu, His incarnation Sri Advaita Prabhu, His internal potency Sri Gadadhara Prabhu, and His marginal potency Srivasa Prabhu. He is in the midst of them as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should know that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is always accompanied by these other tattvas. Therefore our obeisances to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are complete when we say: (jaya) shri-krishna-chaitanya prabhu nityananda shri-advaita gadadhara shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. As preachers of the Krsna consciousness movement, we first offer our obeisances to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting this Panca-tattva mantra; then we say Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. There are ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, but these are not considered in the chanting of the Panca-tattva mantra, namely sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is known as maha-vadanyavatara, the most magnanimous incarnation, for He does not consider the offenses of the fallen souls. Thus to derive the full benefit of the chanting of the maha-mantra (Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare), we must first take shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, learn the Panca-tattva mantra, and then chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. That will be very effective. (Purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) /images/graemlins/smile.gif

"Spiritual Eye Surgery" Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.19 Vrndavana, November 7, 1976 " So it requires eyes to see God. That eyes you have to prepare. What is that eyes? Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena [bs. 5.38]. You have to apply eyes' ointment. Just like there is some medicine, eye ointment, which you apply -- you can see very distinctly -- similarly, that ointment is premanjana. If you develop love for God Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is in ecstasy, always in love. He can see. Similarly, if you develop your love for God, then you can see. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena [bs. 5.38]. This premanjana, this ointment of love is bhakti. " /images/graemlins/cool.gif

Seeing the suffering of other living beings is truly painful. Yes, Karma--a big worg with a heavy meaning for those who choose not to care for the pain the help inflict on others. Those poor workers who mercilessly kill animals for 'fun' will reap unimaginable 'karmic reactions' What can we do in our small way but pray and chant Krsna's Holy Names. I really don't see any other way to truly help our most fallen brothers in distress,men or beasts.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/07/16/moon.landing/

On-line audio of the Vedas and other scriptures. Here are three: http://www.vedamu.org/Media/audio/chanting.asp http://sanskrit.bhaarat.com/Dale/Audio.html http://www.urday.com/onlineaarti.htm

<font color="blue"> "SrIla JIva GosvAmI cites a verse from the Vedic literature that says that there is no necessity of performing sacrificial demonstrations or ceremonial functions. He comments that instead of engaging in such external, pompous exhibitions, all people, regardless of caste, color or creed, can assemble together and chant Hare KRSNa to worship Lord Caitanya. KRSNa-varNaM tviSAkRSNam [sB 11.5.32] indicates that prominence should be given to the name KRSNa. Lord Caitanya taught KRSNa consciousness and chanted the name of KRSNa. Therefore, to worship Lord Caitanya, everyone should together chant the mahA-mantra--Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare. To propagate worship in churches, temples or mosques is not possible because people have lost interest in that. But anywhere and everywhere, people can chant Hare KRSNa. Thus worshiping Lord Caitanya, they can perform the highest activity and fulfill the highest religious purpose of satisfying the Supreme Lord. </font color> /images/graemlins/cool.gif

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3909649.stm

The GBC as Srila Prabhupada's Vapuh? The following is a very important message from H H Bhakti Charu Maharaj posted on BCS Istagosthi. Thought of sharing with you as it explains about Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON. From : BCS Secretary Dear Devotees, Please accept my best wishes. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I am writing this message today to remind you of a very important principle: ISKCON is not only Srila Prabhupada's creation, it is Srila Prabhupada's body. If Srila Prabhupada were here, we would serve his body with all our ability and all our care. Just as we would serve Srila Prabhupada's body, with a similar attitude, we must serve ISKCON. That is the most important consideration. We must meditate upon this principle at every moment. We must be very careful to give protection to Srila Prabhupada's body and ensure that by no means do we hurt Srila Prabhupada. How can Srila Prabhupada be hurt? Srila Prabhupada's body (ISKCON) can be hurt when the society is attacked. There are so many ways one can attack ISKCON. The worst of all is to attack ISKCON by criticizing its leaders. We should be very, very careful not to criticize the leaders of ISKCON. We should not find faults in those who are in leadership positions. In Vedic culture, one does not criticize the father or uncle, even if he is wrong. There is a reverential