melvin

Dear Viji, Yes, Lord Visnu should always be remembered. When we wake up from our slumber, we should remember Him as if He were sleeping with us in bed all through the night. You see, this realization came upon me when I saw the Lord next to my pillow. I had a rough day before. Problems here and problems there. And I thought that it would never end, like a nightmare. As my habit, however, I always try to read before bedtime until the sandman from the neitherland sends me off to dream- land. And I did slept well inspite of some ER (emergency) calls in the dead of the night. Thus, when I finally made up my bed when the sun came up, there I realized that I have slept with the Lord, or with a hard- bound book, so to speak, entitled The Tea- chings of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. After having gone through a horrible time when I saw the Lord, it made me cry. How good and all-merciful is the Lord. He is Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, my worshipa- ble Lord Visnu. Hare Krishna -------------

YES! your absolutely correct, my dear Viji. This Krishna virus is most beneficial to all who are concerned. You see, during those times when I was still contributing articles to The Freeman about Krishna consciousness, many weired events had occurred days before and after I sent those transcendental articles which I copied from the purports of Srila Prabhupada in the book Srimad Bhagava- tam. Journalism and newspapering is a field where it involves almost everything, from politics, economics, religion, sports, arts, education, medicine, environment, and etc. It has something to do with Quantum Physics, that the results of the Olympic games may affect a decision on a particular case or jurisprudence, outside of what is supposed to be just an entertainment. The Olympic games and any other sports for that matter affects the people`s way of thinking. That the country who earns the most number of golds may actually can be considered the most powerful nation in the world, isn`t it? So that was how I observed everytime I sub- mit a Krishna conscious article to a publi- cation, hoping the editor would have it published for all to read and hear Govin- da`s(Krishna) name and His pastimes. At first, when I started to have those ar- ticles of Swami Prabhupada printed, the Freeman readers thought that it was me who wrote them. The fact is that I copied these purports or commentaries of His Divine Grace approriate enough to answer a particu- lar issue in that newspaper for the entire week. The impact was spectacular because even the Bishops of the Catholic Church had no way of defeating those arguments written by Prabhupada himself. What a way to go be- cause they thought I was the one of wrote those commentaries. Thus, everytime, a Krishna conscious article gets printed in the newspaper, everyone thinks it`s somekind of an alien or virus, afraid of being infected if they continue to read and follow its instructions. Having linked it to the HIV virus, the owners and stockholders of The Freeman therefore had no choice but to totally ban its publica- tion for fear there might be a howl of pro- tests from the religious. Hence, when they finally cremated my column, a Grain of Devotion, my make believe world came to an end. I was no longer Naradadeva Bhagavan but the Melvin, the plagiarist. A person treated as if he was infected with Hansen`s disease(Leprosy). It`s really a sad story, and everytime I thought about it, my dear Viji, my heart aches of knowing that people do not really care about God, Lord Govinda(Krsna). They would rather worship the Abstract instead of the paying attention to the beautiful smiling face of Lord Visnu. Hare Krishna -----------

my dear viji, i`m not really feeling well today. i`m caught with a respiratory infection three days ago. everytime i have this problem, i immediately remember the erup- tion of Mt. Pinatubo, a dormant volcano located in the northern Philippines which erupted in the `90s considered to be the largest blast in the history exploding volcanoes. The ash that was spewed by Mt. Pinatubo into the air even reached the uppermost layer of the sky, distributing its product from the earth`s core through- out the world, therefore, thining further the earth`s ozone layer, thus, leaving a big hole on the earth`s atmosphere. everytime i therefore cough, " Ubo..ubo.." i`m reminded of Mt. Pinatubo, seven days after i wrote an article to The Freeman about a symptom, Cough, and that it`s caused by a virus. and all along i had been telling them that the word, Krishna, is the virus and i had been infected with It. and that the moment one loads the article into anybody`s file, anything goes. P.S. i`m sorry for the mistake. true, Maha- raja Pariksit`s mother was Uttara. but the word Kuntidevi could also be correct if Uttara was a maidservant of Queen Kunti. thus the name, Kuntidevi, Radhadevi, Sita- devi, etc. Hare Krishna ------------

