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melvin

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  1. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Govinda, the One who enlivens the senses of everyone by His personal bodily features, resides in His transcendental abode, Goloka Vrndavana, yet He is present in every nook and corner of His creations hy His expan- sions. He is therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, Sri Krishna. His transcendental form is full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. I Therefore offer my respectful obeisances to my dearmost Supreme Lord. May He and His Brother, Sri Balarama, be merciful to me.
  2. My understanding of Ramayana is that it`s an epic or saga describing the life of Lord Ramachandra and His wife, Laks- midevi. When Ravana, a demon, abducted Lord Rama`s wife, Laksmidevi, the Lord never forgave Ravana for such dastardly act, even if the Lord had to chase Ravana to the ends of the earth. With the help of Hanuman, the half-human, half monkey devotee of the Lord, they were able to cross the vast ocean when Lord Ramachandra with His inconceivable energy casts large boulders unto the water which did not sink as these gigantic rocks became sort of a foot path by which the Lord and Hanuman could cross the vast ocean leading to Ravana`s abode, Sri Lanka. As they reached its shores, Lord Ramachandra immediately confronted the demon Ravana. There was a fight and the demon Ravana was killed when Lord Ramachandra shot the demon with His arrow pierching Ravana`s weakest part, the heart. When the demon Ravana got hit by Lord Rama`s blazing arrow, he immedia- tely took a dive, like a supersonic jet being hit by Arjuna`s brahmastra bullet. After this great battle, Lord Ramachandra then took His wife, Laksmidevi, back to His kingdom in Mathura, thanking as They depart, the services of Hanuman and His devotees. All glories to Lord Ramachandra who is like Lord Baladeva in strength and pro- wess Who always protect His devotees from demons like Ravana or Hiranyakasipu. ( Note: This story was taken from the book, Srimad Bhagavatam. My apologies if the summary of this epic is left, among the lovers of Vedanta philosophy, to be desired )
  3. melvin

    GOD

    Hello! Viji, GOD is an acronym of G(Generator) O(Operator) and D(Destroyer). That is what I used to know from the very start when I developed a taste for the Absolute Truth. Today, GOD to me looks like this: GO(VIN)D(A).
  4. Self-realization is like waking up from a dream, knowing that God had asked you to complete the assignment He has re- quested you to do. It does not matter how many dreams/lives you`ve been through. As long as you have completed the task He has given you. I`m reminded of a friend who took him almost two decades to finish and pass the board in medicine( 4-years in college, 4-years proper medicine, 1 year post-gra- duate, 6 months rural work, and 6 months review for the board exams ). When he finally passed the licensure for physi- cians last year, everyone next to him breathed a sigh of relief. We even joked that he was one of those who contributed to the construction of the massive pil- lars responsible for his alma mater`s school buildings standing on its own feet. When he applied to volunteer in the hos- pital where I work, everyone who knew him were scratching their heads as to how he could compete with his colleagues in the field when experience-wise, even a nurse could handle and treat a sick patient better than my friend. But he persevered, even though he does not receive anything from the services he renders to his pa- tients who actually are under our service but gave these cases to him for his limi- ted practice. At present, after almost a year, my friend Dr. A. R. still reports for duty although he is not connected in any way with the hospital where I work. And I really, tell you the truth, appreciate the kind of spirit he pours on his job without pay. My friend, Dr. A.R., is not the kind of person whom we say, is very religious. He enjoys with his friends over a case of beer on his day-off. At an age of 50 years old, my friend still remains single, the eldest among the few siblings who have their own businesses to take care of. I don`t discuss to my friend, Dr. A.R., about spiritual matters because I know God in His own time will call and ask him to preach the Good News. It`s enough that my friend passed the medical board exams and not giving up when the breaks were no- where. The service my friend renders to his patients, with sincerity and honesty, is enough to please God. Because he did it without asking from Him the returns. Are we one like my friend?
  5. Vedic Mantra of Purification -------------------------------- om apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastham gato pi va yah smaret pudarikaksam sa bahyabhyantavah sucih sri vishnu sri vishnu sri vishnu " Unpurified or purified, or even having passed through all situations, one who remembers the lotus eye of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is cleansed within and without. " nama om visnu padaya krishna prestahya bhu-tale srimate bhaktivedanta-svam iti namine " I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti- vedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter unto His lotus feet." The summum bonnum of Bhagavad-gita is to surrender unto Krishna`s lotus feet and become His pure-devotee. One should therefore follow the foot- steps of a pure devotee like Bhakti- vedanta Swami Prabhupada and his associates and chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, "... there`s no other way... no other way... in this age of Kali-yuga, " says Lord Chaitanya Ma- haprabhu. Jesus Christ said to his disciples, " I`m the Way, the Truth, and Life." Krishna consciousness therefore is the only Path, the Absolute Truth, and the very Life of a pure-devotee who is cent-percent so much in love with God. That is our conclusion: ON NAMO BHA- GAVATE VASUDEVAYA.