attitude towards them. We should have a similar attitude towards ISKCON's leaders. And just as in a family, if the uncle is doing something wrong, we do not take the matter into our own hands because we can be sure that the senior members of the family will take care of it. It will not go unnoticed, it will be taken care of. Similarly, if there is wrongdoing on the part of a senior devotee, there is a structure that will take care of it. The GBC is the ultimate managing authority. The GBC is a very vigilant body. It may take time, but rest assured that the GBC will take care of anything that is wrong. A Vaisnava does not want to criticize anyone. For example, in Vrindavan, there was one very, very exalted Vaisnava. One day, there was a mahotsava, a festival. Many people were invited. This person noticed that one Vaisnava was not there, so he questioned what happened to him. Somebody said that he has done this and that, so we did not invite him. This very senior Vaisnava got up and started to walk to the door. When asked why he was leaving, he said, "For such a small little fault, you have rejected him, you do not know all the faults that I have. I know that if you get to know about them, you will reject me also. Before that happens, I decided to leave." That is the mood of a Vaisnava. He is as humble as a blade of grass. If we want to become Vaisnavas, we should not find faults. Those who are in management, they have this thankless task of finding out all the garbage and trying to rectify. We should leave it to them. Materialistic people are gossip mongers. They say, "He did this, he did that." All their joy is derived from speaking badly about others. When we speak badly about someone, we are actually taking his bad karma. Before speaking ill of someone, be aware of that fact. You are actually ridding him of his bad karma and accepting it yourself. You are causing great injury to your own spiritual life. Mahaprabhu told Raghunath dasa Goswami not to indulge in mundane discussion. Mundane discussion means speaking badly about others, backbiting. This fault-finding and backbiting causes the heart to shrink, whereas, Krishna Consciousness is the process that expands the heart. A Vaisnava derives joy by glorifying devotees. Devotees are the reservoir of good qualities. If out of hundreds of good qualities, someone displays one bad quality, it should not be magnified. Make it a point to create a very nice atmosphere by glorifying others. That is what Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted. Desiring no respect, glorification, adoration for ourselves, we should offer all respect, glorification and adoration to the Vaisnavas: "See how wonderfully he is rendering his service. He has offered himself to Srila Prabhupada." That is how we should see every Vaisnava, what to speak of a very senior devotee. Then, a very nice atmosphere will be created. Vaisnavas are like swans. They live in a very clean lake. The crows live wherever there is garbage. This becomes very obvious in Calcutta in the morning. When we were in Calcutta, I used to chant on the rooftop sometimes. I would see that there are crows and there are pigeons. The pigeons would fly to the rooftops. People would throw grains and the pigeons would take the grains, but no crows would come. They would just gravitate towards the garbage. Let us keep our ISKCON clean and create a very wonderful atmosphere. It is natural human behavior that if someone does something wrong and we become very heavy and criticize the person, he will leave bitterly. However, if we deal with him compassionately, but at the same time, address the mistake, he will recognize it and better himself. We must try to create such a nice atmosphere in ISKCON that everyone will glorify Srila Prabhupada. Our behavior reflects on Srila Prabhupada. When I joined ISKCON, I had to sign a form. One of the points was that I should never act in a way that will disgrace Srila Prabhupada. That was so striking to me. It sank deep in my heart. I made it a point that I would never act in a way that would disgrace Srila Prabhupada. If you act in an illustrious way, people will say, "He is such a wonderful person because he has accepted the teachings of Bhaktivedanta Swami." This is the best way to glorify Srila Prabhupada. On the other hand, if we act in an inappropriate way, people will say, "The Hare Krishnas are like this, and the head of the Hare Krishnas is like this." We should be very, very careful to act in a way that will not bring disgrace to Srila Prabhupada. Our behavior should glorify Srila Prabhupada. Please take this message very seriously. Help each other in progressing in spiritual life. Become exemplary. Mold your life according to the instructions of Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada has given us the perfect process. Now mold yourself according to that and I can assure you that you will go back to Godhead. Just follow Srila Prabhupada's instructions and the door to the spiritual sky will open up so wide that not only you will be able to enter, but you will able to take others with you also. Thank you all very much. Yours in the service of Srila Prabhupada, Bhakti Charu Swami

Sri Sri Radha London Isvara London, England

http://www.prabhupadaconnect.comSri_Sri_Radha_London_Isvara.JPG "In our present state of imperfect material existence, we cannot see the Supreme Lord, due to imperfect vision. Yet those devotees who want to see him by means of material vision are favored by the Lord, who appears in a so-called material form to accept His devotee's service." /images/graemlins/cool.gif

