yasodanandana

this statement of srila prabhupada never advocates an impersonalist oneness between god and creatures.. quantitatively god is god and jiva is jiva if prabhupada says that "Lord Buddha is Krsna, Lord Jesus Christ was Krsna incarnation" it means that buddha and jesus are avataras not that they are only brahman

we have 3 sources of spiritual culture: the master, the scriptures and the tradition if our master says that this devotee is a "divine grace" if we recognise that this devotee falls in the "divine" cathegory of the 16th chapter of bhagavad gita if many other recognized masters in gaudiya sampradaya say that this devotee is a pure bhakta we call this devotee adhikari or divine grace -- many times the guru has to say to the disciples that he is the guru, that he is pure, that they have to obey etc. we have to understand, seeing the behaviour, if one says "i am the guru" for sense gratification or if he's saying it to teach and serve the disciples

in italy we call the "soul" ANIMA it comes from a greek world "anemos" that means wind or " vital breath" we devotees use the ANIMA word for preaching: "how can an ANIMAL be without ANIMA?" because many catholics say that the SOUL is only for humans

"Prabhupada often uses the example of the military man performing his duty in war. If we go out and murder someone - the law will punish us however, the soldier in war incurs no such punishment since the killling is from duty. " prabhupada gives it as an example prabhupada speaking of "making big" in preaching says : "if you have to go hunting... go for rhinos!!" prabhupada says also that wars are mad by materialists fighting for money....

prabhupada was in tirupati for a few days, having some times darsan of sri venkatesvara, speaking also to the chief of the temple on the subject of how use the money collected by the visitors the chiefs of tirupati had some idea to make some business to increase the money and increase their charity activities prabhupada advised that money given to god has to be spent directly for god and i have read that some brahmins helped in founding at least a famous iskcon temple in india.. there's nice stories how these brahmins had symptoms of ecstasy the first time they listened to harekrsna samkirtana i have found all this in haurisauri's diaries

"In considering the death penalty - I often think about what this does to the karma of all of those involved in the process. But then isn't it in their karma to be involved? " for this reason we say that we are eternally conditionated.... because this is the entanglement,, if you do something good, there's a little percent of bad that creates new karma, new births etc. we will deliver ourselves only taking the shelter of guru and gauranga, but they want that we make less karma as possible to make this path easier... so we follow regulative principles..

"If you are being attacked and a policeman(or anyone) comes to your aid would you ask them first if they were pure enough to judge your attacker? " wes, in the practical life, you are glad that he is defending but ask yourself the reason of the problem you have in that moment... if anyone attacks you, it is because you are paying some karma... the problem is that we know very well that every action has a reaction and you are saying that in only one case.... giving death penalty..... this rule does not work if you are conditioned if you kill you get the karma or if you are conditioned everything you do produces karma if you are a pure devotee, everything you do is for krsna and it is not touched by material laws in my opinion it is simple....

"I feel that an officer of the court should not act to independently" if doing my job i have to commit sins, i have to quit it... a butcher is not saved because he is doing his job!! " Should one not be punished when caught committing theft just because the judge knows many others are doing it and not getting caught?" are you without faults? are you ready to kill the guilty with your hands, are you completely without selfish interests doing it, are you detached, do you really want the good of this person, do you do this only for mercy? if you can take this responsibility you can kill, or, with the elections, send a governor to do this.. but you are killing we devotees know that this world is like hell, what is the surprise if there are sinners? our job is to chant hare krishna and rebuild the vedic society and we are brahmanas, not ksatrya, to kill people is not our job let us talk of death penalty when there will be kings like arjuna or yudhistira, not bush, berlusconi, chirac etc.

"I understand where you are coming from but doesn't Prabhupada also teach that there are instances where the death penalty is indeed called for and the correct punishment? " the problem is not the guilty, humanity is doing so much sins that everyone has to be killed... and kalki avatara definitely will do this making no distinctions the problem is who gives the death, is there only one judge who can give death penalty purely and without an atom of selfish interest? the istance is that a if a pure devotee is the judge, this pure king wants the benefit of all others, also of the poor man who has to be killed if we are not pure we will take karma, so let us build vedic society and we will naturally see al the institutions, ksatrya included now, if you want to kill me you have to be sinless, otherwise what is the difference, you are guilty of something like me let us consider that we westerners, have killed millions of cows before accepting the advice of srila prabhupada... killing has no prescription......... brr

the death penalty was right when the world was so pure that it was very easy to find all the responsibles of a bad action in this kaly yuga the society is evil, government is a bunch of stealers and killers, family is in complete confusion, school is completely materialistic, TV and medias are constantly teaching that we have to exploit others treating them as sexual objects, almost all the so called religious people are the worst fanatic and materialists... if there's an homicide and we want to execute the guilty, we must necessarily kill some thousands of people, maybe everyone, surely we have to include the judges if we give death penalty we take the karma, no doubts

