Guruvani

The Bhagavatam says that Ravana was trying to build a stairway to heaven. I'm a little confused here. Indraloka is millions of light years away. If Ravana was such a greatly brilliant materialistic person with such an advanced civilization on Lanka, then how he could be so stupid as to think he could build a stairway to heaven millions of miles high? Who could even climb that stairway if they managed to build it? It just sounds really weird that even Ravana could possibly think he could build a stairway to heaven. Does anybody know anything that would make this claim of the Bhagavatam sound a little more realistic? did Ravana have some special rocket or something that he wanted to fly on the stairway to heaven. I mean, how could even Ravana possibly think that anybody could build a stairway that is millions of miles high or that anybody could climb that far if he did? I am having a problem trying to figure this out. It just sounds so ridiculous that we are supposed to believe that some big demon thought he could build a stairway millions of miles high to heaven. somebody help me................

whose chart? Nobody on this forum made that chart. it comes from another web site http://harekrsna.com/philosophy/incarnations/hierarchy.gif

Well, maybe nobody else is going to say it, but I am going to say most definitely that Jesus is not the ONLY way. There really never was any person named Jesus who was the saviour of the Jews. His name was Yeshua. What if we started telling everybody that the leader of the Hare Krishna movement was Sri Bollappahick? Would that be right? The Jewish mystic that people are calling Jesus was actually Yeshua - not Jesus. The name Jesus has nothing to do with the Jewish reformer who got crucified by the Romans with plenty of encouragement from the Jewish priests who didn't like that fanatic followers were calling him the messiah. So, "JESUS" isn't the way to anywhere except maybe a latin country. JESUS? Oh yeah, i know Jesus. I was in the Navy with Jesus - Jesus Rodriguez. And that is the truth.

that is kinda like an oxymoron. You can't have real knowledge without a guru. If one has real knowledge then somehow he must already have a real guru. Many gurus have been freely giving out knowledge all over the world for many years. Now, you are saying that nobody has any knowledge? Then why did all the gurus publish books of knowledge and make them available all over the world for everyone?

Maybe you should go back and look at the title of the topic again - Believe in Jesus, He is the only gate to the paradise JESUS IS THE ONLY GATE TO PARADISE? I say give 'em the boot. It's the same kind of bigotry and hatred that Christians have been spouting off in India since the British plundered the Holy Land of the Hindus. this person came in here with a closed mind. they came to preach about Jesus and put down the Hindu faiths. We have already heard that stuff a thousand times. We don't need to hear it again.

but, if somebody comes into the forum saying that Jesus is the only way and that the Hindus had better believe in Jesus because he is the only way, then I don't think those kind of people should be welcome. those kind of people don't come in to have spiritual discussions. they come in to promote their bigoted concept of religion with absolutely no regard for any form of Hindu religion that they consider of the devil. I have no sentiment towards these Christian bigots. Their minds are closed and shut. They come in here to put down our beliefs and spout off arrogantly that their way is the only way. I think they should be banned as soon as they show up. Christians don't come in here for spiritual discussion. They come in to make a stir and be a nuisance, kinda like a ritvik at an ISKCON Rathayatra!

yes Maam ...................

I don't see that I was treating the person as if Jesus was Kamsa or anybody like that. I quoted the teachings of Jesus and pointed out the difference between Churchianity and Jesus-anugaism. (hey I just coined a new term "Jesus-anuga"..... follower of Jesus.) I was simply pointing out the teachings of Jesus and comparing that to the "just believe in Jesus" cult. If you can show me anywhere I put down Jesus, then fire away. I think you are shadow boxing here with some spooks that I can't see.

"Just believe in Jesus" is what we call "Churchianity" and is the mainstream religion here in the USA. Millions of people flock to church each week to hear the pastors and ministers lull them into a false sense of salvation with a simple message of "Just accept Jesus as your personal saviour". Well, that is how the church that Paul started has ended up here in the modern age, but that is not at all what Jesus himself had in mind. So, who are they following - Jesus or Paul? (maybe Jimmy Swaggart?) Following Jesus isn't as easy and as simple as the modern Christian churches would like you to believe, but it keeps the money coming in each week when the collection plate goes around the pews. Following Jesus is a very difficult and sacrificing path. It is nothing at all like most Christians would like to believe. There is alot more to it than lip service. Follow Jesus................ great idea! Go do it and you won't have time to come into the Hindu forums pretending to be better than everyone else.

so, go practice what Jesus taught and don't bother yourself to come into the Hindu forums with your holier-than-thou attitude. Practice your faith and leave others to practice theirs. get off the computer and go pick up a cross and follow Jesus.