Atheists Beware /images/graemlins/cool.gif

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No Conflict Between Science and Spirituality http://www.newindpress.com/ July 11, 2004: An HPI reader sent us this article, but we have neither the author nor the original URL, except that it appeared on the Newindpress.com website. Some educated Indians think that science is at loggerheads with religion, relegating science to the laboratory and denigrating religion to the level of superstition. The attempt to propagate this ideology has far-reaching political and religious implications. It does a disservice to all Indians, alienating them from the high respect for the spiritual culture of India that is held by scientists and people of all persuasions all over the world. Such ideologues are found to be well informed neither about science, nor the Vedas. An American born and educated seeker studied both science and Hinduism. He experienced the experiments in American universities which attempted to bring arts and humanities -- including religion -- together with science. In the early seventies, he listened to Swami Chinmayananda, and discovered Vedanta, then studying it under Swami Dayananda Sarawati for several years. Four years ago, he moved to India, where the spiritual culture further nurtured his wonder at this world. On finding the cynical, to him deeply anti-Indian, ideology spread by some Indians, he culled some interesting viewpoints from the world's leading scientists on the topic of religion and science. For example: Werner Karl Heisenberg (1901-1976), Nobel Laureate in physics "... one cannot always distinguish between statements made by Eastern metaphysics based on mystical insight, and the pronouncements of modern physics based on observations, experiments and mathematical calculations." Dr. Carl Sagan, (1934-1996) astrophysicist, "The Hindu religion is the only one of the world's great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which the time scales correspond to those of modern scientific cosmology. A millennium before Europeans were willing to divest themselves of the Biblical idea that the world was a few thousand years old, the Mayans were thinking of millions and the Hindus billions." Erwin Schroedinger (1887-1961), Nobel Laureate in physics wished to see: "Some blood transfusion from the East to the West to save Western science from spiritual anaemia." Julius Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967), the developer of the atomic bomb, studied Sanskrit and called the Gita "the most beautiful philosophical song existing in any known tongue . . what we shall find (in modern physics) is an exemplification, an encouragement, and a refinement of old wisdom." The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, Berkeley, California, has involved over 120 distinguished senior scientists in its dialogues, demonstrating that scientists of Nobel caliber can also be people of faith, and that those who are not traditionally religious can offer insights of great value to religion. Secularist ideologues who seek to create a conflict between science and religion project an imaginary world that is quite different from the natural world that exists. Even if such a world were possible. Nobody could live happily in it. All previous experiments of societies towards that end have failed dismally. India's ancient wisdom has inspired the world's scientific community, which contradicts this bleak secularist ideology.

THE INTERNAL MEANING OF RATHAYATRA & NAMA-BHAJANA: Part II (cont. from Part I) by By Srila Bhakti Pramoda Puri Gosvami Maharaja Krsna Talk No. 31 (A lecture given in Srila Puri Maharaja's room at Gopinatha Gaudiya Matha, Jagannatha Puri on the day of Hera Pancami, june 29th 1998) Prathamam namnah sravanam antahkarana-suddhyartham. One has to first engage in hearing the Names of the Lord so that the mind and intelligence are purified. After this one can begin hearing about Krsna's form through which one's qualifications to visualize it becomes possible. I have heard about His form - Syamasundara. That is one of Krsna's Names. So what is this syama, this blackish form? Once I know about Krsna's form, I can start to hear about His qualities. What are His characteristics? For instance, he is affectionate to His devotees, and so on. We hear about His glorious nature. Only after this do we come to lila-katha. First rupa, then guna, and only afterwards lila. If we don't follow this sequence and attempt to relish Krsna's lila prematurely, then we might feel some temporary emotion, but it will not be permanent, fixed bhava. That is why Prabhupada told us, Mahaprabhu repeatedly heard the life-stories of Dhruva and Prahlada from Gadadhara Pandita Gosvami. Why did He set this kind of example? The reason was that He wanted us to renounce false emotion and become capable of experiencing the real mood. That is why He told us to do things this way. You may say, "I have heard Prahlada's lila once. I may even have heard it several times. What's the use of listening to it again? What will I gain from hearing it another time?" but haven't you noticed that Mahaprabhu Himself set the example of listening to these stories repeatedly? He would go to Gadadhara Pandita Gosvami over and over again and ask him to recite Dhruva-lila and Prahlada-lila. This was the example that He