Maharaja Pariksit, in Srimad Bhagavatam, is The Examiner because he was always looking for that Supreme Person he saw while he was still inside the womb of his mother, Kuntidevi. That Supreme Person protected Maharaja Pariksit from the heat unleashed from the Brahmastra weapon re- leased by Asvatthama, the son of Drona- carya. This nuclear weapon(Brahmastra) was directed at Maharaja Pariksit while still inside his mother`s womb. To prevent Maha- raja Pariksit from being aborted from his mother`s womb because of this powerful Brahmastra weapon released by Dronacarya`s son, Kuntidevi- Pariksit`s mother there- fore prayed to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for protection. Thus, Lord Krishna, immediately appeared inside Kuntidevi`s womb in order to protect Maharaja Pariksit from the blast of Asvat- thama`s nuclear weapon, the Brahmastra. While Lord Krishna was busy deciminating the heat of the Brahmastra to prevent Ma- haraja Pariksit from being burned, the latter saw Him, Lord Krishna, in His Visnu form showing His four hands carrying res- pectively, a conchshell, mace, lotus flower, and a disc. It was therefore this Visnu- form of Lord Krishna which Maharaja Parik- sit couldn`t forget from the time he was inside the womb of his mother until the time he was cursed by the son of a Brahmana, that he would die after seven days after being bitten by a poisonous snake. Because of this, Maharaja Pariksit fasted for seven days without taking in any food or water, using this opportunity to hear Srimad Bhaga- vatam from a pure devotee of Lord Krishna, whom we know as Sukadeva Goswami, the son of Sri Vyasadeva, the compiler of the Vedas. Srimad Bhagavatam was written by Vyasadeva because Srila Narada Muni wanted the great author to do so. The great sage Narada Muni took compassion on Vyasadeva because the latter was not satisfied after he wrote the book Mahabharata. Maharaja Pariksit therefore is called The Examiner because it was from Sukadeva Gos- wami that he finally found the Supreme Per- son whom he saw while inside the womb of his mother, Kuntidevi. We should, in other words, follow Maharaja Pariksit`s footsteps if we want to see, face to face, Lord Krishna, the Supreme Person- nality of Godhead. May all of you, devotees of God, pass the test. So, good luck in your exams. Hare Krishna! -------------

my dear devotees of Krishna, I`m so sorry to have brought up this topic. It would have been best if it was taken lightly. You see, this idea came upon me after I read in the news of a Russian nuclear powered submarine, Krusk, that sunk 108 meters deep in the Artic Ocean last month. It was a metaphor to someone I know after he gave a reaction to what I wrote. Of course, Lord Kapila, the Son of Deva- huti is my worshippable Lord. He is Krishna who taught the Sankya philosphy in order to equalize the Mayavada phi- losophy of the Abstract taught by the atheist Kapila( Sankarakarya). ----

my dear jndas, i`m so glad of you to be back sharing to us your devotional instructions about the Lord. I realized He is always with us in this very wonderful web site. He`s present in the e- mail page. You see, the letters I wrote in it during the past days regarding my present situa- tion had been favorably answered by Him. I don`t know how our worshipable Lord Krishna does these things but I have always observed around me His works of protecting the devotee who is fully surrendered unto Him. The results are so Divine that one never forgets His lotus feet in every step His devotee makes just to please Him. I have never seen anything like Lord Krishna`s e- mail. It`s the topmost e-mail in cyber space. Hence, anyone who uses It goes home, back to Krishna. How I wish to see you there. ------

Dear Viji, If and when you have the time and logis- tics to visit my place: 21 Habagat Street, Gentle Breeze Subdivision, Banilad, Cebu City, Philippines 6000, Tel. No. 344-0576, then I would take you to that losts sites of Narayana. It`s here. It`s only that my people doesn`t know this because they don`t have the transcendental eyes to see the Lord HImself(Krishna-Balarama) in His original forms. You see, I had been asking myself why my people go to Rome or other sites of pil- grimage just to see the Lord, when all the time, He`s here with us since time immemo- rial. There had been stories of His keepers try- ing to smuggle Him to Vatican by placing Him inside a safe and shipped to Rome. But when His keepers arrived, they were shocked as they opened the safe that the Lord was no longer there. Thus, when they got back, they found the Lord, smiling, in His rightful place. Again, they attem- ted to ship Him again to Rome. This time, they cut His legs and feet, and hid Him inside a big leather box, wrapped around with big chains. When His keepers arrived to their destination, the Lord was not inside, when they opened the big leather box for the nth time. That`s why the Lord wears golden boots because of this incident. There are countless of stories about the Lord`s inconceivable pastimes being told repeatedly by my people. The only error is that they do not know He is Krishna. All of us know that He is our Little Boy Saint, the Sr. Santo Nino. ------

