krsna

Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir February 20, 2004 Verse: Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.29 Speaker: HH Radhanath Swami __ We are reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto One, Chapter Three, entitled Krsna is the Source of All Incarnations, Text 29. We have read in this chapter a list of many of the primary incarnations of the Lord as He appeared in this world. Janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so 'rjuna Why does the Lord appear within this world? To perform His transcendental pastimes, to speak the Absolute Truth and reestablish the principles of religion, and to annihilate demoniac, materialistic misconceptions. And one who understands the transcendental nature of the Lord's appearance and activities never takes birth in this material world again. Krsna is all-pure: om apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastham gato 'pi va yah smaret pundarikaksam sa bahyabhyantarah sucih sri-visnu sri-visnu sri-visnu In this world our consciousness has become materialistically infected by the ahankara, or false ego, and from that false ego we engage in so many materialistic activities, forgetful of our relationship with the Lord. And thus everything we do, everything we say, binds us to the laws of Karma. But the Lord is so kind that He appears in so many ways in this world and simply by remembering him we become purified. krsna-surya-sama; maya haya andhakara Krsna is compared to the sun, and maya is darkness. Wherever there is Krsna, the darkness of illusion cannot be present. Srila Prabhupada gives the example that we have the choice, we have the free will whether we want to go into a dense dark room or go into the sunlight. It is our choice. If you take a lantern in a dark room it immediately is illuminated, all darkness destroyed. However darkness can never affect light; you cannot put darkness on the sun. So Srila Prabhupada explains on many occasions, this is the sum and substance of the Krsna conscious philosophy: if we always remain engaged in Krsna's service, if we always remain in contact with Krsna, then we will be free from all the illusion and darkness of maya. Therefore Srila Prabhupada gave us a plan of how to always remember Krsna, how to always remain in Krsna's devotional service: daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te This maya is very difficult to overcome, the three modes of material nature are like very, very strong indestructible ropes that bind us and drag us into so many fruitive acitivities. But one who surrenders to Krsna can easily cross beyond this vast ocean of material existence. In this chapter various avataras have been described in brief and the culmination, ete camsa kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam, is that Krsna is the source of all avataras. And in this verse today, it is explained whoever carefully recites these mysterious pastimes and activities of the Lord is freed from all material miseries forever. But they must be heard and chanted with devotion. That is clearly described in this verse: with devotion in the morning and evening. And Prabhupada emphasises this. Lord Caitanya's first teaching to Sanatana Goswami, before going on and describing the whole philosophy of Krsna consciousness-- krsna-tattva, radha-tattva, rasa-tattva, prema-tattva, lila-tattva, jiva-tattva--first He established that if you want to understand this properly, then we have to understand in the proper spirit. And what is that proper spirit? jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa That we are eternally the servants of Krsna, we can never become God. Srila Prabhupada explains there are many Mayavadi philosophers who can speak the Bhagavatam eloquently, who can speak from Bhagavad-gita and Bhagavatam in such a way that people are enthralled. However, it has no effect in awakening bhakti unless the speaker teaches the listeners that we are the eternal servants of Krsna. Because ultimately all our purification takes place to the degree we please Krsna. And Krsna is pleased only by love: bhaktya tv ananyaya sakya aham evam-vidho 'rjuna Krsna is pleased only by love, He reveals Himself only in reciprocation to devotion. Thus even though such great scholars speak from Bhagavatam, they believe that Krsna's body is an illusion, His pastimes are an illusion, they are temporarily manifested simply to attract our hearts to surrender to Him, but then ultimately after we surrender, we go beyond the name, the pastimes, and the form of the Lord, and enter into the impersonal existence of the Absolute. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught that this Mayavadi conception breaks His heart. The devotee understands acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, that the Lord's pastimes, His names, His forms, His abode and devotional service itself are eternal, it is the ultimate reality. And with this conception we hear the mysterious activities of the Lord, we become purified from within and without. That was Srila Prabhupada's great contribution to the world: Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. He was the first to travel throughout the entire world speaking the highest principles of the spiritual world and how they have descended into this material world through the teachings and pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krsna is the source of all incarnations and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself. We only have a few minutes. I'd like to speak something how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so unique, in every possible way He's so unique. Each avatara that appeared manifested His own lila, but Lord Caitanya personally exhibited and manifested the lilas of many, many of the principal avataras. parama karuna, pahu dui-jana, nitai-gauracandra saba avatara, sara siromani, kevala ananda-kanda Therefore these two Lords, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu are supremely merciful, they are the essence of all avataras. When Lord Caitanya was just a small child, to that pilgrim brahmana He manifested a beautiful eight-armed form. Four of His arms were holding the conchshell, club, disc and lotus flower; two of His arms were playing the flute; and two of his arms. . . one of them was holding a butter pot and the other was eating butter. His form was dark like the Tamal tree, beautiful lotuslike eyes, standing on the bank of the Yamuna in a forest of kadamba trees with unlimited gopis and gopas offering beautiful prayers and playing instruments for His pleasure. When the Lord was a young child his brother, Visvarupa, accepted sannyasa. >From that point, His father, Jagannath Misra, declared to His mother, Saci Devi, that 'Nimai is too much absorbed in studying the scriptures. If He understands the scriptures properly He will realize that all material efforts are useless, they are futile, and He will renounce this world just like His brother, Visvarupa. So we must keep Him at home; we cannot live if He leaves. Therefore He will not be allowed to study any scriptures any longer.' So they gave this ultimatum to the Lord: 'Nimai, to this day no more studies. You can do anything else you like'. So He did. [laughter] He became very mischievous. Him and His friends would go out in the day to look to see what mischief they could do at night. Sometimes two or three of them would put a blanket over their joint bodies so they looked like a bull and they would go and knock over all the banana trees in an entire grove of banana trees. And the owner would go 'Hai, hai, hai!' and they would run away and laugh. Sometimes they would go to people that they wanted to inconvenience and would tie the doors and windows from the outside. So in those days, in Vedic culture, there wasn't bathrooms indoors, that was considered very low class thing. You go out into the fields, like that. . . . I remember in 1972 at New Vrndavan we made a nice house for Prabhupada. It was an old house, 120 years old, but we renovated it, and the night before he came they discovered the toilet didn't work. So in the middle of the night I was ordered to fix the toilet. 'If Prabhupada's toilet doesn't work, it is your offence.' [laughter] Now I only knew one thing about toilets, which is probably what everybody else knows. [laughter] I don't know how to fix them I know how to use them. [laughter] So I was just speculating all night. . .it wouldn't flush. I was speculating and speculating and ultimately I was thinking I'll be offensive to Prabhupada. I was praying, praying to Radha-Vrndavanacandra, 'Please save me, save me!' Fooosh! It flushed! [laughter] So I was so happy, personal seva to Guru Maharaja. [laughter] And the next morning when he was about to perform his duties, and I was thinking 'Oh, he's going to use the toilet!', and he put on his gamcha and went out into the fields with a lota. [laughter] He never used the toilet. [laughter] He said this is natural, this is the Vedic way with nice fresh breezes. [laughter] So the Lord tied the doors and windows locked, and when people in the middle of the night, had to use. . . had to respond to the calls of nature, they would (try to open the door). First nature was calling, then nature was yelling, then nature was screaming, [laughter] 'Aah let me out of here, let me out, who has. . . aah! [laughter] You all know what it's like [laughter] and Nimai and his friends would be laughing, laughing and running away, 'Very good!' So one day--it's getting late--one day Nimai made a throne by sitting on a pile of rejected pots, clay pots that were used in the offerings. When the little boys told Sacimata 'Nimai is sitting on top of a pile of dirty pots!', Sacimata ran to that place and said, 'My son, do you have no knowledge, no discrimination? Everybody knows sitting on these dirty pots is contaminating, you have to take a bath, why are you doing this?' And Nimai said, 'Well, if you don't allow me to study, how will I understand what is right and what is wrong? [laughter] Besides that, my mother, your ideas are those of a tiny child. I am the supreme source of all that exists. Whatever I touch immediately becomes purified, wherever I go it is as clean as the Ganga'. It is explained by Vrndavana Das Thakur that when Lord Caitanya was preaching to his mother, He actually entered into the mood of Dattatreya and enlightened her. But nobody could understand what He was saying. After that, actually, He said, 'I will not come down unless you let Me study!' And all the neighbouring ladies said 'What enemy has stopped you from giving your child the chance to study? Our children hate to study; we have to force them to study. Your child loves to study! We're on His side. . . You can stay up on those pots as long as your parents are doing this to you!' [laughter] And Sacimata brought Him home and told Jagannath Misra. Then Jagannath Misra resumed his studies and at that time he gave Him the ceremony of sacred thread where Ananta Sesa personally appeared as that sacred thread to encircle the body of the Lord. And after He was given the gayatri mantra by His father, the Lord actually manifested the form of Lord Vamanadeva. This is described in our holy scriptures. He had a danda and a cloth bag around His shoulders and He went out to beg alms from the houses of His devotees. He was so beautiful everyone was simply gazing at this vamana-rupa. Even Parvati, Sarasvati, the wives of demigods and the wives of the greatest of the sages descended in the form of brahmana's wives just to look at the beautiful form of Gauranga who appeared as Vamana-avatara. And again and again and again they were giving Him alms. After Lord Caitanya returned from Gaya the devotees didn't really know who He was. But He was little by little manifesting to each devotee. He was at the house of Srivasa Thakur where there was a sraddha ceremony taking place. And Lord Caitanya told Srivasa 'Sing the 1000 names of Visnu.' When He heard the name 'Varahadeva' the Lord went into ecstasy and started screaming out 'Varaha, varaha, sukara, sukara, boar, boar!' And He ran to the house of Murari Gupta. Murari Gupta was very much astonished to see Nimai Pandit in this mood. He offered his dandavat obeisances. Then the Lord ran to the temple room and Murari Gupta ran after Him. The Lord saw a beautiful waterpot used for worshipping the Deity on the altar. Immediately He manifested the form of Lord Varaha and lifted the waterpot with His tusks, representing the lifting of the earth. With this incredible manifestation of Lord Varaha He was giving His darshan to Murari Gupta. He said, 'Murari, chant prayers in My glorification!' Murari Gupta said, 'My Lord, what can I say? Only You know You. I am ignorant. How can I speak anything about your glories? Ananta Sesa with his thousands of hoods carrying many many universes, he can find no end to your glories. Even