  6. Bathala is a Visayan word for God. To be more specific, ChildGod. He`s enshrined today at the Basilica del Sto. Nino in Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines. He`s the Cebuano`s Patron Saint, because it was here in Cebu island where Christianity in the Southeast Asia began, after Magellan planted the cross on her soil 379 years ago, in the name of the King of Spain, Philip. Not much has happened to the Visayans af- ter Spain abdicated her to the United States of America in the early 1900s, a taste of Japan in the middle 1940s, until she got her independence after the World War II. The island of Cebu where the ChildGod( Bat- hala) therefore is enshrined is the spot where Balarama, Krishna`s Brother is found. If you want to see Krishna`s twin Brother, the ChildGod Bathala, then you are most welcome to visit this web site: http:www. mateo.bizland.com/ There you can see Him as you click on the colored balls one af- ter the other. That is one of the lost shrines of Narayana I had been telling you to search and uncover. To us, devotees of the Lord Balarama, we, Visayans, worshiped Him as our dear Sr. Sto. Nino. A Prayer to Bathala in Visayan Dialect --------- O Senor Santo Nino, nga nag-ingon Ka: " Pangayo, ug makadayat kamo; pangita ug makakaplag kamo, pagtuktuk ug abrihan ka- mo," nangamuyo Kami kanimo sa bug-os na- mong kasingkasing, dinha sa pulong ug sa buhat, ug nga dili gayud kami muhunong sa pagdayeg Kanimo. Himoa, O Senor Santo Nino nga kami magbaton kanunay sa kahadlok ug sa gugma sa Imong Santos nga Ngalan, kay dili man gayud Ikaw mobiya sa pag-amuma ka- nila nga Imong gilig-on pagbarug dinha sa Imong gugma(love), pinaagi ni Kristo nga among Ginoo. Amen.
  7. The Connections ----------------------- The missing pieces of the puzzle how Lord Garbhodakasayi Vishnu`s different forms control the cosmos were described began when the Vaisnava almanac became the standard of reference. From this book, we learned that the twelve months of the year were named after the twelve representatives of Lord Krishna`s four-handed plenary form as Narayana and His predominating Deity incarnations, each of which represents the twelve months of the year in the calendar, beginning from Margasirsa, late october to early November, then to Keshava, late No- vember, followed by Narayana representing the month of December, Madhava representing the month of January, Govinda represnting February, Vishnu representing March, Sri madhusudana representing April, Trivikrama represnting May, Vamana represnting June, Sridhara representing the month of July, Hrsikesa representing August, Padmanabha representing September, and Damodara repre- senting October. These plenary expansions of the Lord therefore control eternal TIME. Other Paramatmas defined: ------------------------- 1) Adhoksaha- Lord Krishna`s is said to be beyond the range of experimental know- ledge. 2) Padmanabha- He entered the universe as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu where the first living entity, Brahma, was born in His transcendental lotus navel. 3) Hari- One who takes away from His pure devotee which he doesn`t need in his ad- vancement in Bhakti-yoga. 4) Pradyumna- Incarnation of Sanat-Kumara, born of the son of Lord Krishna and Laks- midevi Rukmini, the principal Queen of Dvaraka. He is therefore one of the ple- nary expansion of Lord Krishna. 5) Vamana- The dwarf incarnation of the Lord who took two steps by steping for- ward quickly, Urukrama, to obtain the right to possess the whole of kingdom of Bali Maharaja( the grandson of Prahlada Maharaja) after the Lord asked Bali Ma- raja a piece of land from him in just three steps, which Bali Maharaj obliged without ado thinking that Lord Vamana was an ordinary beggar. ( To be continued)
  8. It is the duty of a Vaisnava, one who knows the science of Krishna, to begin searching where the lost sites of Lord Narayana, the four-handed Vishnu forms of Krishna, and eventually locate Them in order to inspire and give pleasure to the other Vaisnavas, or pure-devotees of Krishna, who have not set foot on any Indian soil. These Vaisnavas from all over the world have simply forgot- ten that there exist on the island( conti- nent they were born) the hidden form of the Lord of the Universe, a shrine buried for centuries in some remote desert, forest, and mountain. Locating these lost sites(shrines) of Lord Narayana(Krishna) should be made the Vaisnavas priority by embarking on a journey of excavating whatever that is left of the Lord`s prints after His departure for Goloka Vrndavan, India, 5,000 yrs. ago. The Needle in the Haystack ------------------------------ Hence, by simply finishing what Swami Prabhu- pad has started after his departure to Vrn- davan in Krishnaloka 23 yrs. ago, it is therefore imperative that his translations on Srimad Bhagavatam be translated to their versions for the people at the local level to understand this great science of Krishna consciousness. Once the local folks get a good description of the Lord`s different forms, then the task of locating the lost sites of Narayana will not be that hard be- cause of the willingness of the local peo- ple to help and cooperate with a Vaisnava in the mold of Sanatana Goswani and his associates in helping find these lost trea- sures. Its discovery will also help the lo- cal community because of the unexpected benedictions Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu bes- tows for finding what has been lost, the Holy Shrines of Lord Vausdeva. That is therefore the ultimate mission of a Vaisana- va who loves Lord Krishna`s servant, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the co-editor of Vyasadeva, the author of Srimad Bhagava- tam.