gave. All this to teach us a lesson: we arrive at the Tenth Canto gradually, bit by bit.then we begin to relish Krsna's lila. We have to earn the qualifications to hear the Tenth Canto. If we start prematurely, then our situation will be just like that of people watching a play, like the audience at a theater troupe's performance, as I described earlier.However, in order that we might develop an idea of what our future prize will be, of what the ultimate goal of our spiritual practice is, Srila Prabhupada arranged for a special program to be held during Karttika month's niyama-seva. So once again I am not saying, "Don't do it." Many people will create confusion after hearing what I have said. I am not saying not to do it, I am saying one has to give precedence to the Holy Name. Give precedence to the Holy Name. When your chanting becomes offenceless then you will experience the taste of sacred rapture in the Name itself. And you will come to the state of constancy with out deviation or distraction. After that, gradually, bit by bit, you will earn the qualification to relish Krsna's lila. Is that not so my dear child? Even so, this doesn't mean that we can go on without making an effort. Because in order to progress, we have to have greed or eagerness. We have a verse that says: krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita-matih kriyatam yadi kuto'pi labhyate tatra laulyam api mulyam ekalam janma-koti-sukrtair na labhyate "O friend, if you should find it anywhere, that heart absorbed in Krsna-rasa so rare be quick to buy, how much the soul's in need! In that bazaar is posted just one price; millions of pious works will not suffice, the only cost is paid in coins of greed." (Padyavali 14 also quoted in Caitanya-caritamrt, Madhya 8.70) Krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita-matih - even millions and millions of lifetimes of pious activities will not give us this attitude of absorption in the sacred rapture of Krsna devotion. The words lalasa or laulya means greed or intense eagerness. This is the most essential factor. If someone should somehow develop this intense eagerness to hear Krsna's pastimes, then there is nothing that I can say. That is why I repeat once again, that I am not saying, "Don't do it". But I am telling you that this is what our Prabhupada told us to do. Why did he tell me to stop discussing the Tenth Canto? I went on and started reading from the Eleventh Canto. Prabhupada told us that the nectar of Krsna's lila is there in the Tenth Canto, but when will we gain the qualifications to relish them? So I take it that this is what is important for us to learn. If we want to attain real worthiness, then we have to give pride of place to the Holy Name, that we may chant without committing offences. So that we can chant offencelessly. After all, the Lord has invested the Name with all His potencies. Sarva-sakti dila name kariya vibhaga (Caitanya-caritamrta,Antya20.19). And there is no restriction as far as when or where one can chant the Holy Name. Nor does it matter whether one is pure or impure. In the morning I might be wearing a contaminated cloth, one that I have slept in all night, but the order remains, even in dirty clothes, "Chant the Holy Name." khaite suite yatha tatha nama loya desa-kala niyama nahi, sarva siddhi haya "One can chant the Holy Name in any condition at all, whether eating or lying down. There are no rules governing the time and place for chanting; one can attain all perfections in any case." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 20.18) This is the contribution that Mahaprabhu made. One says I will get up early in the morning before sunrise, I will take my bath, clean my teeth, wash my face. I will put on tilaka etc. and only then will I sit down and chant. But Mahaprabhu is so merciful. What did He say? He said: chant wherever you are, in whatever state you find yourself. Our Paramananda prabhu came to Srila Prabhupada when he wa svery young so Prabhupada loved him very much. He came when he was just a child...we heard that he was only eleven years old. In an article about Bhaktivinoda Thakura he wrote that he came when he was thirteen, but I heard that in fact he was eleven. Anyway, when he took shelter of Srila Prabhupada, he was still very young and so Prabhupada always treated him with special affection, like his own child. He used to sleep in the same room with Srila Prabhupada, so we would hear Prabhupada call out, "O Paramananda! Get up! Get up and do some chanting!" He would groan and Prabhupada would say, "What will you gain by groaning?" So Prabhupada would get him up in this way. We have to make the necessary effort in order to develop a love for the Holy Name. We have to pray to the senior Vaisnavas, our guru-varga, that we can surrender our pride for there is no place for egotism in devotional life. "I have become a great bhajananandi. What other people are doing is not devotion. You call that bhakti? You chant, I'll just listen." We once had this attitude. "You chant, I'll just listen." You have to chant yourself too. The Holy Name is everything to us. That is why it is said - nama vina kali-yuge, nahe anya dharma sarva-mantra-sara nama, ei sastra-marma Kaviraja Gosvami Prabhu also writes: bhajanera madhye srestha nava-vidha-bhakti krsna-prema krsna dite dhare maha-sakti tae madhye sarva-srestha nama sankirtana niraparadha laile nama paya prema-dana "Of the various kinds of devotional practices, the best are the nine varieties of devotion, each of which possess great power to bestow on the practitioner love of Krsna and thus Krsna Himself. Of these nine practices, the best is nama-sankirtana. If one chants without offences, he will attain the treasure of prema." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 4.70-71) jayati jayati namananda-rupam murarer viramita-nija-dharma-dhyana-pujadi-yatnam katham api sakrd attam muktidam praninam yat paramam amrtam ekam jivanam bhusanam me "All glories, all glories to the blissful form of Murari which is His Name, through which all my efforts to perform religious practices, meditation and ritual worship have come to a halt. Simply by uttering the Name once in any way at all brings salvation to any living being - it is the supreme nectar; it is all that keeps me alive; it is my only ornament." (Brhad-bhagavatamrta, 1.1.9 ) Puri-dhama. Why did Mahaprabhu choose to live in Puri-dhama? While here, He was always absorbed in the mood of Radharani in separation, crying constantly. He came here at the age of 24, He then spent six years traveling the length and breadth of India, and then the last eighteen years of His life here. The first six of those years were spent in the company of the devotees, chanting, dancing and preaching. But the last twelve years were all in the Gambhira, in the intoxicated madness of Radharani's divyonmada. He even jumped into the ocean and floated all the way to Cakra-tirtha where he was caught in a fisherman's net. The fisherman thought that he had become a ghost, some kind of living-dead man. Meanwhile Svarupa Damodara and other associates of the Lord were looking for Him. They saw the fisherman, frightened out of his mind, saying, "A ghost! A zombie!" Svarupa Damodara said, "I am an exorcist. I know all the mantras to exorcise ghosts. I will take care of that zombie. Show him to me." When they saw Mahaprabhu, He was lying there with all his limbs distended so that He was much taller than usual. The devotees started to sing the Holy Names in sankirtana until eventually Mahaprabhu came back to consciousness. All these events are absolutely true. None of it is made up. It is neither false, nor were these events a pretense for the sake of impressing the world. Whatever Mahaprabhu said is absolute truth. He taught by His words and His example. apani acari dharma jivere sikhaya. He Himself put into practice religious principles and only then did He instruct others. There is Mayapura He created a garden of love. An orchard which produces fruits of love. That's what is said. He made an orchard of the fruits of prema - prema phala paki pare, mali asvadaya- when the fruits ripened and fell, the gardener Himself relished them (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 9.162) And as He relished the fruits, He said: ekala malakara ami kahan kahan jabo ekala va kata phala pariya bilabo ekala uthana dite haya parisrama keha paya, keha na paya, rahe mane bhrama ataeva ami ajna dilun sabakare jahan tahan prema-phala deho jare tare "I am the only gardener. How many places can I go? How many fruits can I pick and distribute? It would certainly be a very laborious task to pick the fruits and distribute them alone, and still I suspect that some would receive them and others would not. Therefore I order every person within this universe to distribute these fruits of love everywhere." He didn't say, "You don't have to give them in California" or "You don't have to give them in Russia" did He? jahan tahan prema-phala deho jare tare khaiya hauk loka ajara amare jagat vyapiya mora habe punya khyati sukhi haiya loka mora gahibeka kirti bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma jara janma sarthaka kari' karo para-upakara "Therefore I order every person in this universe to distribute these fruits of love everywhere...let people eat these fruits and become free from old age and death...people will become happy and sing My praises...anyone who has taken a human birth in the land of Bharata-varsa should perfect his life and engage in welfare activities for the rest of the world." prthivite ache jata nagaradi grama sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama "My name will be glorified everywhere throughout this earth, in every town and village." Nowhere did Mahaprabhu say that the fruits of love were to be distributed only in India and nowhere else - prthivite ache jata nagaradi grama. And not just on this earth planet of ours - there are so many other planets, is it not so?It is for this reason that we...first Bhaktivinoda Thakura prayed tearfully in this way, "Why should the English be left behind?" He himself wrote Sri Caitanya - His Life and Precepts. Do you have that book? It was written in a very abbreviated form, so many years ago. Our godbrother Svami Maharaja first found it in a library in Montreal. Bhaktivinoda wrote, "When will that day come when we will dance with our arms upraised, singing the Holy Name with our light-skinned brothers of Europe?" All these things are found in the eighteenth or nineteenth volume of Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Sajjana Tosani. From that moment, the international preaching work was begun. Of course, people like Vivekananda went to the west, but their message was different. Our preaching of the Holy Names is entirely for the sake of pure devotion. These others were preaching mayavadi philosophy. Mahaprabhu gave no quarter to the mayavada doctrine. The Padma Purana has clearly