the great Vedic literatures which give shelter and knowledge to all living beings cannot find the end of Your glories. Simply by Your exhalation unlimited universes come out of Your body, and by your inhalation they are all annihilated and enter back into Your body. My Lord, noone can understand You, only You know Yourself. If You are pleased with Your devotee and bestow Your mercy upon him only then can they know something about You'. The Lord was very pleased with his prayers. In the form of Varahadeva, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said to Murari Gupta that 'My transcendental form is eternal and full of knowledge and full of bliss. But there is a sannyasi in Varanasi named Prakasananda who tries to beat My limbs. He says that My form which is all-pure and worshipable by all living entities is an illusion. Because he has offended My limbs in that way, in reciprocation I have put leprosy in his limbs, but he doesn't know it. Now I will tell you a great secret: I am the Supreme Truth. In this form you see of mine as Varahadeva I descended to the earth to rescue the earth, and now I have come again to rescue the earth by establishing the harinama-sankirtana movement of the chanting of the holy name: hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare [uproarious] To lift up all living beings from the deep dark ocean of material existence and give them ecstatic love of God.' On another occasion Lord Caitanya was walking down the street. Srivasa Thakur, at his house they were dancing in Visnu-sahasranama. And the Lord heard the name of Narasimha. He immediately entered into the mood of Narasimha, His eyes became red as coals, His hair stood on end, His limbs trembled, He pickd up a club from Srivasa's house and went outside roaring, roaring 'RAAH!' And the people of Navadvipa seeing His form were terrified, they were running in all directions, running, running, running, screaming. Then the Lord came to external consciousness and said to Srivasa 'I have committed a great offence, I have caused fear to the inhabitants of Navadvipa. What should I do?' Srivasa said, 'This is not an offence. Whoever saw this beautiful form of Yours in the mood of Lord Narasimhadeva will be relieved from all miseries of material existence forever.' Another time a Saivite, a great devotee of Lord Siva, came to Lord Caitanya's house begging alms. He was singing the glories of Lord Siva and playing a musical instrument. Lord Caitanya jumped up and manifested the actual form of Siva. He cried out 'I AM SIVA, I AM SIVA!' and jumped on the Saivite's shoulders. [laughter] The worshipable Lord of his life was on his shoulders, dancing on his shoulders. The Saivite was in ecstasy, he was dancing and the Lord was dancing and His long long matted hair was flying in all directions and He was going 'I AM SIVA!' for a long time. Then He came off his shoulders and put alms in his bag. The Lord, when he went to Varanasi. how wonderful. . . . He wanted to give mercy to the Mayavadi philosophers who were attracted to the Lord's impersonal effulgence, Brahmajyoti. Generally the Lord would never associate with Mayavadis but he went to the assembly and they were all sitting on raised platforms. The Lord in great humility sat down in the place where everybody would wash their feet and then He began to manifest his Brahman effulgence. This completely attracted the hearts of the Mayavadis, that's their worshipable. . . . Such beauty! Prakasananda Sarasvati's heart was transformed. He said, 'O Swamiji, are You in a morose state of consciousness? Why are you sitting in that dirty place? Sit on this raised platform with us. You are a sannyasi!' The Lord in very great humility said, 'I am from a lower category of sannyasa, I have no right to sit on the platform with all of you.' Prakasananda performed ajnata-sukrti by picking Him up and bringing him to that platform. And he asked Lord Caitanya 'You are a sannyasi like us. You are a very great person, why do you never associate with us, why are you with sentimental religious fanatics chanting and dancing? What is this, you should be studying Vedanta!' Lord Caitanya said, 'My spiritual master told Me I am a great fool, that there's no use of Me trying to understand all the Vedic scriptures. I should simply chant the holy names. He taught Me this verse: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha And by chanting these holy names, everything will be revealed.' Then there was a very nice philosophical debate and Lord Caitanya crushed to pieces all of their misconceptions and established the eternal form of the Lord, the eternal pastimes of the Lord, and the yuga-dharma of the congregational chanting of the holy names: hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare [uproarious] During the mahaprakasa-lila at Srivasangan Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifested the forms that each devotee loved with their hearts. He called for Murari Gupta, 'He Murari, see My form!' The Lord transformed; Murari Gupta saw He became his worshipable Sri Ramacandra with the complexion of durva grass. He was in the virasana, holding His bow. On one side was Laksmana and Sita. Murari Gupta was stunned. He looked down and saw that he had a tail. [laughter] Then he saw that he had the form of a monkey! And he fell unconscious. . . Lord Caitanya said, 'O monkey, O monkey RISE! Do you not remember that demon Ravana who stole Sita and set your tail on fire, and you burned the whole city of Lanka with that blazing tail? Now look, look, here is Laksmana whom you love as your very life and soul, you lifted the Gandhamadana mountain to save him. And here is Sita, your worshipable goddess. You wept a shoreless ocean of tears seeing her torment. I am your beloved Lord Ramacandra and you are Hanuman, My eternal servant. You have forgotten these things but today I am reminding you. Now, ask me, ask me for any benediction!' Murari Gupta said, 'My Lord, I have nothing to ask of you, all my desires are fulfilled. But if You insist on giving me a benediction, I ask for this: in every birth I take allow me to always be in the association of Your devotees--only those devotees who accept You as their eternal master and accept the position of Your eternal servant--in the association of such special, rare souls let me always hear Your glories and chant Your holy name.' hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare [uproarious] He called for Kolaveca Sridhar, that very simple poverty-stricken banana seller. 'Sridhar! See My form!' Sridhar looked up and he saw that the Lord was dark like the tamal tree with beautiful lotus eyes. He was standing in a three-fold bending form holding His flute and by his side was Balaram whose complexion was like the spring cloud. This darsana of Krsna Balarama captured the heart of Sridhar. He saw Brahma, Siva, he saw the four Kumaras, Narada Muni, Sukadeva Goswami--they were all gathered around offering prayers to Sri Sri Krsna Balaram. He offered Sridhar any benediction: 'Ask for anything! I'll give you the eight mystic siddhis, I'll give you the wealth of the king of heaven, I'll give you liberation, I'll give you elevation to the kingdom of God!' Sridhar said, 'I don't want any of those things' 'Well ask for something!' 'No!' 'It will please Me if you ask for something. Ask for something!' Sridhar said 'The only desire I have, if it will please You, is in that beautiful form of Nimai Pandit let me always remember You coming to steal my heart as You steal my bananas. I want to eternally be the servant of the servant of Your servant.' To Ramananda Raya Lord Caitanya revealed His supreme identity. On the banks of the Godavari River, at Kovvur, near Rajahmundry, Vidyanagara, they spoke for ten days. Ramananda Raya was empowered by the Lord to speak the highest subjects of spiritual realization. One evening Ramananda Raya said to the Lord that 'First I was seeing You as a sannyasi but now I am seeing You as Syamasundara, a cowherd boy with a beautiful form like the dark monsoon cloud, playing upon Your flute. And now I'm seeing You as a golden ??? Please tell me, what is the mystery of who You are.' Lord Caitanya said with great humility that 'It is natural that you are speaking like this because you are a mahabhagavata, you are a great devotee who is deeply attached to Krsna. Therefore you are seeing Krsna everywhere, in everything.' Ramananda Raya said, '. . . You are playing tricks on me, My Lord. I know who You are. You are Krsna who has accepted the ecstatic love and the complexion of Srimati Radharani. For Your own purposes You have come to taste the sweetness of Your love. And You have descended to this world to transform the hearts of all Your devotees by giving them the highest realm of ecstatic love through the chanting of the holy names'. Krsna, who is the reservoir of all pleasure, and Srimati Radharani, who is the personification of all ecstatic love. . . Lord Caitanya revealed the truth of His eternal identity. He actually saw Krsna entering into the heart of Srimati Radharani to taste her love and what it was about Him that she loved so much. And He came to this world to give that love unconditionally without discrimination to anyone who accepts it. Ramananda Raya fainted. The Lord touched him and said, 'Ramananda Raya, noone has ever seen this form before. Do not tell anyone what you have seen.' So Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, the source of all avataras. Srila Prabhupada, quoting from the acaryas and the scriptures, describes that Vrndavan is madhurya-dham, the place of the highest and sweetest pastimes, but Navadvipa is audarya-dham, taking that same sweetness of Vrndavana, the highest lilas of love, and magnanimously inviting every living being in the world to enter into that dham of Vrndavana. That is the gift that Srila Prabhupada sacrificed his life to give us. An understanding of the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And in a few days, on Srila Prabhupada's order--or let us say in reciprocation to Prabhupada's love and supreme compassion for all living beings--Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa, will appear. . . and all devotees have appeared also. Yes, the Panca-tattva, who have descended to plunder the storehouse of love of Godhead and distribute the contents profusely--they will appear in reciprocation to their love for Srila Prabhupada. With his prayers of compassion for all living beings, They are going to appear and manifest Themselves to bring the world to Sri Mayapur Dham where the fulfillment of all the great acaryas and the Lord Himself will take place, and it's actually taking place right now. People from all categories of human society, from all nationalities, races, and religions have gathered together under the banner of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mercy to share the exchanges of love and service for the pleasure of the Lord, and chant His holy names: hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare [uproarious] These are the deepest, most profound spiritual mysteries that are being discussed today. Srila Prabhupada made it so easy to understand even for little children and atheists, so accommodating. That is His causeless mercy. So let us pray on this auspicious installation of Panca-tattva that we may always live in harmony with their will by being instruments of their mercy to spread the glories of love of God through harinama-kirtana and Vaisnava-sanga. And how to do that? By pleasing them. And what will please them? By showing our gratitude to Srila Prabhupada. If we are not grateful to Srila Prabhupada, everything else we do is superficial in the eyes of the Lord. Because he gave his life to give us the inner mysteries of the spiritual sciences; he sacrified everything out of his compassion. So let us remain always united together as specks of dust under the lotus feet of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Because one speck connected to those divine lotus feet of our beloved Gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada, that speck can be empowered to transform universes. So let us pray in this way: trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih If we develop loving dealings amongst each other in this spirit with the mission of Srila Prabhupada as our life and soul, we will taste the nectar of Krsna, and distribute that nectar through the loud chanting of the holy names. . . . hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare [ear-splittingly uproarious!] Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu ki jai! Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Ananta-koti vaisnava vrnda ki jai! Sri harinama-sankirtana ki jai! Sri Radha Madhava ki jai! Sri Narasimhadeva Bhagavan ki jai! SRI PANCATATTVA KI JAI! Thank you very much. (Lord Nrsimhadeva's conchshell sounds for darsana-arati) END.