Asuri Brahmana is the atheist Kapila who taught his disciples meditational yoga by letting them meditate on the abstract features of the Absolute Truth, Sri Govinda. Asuri Brahmana`s philosophy is related to Sankarakarya`s philosophy of imperso- nalism, whose disciples are taught, if they want to achieve mukti(liberation), to concentrate their thoughts on an object that have no life. It`s like looking at Picasso`s abstract paintings. I`d rather watch that`s real. That way, it makes my mind more relax, instead of watching at somebody that`s fractured and twisted. Orthopedic surgeons know this. A broken bone should never be allowed to heal without being restored to its proper lo- cation or place. Asuri Brahmana, in other words, is like a quack doctor trying to restore a broken bone without using an x-ray to make an accurate diagnosis. ----

Dear Viji, Thanks for the encouragement for me to go on chanting this most sublime bendiction, the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra, given to us by the Lord Himself, Sri Krishna Chaitan- ya Mahaprabhu. Your pleasing words make my heart swell. I guess, I have to take a diuretic to restore it back to normal again. Haribol! --------

My dear Krishna, I may not be around to celebrate your day together with Your devotees. But You know that I`m always with You. I LOVE YOU, my dear Lord. Melvin ------

Dear Maram, Krishna is the Supersoul within every one`s heart. If you chant Hare Krishna always, He will protect your delicate and sensitive heart from failing because of so many factors, such as: stress, high blood pressure, fatigue, bad cholesterol, bad metabolism caused by unhealthy diet, hormonal imbalance, etc. Trust me on this. Always chant the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. There is no greater medicine than this PRANAVA OMKARA, a prescription to cure any disease in this age( quarrel and hypocrisy)highly recommended by the great Physician Himself Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Haribol! -------

I know I should have not raised this topic but Asuri Brahamana`s name was associated with Lord Kapila, the propounder of the Sankya philosophy, a branch of devotional yoga that inspires a yogi to meditate on the smiling face of the Supreme Person Sri Krishna.

From Srimad Bhagavatam(3.28.33), It says that with devotion steeped in love, the yogi should meditate within the core of his heart upon the laughter of Lord Visnu. The laughter of Lord Visnu is so captiva- ting that it can easily be meditated upon. When the Supreme Lord is laughing, one can see His small teeth, which resembles jas- mine buds rendered rosy by the splendore of His lips. Once devoting his mind to this, the yogi should no longer to desire anything else. By following this course, the yogi gra- dually develops pure love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari(Krishna). In the course of his progress in devotional service, the hairs on his body stand e- rect through excessive joy, and he is con- stantly bathe in a stream of tears occa- sioned by intense love. Gradually, even the mind, which he used to attract the Lord, as one attracts a fish to a hook, withdraws from material activity. When the mind is thus completely freed from all material contamination and de- tached from material objectives, it is just like the flame of a lamp. At that time the mind actually is dovetailed with that of the Supreme Lord and is expe- rienced as one with Him because it is freed from the interactive flow of material qualities. Thus, situated in the highest transcendental stage, the mind ceases from all material reaction and becomes situated in its own glory, transcendental to all material conceptions of happiness and dis- tress. At that time the yogi realizes the truth of his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He discovers that pleasure and pain as well as their inter- actions, which he attributed to his own self, are actually due to the false ego, which is a product of ignorance. The body of such liberated yogi, along with the senses, is taken charge of by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it functions until its destined activities are finished. The liberated devotee, being a- wake to his constitutional position and thus situated in samadhi, the highest per- fectional stage of yoga, does not accept the by-products of the material body as his own. Thus he considers his bodily activi- ties of a body in a dream. In other words, whatever situation you`re in, whether you are sick with cancer or in- fected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS ( Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), it is best if you can still find to get a good laugh at yourselves with the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. That way, you will all be freed from diseases and old age. Haribol! --------