  9. The four manifestations of Narayana(Krishna) are found in each planet of the spiritual sky of which the planet Narayanaloka is repre- sented, also called the Vaikuntahloka. On each of these planets, the four-handed Nara- yana form is further subdivided in the forms of Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, and Ani- ruddha, and Narayana being at the center from whom these other forms revolve, each of which have expanded into other forms, of which, Keshava is One among the 12 other different forms with names taken from how each carry the symbols(flower, conchshell, disc, mace ) are arranged. Through these different placements is the reason why the form of Vasudeva have systematically manifested the forms of Keshava, Narayana, and Madhava, the form of Sankarsana as Govinda, Visnu and Madhusudana, Pradyumna in the forms representing Trivikrama, Va- mana and Sridhara, while, the forms of Ani- ruddha as Hrsikesa, Padmanabha and Damodara. In order to fully understand how these Na- rayana forms representing Krishna were in- vested, we can perhaps get a clue from the Vaisnava almanac as our point of reference, a book that describes the 12 months of the year named after the 12 Vaikuntha forms of Narayana(Krishna) known as the predomina- ting Deities representing the 12 months of the calendar, beginning with the month of Margasirsa, which is equivalent to late of October and early November. The remainder of November is known by Vaisnavas as Ke- shava, December as Narayana, January as Madhava, February as Govinda, March as Vis- nu, April as Sri Madhusudana, May as Tri- vikrama, June as Vamana, July as Sridhara, August as Hrsikesa, September as Padmanabha, and early October as Damodara. In other words, in the spiritual sky, all the planets dominated by the Narayana form (Krishna`s plenary form) are transcendental, the topmost planet of which is Krishnaloka, where the three places where Krishna plays his pastimes, Gokula Vrndavan, Mathura, and Dvaraka, are located. In Mathura, the form of Keshava is always found represented on earth as the Keshava murti situated in Mathura, India. Similarly, there is the Purusottama form in Jagannatha Puri in Orissa. In Anandaraya, the form of Visnhu, and in Mayapur( the birthplace of Lord Krishna Chaitanya ) is the form of Hari. There are many forms of Narayana loca- ted in various places on earth, an indica- tion that the world comprised of seven con- tinents(islands) also have the other forms of Narayana(Krishna) located in some remote part of the earth, which at this moment, there are no information as to where these other forms are enshrined. It is therefore the duty of a Vaisnava to uncover Their exact locations in order to inspire and give the devotees the pleasure of discovering for themselves these lost sites of Narayana`s different forms. These devotees of Krishna I`m refering to were not born in India who have simply forgotten their original identities as Krishna`s eternal associates. This is precisely why the Krishna bhaktas should continue A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad`s mission of translating Srimad Bhagavatam to its local versions because by doing so, they might positively uncover, with the help of the local folks who have understood what is Krishna consciousness is all about, the lost sites(temples) where the different forms of Narayana(Krishna) are enshrined. This project of locating the lost sites of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, began in Lord Krishna Chaitanya`s time, who instructed His disciple, Sanatana Goswami, to uncover them. That was their mission and it is therefore the duty of a devotee who loves Srila Bhaktivedanta Prabhupad to finish this project from where his work, after Sa- natana Goswami, had ended. (reference book: The Teachings of Lord Chai- tanya)
  10. Hare Krishna! Yes, Lord Vishnu, Who is no other than Lord Krishna in His plenary form awarded award Arjuna the gift of liberation or mukti but it became an obstacle in his progress for spiritual perfection when he refused to fight his relatives in the Battle of Kuruksetra. Mukti or liberation is a state of mind or self when he has merged his persona in the Lord`s Brahmajyoti, a philosophy on the science of impersonalism prac- ticed by Mayavadis. Only after Krishna showed Arjuna His universal form that the latter was con- vinced to fight in that great Battle of Good and Evil. This willingness to engage in implementing the Lord`s order is called Bhakti. Lord Krishna therefore prefers that His devotee desires from Him the gift of Bhakti(devotional service) instead of Mukti(liberation). " It is neither practical nor necessary for one who is already engaged in Bhakti and whose minds is fixed in samadhi to endeavor for the cultivation of knowledge and renunciation, " Krishna`s answer to Uddhava`s questions about certain contra- dictions regarding the study of Yoga. In other words, Bhakti should be foremost in the yogi`s mind than Mukti. Hare Krishna!