The religion of "just believe in Jesus" is the result of Pauline Christianity. Jesus never made it quite that simple. Jesus required a lot more than just belief. Because true belief is expressed in deeds. Jesus said: There are a lot more to the teachings of Jesus than "just believe". Faith is required but faith is not the end of it. So, there is more to it than "Believe in Jesus". Many Christians today would like to think it is that simple, but it just doesn't correspond to the teachings of Jesus.

my interest is to assist the good preachers who are far more qualified than me. It is very hard for me to find someone to get behind nowadays, but probably I would have to say that I like the position of B.G. Narasimha Maharaja a lot. I think he has got a great situation going there. I know he is not a ritvik, but that doesn't matter. Any sannaysi that breaks away from ISKCON rightly should become diksha guru. I like Tripurari Maharaja a lot too, but I am a confused about his status. Otherwise, I appreciate T Swami a lot. Why should I take sannyasa when there are so many more qualified preachers already doing that. I do want to build a small but very traditional style Mandira here in Florida someday and maybe have like a retirement community for devotees here near Crescent Beach. But, I will need some investors to pull that off. I doubt that I will ever really get to Costa Rica, though it is a very beautiful country that would make a great place to retire and do bhajan. Probably, I will stay in Florida and make some pilgrimage to India now and then when I get the chance. I think that being a sannyasi in America is not the advantage it was when Mahaprabhu took sannyasa. I could see myself in white kurta and yogi pants running a retirement home for old devotees. We have to do something here in the USA. Retiring in India is not practical or desirable for a lot of western devotees. Florida is the retirement capital of the USA. So, a devotee retirement center in Florida is inevitable someday.

I have not the least interest to do any such thing.

I should have guessed he wouldn't want to settle on the Caribbean side with all them Rastafarians and hippies around there smokin' the kine. Pacific side is where most of the big tourist resorts are. Most all the hippie types that go down to Costa Rica like the Caribbean side. Pacific side is more touristy and built up with big resorts. But, they get less rain on the Pacific side and lots and lots of rain on the Caribbean side. So, that is one point for the Pacific side. As matter of fact, that one fact alone might make the Pacific side preferable to the rainy, rainy Caribbean side. On one side the waves are too big and on the other side the waves are too small for the average beach tourist looking to get on the body board and catch a few waves. But, the west coast is popular with the more experienced surfers looking for some big waves. Costa Rica.......lush, tropical and inviting. My daughter is going on a cruise to the Caribbean this week with the girl scouts.......Bahamas, Cancun etc. I usually just head over to Crescent Beach when I want some Sun 'n Sand. Waves are just right for the body board surfing. Not much in Florida for the big boards. Florida is body board heaven.

Introduction to Krishna Book Read the books.

this sarcastic piece of foolishness seems to be neglecting one central point. the central point is "what do devotees do when they associate together"? The answer is that the association of devotees is based upon hearing and chanting the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and performing Sankirtan Yagna. So, even if we accept that sadhu sanga is essential, we still have to admit that sadhu sanga is still based upon the books. Without the books, there is no solid foundation for the sadhu sanga. Today we have a crop of Narayana Maharaja followers who are making negative propaganda against the books in favor or loitering around the vapu of their guru, but all the while their guru is busy, busy, busy writing one book after another. Why? Why is Narayana Maharaja writing so many books? The smart attitude of his followers will have to change their tune about the importance of books when they no longer have the vapu of the guru to loiter around. They are just begging to get their ass handed to them with such arrogant and boisterous mouth flapping as the post I am reply to. So, really, they deserve to get back as good as they dish it out. Srila Prabhupada put immense importance on the books and the importance of the books will never be eclipsed by the vapu of any "living guru" who has criticised and demeaned the methods and the principles that Srila Prabhupada personally employed in his mission to spread Krishna consciousness around the world. We still remember that Narayana Maharaja said that all the disciples of Srila Prabhupada who got diksha via the tape recording didn't get real diksha and they needed to get re-initiated by him and hear the mantras from his lips. Well, as far as we are concerned he has committed serious offenses against Srila Prabhupada with that kind of talk and shown that he is just a neophyte that should have obeyed his spiritual master to not accept any disciples. We will never forgive or forget that kind of foolish talk.

well, thats a nice thought. but really, I am not much of a preacher. I like to write, but I shy away from public exposure. there are so many preachers already. I would prefer to be an ascetic committed to bhajan. There are so many better preachers than me. I am very reclusive. I have been a loner all my life. I don't think that is going to change as I get older. I don't really have any friends. I just like solitary living, but I do have my kids. Still, they have their own lives and their own friends. Me, I am just a loner. More by destiny than by choice. People that do know me like me a lot. But, I don't get involved. It's actually kind of sad to be a loner. But, that is my fate I guess.

"taking sannyasa" has been used by Srila Prabhupada in his books and lectures many times. You attacked the use of the terminology "taking sannyasa" as if somebody on this forum invented the term. Yes, when one formally accepts sannyasa from another formal sannyasi it is referred to as "taking sannyasa". Becoming a sannyasi is more important than "taking sannyasa" formally. so, that is what we are saying. We are not interested in "taking sannyasa" someday, but in actually becoming "sannyasi" someday. so, Srila Prabhupada used the term "taking sannyasa" so, you don't have to get your skivies all in bunch when somebody uses the old phrase "taking sannyasa".

wow, I might have to put a straw in my teeth and beg T Swami for forgiveness and see if I can join him in Costa Rica. I still have several years to devote to my kids, but I have been thinking about retiring in Costa Rica for some time now. I hope T Swami gets something going there. When my kids are all grown and on their own I am going to cash in my real estate and retire in Costa Rica. I hope he is settling on the Caribbean side. the waves on the Pacific side are too big.....

nicely said. nicely said. that was well spoken and very practical thinking. I like that very much. I guess there are some pragmatic and practical thinking people around this forum after all. I can't accomodate these cult fanatics anymore. Krishna consciousness has to be relevant to western society or it has no future.

Srila Prabhupada,