Pranava Omakara --------------- AUM is the transcendental sound where all the other sounds manifest because it re- presents GOD whose name is KRISHNA. Then IT multiplied into unlimited forms, sar, ga, ma, pa, da, ni, or do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, etc. In the COSMOS, these various, unlimited sounds, as GOD desired, entertwined to form a specific kind of sound which when arranged with the others formed a speci- fic kind of sound, unique in itself but not independent from its original sound, AUM. The AUM sound KRISHNA therefore is the CAUSE of why the UNIVERSE or COSMOS is filled with unlimited, individual sounds called the LIVING ENTITIES. Since each living entity invokes a unique sound not independent of the original ONE did it pleased GOD because He can now use this specific sound for His musical com- position that would make the universe dance in ecstasy. There were, however, living sounds which wanted INDEPENDENCE from GOD AUM or KRISHNA because of wanting to sound like KAMSA, HIRANYAKSA, RAVANA, HIRANYAKASIPU, PUTANA, ASURA, MAYA DANAVA, SISUPALA, and so many others in its fold. The result therefore was disastrous because when GOD wanted to play His favorite tune, the sounds which took shape became the sound called NOISE. And because of it, the move- ment of the universe became chaotic, the planets collided because of the TRAFFIC, orbits or pathways obliterated. NOISE in other words is the cause of the disease called CANCER. Lord Krishna Chaitanya`s SANKIRTANA-YAZNA movement of chanting unoffensively this great musical composition: HARE KRISHNA mantra is the only way to restore harmnoy in the universe because it eliminates the NOISE which causes ONE to acquire the disease called CANCER. I`m therefore inviting you all in this forum to sing with me this very beautiful musical sound. One... two... ready....... HARE KRISHA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE/ HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE... OK... again.... louder..... please.. HARE KRISHNA... HARE KRISHNA.... KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE... HARE RAMA.. HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE... HARE. Again. .... HARE KRISHNA.. HARE KRISHNA........ ...JAYA PRABHUPADA... HARE KRISHNA... JA. JAYA PRABHUPADA... HARE KRISHNA....OK.. slowly... slowly... humm... AUM NAMO BHA- GAVATE VASUDEVAYA... STOP! Then together we chant: ALL GLORIES TO SRI CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU`S Sankirtana Yazna Movement because IT`s the ONLY cure for the disease called NOISE or CANCER....hum a very nice tune... UHMMMM...uhmmm.. THAT`s IT! THAT IS THE FORMULA TO CURE CANCER. Need not experiment or have IT ap- proved by the FDA to get a license. IT`S for FREE... Yehey...! May all the pharmaceutical companies manu- facturing anti-cancer drugs go bankrupt.. tee..heee. like ME. HARIBOL! -------

KAPOSI`S SARCOMA ---------------- I came to know about Kaposi`s sarcoma, or cancer of the muscle, when it was also discovered in patients with AIDS ( Human autoimmune defeciency syndrome). Although not all AIDS patients have Ka- posi`s sarcoma, I was interested on it because of its sound that I came to be familiar with. First, there`s this demon, Hiranyakasipu, the father of Prahlada Maharaja, who was ultimately killed by Nrsimha, the half- lion half- human incarnation of Krishna, when Prahlada was about to be killed by his demon-father, Hiranyakasipu. Second, there`s the four Kumara brothers, who are liberated souls but ultimately became Krishna`s pure-devotees after they were attracted to the smell of the tulasi leaves offered to the Deity of the Lord in the temple. Now, think of Kasipu in relation to Kapo- si and Kumara in relation to Sarcoma. What picture does these entail in your minds? Answer: Kasipu`s kumaras, right? In other words, to cure Kaposi`s sarcoma, we must cut, with Nrsimha`s nails, the influence of Kasipu on the Kumara bro- thers by letting the latter, so to speak, smell the tulasi flowers offered to the Deity of Krishna and Balarama in the tem- ple. Or in medicine, amputate the leg by surgery, the leg of an AIDS victim with Kaposi`s sarcoma. What do you think? ----

CANCER --------------- CANCER in the horoscope is represen- ted by a sea animal in the form of a crustacean which we all know as the CRAB, a six or four-legged living en- tity possessing two well-developed claws or pinchers used in killing or holding a captured meal, enemy, or prey. I have been fascinated with the animal not only because it tastes good when cooked in boiling water but also when it`s an object of study. In the field of MEDICINE, the word crab may denote a tiny parasitic ani- mal that infests on the skin of an in- fected mammal whose sites of inhabita- tion can be located on the pubic re- gion. Those who engaged in promiscuity usually gets infected by these parasi tic tiny animals that usually inhabit the hairs and skin of an infected in- dividual. There are many whys you can attri- bute to the CRAB, but the most horri ble of all is when you get it as CAN- CER. I had been delighted with the CAN- CER word that sometimes I pronounced it in my mind this sound, KANSIR, or KANSR. In the scripture, The Bible, it tells us of the WORD that became flesh ang dwelth amongst us. CHRIST or KRSNA the WORD became flesh and dwelth a- mngst us as the SAKTYAVESA-AVATAR, the empowered indirect incarnation of Sri Govinda, the Primeval Lord. Thus, it was only when the condi- tioned soul became rebellious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that he was cursed with the WORD " KANSR " within his heart. A person therefore who wants to be cured of his CANCER or KANSR should start as soon as pos- sible to chant Govinda`s holy names Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Kri- shna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. I believe in the power of this Maha-mantra that anyone who chant IT within his mind and heart in this age of Kali-yuga shall be libe- rated by this dreaded WORD named CAN- CER or KANSR. HARE KRISHNA! -------------