  11. Hare Krishna! My wife,Cecile,was diagnosed on June this year for having stones in her R and L kid- neys, medically termed as nephrolithiasis, which radiologists would call as " s- ponged kidneys. " There are, thanked God, no indications yet for surgery. That`s why we are treating her medically with pipera- zine granules to dissolve the stones by alkalinizing her urine, an anti-diabetic drug for her elevated serum blood sugar, and analgesics for her back pains. My wife is a devout Catholic and she prays regu- larly the Holy Rosary. She`s a plain house- wife, taking care of our three children with their needs, and doing her best to make our home spotlessly clean. Me and my wife, Cecile, differ in our view about God. Externally, I`m Catholic but in- ternally, a Krishna conscious human being. Either way, I`m completely surrendered to Him, the Paramatma within everyone`s heart, Hari. Please heal my wife`s discomfort, dear ser- vants of God. I know you can do it and I`ll always be grateful for any effort you may have spent on healing her kidney problem. Hare Krishna!
  12. It is stated in Srimad Bhagavatam(2.2.9)that the all-pervading, and omnipotent Supreme Person(Krishna) expands Himself in His ple- nary form as Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, Who resides within everyone`s heart. He is said to be approximately 8 inches in size( from the ring finger to the tip of the thumb ), Who holds in His hands a lotus flower, disc, conchshell, and a club. His name is Janar- dana because He controls anything that has mass. There are other forms, however, that may rise, like Keshava, if the objects the Paramatma(Supersoul) carry are arranged with the symbolic lotus flower being the first, from right to left, followed by the conch- shell, disc, and club, respectively. Keshava in short is in-charge with fulfilling our desires, Who appeared before Dhruva Maharaj in order to grant the latter`s wish of ac- quiring some piece of land. But when Dhruva saw the Lord, he refused Keshava to grant him that wish. Nevertheless, Keshava awarded Dhruva the right to rule the planet, Pole- star, where it serves as the pivot for whom all the other stars revolve. I don`t know yet how the other Paramatmas function with names according to how the symbols( lotus, mace, etc.) They each carry and arranged. These Paramatma forms are as follows; Purusottama, Acyuta, Narasimha, Trivikrama, Hrsikesa, Madhava, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Sankarsana, Vasudeva, Damodara, Narayana, Hari, Padmanabha, Vamana, Madhu- sudana, Govinda, Krishna, Vishnumurti, Adhosaja, and Upendra. I would like therefore to know how these other Paramatmas function.
  13. My dear Janardana Prabhu, Hare Krishna! Yes, you can continue with your chakra healing. I`m supporting you on this. In fact, I have very little idea as to what it`s all about. All I know is that in medical anatomy, I think chakras are similar to the plexuses found in the spinal vertebra, examples of which are the sacral plexus, the lumbar plexus, the solar plexus, etc. Do these refer also to the chakras? And how I could apply them to my practice? Hare Krishna!
  14. Hare Krishna! I would like to dedicate this message to Touchstone Narada for having touched my ironic life, like the musical stringed instrument called the Vina handed by Lord Krishna to Lord Narada. A pure devotee of the Lord, Sri Naradadeva is always fulfilling his obligation for the gift of the instrument by engaging it in singing and chanting Lord Krishna`s glories and hence making Touchstone Narada become infallible in his exalted position as the Supreme Lord`s appointed Lead Singer and Vina player of the science of Krishna cons- ciousness. Lord Krishna is not different from His name, form, pastimes and the sounds vibrated from Lord Narada`s stringed instrument thereof. Because as soon as Touchstone Narada starts strumming his Vina to glorify the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna at once becomes visible to the transcendental eyes and ears of the singer by reflecting Himself on the screen of the singer`s heart by spiritual televi- sion. The Singer-Vina player of Lord Krishna therefore whose only desire is to please Him by playing the Supreme Lord`s favorite songs can experience His presence in each of the song`s refrain. It`s natural in every individual case on psychology that a person likes to hear and enjoy his personal glories and the Supreme Lord like the others is also not an excep- tion to the rule because psychological characteristics visible in the individual soul is but a reflection of the same psy- chology that is eternally present in the Absolute Lord. The only difference is that the Absolute Enjoyer Sri Krishna is the greatest fan of all the great songs sang by great singers in the mold of Narada Muni. If, in other words, the Supreme Lord is attracted by the sounds vibrated from the Sri Narada`s Vina which describe Krishna`s glories, then there`s nothing to it that is awesome since Sri Krishna`s absolute. He can appear Himself as the Listener of His glorification, the two being identical. Touchstone Narada with his Vina sings Lord Krishna`s favorite songs not for his per- sonal benefit but because the songs are identical to Him. And Vina-player Srila Na- rada can penetrate into the ears and eyes of the Lord of Goloka Vrndavan, Sri Govinda by these transcendental songs vibrated from the Vina owned by the Leader of the Band, Gandharva Upabarhana. Hare Krishna!