http://www.mayapur.info/2004/03-14-04/index.htm

I'd like to believe that I'm introspective,deep and calm as the sea . But I am really a lost soul /images/graemlins/frown.gif at war with maya,fallen and greatly agitated. I am wasting the human form in sense agitation like a visayi. When can I chant the Holy Name purely,without offense, and give up the criticizing,fault-finding mentality which digs me into a hellish world. --------- Thank you for your extract. Haribol

UK: The Passion 'is anti-Semitic ' From correspondents in London March 15, 2004 A SENIOR British lawmaker on Sunday accused Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ" of being "damagingly anti-Semitic." The film, which opens in Britain on March 26, depicts the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ and features scenes of graphic violence. It has drawn criticism from Jewish leaders in the United States who fear it will lead to anti-Jewish sentiment, while winning praise from some Christians for its portrayal of Christ. "What you are in for is sadism, gratuitous violence, ugliness, wallowing in blood and, it has to be said, crude anti-Semitism. That is what this movie is about," said Gerald Kaufman, a member of Britain's governing Labour Party and chair of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee. "The Jews depicted are depicted as almost caricature Jews who demand (Christ's) blood," he told commercial television station ITV. "I am not accusing him (Gibson) of being a deliberate and overt anti-Semite but there is no doubt that the message of the film is seriously, damagingly anti-Semitic. "People who do not know the story will see it as the Jews wanting to murder this saintly man while the Roman ruler of the country didn't want to do it but was forced to by their pressure. "If this is the film that Mel Gibson has always wanted to make then so much the worse for Mel Gibson." The Associated Press

Full text: 'Al-Qaeda' Madrid claim This is a transcript of the videotaped message claiming al-Qaeda carried out the Madrid train bombings, as translated by the Associated Press. We declare our responsibility for what happened in Madrid exactly two-and-a-half years after the attacks on New York and Washington. It is a response to your collaboration with the criminals Bush and his allies. This is a response to the crimes that you have caused in the world, and specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there will be more, if God wills it. You love life and we love death, which gives an example of what the Prophet Muhammad said. If you don't stop your injustices, more and more blood will flow and these attacks will seem very small compared to what can occur in what you call terrorism. This is a statement by the military spokesman for al-Qaeda in Europe, Abu Dujan al-Afghani.

We are crucifying Jesus Christ afresh everytime we go against the God's principles "It is we who continue to kill the soul, to offend God." We are killers of the soul,atma -ha!

This body is filled with so much suffering.How do we react to this suffering is the make or break of one's spirituality.Tolerate and see the reason behind the suffering,therby develop nobility of purpose. I like this statement the best. I could live and die for it: "The key is to stick to true principles until the end and never give up. Because if you live by true principles, then even if you are destroyed you are glorious."

SRI KRSNA CAITANYA: The Original Living Force, Krsna In His later pastimes He is known as Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya. He blesses the whole world by teaching about the name and fame of Lord Sri Krsna. Lord Caitanya remained a householder only until His twenty-fourth year had passed. Then He entered the renounced order and remained manifest in this material world until His forty-eighth year. During the time of Lord Caitanya, the influence of Sankaracharya in society was very strong. People thought that one could accept sannyasa only in the disciplic succession of Sankaracharya. Lord Caitanya could have performed His missionary activities as a householder, but He found householder life an obstruction to His mission. Therefore He decided to accept the renounced order, sannyasa. Since His acceptance of sannyasa was also designed to attract public attention, Lord Caitanya, not wishing to disturb the social convention, took the renounced order of life from a sannyasi in the disciplic succession of Sankaracharya, although sannyasa was also sanctioned in the Vaisnava sampradaya. According to the regulation of the disciplic succession, one who wishes to enter the renounced order in Sankara's sect must first be trained as a brahmacari under a bona fide sannyasi, The brahmacari's name is ascertained according to the group to which the sannyasi belongs. Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa from Keshava Bharati. When He first approached Keshava Bharati, He was accepted as a brahmacari with the name Sri Krsna Caitanya Brahmacari. After He took sannyasa, He preferred to keep the name Krsna Caitanya. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja volunteered the explanation that because a sannyasi in the Sankara-sampradaya thinks that he has become the Supreme, Lord Caitanya, wanting to avoid such a misconception, kept the name Sri Krsna Caitanya, placing Himself as an eternal servitor. A brahmacari is supposed to serve the spiritual master; therefore He did not negate that relationship of servitude to His spiritual master. Accepting such a position is favorable for the relationship between the disciple and the spiritual master. Caitanya means spiritual, living force, Krsna. When we are alive the body is moving and we can understand what is living force. We can understand further when the body does not move— “Now this living force is gone out of this body; therefore the body is no longer moving and it is a dead matter.” So this Caitanya-caritamrta means we are talking of the living force, not of the dead matter. We should always remember this. The Lord, His devotee, His representative, everyone, they belong to the spiritual platform, living force. That personification of all living forces is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krsna Caitanya means the original living force, Krsna. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya understood Him. Srila Rupa Goswami understood Him. Similarly, the followers of the Goswamis, they will understand Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And one who understands or follows the path enunciated by Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for them Krsna is very easily obtained. (CC Adi-lila 3.34, Class by Srila Prabhupada Mar. 25,1975) Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual master of the entire world, Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by whose mercy even a dog can swim across a great ocean. (Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami CC Adi-lila 9.1) Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Thoughtful,intelligent and unpretentious. Please give us more posts to digest and ponder. krsnadas

750 Christians return to Hindu fold http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php? name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=14&page=35 RAJASTHAN, INDIA, March 9, 2004: With the efforts of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) more than 750 Christians recently returned to the Hindu fold. About 650 people belonging to 144 families and 22 villages of Udaipur district in Rajasthan resolved to join their ancestors' roots at a function held at Richhavar Mata Mandir in Jhadol tehsil on February 29. After performing yajna (fire worship) the saints presented them lockets of Om and pictures of Lord Lakshminarayan. Prominent among those who attended the function included Mahant Murli Manohar Sharan Shastri, Mahant Hariom Sharan of Banswara, Shri Shyamlal Kumawat, president, VHP, Chitaurgarh Prant, administered the Vanvasis the oath of Maharana Pratap that they would not again leave the path of their ancestors, howsoever serious problems they face in their life. VHP Central Dharm Prachar Mantri, Jugal Kishore also spoke on the occasion. In another function held at Mai village of Kerakat tehsil in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, more than 100 people belonging to 13 Christian families have returned to the Hindu fold. The homecoming program began with Shrishchandra Pathak, the priest, performing yajna in which around 400 people of the village also participated. The Christian families gave the Bible and other Christian literature as well as the cross to the RSS Vibhag Pracharak, Anand. Jai Ram Singh, president of Samaj Sanrakshan . and Manoj Kumar, the Village Pradhan presented them lockets of Hanuman, Durga and Shankar and also Hanuman Chalisa. (FOC)

The film is from beginning to end, about the cruelty man inflicts upon his fellow man. And how, by not resisting, and taking the suffering, instead praying for those who persecute you, you will be divine. This film over and over and over again makes this point. I don't see how anyone can watch this film and come out not moved to try to follow a similar example. ----------- So are we gonna allow ourselves to get crucified for what we beleive?