I think we can stop this exploitation from false teachers in the Kali-yuga age by al- ways distributing Prabhupada`s works to a great number of people by publishing them on newspapers with credible reputation. In fact when Prabhupad was struggling to have his Back to Godhead published in the news- paper, nobody criticized him if these were not read. Prabhupada did not said that it was offensive to have his works published in the newspaper. If we could therefore publish Prabhupad`s English translation and the purports in his book, Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita As It Is, say, in the New York Times, then I feel it`s worthwhile that the mission of distributing Krishna consciousness to everyone has been served. Just think of the possibilities if all the daily newspapers get to publish Prabhupad`s works on a weekly basis, then Bhaktivinoda Thakura`s mission of inundating Krishna consciousness to the whole world would have been served. Isn`t this invigorating to know we have a great task ahead to make it work? I had been doing this task since 1988 when I started writing a column, " A Grain of Devotion" in The Freeman, a daily newspaper in our area where I am one of its subscri- bers. But this column was stopped when they later found out that I was not a member of ISKCON, Inc. And they thought I was a char latan. When that column written by a pseu- donym, Naradadeva Bhagavan, was erased, I then found other things to do with writing when I went into writing articles just any thing under the sun. Although from time to time I get to write about Krishna but this time using my real name: Dr. Melvin G. Mabalay. By writing my name on my articles which got published in The Freeman about Krishna consciousness, everyone who read my articles kept questioning me what is truly the kind of religion I had been prac ticing, whether I was practicing Catholi- cism or what not. Then I responded by tel- ling them that the Patron Saint, Sr. Sto. Nino, or the Holy Child we had been wor- shiping since time immemorial is no other than Govinda Himself, based on the discrip- tions which I showed them Prabhupad`s book, Srimad Bhagavatam. All along I have been trying to sell them Krishna who as the Sr. Sto. Nino is my people`s worshipable Lord. But they would not listen. So, I just had to look for another place where people might accept this idea. Like a salesman, I was taken to this venue, where I was very sure poeple would accept this idea, that our Patron Saint in Cebu, Philippines, the Sr. Sto. Nino is no other than Krishna. I had been trying to convince anyone to please conduct a research on this issue so that, at last, I will have that peace of mind I had been longing to obtain. That my friend, relatives, parents, and everyone in our place would finally think I`m not crazy after all. If only I can have my pu- blication in The Freeman back once again, then that would be the day when the Angels in Heaven would finally sing. ---------

dear viji, thank you so much for the message. i was just venting out my pent-up emo- tions to you and everyone on this fo- rum. in fact, God Krishna knows this already even if i have not started posting this emotions of mine on the bulletin board. God in His thinking form is manifstd as Vasudeva. in His emotional form, God is represented as Sankarsana, and God in His acting form is representd as Balarama. God therefore is a cognizant Person and very much an individual, like us. Only, He, as Krishna or Govinda, is the greatest amongst us. He is one without a second and that`s why we refer to Him as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Supreme Living Force) because of His being the Cause of all causes. May our Supreme Guru have mercy on us all. As always, hare krishna.