  15. Hare Krishna! I was born on the 3rd of November 1957 on this elongatedly shaped island christened by historians as Sugbu or Sebu or Cebu, a name I can not even trace from whom or to whom it`s attributed to when Magellan, a sea voyager of Portugese descent empowered by the Spanish government to counquer lands from the eastern part of the world for the glory of Victoria, the Queen of Spain du- ring that era, discovered this very idyllic tropical island inhabited by a people whose way of living to survive depended on the resources this island queen had to offer, a very abundant marine life and verdant fo- rests filled with fruit trees, birds and wild animals. Since Cebu island`s inhabitants, the Sugbu- wanons, took care of her as if it were their Reyna(Queen) she, with her unlimited poten- tials, therefore attracted people from the other lands and began trading with them her fruits picked from trees her grateful oc- cupants had grown and nurtured. These ex- changes, in other words, had transformed this Queen island of Southern Philippines a business hub of the Orient where traders from different cultures managed to savor and smell the aroma of her products. Hence, history would show that it became a part of Shri Visaya Majapahit Empire, a kingdom ruled by Muslim Datus and Rajas. Here, I think, my dear Prabhu, the Visayan culture was derived, a civilization whose people believed in diwatas, mythic gods, supers- tition, and in a God whom they worshipped as Bathala, which means Child( Bata)God( Allah). Today, this ChildGod is worshipped as the Sr. Sto. Nino, the island`s patron saint. We, Sugbuwanons, therefore speak Visayan, a dialect spiced with sanskrit texts. An example of which is the word " Maya " or " Rama ", words we used regularly, the for- mer named after a town located north of the island and the latter, a name of promiment families residing, since time immemorial, on the island. To learn more about our culture, I really have to refer you to my friend, Mr. Juanito V. Jabat, the publisher of the local daily, The Freeman here in Cebu because he can provide you more solid information regarding our Visayan culture. His e-mail address is editorial@thefreeman.com. Or if you can`t contact him, just ask for Jerry Tundag or Noel Pangilinan, the newspaper`s editors. Their web site is www.thefreeman.com. You can begin from here. Hare Krishna!
  16. Hare Krishna! You know, I really liked the idea of us together in this forum discussing any issue that has a connection with God which allows every discussant to air his or her own views related to the issue being dis- cussed. It so intellectually stimulating to know you, my dear friends, have minds of its own. We are therefore like the NBA`s mythical five, a team chosen to play bas- ketball in the first half of the game. By working, as a team, I have this feeling we could bond ourselves together by searching for a common window by which could re-invent ourselves that would benefit those who themselves think they are spiritually lost in the sea of nescience and hence don`t have an iota of being rescued from the sea`s terrifying giant waves. I like us in other words to group together and discuss again topics that sates a soul`s thirst for God and the liberation these discussions can offer to one single soul who have already forgotten his or eternal relationship with their Maker. Our being one in discussing God had earned me the ire of my wife, Cecil, for coming home very late just to post to you this mes- sage about God. Because of it, sometimes I sleep outside our bed. She`s been pissed as to how I could profit from your minds when there is the children, Matthew, Marco Nino, and Melsa Reina, who longed for my endearing fatherly talks and sweet words of encouragement that they will always be taken cared of by yours truly who ever since he discovered the Internet seven months ago have made it an obssession to connect from a afar a soul of God hoping that it would satisfy his desire for the ultimate union of that one great Mind whom everyone identify as God, a Supreme Being with no name, impersonal without a face, speculating whether He is in the happy mode or in a mood ready to unleash his wrath to an significant soul worthy of receiving this type of benediction. I, for one, may think I`m infallible because of the way I explain to you these things, that I am not afraid of falling from the lofty place I have placed myself in. No sir, I`m just like your neighbor next door, trying to eke out a living so his family could survive the terrible laws of nature, such as, diseases, death, accidents, bankruptcy, unpaid bills, tuitions fees to be settled before the dead- line, always in anxiety where to get the extra amount to meet the deadline. If only you knew how much a government physician in my mold receives( $400 ) per month. I`m no beggar for using this forum as my church collection box. No sir. After I`m through writing you this message, I will now have to explain for the nth time to my wife why I have come home late again, when my day off was supposed to be 8 hours ago. Why? It`s because I have been reading again God`s books so I could write to you something nice. Yes, it`s true, my dear Prabhus, that once I get home, war between the silence of the lambs is waiting. And that`s where I begin to start believing that this Melvin who is married to Cecil is not her hus- band`s body, but an eternal servant of God. Servant of