Commuters describe Madrid blast chaos Dozens were injured and hospitals have asked people to donate blood Commuters in Madrid have described the terror and chaos as a series of explosions ripped through trains in the Spanish capital. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured in what one Spanish government minister has described as "a massacre". The morning rush hour came to a standstill to the sound of wailing sirens as emergency services dealt with the dead and injured. "I saw many things explode in the air, I don't know, it was horrible," said civil servant Juani Fernandez, 50, on the platform at Atocha station when the blasts happened. "People started to scream and run, some bumping into each other and as we ran there was another explosion. You could hear people screaming, on the platform there were dead and injured, people were running covered in blood Isabel Vega, student "I saw people with blood pouring from them, people on the ground," he told the Associated Press news agency. Student Isabel Vega, still visibly shaken by the experience, told Spanish Efe television: "It has been chaotic, horrific. "You could hear people screaming, on the platform there were dead and injured, people were running covered in blood." Francisco Torres, from Madrid, told BBC News Online he was travelling in a train about 50 metres from one of the blasts at Atocha station and could feel the carriage shake. 'Shocking' "People got off quickly but I still feel we all kept calm. It was only one minute later that two more bombs exploded in rapid succession. "It was at this point that people rushed out of the station. People crying. It was shocking." HAVE YOUR SAY There was a very big blast in the trains and everything that happened after that has been very confused Ignacio, Madrid, Spain Send your eyewitness reports Other witnesses told Spanish National Radio they saw people lying on the ground and train cars destroyed. Travellers at Santa Eugenia station described how people were thrown, or threw themselves, to the floor as the blasts happened. Buses have been used as ambulances to carry the injured and hospitals have appealed for people to donate blood. 'Hellish' Emergency worker Oscar Romero said the devastation was the worst he had seen in his job. "There were people destroyed, blown up, without legs," he said. "There were two cars in pieces with bodies underneath." A woman who lives near the El Pozo station on the line leading to Atocha said: "The scene I am seeing is hellish. "I can see people inside the remains of the train."

Black Like Christ A White Jesus During Black History Month? By THOMAS C. MOUNTAIN A white Jesus during Black History Month? I find it more than a little ironic that during February, Black History Month, we are being bombarded with images of a white Jesus in the trailers for Mel Gibson's film. Jesus, the Annointed One (Kristos), was a Jew, a member of the Semitic peoples. The historical record is very clear, unequivocal actually, that 2,000 years ago the Semites were a brown, dark brown or black people with tightly curled to woolly hair. The one phenotype that Jesus the Annointed One (Kristos), or any of the disciples for that matter, would not have been was a Caucasian, a white man. How are we ever going to come to grips with racism in this country if we continue to deny people of color their historical place? How could white people hate people of color if they were taught Jesus would pass for black if he were to rejoin us today? Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, Mohammed, the founders of the major religious movements, all were people of color. Isn't it time we set aside our prejudices and recognize this and start taking the first steps in eliminating racial hatred and bigotry in our society? Thomas C. Mountain

For many disenfranchised devotees this writer is very encouraging. Hope agaist hope(asa banda)that I can serve Krishna in this lifetime despite soooooo many obstacles put in front by Maya devi and Kali. Krishna is merciful. He sees the good. And above all He forgives us for all our mistakes. I'll give KC another go. Hare Krishna! krsnadas

Find Your Place In The Krsna Consciousness Movement BY BRAHMA DAS EDITORIAL, Mar 10 (VNN) — The following is a letter sent to Sanga via the Website: Dear Sanga: I read all of Prabhupada's books I could get my hands on, and read everything on the Internet I could find about Krishna Consciousness. I saved up my money, and was finally able to visit the nearest temple, nearly 200 miles away. I left home convinced that I was on the right path, and excited about meeting the devotees. I wanted to know about God and how to serve Him and be with Him. I thought I was on the path to accomplish those things. Then I met the devotees. This is the single most discouraging thing that has ever happened to me. I read that Prabhupada said you could recognize devotees because they "are perfect gentlemen;" by that definition, there were no devotees there. They were mostly concerned about the length of my hair and wanted to make sure I was not associated with someone who is, I suppose, a competing Guru of some sort. I am now convinced that I am better off alone than in the company of these people. I am very, very, discouraged. I wish Krishna Consciousness had turned out to be true. / Signed, "Don't Bother" My reply to this letter is as follows: Dear Don't Bother, I am sorry that your first encounter with 'devotees' was such a bad experience. I have been involved with the Krsna consciousness movement for thirty-two years and also have had many bad experiences with devotees. Like you, when I first learned about Krsna consciousness I traveled a long distance to visit a Hare Krsna temple and was disappointed as well. At that time (1972) I hitchhiked cross-country from Dallas to San Francisco hoping to join the Hare Krsna movement sometime after I had reached my destination. However, when I arrived at the Krsna Temple in San Francisco I was not allowed to join or even spend the night there because a rule had been enacted to prevent transients and hippies from using the ashram as a flophouse. This rule stipulated that no one could stay overnight in the temple until they had proven themselves serious about devotional service to Krsna. I objected that I wanted to join not just have a place to spend the night, but the devotee in charge said that because he did not know me he could not make an exception. Thus I was left out in the cold to fend for myself in a downtrodden section of San Francisco. Luckily I had enough money to rent a room in a nearby hotel, which in those days cost only about four dollars a night. Though residing in a hotel I was told that I could prove myself serious about devotional service if for two weeks I was able to follow the same schedule as the devotees who were living in the temple. This amounted to getting up before dawn every morning to attend ceremonies and classes, then going out in the streets to chant and returning to the temple in the evening for another ceremony and class. Following this regimen of ceremonies, classes, and street chanting removed some of the misconceptions I had about full time devotional life, and the strictness that was required to be a devotee scared me as well. Thus two weeks later, instead of joining the temple I went back to my parent's home in Pennsylvania and became absorbed in a rather thoughtful mood I was generally a very happy and outgoing person so my parents were alarmed at what they called my brooding around the house. Finally my mother told me that I could became a devotee or go back to college but somehow I had to regain my positive attitude and get back into life. Inspired by her words I visited the local Hare Krsna temple in Pittsburgh and for some reason there I felt very comfortable and stayed for the next three years. All told I lived as a monk for twelve years in various Hare Krsna temples. I liked temple life better in some places then in I did in others and the same could be said about the people I worked with. In 1981 due to disagreements with Iskcon management I became affiliated with a different branch of Krsna consciousness. I was involved with that branch in one way or another until about 1990 when I became somewhat distracted from Krsna seva in pursuit of an independent career. However at the turn of the century I again became inspired to find my place in the Krsna consciousness movement. The temple I tried to join in San Francisco thirty-two years ago has since been torn down but as before I find myself living in that city trying to be involved in devotional service. My efforts to do so are centered on serving those who in my estimation have proven to be much more serious then myself about Krsna consciousness. Disregarding the unrealistic expectations I had of others and recognizing my own shortcomings in regards to devotional life have helped me to gain greater respect for all who on one level or another are striving to attain the high ideal of Krsna consciousness as delineated in Srila Prabhupada's books. We refer to all that have faith in Krsna as devotees but in truth finding a genuine devotee is (sudurlabha) a very rare thing. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said that genuine devotees are merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all, faultless, magnanimous, mild, indifferent to material acquisitions, fixed in devotional service, and above bad qualities such as lust, anger, greed, and so forth. They eat only as much as required, and they are not intoxicated. They are respectful, grave, compassionate, without false prestige, as well as friendly, poetic, expert, and silent. Among all good qualities, being surrendered to Krsna is foremost. You wrote that you were attracted to Krsna consciousness by reading Srila Prabhupada's books but that you became discouraged when you perceived a lack of fundamental good qualities in his followers. I understand your disappointment and experience it as well, mostly in regards to myself. All that I can suggest at this point is that you try to understand the high ideal of Krsna consciousness by continuing to chant and study Srila Prabhupada's books on your own. Better yet, in one way or another, try to make a place for yourself somewhere in the Krsna consciousness movement. This is what I did so many years ago, and in spite of disappointments experienced along the way I continue to try to do this today. The Krsna Consciousness Movement is larger and more varied than when I joined. At that time there was only one organization preaching Krsna consciousness in the west but now there are many. What could be perceived as "competing gurus" in one sense means more variety in regards to mood and expression and thus more opportunity for new practitioners to find their own place in the movement at large. If you find yourself discouraged in one place simply look in another. If you think certain devotees are too concerned with your appearance or the length of your hair then go elsewhere or associate with like-minded devotees via the Internet. I agree that it is a shame that many devotees are not the "perfect gentlemen" that Srila Prabhupada had hoped they would be. Perfect, however, is a word that is hard for anyone to live up to and we should recognize that it is just as hard for others to be perfect as it is to be perfect ourselves. Bhagavad Gita teaches that Krsna is directing the wanderings of all souls and that anyone who is sincere about Krsna consciousness will never be lost--na hi kalyana-krt kascid durgatim tata gacchati. Your letter reminded me of my own troubles with other devotees and also of how difficult it has been at times to be a devotee myself. Yet in spite of everything, I never regretted that I gave the Krsna Consciousness Movement a second chance in 1972, a third chance in 1981, and a fourth chance in the year 2000. Or more correctly that the movement gave me another chance again and again. I believe that if you give the Krsna Consciousness Movement a second chance you will not regret it and your sincerity of purpose will enable you to find a place in the movement that is perfect for you as an individual. Srila Rupa Goswami says, 'yena tena prakarena, manah krsna nivesayat: somehow or another think of Krsna, or in other words find your place in the Krsna consciousness movement. brahmadasa@ A section of this letter was copied from Swami Tripurari's Sanga called: Good Qualities and the Superlative Devotee