my dear viji, to be honest with you, i have a son, marco nino, 16 years old, who is graduating in high school next year in pope john xxiii seminary, a school designed to those who want to become priests, as a vocation for persons who want to serve God. before this, marco`s elder brother, matthew, 18 yrs. of age, wanted to become a priest but later changed his mind before his graduation in the seminary to the consternation of his parents, his priest-responsible, and the referral of good passage to the college level, san carlos seminary, from the minore seminary director himself, monsignor elias matarlo. matthew now is taking up electro- nics communication engineering at the uni- versity of san jose recolletos. thus, i have two sons, marco nino and matthew, who are both schooled in the seminary. i don`t know with marco if he wants to proceed but he confided to us that he`s planning to go to med school after his graduation in the seminary. my wife, cecil, is a devout catholic and the family hears mass on sundays whenever i`m not on duty at the hospital, minglanil- la district hospital, where i work as a resident physician for almost seven years now. we have a daughter, melsa reina, 9 years of age, who is on her 3rd grade of study at st. joseph`s academy. my wife is a full time housewife, thus it`s hard for us, nowadays, because my income($400 per month) is just not enough to make both ends meet. with the many debts piling up i guess you`d say i`m in death row, wai- ting for the grim reaper to appear before me. because of this, i have fully surren- dered myself to God. He can do what He likes with me. I don`t mind. All I desire is render service to Him life after life by writing articles about His pastimes and His mission: Krishna consciousness. I don`t want anything from God but at least He should be more merciful to the children. You see, I have lost credibility, when I couldn`t pay the monthly dues from my cre- ditors. the cardnetwork is so effective that everytime i have attempted to apply for a visa card, i always get this message, " sorry, we can`t accomodate you at this time." i know that God Hari, takes from you inauspicious things and leave you what is essential for your spiritual progress. my dear friend viji, i`m telling you this because you understand human nature. i`m no superperson. i too have weaknesses the body sometimes can`t refuse. my lord, i`m nothing and in my deepest melachonly, i hope you will always be there for me. as always, hare krishna. i love you and take care. ----

my dear viji, the lost sites of narayana are there, one which in my conviction is actually here in the island, cebu, of my birth. once this is realized, everything will follow. like swami prabhuapada, when asked by a utility worker while sitting alone on a bench in new york that the temples of lord jagannatha were there, and it was only time that separated them from beco- ming real. between this interim, a pure- devotee of vasudeva should go from one door to door hoping the residents would agree with him that they, too, render de- votional service to the supreme lord and become krishna conscious. there`s nothing impossible with the supreme living force, lord chaitanya mahaprabhu, because if all would take to chanting the holy names of god with pure love and devotion, those lost sites of lord narayana, in time, would automatically be revealed. please do assist me on this mission. i can`t do it on my own. an anthropologists can`t un- cover the lost tomb of a great pharoah without the help of an egyptian curator and his men. so is this journey. a jet pilot can`t fly his aircraft without his navigator and so are we, if there`s no local native to guide us through the fo- rest, mountains, or desert where these lost sites of narayana are located. thank you very much therefore for your concern. as always, hare krishna. ----

my dear viji, you are a pure-devotee of god. thank you so much for the association. i hope that we continue to post each other god`s messages he has sent us for us to share with our brothers and sisters in krishna. take care, my friend. we only pass this way once and getting to know you out of the billions of living being inhabiting this planet is no coincidence. we have met before and lord krishna by his in- conceivable power have united us to this post. good speed my good friend. ---

my dear viji, first of all i would like to greet you a happy day. may the good lord, hari, bless you today in whatever you do. may he protect your family, parents, relat- ives, community, co-workers, and friends from harm. and may your health be sound and fit to tackle each day lord vasude- va have tasked you to do: preach the good news to all men and women of good- will that they should come down from their peaceful nests and go where the battle of good and evil has manifest, putting on their bodies the armour of love, devotion and care as each embraces the wounded, enemy or friend, by clean- sing the wounds and repairing the gaps of those who have experienced the pain of being hit by a bullet, sword, and shrapnels of an exploding bomb or gre- nade. let us be thankful therefore that we are not one of them who have suffered so much just to defend a principle they since time immemorial have practiced to their best of ability to have this principle protected and nurtured even if the dignity they sought to maintain has been taken away from them because of this mindless war where almost everyone are trying to outdo each other just so they could plunder and steal what they do not own. everything is owned by the supreme per- sonality of godhead, sri krishna, and it is only right that he takes it back from us those that we don`t need for our de- votional service to him. to a pure devotee of lord narayana, no one is christian, muslim, or hindu, nor an atheist, agnostic, buddhist, etc. since all from his point of view are but part and parcel of the supreme whole, sri govinda, the primeval lord. it is not for me, therefore, to judge who is who, or which is which, or what is what. it`s only krishna who has the final say in all of these paradoxes of life. so, let us be comrades one but simultaneously different although the mission is the same: to help those who have fallen stand up again, preach, in action and words, the good news of chrisna jesus, " come and follow me. " krishna prabhupada jesus is the only way, the truth, and life( a mantra for all ). ------