criticized it: mayavadam asac chastram pracchanam bauddham ucyate mayaiva vihitam devi kalau brahmana-murtina "The unholy doctrine of mayavada philosophy is said to be a disguised form of Buddhism. I appeared as a brahmana in the age of Kali to promulgate this philosophy." The Padma Purana calls it an'unholy doctrine'. Why? Because the Mayavadis say brahma satyam jagan mithya jivo brahmaiva naparah - the only truth is Brahman. The living entity is nothing but Brahman. This is their entire teaching summarized. The only truth is Brahman and the world is false. It has no real existence. And they say jivo brahmaiva naparah - every living being is in fact Brahman. Kaviraja Gosvami gives many arguments against this philosophy. The jivas existence comes out of eth Supreme Lord, the Parambrahma. As Krsna Himself states: aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate - "I am the source of everything. Everything arises from Me." All religions, actions -whatever exists has its origin in Him. Anyone who considers this will engage in the worship of the Lord - iti matva bhajante mama budha bhava-samanvitah (Bhagavad-gita 10.8). This is the spirit of devotion. Those who possess this spirit, those who are wise, worship the Lord with this devotional attitude. The Lord said this in the Bhagavad-gita. There, the Lord taught karma, jnana, gradually explaining everything. Then finally He said: sarva-guhyatamam bhuyah srnu me paramam vacah isto'si me drdham iti tato vaksyami te hitam "Now hear My supreme teaching, the most hidden of all hidden treasures. You are extremely dear to me, and really this is why I am explaining this for your true benefit." (Bhagavad-gita 18.64) Then the Lord followed this by saying, sarva-dharman parityaja...sarvadharman, which Visvanatha Cakravarti explains means varnasrama dharma, so it is not only that the brahmanas will make others do and the ksatriyas will do everything. No. And Mahaprabhu Himself gave His identity as beyond varnasrama. One identity is sopadhikamor 'with material qualities', the other is nirupadhikam or 'without material qualities'. Mahaprabhu gave the nirupadhikam identity, the transcendental identity of the soul. naham vipra na ca narapatir napi vaisyo na sudro naham varni na ca grhapatir no vanastho yatir va kintu prodyan nikhila paramananda-purnamrtabdher gopi-bhartuh .-kamalayor dasa-dasanu-dasah " I am not a brahmana, nor a ksatriya; I am not a vaisya nor a sudra, I am not a brahmacari, nor a householder, not a vanaprastha, not a sannyasi. But since Lord Sri Krsna, the maintainer of the gopis and the overflowing ocean of nectar, is the only source of universal, transcendental bliss, I claim to be a servant to the servant of the servant of His lotus feet." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 13.8, Padyavali 74) This is the transcendental identity. The jiva is transcendental. This is the essence of the jiva. The material (sopadhika) identity of the self is "I am a ksatriya, I have a B.A., I am a king etc." These are all upadhis, the disguises of the soul. sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate "Bhakti is defined as the engagement of the senses in the service of the Proprietor of the senses. This service is to be free from any contamination by identity with the body, and pure through being exclusively fixed on Him." (Bhakti-rasamrta Sindhu quoting Narada Pancaratra ) All these superfluous designations have nothing to do with the soul itself. The real identity of the soul is gopi-bhartuh .-kamalayor dasa-dasanu-dasah - 'the servant of the servant of the servant of the lover of the gopis' lotus feet'. This is the transcendental identity of the soul. I am not a brahmana, nor a ksatriya; I am not a vaisya nor a sudra, I am not a brahmacari, nor a householder, not a vanaprastha, not a sannyasi. My real identity cannot be found within the varnasrama-dharma. What is my true identity? gopi-bhartuh .-kamalayor dasa-dasanu-dasah - 'the servant of the servant of the servant of the lover of the gopis' lotus feet'. I am the servant of Krsna's servant's servant. To be Russian or Indian - these are not pure identities. Do you understand? Everyone has such a pure identity: everyone from every nation has the same essential nature. There are not a multitude of different natures. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written all this in his Siksamrta. "According to the pure character of the soul, all people of all countries have the same religion." But the mundane identity causes one to think, I am a brahmana, I won't take water that has been touched by that person for it will contaminate me - all this kind of thing. Is it not so? However, because we identify with the pure soul does not mean that we eat anything that is given to us by anybody. Why not? When we do so, their mentality affects us, enters into us. Yogis, yoga practitioners, don't eat just anything they get from anyone. They will not eat everything that falls into their hands. Why not? Because their performance of yoga will be adversely affected. They are performing yoga with a particular objective and if they eat the food of a sensual or materialistic person, then those tendencies will have an affect on their thought processes. Do you follow me? But in your country these things go on. Why should we avoid eating other peoples food? Because if we do, their mentality will encroach upon ours. If we eat the food of a sexually indiscriminate person, then his promiscuity will enter my