N Y Times : Hooked on Heaven Lite By DAVID BROOKS Published: March 9, 2004 Who worries you most, Mel Gibson or Mitch Albom? Do you fear Gibson, the religious zealot, the man accused of narrow sectarianism and anti-Semitism, or Albom, the guy who writes sweet best sellers like "Tuesdays With Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven?" I worry about Albom more, because while religious dogmatism is always a danger, it is less of a problem for us today than the soft-core spirituality that is its opposite. As any tour around the TV dial will make abundantly clear, we do not live in Mel Gibson's fire-and-brimstone universe. Instead, we live in a psychobabble nation. We've got more to fear from the easygoing narcissism that is so much part of the atmosphere nobody even thinks to protest or get angry about it. Albom is far from the worst of the schmaltzy shamans, but his fable "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" happens to sit at No. 3 on the Times best-seller list and pretty much exemplifies the zeitgeist. It's about an 83-year-old man who feels lonely, adrift and unimportant, and who dies while trying to save a little girl from a broken carnival ride. He goes to heaven and meets five people who tell him that he is not alone and that his life was not unimportant. They reconcile him with his father, who had been cruel to him. They remind him of what a good person he was. He gets to spend time with his wife, whom he'd neglected and who died young. He is forgiven for the hurts he accidentally committed while alive. All societies construct their own images of heaven. Most imagine a wondrous city or a verdant garden where human beings come face to face with God. But the heaven that is apparently popular with readers these days is nothing more than an excellent therapy session. In Albom's book, God, to the extent that he exists there, is sort of a genial Dr. Phil. When you go to his heaven, friends and helpers come and tell you how innately wonderful you are. They help you reach closure. In this heaven, God and his glory are not the center of attention. It's all about you. Here, sins are not washed away. Instead, hurt is washed away. The language of good and evil is replaced by the language of trauma and recovery. There is no vice and virtue, no moral framework to locate the individual within the cosmic infinity of the universe. Instead there are just the right emotions — Do you feel good about yourself? — buttressed by an endless string of vague bromides about how special each person is, and how much we are all mystically connected in the flowing river of life. "Plagued by anxiety, depression, vague discontents, a sense of inner emptiness, the 'psychological man' of the 20th century seeks neither individual self-aggrandizement nor spiritual transcendence but peace of mind, under conditions that increasingly militate against it," Christopher Lasch wrote in "The Culture of Narcissism." Lasch went on to call the therapeutic mentality an anti-religion that tries to liberate people from the idea that they should submit to a higher authority, so they can focus more obsessively on their own emotional needs. Reading "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" is a sad experience because it conjures up a mass of people who, like its hero, feel lonely and unimportant. But instead of offering them the rich moral framework of organized religion or rigorous philosophy, instead of reminding them of the tough-minded exemplars of the Bible and history, books like Albom's throw the seekers remorselessly back upon themselves. The flap over Gibson's movie reminds us that religion can be a dangerous thing. It can be coarsened into gore and bloodshed and used to foment hatred. But we're not living in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Our general problem is not that we're too dogmatic. Our more common problems come from the other end of the continuum. Americans in the 21st century are more likely to be divorced from any sense of a creedal order, ignorant of the moral traditions that have come down to us through the ages and detached from the sense that we all owe obligations to a higher authority. Sure, let's get angry at Mel Gibson if he deserves it. But let's not forget that the really corrosive cultural forces come in the form of the easygoing narcissism that surrounds us every day.

GAURANGA:Exquisitely Beautiful Golden Body The religious practice for the Age of Kali is to broadcast the glories of the holy name. Only for this purpose has the Lord, in a yellow color, descended as Lord Caitanya. The luster of His expansive body resembles molten gold. The deep sound of His voice conquers the thundering of newly assembled clouds. His arms are long enough to reach His knees, His eyes are just like lotus flowers, His nose is like a sesame flower, and His face is as beautiful as the moon. He is peaceful, self-controlled and fully devoted to the transcendental service of Lord Sri Krsna. He is affectionate toward His devotees, He is gentle, and He is equally disposed toward all living beings. He is decorated with sandalwood bangles and armlets and anointed with the pulp of sandalwood. He especially wears these decorations to dance in Sri-Krsna-sankirtana. In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold. In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyasa order, and He is equipoise and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana asserts that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the evidence of the Upanishads, having a complexion the color of molten gold. Another meaning of the description of the Lord as having a golden hue is that Lord Caitanya's personality is as fascinating as gold is attractive. By His superexcellent beauty He subdues all the people of the age. In other descents the Lord sometimes used weapons to defeat the demoniac, but in this age the Lord subdues them with His all-attractive figure as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Jiva Goswami explains that His beauty is His astra, or weapon, to subdue the demons. Because He is all-attractive, it is to be understood that all the demigods lived with Him as His companions. His acts were uncommon and His associates wonderful. When He propagated the sankirtana movement, He attracted many great scholars and acharyas, especially in Bengal and Orissa. Lord Caitanya is always accompanied by His best associates like Lord Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara and Srivasa. He has equanimity in different senses. First, He describes the confidential truth of the Personality of Godhead, and second, He satisfies everyone by knowledge and attachment to Krsna. He is peaceful because He renounces all topics not related to the service of Krsna. He is rigidly fixed in chanting the holy name of Sri Krsna. Lord Caitanya subdued all disturbing opponents of devotional service, especially the monists, who are actually averse to the personal feature of the Supreme Lord. The principle of transcendental devotional service having been lost, Sri Krsna Caitanya has appeared to deliver again the process of devotion. He is so kind that He is distributing love of Krsna. Everyone should be attracted more and more to His lotus feet, as humming bees are attracted to a lotus flower. (Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya CC Adi-lila 3.52) Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

The messengers (Yamadutas) will deal very seriously with neglectful guardians TRANSLATION The brahmanas, the cows and the defenseless creatures are My own body. Those whose faculty of judgment has been impaired by their own sin look upon these as distinct from Me. They are just like furious serpents, and they are angrily torn apart by the bills of the vulturelike messengers of Yamaraja, the superintendent of sinful persons. PURPORT The defenseless creatures, according to Brahma-samhita, are the cows, brahmanas, women, children and old men. Of these five, the brahmanas and cows are especially mentioned in this verse because the Lord is always anxious about the benefit of the brahmanas and the cows and is prayed to in this way. The Lord especially instructs, therefore, that no one should be envious of these five, especially the cows and brahmanas. In some of the Bhagavatam readings, the word duhitrh is used instead of duhatih. But in either case, the meaning is the same. Duhatih means "cow," and duhitrh can also be used to mean "cow" because the cow is supposed to be the daughter of the sun-god. Just as children are taken care of by the parents, women as a class should be taken care of by the father, husband or grown-up son. Those who are helpless must be taken care of by their respective guardians, otherwise the guardians will be subjected to the punishment of Yamaraja, who is appointed by the Lord to supervise the activities of sinful living creatures. The assistants, or messengers, of Yamaraja are likened here to vultures, and those who do not execute their respective duties in protecting their wards are compared to serpents. Vultures deal very seriously with serpents, and similarly the messengers will deal very seriously with neglectful guardians. (S.B. 3.16.10) My dear Arundhati, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 19, 1972, and I am simply surprised that you want to give up your child to some other persons, even they are also devotees. For you, child-worship is more important than deity-worship. If you cannot spend time with him, then stop the duties of pujari. At least you must take good care of your son until he is four years old, and if after that time you are unable any more to take care of him then I shall take care. These children are given to us by Krishna, they are Vaisnavas and we must be very careful to protect them. These are not ordinary children, they are Vaikuntha children, and we are very fortunate we can give them chance to advance further in Krishna Consciousness. That is very great responsibility, do not neglect it or be confused. Your duty is very clear. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (S.P. Letter to: Arundhati 30 July, 1972)