The word Prabhupada is a term of ut- most reverence in Vedic religious cir- cles, and it signifies a great saint even amongst saints. The word actually has two meanings: first, one at whose feet(pada) there are many Prabhus( a term meaning "master" which the disci- ples of a guru used in adressing each other). The second meaning is one who is always found at the lotus feet of the Supreme Master, Krishna. In the line of disciplic succession through which Krishna consciousness is conveyed to man kind there have been a number of figures of such spiritual importance as to be called Prabhupada. Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada execu- ted the will of His master, Sri Chaitan- ya Mahaprabhu, and therefore he and his associate Goswami are called Prabhupa- da. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravasti Go- swami Thakura executed the will of Sri- la Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and therefore he is also addressed as Prabhupada. My spiritual master, Om Visnupada 108 Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami Ma- haraja, has in the same way executed the will of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sara- vasti Goswami Prabhupada in carrying the message of love of Krishna to the whole world through his books, Srimad Bhagavatam and Srimad Bhagavad-gita, which he urged everyone, from Brahma down to the sudras, to at least, deve- lope an interest in reading his pur- ports, explaining each and every sans- krit verse the way how a Prabhu should teach his disciples. When Abhay Charan de Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada left for Vaikunthaloka where Lord Narayana resides, he told one of his disciples, Satsvarupa dasa Gos- mi, that he is spiritually present in his books(vani) and he who gradually de- velopes the unconditional love for stu- dying and reading his books surely will be united with him, the words spoken by Prabhupada becoming animated in the disciple`s mind. Thus as, vani, His Di- vine Grace becomes alive within one`s heart and mind when his book is read. In other words, there`s no need to look for Srila Prabhupada outside since he is transcendentally present inside his books as Srimad Maha-Bhagavatam Swa- mi Prabhupad, the Kalki-avatar for this so-called New Age. Yes, it`s true that chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is the only way to purify one`s self from the contamination of this Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy, but finding a spiritual teacher to teach him about the science of Krishna cons- ciousness is hard to do. That`s why it`s recommended that one who is interested in going home, back to Godhead, to just read Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada`s books with sincerity and devotion. Even if one is just a sudra, Prabhupada will always finds him a window by which the purports in his books, Srimad Bhagava- tam and Bhagavad-gita As It Is, could be understood. Kali-kali nama-rupe Krishna Avatara: Krishna, the Supreme Personality of God- head, has now appeared as an incaran- tion by His holy name, Sri Prabhupada. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Sri Prabhu- pada Swami Bhaktivedanta Guru Maharaja. -----------------------------

It was about 12 years ago when I star- ted promoting Krishna consciousness to my people because I was firmly convinced that the Senyor Sto. Nino was Krishna Him- self, the Holy Child enshrined at the Ba- silica Minore del Santo Nino in Cebu City, Philippines, after offering to my people evidences of His discription from Srimad Bhagavatam. But they have none of it be- cause the Church thinks otherwise. Like a salesman in Og Mandino`s book, the Greatest Salesman, I was bound to be the opposite of what it was supposed to be. It`s like wanting to own a new pair shoes desperately until, one day, while walking along a busy street, he saw his old bud- dy on a wheelchair without his feet. Similarly, Dhruva Maharaja wanted to pos- ses some land, but when he saw Lord Ke- shava living on water, little boy Dhruva eventually refused to accept the Lord for any benediction. I, too, wanted a Visa so that I could tra vel to places in order to find the Lord, but when, one day, I went inside the Basi lica Minore del Santo Nino, I found out that the Lord , Who was actually present before me, was indeed living in the area where I was actually born. Now, I`m here because I wanted to promote to you, the Santo Nino, because I`m 100% sure He is no other than Krishna`s twin Brother, Lord Balarama. I don`t know. My people rejected me when I wanted to convince them that the Holy Child of Cebu was no other than Lord Krishna. Maybe, you, too, are not convin- ced, if I declare to all of you at www. indiadivine.com that the Lord Senyor Sto. Nino, Whom I told to my people is Lord Krishna, may not be good for you if I say that He is Lord Balarama. If you reject me with this reason, then where will I go? What a great mystery indeed is God, Lord Govinda. Only a pure-devotee surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva can know him in full: Vasudeva sarvam iti sa mahatma sudarlabha. I might as well just chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. End of Story