nature. Do you understand? Thus we do not, as a rule, eat the food of just any person. We only take maha-prasada, the food which has been offered to Krsna. And you will remark that the food offered to Lord Jagannatha has a special power. Bhaktivinoda Thakura especially praised the dahl-prasada. It is so wonderful, it does not cause any indigestion. I used to be afraid of eating urad-dahl at one time, because I tended to have severe stomach problems. So I used to avoid urad-dahl. But here, if you eat Lord Jagannatha's urad-dahl prasada, you will have absolutely no digestion problems. So my dear child, if anyone has any problems understanding, then he should come and ask me. I will not consider it a disturbance. The point is that we don't take food anywhere that is devoid of pure devotion. Wherever pure devotion is practiced, there is no need of any further consideration. For example, if someone comes with maha-prasada and I say, "No, you are a foreigner, I won't eat anything that you have touched", this is improper. I do not say that because he is bringing me maha-prasada which cannot be contaminated by anyone's touch. Even Brahma and Siva ecstatically accept Jagannatha's prasada; they are so happy that they dance while eating it. And in this book (Sri Ksetra by Sundarananda Vidyavinoda), it is said that Jagannatha Himself eats all the offereings here every single day. Of course, everything I have said about maha-prasada is not it true glory. That is found in the following verses of the Hari-bhakti-vilasa: brahmavan nirvikaram hi yatha visnus tathaiva tat vikaram ye prakurvanti bhaksane tad dvijatayah kustha-vyadhi-samayuktah putra-dara-vivarjitah nirayam yanti te vipra yasman navartante punah "Visnu-prasada does not become transformed any more than Visnu Himself. Any brahmana who thinks so will become a leper and lose his wife and children, he will go to hell whence he shall never return." (Hari-bhakti-vilasa, 9.134) Of course, this verse is trying to frighten people a little! But just think how many people have touched maha-prasada! Even so, no one says, "An outcaste or a low caste person has touched it, now I won't eat it." That is why the vesre says, brahmavan nirvikaram. Do you think that if you were to touch Visnu that he would be transformed somehow? If a leatherworker touches him, does he become one? So Lord Jagannatha has come out onto the open road to allow everyone to see Him. So many people are coming and touching Him. Some climb onto His chariot. We normally don't do that, but last time Singhaniya Mahasaya took me right up onto it. But if someone touches Jagannatha that doesn't mean that He has become contaminated or lost His caste-status! He is the father of everyone, the father of the universe as it is said in Bhagavad-gita: pitaham asya jagato mata dhata pitamaha (Bhagavad-gita 9.17) Mahaprabhus's religion is extremely generous, is extremely generous. His pastimes are the audarya-lila - supreme munificence. He embraced everyone - his religion is all-embracing. He would embrace everyone. He even embraced Vasudeva Vipra, who was afflicted with leprosy. Worms and insects were feeding off Vasudeva's sores. If they fell out, he would put them back in. It is frightening to even think of these things. It is disgusting even to hear about it. Imagine if we were to see it! Still, Mahaprabhu embraced him and transformed him into a handsome young man. Then Vasudeva said to the Lord, " Previously people used to hate me. Now I am afraid that I will be proud because of what You have done." But Mahaprabhu answered: kabhu na badhibe tomara visya taranga - "The waves of material sense objects will never entangle you." jare dekho, tare kaho krsna-upadesa amara ajnaya guru hana taro ei desa kabhu na badhibe tomara visya taranga punarapi ei thani pabe mora sanga "Instruct whomever you see in Krsna consciousness. By my command become a guru and deliver this land. The waves of material sense objects will never entangle you and one day you will have my association again in this very place." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 7.128-9) That which then takes place has never before been seen. He was completely covered in leprous sores. This is al completely true. So many people criticize me. They say, "Maharaja doesn't allow people to discuss the higher realms of devotional achievement. That is not the case. I am not holding back on that account. But you must be on the platform of naisthiki-bhakti. You explain all this, Baba. May everyone reach the stage of naisthiki-bhakti. Because, then as the Bhagavata says: tada rajas tamo bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ye cta etair anabiddham sthitam sattve prasidati One may be a very learned person, but if one talks about the highest realms of spiritual life without the adhikara, it is dangerous. I am not objecting to someone doing that, but people must have the proper qualifications. adhikara na labhiya siddha-deha bhave viparyaya buddhi janme saktira abhave "If someone meditates on his spiritual body without having the proper qualifications, he develops the wrong conception because he is insufficiently strong." Have you ever heard this verse quoted? I have not criticized others who speak on these higher topics. Please understand this clearly. I have never criticized or blasphemed them. I would never do it because I would become an offender to a Vaisnava if I did so. But I do warn you all - first deserve, then desire, first deserve, then desire...