"When you're up to your waist in crocodiles, it's hard to remember that you originally went in there to drain the swamp". The overwhelmed bhakta oozes into the mucky labyrinth of the mind mire maze, dazed, swamped, deluded, becoming a raving jnani stuck forever in the quicksand of the quarrelsome mind, forgetting entirely the noble quest, the noble heart that drew him there. A teaspoon of humility to refocus on the goal from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.25: tad azma-sAraM hRdayaM batedaM yad gRhyamANair hari-nAma-dheyaiH na vikriyetAtha yadA vikAro netre jalaM gAtra-ruheSu harSaH tat--that; azma-sAram--is steel-framed; hRdayam--heart; bata idam--certainly that; yat--which; gRhyamANaiH--in spite of chanting; hari-nAma--the holy name of the Lord; dheyaiH--by concentration of the mind; na--does not; vikriyeta--change; atha--thus; yadA--when; vikAraH--reaction; netre--in the eyes; jalam--tears; gAtra-ruheSu--at the pores; harSaH--eruptions of ecstasy. Certainly that heart is steel-framed which, in spite of one's chanting the holy name of the Lord with concentration, does not change when ecstasy takes place, tears fill the eyes and the hairs stand on end. We should note with profit that in the first three chapters of the Second Canto a gradual process of development of devotional service is being presented. In the First Chapter the first step in devotional service for God consciousness by the process of hearing and chanting has been stressed, and a gross conception of the Personality of Godhead in His universal form for the beginners is recommended. By such a gross conception of God through the material manifestations of His energy, one is enabled to spiritualize the mind and the senses and gradually concentrate the mind upon Lord ViSNu, the Supreme, who is present as the Supersoul in every heart and everywhere, in every atom of the material universe. The system of paJca-upAsanA, recommending five mental attitudes for the common man, is also enacted for this purpose, namely gradual development, worship of the superior that may be in the form of fire, electricity, the sun, the mass of living beings, Lord Siva and, at last, the impersonal Supersoul, the partial representation of Lord ViSNu. They are all nicely described in the Second Chapter, but in the Third Chapter further development is prescribed after one has actually reached the stage of ViSNu worship, or pure devotional service, and the mature stage of ViSNu worship is suggested herein in relation to the change of heart. The whole process of spiritual culture is aimed at changing the heart of the living being in the matter of his eternal relation with the Supreme Lord as subordinate servant, which is his eternal constitutional position. So with the progress of devotional service, the reaction of change in the heart is exhibited by gradual detachment from the sense of material enjoyment by a false sense of lording it over the world and an increase in the attitude of rendering loving service to the Lord. Vidhi-bhakti, or regulated devotional service by the limbs of the body (namely the eyes, the ears, the nose, the hands and the legs, as already explained hereinbefore), is now stressed herein in relation to the mind, which is the impetus for all activities of the limbs of the body. It is expected by all means that by discharging regulated devotional service one must manifest the change of heart. If there is no such change, the heart must be considered steel-framed, for it is not melted even when there is chanting of the holy name of the Lord. We must always remember that hearing and chanting are the basic principles of discharging devotional duties, and if they are properly performed there will follow the reactional ecstasy with signs of tears in the eyes and standing of the hairs on the body. These are natural consequences and are the preliminary symptoms of the bhAva stage, which occurs before one reaches the perfectional stage of prema, love of Godhead. If the reaction does not take place, even after continuous hearing and chanting of the holy name of the Lord, it may be considered to be due to offenses only. That is the opinion of the Sandarbha. In the beginning of chanting of the holy name of the Lord, if the devotee has not been very careful about evading the ten kinds of offenses at the feet of the holy name, certainly the reaction of feelings of separation will not be visible by tears in the eyes and standing of the hair on end. The bhAva stage is manifested by eight transcendental symptoms, namely inertness, perspiration, standing of hairs on end, failing in the voice, trembling, paleness of the body, tears in the eyes and finally trance. The Nectar of Devotion, a summary study of SrIla RUpa GosvAmI's Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu, explains those symptoms and vividly describes other transcendental developments, both in steady and accelerating manifestations. SrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura has very critically discussed all these bhAva displays in connection with some unscrupulous neophyte's imitating the above symptoms for cheap appreciation. Not only VizvanAtha CakravartI but also SrIla RUpa GosvAmI treated them very critically. Sometimes all the above eight symptoms of ecstasy are imitated by the mundane devotees (prAkRta-sahajiyAs), but the pseudo symptoms are at once detected when one sees the pseudodevotee addicted to so many forbidden things. Even though decorated with the signs of a devotee, a person addicted to smoking, drinking or illegitimate sex with women cannot have all the above-mentioned ecstatic symptoms. But it is seen that sometimes these symptoms are willfully imitated, and for this reason SrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI accuses the imitators of being stonehearted men. They are sometimes even affected by the reflection of such transcendental symptoms, yet if they still do not give up the forbidden habits, then they are hopeless cases for transcendental realization. When Lord Caitanya met SrIla RAmAnanda RAya of Kavaur on the bank of the GodAvarI, the Lord developed all these symptoms, but because of the presence of some nondevotee brAhmaNas who were attendants of the RAya, the Lord suppressed these symptoms. So sometimes they are not visible even in the body of the first-class devotee for certain circumstantial reasons. Therefore real, steady bhAva is definitely displayed in the matter of cessation of material desires (kSAnti), utilization of every moment in the transcendental loving service of the Lord (avyArtha-kAlatvam [Cc.Madhya 23.18-19]), eagerness for glorifying the Lord constantly (nAma-gAne sadA ruci [Cc. Madhya 23.32]), attraction for living in the land of the Lord (prItis tad-vasati sthalePrItis tad vasati sthAle), complete detachment from material happiness (virakti), and pridelessness (mAna-zUnyatA). One who has developed all these transcendental qualities is really possessed of the bhAva stage, as distinguished from the stonehearted imitator or mundane devotee. The whole process can be summarized as follows: The advanced devotee who chants the holy name of the Lord in a perfectly offenseless manner and is friendly to everyone can actually relish the transcendental taste of glorifying the Lord. And the result of such realization is reflected in the cessation of all material desires, etc., as mentioned above. The neophytes, due to their being in the lower stage of devotional service, are invariably envious, so much so that they invent their own ways and means of devotional regulations without following the AcAryas. As such, even if they make a show of constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord, they cannot relish the transcendental taste of the holy name. Therefore, the show of tears in the eyes, trembling, perspiration or unconsciousness, etc., is condemned. They can, however, get in touch with a pure devotee of the Lord and rectify their bad habits; otherwise they shall continue to be stonehearted and unfit for any treatment. A complete progressive march on the return path home, back to Godhead, will depend on the instructions of the revealed scriptures directed by a realized devotee.

"A-CANDALA-TRATA", The Savior of Everyone Down to the Lowest Class of Men We have got so many big big books now, so any sane man will appreciate them, you simply have to present them, that's all. Is it very difficult? It is being done all over the world and professors and scholars are appreciating them by writing reviews and introducing them as standard text books in their university courses. So try to present my books there. It is assured of success because Lord Caitanya predicted, ``In ever town and village of the world, my name will be known'' The whole world is full of rascals presenting concocted ideas and everyone is suffering. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came just to deliver these rascals. How? hare nama hare nama hare nama eva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha Chant Hare Krishna, induce others to chant, and distribute prasadam. This can be done everywhere, who will object.?Temple or no temple, you simply chant and give prasadam and it will act... So in India also we have to do many things because very recently, by the propaganda of the politicians, the younger generation has become victimized to become Godless. So the hankering after peace and prosperity in the world in a Godless concept of life is simply an utopian dream. People must take to God-consciousness and surely they will be happy in all respects. By the grace of Lord Caitanya, the method of self-realization is made very easy and universal by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. It is being effective practically. So let us join together to expand this great mission of Lord Caitanya Who predicted that everywhere as many cities and towns and villages are there on the surface of the globe, His Holy Name would be glorified on account of His transcendental gift to the fallen souls of this Kali Yuga. Sankirtana will always be appreciated, because it is the special blessings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the people of this fallen age of Kali. Sukadeva Goswami says, this age is an ocean of faults, but there is one boon, in this age one gets the same result as was achieved in former ages through elaborate temple worship, costly sacrifices, or introspective meditation, simply by chanting the Holy Name of The Lord. It is for this reason only that this Hare Krishna movement has spread so quickly all over the world. The people of this age are so fallen they are like cats and dogs. What cats and dogs will understand about philosophy? If a dog is barking and you speak with him very nicely ``my dear dog, please try to control your barking, it is very disturbing'' will he be able to understand? therefore we simply throw him a bone, and he is satisfied. So distribute prasadam, and chant Hare Krishna. For the mass of people this is the only medicine. Lord Caitanya never spoke philosophy in public, he held kirtana and distributed prasadam. When he meet Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya he talked high philosophy, otherwise, Chanting and prasadam distribution. (Letters from Srila Prabhupada Dec. 31,18, 1975, Mar. 4,1970) Lord Gauranga calls, "Wake up, sleeping souls! Wake up, sleeping souls! You have slept so long in the lap of the witch Maya. You came into this world saying, 'O my Lord, I will certainly worship You.' but having forgotten this promise, you remain in great ignorance. "I have descended just to save you. Other than Myself, who else is your friend? I have brought the medicine for destroying the illusion of Maya. Now beg for this maha-mantra and take it." (Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura) Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Yes, I was there at that very moment when the light went out of this lady's body. It was a long and arduous process a terminal disease fortunately devotees were there chanting but at the end she entered a coma and left through the mouth that light,the soul exited and that body became a corpse. a lesson at the time but soon forgotten I'm still not dead to this world of birth and death krsnadas