God? Who? That is how I can describe to you the meaning of Mukti, or liberation of the soul or mind from your wife`s continues fire of negative energies repeatingly hitting your numb body until both of your energies, negative and posi- tive, exhaust itselves until there is no- thing left from her to shoot and nothing left from you to shield from the negative energy`s effects thrown at you from your material partner for life. When everything has died, it`s when sandman visits, sprin- kling you the narcoleptic dust he brought from the Netherworld. As the dust touches your being, the sleeping state is the only reality by which it can give you comfort, joy, and bliss you at last deserve. It`s an event, you and I, experiences everyday, each moment of our lives, a reality you and I have to accept, not deny, and be at peace with, that break in time when it`s no routine but an ultimate act in itself, the lowering of the curtain, a point in time when the Fat Lady sings, when one writes "30", when the illusory Mukti is realized finally in the end by the eternal soul as Krishna`s all-pervading Rudra expansion who comes to severe the the silver cord connec- ting the two bodies, the physical from the spiritual, which we all know as DEATH. In death, Mukti is realized. Bhakti, however, is transcendental to Mukti which is rea- lized by the great souls like Srila Narada Muni. That`s why he is called a liberated spaceman because he can travel anywhere in the universe just to broadcast the glories of God, Krishna. How I wish I were Srila Narada Muni once I finally bring courageously myself into the loving embrace a disgruntled wife. Good night, everybody and sweet dreams. I hope to see you all there in person chan- ting Hare Krishna.
  17. The Supreme Person( Krishna) is the creator of the universe, who is Himself the form of the universe and who nonetheless is trans- cendental to this cosmic manifestations. He is the Supreme Knower of everything in the world, the Supersoul of the universe, the Master of all mysticisms, who is seen from the core of the heart by perfect yogis when they are completely purified and freed from the reactions of Karma by practicing Bhakti-yoga.(S.B. 8.3.28) As authoritatively stated in S.B. 12.13.1: "...a yogi is one who always meditates on the lotus feet of the Supreme Person, who in Brahma-samhita 5.38 is the worshippable, Sri Govinda, the primeval Lord, Syamasundara Krishna Himself, possessing inconceivable innumerable attributes whom the pure yogi sees within their hearts of hearts as the Yogesvara, eyes tinged with the ointment of love and devotion. The Supreme Person therefore and His pure devotee are intimately related, like father and son, between the spiritual mas- ter and the servant, and between the teacher and his student. Unfortunately there are some students who are attached to Lord Shiva`s philosophical treaty on impersonalism, a yogic subject meant only for those who are less-intelli- gent, low E.Q students who are lured by Lord Shiva`s most confidential instructress, goddess Kali to take up her master`s course because they seemed lazy to study, learn, and read the 64 volumes of Srimad Bhagavatam recommended by a student taking up Bhakti- yoga himself, Srila Narada Muni. That pro- gram on impersonalim designed by Lord Shiva himself is hard for the mediocre students of yoga to refuse, like taking a short-cut ins- tead of following the long and winding road, not knowing impersonalism is subject meant for the blue-collared, but the wise student who listens to the sound advice of a Bhakti graduate like Mahajana Sukadeva Goswami is not bewildered by the glaring effulgence of impersonalism, Lord Shiva`s favorite topic. Instead, the wise student of yoga would obligedly, without much ado, enrols and take up the course entitled, the science of Krishna consciousness or Bhakti-yoga, whose architectural design was planned by the great professor of Bhakti-yoga himself, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Once the wise student of yoga has been officially registered by the Institute of Bhakti-yoga itself, he is immediately ushered to the Brahman section, a classroom especially constructed for yoga students who are Self-realized. " One who is transcendentally situated in that platform at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful( in study- ing the science of God). He never laments or desires to have anything( related to the subject on impersonalism ). He is equally disposed towards all living entities( all yoga subjects). In that state, he attains pure devotional service unto Me( in making the subject of Bhakti, not Mukti more in- teresting and challenging to the students and the professor, Mr. Krishna Himself.
  18. It`s only devotional service to the Supreme Lord Krishna or Bhakti-yoga can counter the effects of Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy." Mukti or liberation from the il- lusory effects of maya is not the answer, but Bhakti," a statement coming from Sarba- bhauma Bhattacarya himself, a famous scholar of Sankaracarya`s mayavada school. He was convinced that Bhakti not Mukti is the solu- tion to the problems created by the goddess Kali. Mayavadi Bhattacarya`s conversion in embracing Bhakti instead of Mukti was the handiwork of Lord Krishna Chaitanya Mahapra- bhu, the greatest teacher of Bhakti-yoga. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances to Nimai Pandita, the Supreme Guru.