Hawking U-Turn on Black Holes By Jennifer Sym, and John von Radowitz, Science Correspondent, PA News Black holes don’t swallow their secrets forever – so “we can be sure of the past and predict the future”, renowned Cambridge mathematician Professor Stephen Hawking has claimed. Prof Hawking has argued for almost 30 years that a black hole destroys everything that falls into it. But he has now re-evaluated the theory – and his about-turn is said to have set the astrophysics community buzzing. Speaking on BBC’s Newsnight last night, he said: “I’ve been thinking about this problem for the last 30 years, and I think I now have the answer to it. “A black hole only appears to form but later opens up and releases information about what fell inside. So we can be sure of the past and predict the future.” Black holes are regions in space where matter is compressed to such an extent that not even light can escape from their immense gravitational pull. Nothing that disappears into a black hole is ever seen again – or so scientists thought. Yet Prof Hawking demonstrated in 1976 that, under the strange rules of quantum physics, black holes were capable of radiating energy. He calculated that once black holes form they effectively start to “evaporate” away – radiating energy and losing mass in the process. But by conjuring up “Hawking radiation”, the mathematician, who is crippled by motor-neurone disease, also created one of the biggest conundrums in physics. It is known as the “information paradox” and concerns the fate of what enters a black hole. According to current theory, Hawking radiation contains no information about the matter inside a black hole, and once the black hole has evaporated, all the information within it is lost. However this conflicts with a central tenet of quantum physics, which says that such information can never be completely wiped out. He told Newsnight: “It used to be thought that once something had fallen into a black hole it was lost and gone forever, and the only information left behind was just mess and spin. “But some time ago, I discovered black holes were not in fact black at all. They give off what is called Hawking Radiation. “Because of this emission black holes lose mass and eventually evaporate completely. Hawking radiation appeared to be random and featureless so that information that fell in was lost. “If information can be lost, it has important philosophical and practical consequences. “We can never be sure of the past or predict the future precisely. A lot of people wanted to believe that information escaped from black holes but they didn’t know how it could get out.” Prof Hawking has made a last-minute request to present his findings at the 17th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation in Dublin on July 21. Curt Cutler, from the Albert Einstein Institute in Golm, Germany, who is chairing the meeting’s scientific committee, told New Scientist magazine: “He sent a note saying ‘I have solved the black hole. ' /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Psychiatrists are humbug, all humbug. They cannot help. Best thing is to be engaged in continuously chanting and hearing Sankirtana, that will cure anyone of mental disease. (Prabhupada. "Letter to Upendra". February 19, 1972)

"So, we may say that this transgender is significant for us now, why? Because, one, we can have another fragmentation in the movement now, if we’re not careful, and it’s somewhat occurring. It is important (in) that we have a larger percentage of gays in the movement than in society. One reason is that many gays are people who are ready to be celibate for lifetime—they’re attracted to priestlyhood—priestly class of society—as well as you’ll find a large percentage of gays amongst nuns and priests. Not that they came into the order, and then they started getting introduced to such activities, and then somehow became gay just based on some association, any more than people in general do not just become gay just based on some kind of an involvement or association, although some do. As we look more and more at how to make the world Krsna conscious, we look also more and more at how to make ourselves Krsna conscious, we look more and more at how to recognize that whatever we have in this time is part of our karma from previous lives, and how to use it." /images/graemlins/confused.gif