It Is Very Honest [re: Guest] 01/20/04 01:45 AM Edit Reply To see that patting oneself on the back while ignoring the most important change of heart is a lie is very honest. We must remember it is not a cult. A true change of heart is required for success. We must never become complacent with our lies about our proper situation. We are not fools; we cannot cheat ourselves with our own lies. Certainly to be so properly situated is a good start to changing the heart. But if we forget the reason for all the rituals, then they simply become lies, just as you say. "When you're up to your waist in crocodiles, it's hard to remember that you originally went in there to drain the swamp". The overwhelmed bhakta oozes into the mucky labyrinth of the mind mire maze, dazed, swamped, deluded, becoming a raving jnani stuck forever in the quicksand of the quarrelsome mind, forgetting entirely the noble quest, the noble heart that drew him there. A teaspoon of humility to refocus on the goal from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.25: tad azma-sAraM hRdayaM batedaM yad gRhyamANair hari-nAma-dheyaiH na vikriyetAtha yadA vikAro netre jalaM gAtra-ruheSu harSaH tat--that; azma-sAram--is steel-framed; hRdayam--heart; bata idam--certainly that; yat--which; gRhyamANaiH--in spite of chanting; hari-nAma--the holy name of the Lord; dheyaiH--by concentration of the mind; na--does not; vikriyeta--change; atha--thus; yadA--when; vikAraH--reaction; netre--in the eyes; jalam--tears; gAtra-ruheSu--at the pores; harSaH--eruptions of ecstasy. Certainly that heart is steel-framed which, in spite of one's chanting the holy name of the Lord with concentration, does not change when ecstasy takes place, tears fill the eyes and the hairs stand on end. We should note with profit that in the first three chapters of the Second Canto a gradual process of development of devotional service is being presented. In the First Chapter the first step in devotional service for God consciousness by the process of hearing and chanting has been stressed, and a gross conception of the Personality of Godhead in His universal form for the beginners is recommended. By such a gross conception of God through the material manifestations of His energy, one is enabled to spiritualize the mind and the senses and gradually concentrate the mind upon Lord ViSNu, the Supreme, who is present as the Supersoul in every heart and everywhere, in every atom of the material universe. The system of paJca-upAsanA, recommending five mental attitudes for the common man, is also enacted for this purpose, namely gradual development, worship of the superior that may be in the form of fire, electricity, the sun, the mass of living beings, Lord Siva and, at last, the impersonal Supersoul, the partial representation of Lord ViSNu. They are all nicely described in the Second Chapter, but in the Third Chapter further development is prescribed after one has actually reached the stage of ViSNu worship, or pure devotional service, and the mature stage of ViSNu worship is suggested herein in relation to the change of heart. The whole process of spiritual culture is aimed at changing the heart of the living being in the matter of his eternal relation with the Supreme Lord as subordinate servant, which is his eternal constitutional position. So with the progress of devotional service, the reaction of change in the heart is exhibited by gradual detachment from the sense of material enjoyment by a false sense of lording it over the world and an increase in the attitude of rendering loving service to the Lord. Vidhi-bhakti, or regulated devotional service by the limbs of the body (namely the eyes, the ears, the nose, the hands and the legs, as already explained hereinbefore), is now stressed herein in relation to the mind, which is the impetus for all activities of the limbs of the body. It is expected by all means that by discharging regulated devotional service one must manifest the change of heart. If there is no such change, the heart must be considered steel-framed, for it is not melted even when there is chanting of the holy name of the Lord. We must always remember that hearing and chanting are the basic principles of discharging devotional duties, and if they are properly performed there will follow the reactional ecstasy with signs of tears in the eyes and standing of the hairs on the body. These are natural consequences and are the preliminary symptoms of the bhAva stage, which occurs before one reaches the perfectional stage of prema, love of Godhead. If the reaction does not take place, even after continuous hearing and chanting of the holy name of the Lord, it may be considered to be due to offenses only. That is the opinion of the Sandarbha. In the beginning of chanting of the holy name of the Lord, if the devotee has not been very careful about evading the ten kinds of offenses at the feet of the holy name, certainly the reaction of feelings of separation will not be visible by tears in the eyes and standing of the hair on end. The bhAva stage is manifested by eight transcendental symptoms, namely inertness, perspiration, standing of hairs on end, failing in the voice, trembling, paleness of the body, tears in the eyes and finally trance. The Nectar of Devotion, a summary study of SrIla RUpa GosvAmI's Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu, explains those symptoms and vividly describes other transcendental developments, both in steady and accelerating manifestations. SrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura has very critically discussed all these bhAva displays in connection with some unscrupulous neophyte's imitating the above symptoms for cheap appreciation. Not only VizvanAtha CakravartI but also SrIla RUpa GosvAmI treated them very critically. Sometimes all the above eight symptoms of ecstasy are imitated by the mundane devotees (prAkRta-sahajiyAs), but the pseudo symptoms are at once detected when one sees the pseudodevotee addicted to so many forbidden things. Even though decorated with the signs of a devotee, a person addicted to smoking, drinking or illegitimate sex with women cannot have all the above-mentioned ecstatic symptoms. But it is seen that sometimes these symptoms are willfully imitated, and for this reason SrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI accuses the imitators of being stonehearted men. They are sometimes even affected by the reflection of such transcendental symptoms, yet if they still do not give up the forbidden habits, then they are hopeless cases for transcendental realization. When Lord Caitanya met SrIla RAmAnanda RAya of Kavaur on the bank of the GodAvarI, the Lord developed all these symptoms, but because of the presence of some nondevotee brAhmaNas who were attendants of the RAya, the Lord suppressed these symptoms. So sometimes they are not visible even in the body of the first-class devotee for certain circumstantial reasons. Therefore real, steady bhAva is definitely displayed in the matter of cessation of material desires (kSAnti), utilization of every moment in the transcendental loving service of the Lord (avyArtha-kAlatvam [Cc.Madhya 23.18-19]), eagerness for glorifying the Lord constantly (nAma-gAne sadA ruci [Cc. Madhya 23.32]), attraction for living in the land of the Lord (prItis tad-vasati sthalePrItis tad vasati sthAle), complete detachment from material happiness (virakti), and pridelessness (mAna-zUnyatA). One who has developed all these transcendental qualities is really possessed of the bhAva stage, as distinguished from the stonehearted imitator or mundane devotee. The whole process can be summarized as follows: The advanced devotee who chants the holy name of the Lord in a perfectly offenseless manner and is friendly to everyone can actually relish the transcendental taste of glorifying the Lord. And the result of such realization is reflected in the cessation of all material desires, etc., as mentioned above. The neophytes, due to their being in the lower stage of devotional service, are invariably envious, so much so that they invent their own ways and means of devotional regulations without following the AcAryas. As such, even if they make a show of constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord, they cannot relish the transcendental taste of the holy name. Therefore, the show of tears in the eyes, trembling, perspiration or unconsciousness, etc., is condemned. They can, however, get in touch with a pure devotee of the Lord and rectify their bad habits; otherwise they shall continue to be stonehearted and unfit for any treatment. A complete progressive march on the return path home, back to Godhead, will depend on the instructions of the revealed scriptures directed by a realized devotee. gHari -------------------- i love it I am going to meditate on this verse and purport if it's the last thing I do ok krsnadas