  19. Parikramasitajaya! ------------------ All glories to Maharaja Pariksit for hearing Srimad Bhagavatam from Srila Sukadeva Gos-wami, the son of Srila Vyasadeva for seven days, fasting without food and water, until his death, after having been cursed by the son of a brahmana. One should therefore hear Srimad Bhagavatam from a pure devotee of Sri Krishna like Srila Sukadeva Goswami, if he wishes to go home, back to Goloka Vrndavana. That is the mission A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami would want us to do: Hear from a maha-bhaga- vata devotee of God the science of Krishna by submissively asking from a self-realized devotee of Sri Krishna how one should carry out Krishna consciousness to perfection. To do so, one is obliged to follow in the foot- steps of a Mahajana like Sukadeva Goswami. Question: How about following in the foot- steps of Srila Narada Muni? Answer: Well, that`s another story from Sri- mad Bhagavatam. Stay tuned, my dear Prabhus.
  20. Hare Krishna! I had been doing a little soul searching last night but couldn`t find a book on Zoroastrianism. So I opened the Holy Bible, read its pages, starting from the Old tes- tament down to the New one. Still I could not find it until it dawned on me that Easter Sunday, the day Lord Jesus Christ was raised into the heavens may have a connection on the word, " astro", meaning stars or "heavens" to Zoro(aster)nism. It has been said that Christianity`s evo- lution and development did not come by itself, but was formed from a compilation of pagan rituals and practices which were derived from the source itself, The Vedas. All religions, in fact, are rituals and ceremonies patterned from the Vedic religious practices whose author is no other than Srila Vyasadeva, the compiler and writer of Srimad Bhagavatam, a book narrating the transcendental pastimes of Vishnu(Krishna) and His affair with Radha- rani, His fraternal relations with cow- herd friends, His paternal relations with Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yasoda, as well as His servant`s spiritual master. If the religious would only take to se- riously reading and studying Srimad Bhaga- vatam, then something will change the consciousness of these people where they can see for themselves, face to face, God or Krishna Himself. I do not recommend that we should face the star(sun) or Krishna`s brahmajyoti by merging in its effulgence or glitter and become one with God. This is the Mayavada philosophy of Sankaracarya. What is recommended therefore is that we take to devotional service by offering our minds to Krishna and let Him after this do the directing, teaching, talking, feeling, emoting, walking, working and etchethera for us. That is the only way for us to be happy and peaceful, free from karma or the ill-effects of work, be it mental or physical. That is what devotional service or Bhakti is all about, Krishna consciousness. In fact IT was taught to Vivasvan, the sun god himself by no other than Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Bhagavad-gita.
  21. The Vedas where The Vedic rituals origina- ted actually was compiled and written by Srila Vyasadeva, a pure devotee of Lord Krishna, who was not satisfied by what he did, even if the Vedas became the source from which all the religions of this world were made. Inspite of its success, still, Srila Vyasadeva was not satisfied. Thus he was despondent and lamented for having was- ted so much time and energy in writing a great book when Vedavyasa himself could not understand why it did not brought him that transcendental bliss he expected after writing that great compilation where it would benefit the less-intelligent, the sudras, the women, etc. all over the world. It was only when Srila Narada Muni instruc- ted him to write the glorious pastimes of Lord Krishna that Srila Vyasadeva was able to write the spotless Purana known as the Srimad Bhagavatam, a book about Krishna`s pastimes and the message of devotional ser- vice it carried that would finally revolu- tionize the minds of the people by focusing their minds in going home, back to Krishna consciousness. Srila Narada Muni criticized Srila Vyasa- deva for authoring the Vedas which became the source of knowledge by which the masses would learn the art of doing business, the art of performing religious rituals, the art of war and the art of sense gratifica- tion, and many more. Leaving along the way to die a natural death the art of rendering devotional service to Krishna, from Whom everyone should take if they want to become happy and peaceful. We should therefore first study and read Srimad Bhagavatam ra- ther than waste our time and energy in un- derstanding the different religions of this world whose very source directly or indi- rectly came from the Vedas itself. Srimad Bhagavatam is a book which gives us a re- corded account of Krishna`s transcendental activities that took place millions of years ago, stories which until today are re-enacted , without their knowing it, by the living entities, starting from Lord Brahma down to the insignificant ant, of whom are actually Krishna`s parts or exten- sions. Knowing one`s real identity that he is Krishna`s eternal servitor makes one eligible to enter the Kingdom of God and become eternally His associate. P.S. I offer my humble obeisances to Gaura- chandra for bringing up this topic. I`m sorry if the answer to his question have deviated from what he actually wants to know about Zoroastrianism and the Vedic re- ligion.