The Sto. Nino of Cebu --------------------------- Spain`s golden age of discovery began after the conquest of Granada; the discovery of the Philippines in the early 16 th century was one more link to the glorious chain of Iberian conquests. On Sept. 20, 1519, a fleet of five galleons under the command of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator at the service of the Spanish Crown, set sail from Lucar de Barrameda in search of the Spice Islands. They reached Samar, then Leyte and finally, Cebu. It was in Cebu that Magellan took possession of the Islands in the name of the Spanish King, which Islands would be named by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos in 1543. Magellan`s otherwise glorious career was cut short when he got involved with the rivalry between native chieftains. On April 27, 1521, he met his tragic death in the hands of Lapu-lapu while apparently trying to assert the power of Rajah Humabon. Upon his arrival in Cebu, Magellan was said to have planted somewhere near the sea, as regulated by the Ordenanzas, a big cross to symbolize the begenning of the Christian faith in the Archipelago. The cross, traditionally known as Magel- lan`s Cross, was encased in hollow tindalo in 1835 upon the order of the Augustinian Bishop Santos Gomez Maranon to prevent the devotees from taking it home chip by chip. The same bishop restored the present tem- plate, or kiosk, located at the present Ma- gellan street and Colegio del Sto. Nino( the school where I studied from kindergarten to second year high-school). Revered by the Cebuanos, the Cross of Magellan is hailed by tourists as a symbol of the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines. Finding the Image of the Sto. Nino ---- Thinking that the Spanish galleon carried with them retribution for Magellan`s death, the natives of Cebu made themselves ready against the Spaniards. Legazpi`s efforts for peace- he had explicit instructions from the King to befriend the natives- failed. Legaz- pi ordered the ship`s artillery to fire; promptly the native`s fled to the mountains. Legazpi`s soldiers set shore. As they were making a house to house inspection, soldier Juan Camus found inside a box a wooden image of the Holy Child. The image was taken to a provisional chapel where Fray Undres Urdaneta said a thanksgiving mass for the success of the expedition, the mis- sion of which was to Christianize the last native in the Islands. The image, observed Fray Urdaneta, was like those made in Flanders(Belgium)during the 16th century. It must be the very same image given by Magellan to Rajah Humabon`s wife, Hara Amihan, upon her conversion to Christianity. The image is refuted to possess miracu- lous power. Aware of this, King Charles III awarded it, during the 17th century, the Toison de Toro or the Golden Fleece. During the rites held to commemorate the fourth centennial of the Christianization of the Philippines in 1965, the Prince Juan Carlos, now Spain`s reigning monarch, gifted it with a golden crown. The image is wooden, covered with a coat of paint. During the Second World War, the church was slightly damaged due to the bom- bings of the Americans. To the relief of the Santo Nino devotees, their beloved image was found hanging by its clothes, intact and entire. Enshrined at the Basilica Minore side chapel, the Santo Nino image has its coun- terparts and replicas all over the Islands. It has played a very important role in the conversion of the Filipinos to the Chris- tian faith. The Sinulog Dance ----------------------------- The Sinulog is a dance ritual of Pre- Spanish origin. The dancer moves two steps forward and one step backward to the rhyt- mic sound of the drums. This dance resembles somewhat the current(sulog) of the river. Thus the Cebuanos call it sinulog. The dance was meant to honor the anitos and di- watas. When the Spanirds arrived in Cebu, Magel- lan offered, as a baptismal gift, to Hara Amihan, wife of Rajah Humabon and later named Juana, the image of the Santo Nino. With Magellan gone, the natives likewise honored the Santo Nino with their sinulog. Because the Augustinian missionaries appreciated native culture, the sinulog was preserved but limited to honoring the Santo Nino. Once the Santo Nino Church was built, the faithful started performing the sinulog in front of the church, the devotees offe- ring candles and the dancers shouting, " Pit Senyor!" During the annual feast( 3rd week of January) of the Santo Nino, the basilica turns into a dancing hall after the solemn mass, with all the devotees executing the sinulog. The dance continues during the procession in front of the carroza(cart) which bears the statue along the streets of Cebu up to the late evening. In 1980, the city authorities of Cebu made the sinulog part and parcel of the religious feast of the Santo Nino. A mardi gras atmosphere was added, the innovation becoming more colorful each year. The reli- gious and the earthy sometimes overlap each other but, as a whole, there is much fun for Cebuanos and tourists alike who find in the Santo Nino festival that part of every one`s childhood that must stay like Santo Claus and halloween. To be continued.