'Finding Nemo' used by animal rights groups to attack fish as food By Laine Welch For the Journal KODIAK - Animal rights activists are using the popular animated film "Finding Nemo" to turn kids away from eating fish. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has won permission from Disney Studios to adapt a film poster from the movie that says, "Fish are friends, not food." It's being touted in brochures, six-foot-high fish creatures in parades and displays - even on Nemo pajamas. A spokesman said PETA hopes Nemo will teach children that fish belong in the ocean and not on dinner plates. Another PETA ploy uses a sexy mermaid holding a sign that says "Don't batter me." PETA claims it is the largest animal rights group in the world, boasting some 600,000 members. A check of PETA's Web site (fisharefriends.com or fishinghurts.com) reveals some of the most militant, anti-fish flack found anywhere. It says, for example, "the widely held public perception that seafood is healthy is one whopper of a fish story." The Web site tells kids "fish swim in poisonous places you'd never dream of having lunch." That "the flesh of fish is loaded with highly toxic chemical residues, and contain too much protein, fat and cholesterol to be healthy." (PETA even claims that salmon is 52 percent fat.) And that "no increased vigilance to reduce the slimy bacteria on their decomposing and pollution-laden bodies will improve their inadequate nutrition, or reduce the toxic chemicals laced throughout their flesh." PETA even goes so far as to claim that women who often eat fish are "likely to give birth to sluggish infants with small heads and learning disabilities," and that nursing infants "consume half of their mothers' load of dioxin, PCB's and DDT from fish." PETA also adds that fish "may not be cute and cuddly like puppies and kittens but they suffer and experience fear and pain in much the same way." PETA's campaign targets both recreational and commercial fishing to stop the "unnecessary torture of these animals by pointing out the cruelty of fishing and the health risks associated with eating fish." They sure can take the fun out of a great fish story. Sorry Nemo! On another Nemo note: Trade reports say that children have a tendency to flush their pet fish down the drain to send them safely out into the sea, as shown in the movie. Manufacturers of sewage processing equipment continue to issue press releases telling kids that drain pipes do eventually lead to the ocean, but it is unlikely their fish will make it alive. They explain that the fish would first go through powerful machines that shred solids into tiny particles, followed by chlorine disinfecting.

"DINA BANDHU" Friend of the Distressed I am very glad to learn that you are appreciating the importance of very nice Sankirtana activities for the purpose of attracting people to our movement. This was the simple program of Lord Caitanya and it is our business to follow His Sankirtana Movement for the welfare of everyone. So please see that your Sankirtana program is made as attractive as possible. You write to say that your preaching work has not been very successful at the Ohio State University, but your visits to several others nearby have been well received. This is good news that in several university campuses Krsna Consciousness movement is well liked and you are giving a credit course next winter. So do not be discouraged that some of the young students are too much involved with some other business to listen, but go on with the work undaunted. Actually the younger generation, especially the hippies are our best clients. They are feeling very keenly the frustration of material life and it is our duty as Vaisnavas to be very sympathetic with them and give this Krsna consciousness to them some way or other... Miserable conditions are created by us, and we suffer. Just like the silkworm creates a cocoon and becomes entrapped and dies. "Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service, O Killer of the enemies, cannot achieve Me. Therefore, they come back to birth and death in this material world." [bg. 9.3]. Because he is acting independently without caring for God’s instruction, he is entangled and suffers. God has not created this suffering; he has created his own suffering. If you actually have a clear conception of God, and if you have decided to obey God and love Him, you will be happy. This process of acting in obedience to the order of God is what we are doing in the Krsna consciousness movement. We have no other business than obeying the orders of God. God says that you preach this confidential philosophy of Krsna consciousness everywhere. Because we are trying to love God, we have got some affection and love for God; therefore we are so much eager to spread Krsna consciousness. Otherwise, “It is Krsna's business. Why should we bother about Him?” No. Because we love Krsna, and He is happy that His message is being spread, that is our happiness also. So we also feel happy, and God says that He will be very happy if you do this. So this is reciprocation. This is religion. Religion is not sentiment. Actually realizing God, actually executing the orders of God, then God is happy, we are happy, and our progress of life is secure. (Letter from Srila Prabhupada July 7, 1970, Dialectic Spiritualism) May the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Lord Sri Caitanya bestow His causeless mercy upon us. His smiling glance at once drives away all the bereavements of the world, and His very words enliven the auspicious creepers of devotion by expanding their leaves. Taking shelter of His lotus feet invokes transcendental love of God at once. (Srila Rupa Goswami from the Stava-mala) Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Gibson's violence is the wrong message ERIC KALISHER Editorial Writer Mel Gibson's new smashing box-office success, "The Passion of the Christ," has at its disposal many potential taglines from its critical reviews. It is unlikely, however, that any of these will make it into the film's advertising publicity: "The first Jesusploitation film." "The goriest story ever told." "A sickening death trip." "The first spiritual splatter film." All of these one-liners indicate the defining feature of this film: its violence. The film, which has been endorsed by the religious right, is not about Jesus' love, but his brutal death. "The Passion," it appears, is yet another troubling combination of religious piousness and violence. Gibson has been quoted as saying the film is "about faith, hope, love and forgiveness — something sorely needed in these turbulent times." Unfortunately, this is not the message that the film sends. Instead, Gibson's portrayal reflects a society obsessed with violence and death in film, in the media and in everyday life. It's a fitting statement for the post-9/11 world. And, in this new age, the Jesus film is no longer a tame reflection on the life of a man; it has become a searing portrait of a man's destruction. While "The Passion" is a defining religious art film, with magnificent cinematography and a strong score, its single-mindedness hurts the film considerably. Intensity of the violence appears to trump all other concerns. Yet, religious groups have championed this film not only as a testament to their faith, but also as a tool for evangelicalism. These same groups that condemn Hollywood for its violence, sex and lack of morality are triumphing and utilizing a film that Roger Ebert says is "the most violent film (he has) ever seen." How do we explain this change of face? In one word: Jesus. Religion has been used as a justification for violence for millennia and this film is no exception. Instead of actual violence (as in wars or burning people at the stake) it uses the guise of religion to display images of violence. In its deep reverence for violence, the movie suffers from extreme tunnel vision. It makes no attempt to consider any other facets of Jesus. In Gibson's portrayal, "The Passion" reflects negatively on the faith it represents. Violence, or at least the endurance of it, appears to be the core of its beliefs. In spite of this, religious groups have recommended the film with great zeal. The Christian Coalition has a bulletin on its Web site that encourages "all Christians and their families to see Mel Gibson's movie 'The Passion.'" In fact, many of the viewers of this film have been youth group members. Thousands of churches have even paid for tickets so that their 12- and 13-year-old parishioners can see "the bloodiest film ever made." These, of course, are the same children who will supposedly be "scarred" if they see a sex scene in a film. Similarly, the MPAA has overlooked the violence in this film. It did not give this "gospel according to the Marquis de Sade" a NC-17 rating. Instead, it let the film off with an "R," the same rating given to a film with at least two f-words. Essentially, Jesus' presence seems to be the sole justification that religious groups are inexplicably kind to this horrendously violent film. Ironically, however, the film ignores much of who Jesus is. It barely references the Christ that most Christians know, the great teacher preaching love. President Bush named Jesus as his favorite philosopher. Gibson, meanwhile, merely makes him his favorite martyr; a body ravaged, nothing more. Jesus' message, his words and many of the great parts of the Gospel have been eliminated. Such a depiction forces the audience to bring their own feelings into the film, because most of what they see onscreen is blood. Nevertheless, some may argue that the excessive violence is justified in the name of accuracy. Yet, no proof exists to support this claim. Scholars differ considerably over the Gospel, especially regarding the significant contradictions between its main books. In fact, even the Bible itself does not describe the torture of Jesus to the extent that Gibson does. As Charles Krauthammer of The Washington Times noted, only three of the books even mention the scourging. Historical realism, therefore, is simply not a reasonable goal in dealing with a subject so old. Accuracy aside, others feel that their faith has been strengthened by this portrayal of Jesus' intense suffering. The extent of Jesus' suffering, however, was never taught to me as the paramount principle of the story. Instead, the reason for his sacrifice was emphasized. I care more about meaning than visceral reactions. Thus, while gallons of blood might work for some, the film's lack of ideas still seems to me a sinister omission. A bloody image of Jesus should never being given more importance than the words he spoke. By doing so, violence — one of humanity's weaknesses — is emphasized over ideas, one of its strengths. In spite of this, one woman was quoted in the New York Post as saying that she knew Jesus suffered, but never knew how much until she saw this film. Many people like her might see this film as the new authority on Christ. S.T. Karnick of the National Review said the he "shall never read or hear the Biblical passages regarding the scourging of Jesus without recalling these images which vividly show how truly horrendous it must have been." It is sad that such a violent image, one that no one can prove is accurate, will be deeply associated with so many people's faith. The crucifixion of Christ has often stood for the abstract concept of self-sacrifice for others. Now, however, it indicates a bloody spectacle of torment. Unfortunately, this "harrowingly violent" film is being co-opted by organized religion. "The Passion" and its surrounding controversy preach the message that religion should be a greater part of society. But this message comes at the cost of the intense violence that the film shows and hypocrisy that it reveals. The right seems to see Gibson's film as the exception, when in reality it is just another product of Hollywood's love for splatter. For them, religion is an excuse for the film's violence, but it is a bad one. In a day when religion is used to justify heinous acts of violence, this use of bloodshed in a religious context is beyond distasteful.