  22. Parikrama Part 2 ---------------- Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu emphasized the effect of going to holy places where the varied temples of the Lord are found and see the forms of the Lord in these temples. By worshipping the Lord in each temple, a certain paraphernalia is used, such as, concshell, mace, fragrant flowers, prayers and hymns, while circumambulating and offering obeisances to the Deity as well. That way, one can tell whether the prospec- tive devotee himself is eligible to become either a bonafide spiritual master or a bonafide student, who is qualified to accept the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and how the science of Krishna consciousness is understood and perfected by the perfor- mance of ritualistic ceremonies. Swami Prab- hupada`s heart broke when his trusted disciples disallowed him to go with Loka- natha Swami and Hamsadhuta on a Parikrama on the Lord`s day even if the doctor( who- ever he was ) rendered Swami unfit to pro- ceed with the journey of whom was, in fact, ready to die along the way just to relish it. In Bhagavad-gita, Krishna`s last instruc- tions were that everyone should give up all other engagements and render devotional service unto Him. This was also supposed to be A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami`s final message he wanted his confidential disciples to carry out before his departure from earth but some of his disciples misunderstood this final event.They became contaminated with the Mayavada philosophy that produced so many mental speculators that they forgot Swami Prabhupad`s actual position as their spiritual master. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, his spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhanta Saravasti, and Lord Chaitanya are One and the same Perso- nality of Godhead, Jagad Guru, although They possess different personalities, all of whom wanted to teach us, students of Bhakti-yoga, how devotional service to Krishna or Krishna consciousness should be carried out to perfection. Alas, this was not meant to be.
  23. My perception of Lord Shiva is that He protects Lord Vishnu`s devotees from the asuras` harassments led by the latter`s leader, Maya Danava. In fact in Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7, The Science of God, there in Chap. Ten it says that Lord Vishnu equipped Lord Shiva with the paraphernalia in setting fire the asuras` residences made of gold, silver, and iron. These abodes were created by Maya Danava in or- der to shelter the asuras who sought him for his protection after they were defeated by the demigods in a war led by Lord Brahma. There is another instance when Lord Shiva saved the universe by drinking the hala- hala poison generated from the churning of the ocean of milk performed by the demi- gods and the asuras after they made a truce so that they could generate the nectar to revive their weary bodies by agreeing to churn the ocean of milk so they could generate the nectar that they need to res- tore their weary bodies after the fighting between them was over. To generate the nectar from the ocean of milk, they used Vasuki as the rope which they tied around the Mandara mountain, where Lord Vishnu resides, kept afloat on the Tortoise( an incarnation of God) back. By pulling Va- suki`s tail and head back and forth moved the Mandara mountain to stir the ocean of milk thereby producing the nectar not knowing that a poison, halahala, was gene- rated from it that threatened the safety of the inhabitants in the universe. With Uma`s ( Lord Shiva`s wife) persmission, Lord Shiva drank the poison, reduced in such a way it could be accommodated in His hand, without much ado, creating only a bluish line on His neck. If these stories are not proofs to convince one who doesn`t believe that Lord Shiva is the protector of Lord Vishnu`s devotees, then there is not much to convince anyone that, comparatively, Lord Shiva is the reflection of Lord Balarama while Lord Vishnu is the mirror image of Lord Krishna. Both, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, are One although different in Their qualities, a philosophy Lord Chaitanya had taught to His students in order to erase their doubts regarding Lord Shiva`s supporting role and Lord Vishnu`s principal role in this great drama called LIFE.
  24. My dear Prabhus, Please let us not make a fire out of an ember. Janardana is my friend and so are all of you. If Janardana calls me names, well, it`s alright with me. It won`t hurt me if a friend calls me names. He`s a friend, see? If friends don`t share the same feelings then let it be. A friend does not impose his points of view on his dear friend because he gives respect whatever view his friend has on himself. We should love one another as Lord Jesus Christ had commanded to his disciples. There`s no greater command than this. Let peace rule in our hearts so this peace may also rule among men and women throughout the world. The solution starts with us, my dear Prabhus. Hare Krishna!
  25. There are three types of devotees described in the book, Nectar of Instructions. They are: 1) kanistha-adhikari 2) madhyama adhi- kari and 3) uttama-adhikari. The kanistha adhikari devotee of God can`t distinguish between a person who is Krishna conscious from a person who is not. Whereas, the madhyama-adhikari devotee of God is able to spot the person who is Krishna conscious from the other who is not. Whereas, the uttama-adhikari devotee of God doesn`t discriminate a person from the other whether one belongs to a particular religious sect or not. Because he`s con- vinced that Sri Govinda, the Supreme Perso- nality of Godhead has entered into the hearts of everyone as the Paramatma or the Supersoul of all living entities, inclu- ding Brahma, the creator of the universe. The uttama-adhikari devotee of God therefore is the maha-bhagavata of everyone. To him, everybody, except himself, is a servant of Krishna.
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