thanks... i express my ideas also to verify if devotees are agreeing .. i would add that the external act of touching and bowing, in some way, it is not so important, i know that some "yogis" accept obeisances from distance thinking that in this way they do not take the karma but it is illogic, if one accept to be considered a master, a devotee in any condition, with or without formalism, he take the responsability in this way we have to be (me first) very careful when in this forum we give an opinion, devotees are very humble and they have a great respect for everyone, so we must be very careful to act as teachers when they are listening

the fact is that if you touch my feet you are giving me the respect that is due to the masters, god, demigods, and saints in our vedic culture (let me kindly say like that even if i am a mleccha) respect means responsability so if i allow you to behave with me as an inferior, a disciple (touching my "lotus" feet), i have also to take the responsability to be a prabhu, a father, a spiritual master for you and if you are in a school, or if you are a child in the family and you do something wrong... the responsability (karma) goes to the master or the father this is the main reason that, if i accept that you adore me touching my feet, i take your karma ( = responsibilities, duties) and the duty to bring you back to godhead

of course i do not approve the behaviour of who is offending, but god manifested as narasimhadeva can be appreciated only if one is a little more deep on krsna consciousness.... if one is sincere and he, knowing nothing about KC, is a little scandalized by narasimhadeva i can understand

of course i do not approve the behaviour of who is offending, but god manifested as narasimhadeva can be appreciated only if one is a little more deep on krsna consciousness.... if one is sincere and he, knowing nothing about KC, is a little scandalized by narasimhadeva i can understand

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2001/06/15/stories/13150793.htm

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2001/06/15/stories/13150793.htm

i see many fanatics writing in this forum only to criticize and attempling to scandalize us with strong phrases and dogmatic assertions.. but i do not see any of them helping people who are asking questions about life and spirituality i can see: " Malific Influences of Planets " "soul & Body " "Problem with 4 Principles " " What is the best way to die (leave your body)? " " Does any scripture talk about Science? " "Caste System- Racism? " " Free will? " and so on personally i am in a feeling of collaboration of all the bona fide religions, but, if you want to fight, let us confront ourselves on the purpose to help people who have genuine interest on religion.. not destroying our respective beliefs without reason i hope you understand my italenglish!!!

"What he looked (prabhupada) at was how Krishna conscious both parties were" you have given the best answer...

"Doesn't the Uttama drop down to Madhyam to preach?" no... uttama does not became madyama, he only takes the behaviour of a madyama uttama thinks that there are not differences, everything and everyone is serving krishna... but he, if krsna or guru order to him to be a master he has to teach the concepts of good and bad.. advanced and neophite.. virtue and sin.. devotee and demon... proper behaviour (achara) and wrong behaviour but, if we study the biographies of srila prabhupada it is very easy to see the detachement and the humbleness of the uttama bhakta there are many cases of srila prabhupada chastizing disciples and, after a few minutes, excusing with them: "i am sorry, it is my duty, i am not qualified, i am doing it (sarasvate deve,, gauravani pracharine) ordered by guru and gauranga" -- of course i am not telling that we can learn something only from uttama baktas....

"I believe Prabhupada would like all his disciples to come up at least to the position of the second swimmer, or Madhyam-adhikari." sure!! but from there also uttama!! if we think that srila prabhupada cannot make pure devotees legitimated to be acharyas, we are thinking that he is teaching a wrong path and that he, not being realized, cannot teach complete realization krsna consciousness is meant for going to the most higher (uttama) level, to godhead.... we have to be preoccupied to do this, not to be happy to find a mid-size guru, and we have not to be happy if in a religious organization we do not recognise pure devotees my realization.. to please prabhupada...: 1)iskcon is plenty of pure devotees (as other gaudya sangas) 2)one has first to find a pure vaishnava devotee, then we will see if he has stamped "iskcon" on te passport (these are my thoughts on the subject, not oppositions to your message) :-)

"Well, you know what the answer would be..(he wasn't authorised)..although it seems Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja was a devotee from his very birth" so you gave the rigth answer gaura govinda maharaja was a devotee... devotee means disciple and master... master means diska and siksa "maybe when I die I'll have a question & answer session with Yamarajji (devotee of Krsna) and ask him about Ritvik That'll be fun!" he will explain that he has got a spiritual master....

"Srila Prabhupada never authorised anyone in Iskon to become Archaya's themselves" ask to these RITVISKONs people if Srila Gaura Govinda Maharaja was a bona fide authorized acharya or not..

http://www.radiokrishna.com/rkc_archive_new/index.php?q=f&f=%2FGour+Govinda+Swami+Lectures+%26+Bhajans "vancha kalpa tarubyas cha............ vaishnavebyo namo namah"

there's nothing to forgive or nothing to condemn... we live in this material world and it is natural that we do mistakes... simply a devotee has the duty to remedy to an offence against a vaishnava if the blasphemy stops, everyone is happy and krsna katha starts again....

to be logic: existence is not an illusion and to be annihilated is not a solution to our suffering to be humble: we have no control over our birth, death and our life at all, so we are not god... and god never forget to be god