bhavini

I've got to do a ekadashi vrat in a few weeks time and I need to know how to perform it. It's the first time and I've heard many different opinions of what you are allowed to eat. Can somebody tell me what is the correct way.

Well in order to live a pious life, it is necessary to abstain from those four sinful activities. It is necessary that if one wants Krishna then their activities must be pure and along with that we must chant the maha mantra as a way of progressing spitually and as a way of preventing us from becoming tempted. If what I've said is incorrect, please can someone correct me.

thanks for your replies, I understand what I have to do now

Even in this kali yuga, is it possible to get salvation just by chanting? Is it absolutely necessary that one has to follow the 4 regulations properly in order to attain God in this yuga as well. Basicly I just want to know what sort of a person does God accept. What is counted as a sin in this yuga and what isn't.

Pardon my ignorance but I keep reading this word "ritvik" yet I have no idea what it means. Can someone please enlighten me?

There are many scriptures that tells us not to eat garlic:- palandu lasunam sigrum alambum grjanam palam bhunkte yo vai naro brahman vratam candrayanam caret (Padma Purana, Brahma Khanda 19.10, spoken by Suta Gosvami) O sages, one who eats garlic, onions, sigrum (a kind of plant), turnips, bottle gourd and meat, that person should observe a candrayana fast. vrntakam jalisakam kusumbha smantakam tatha palandu lasunam suklam niryasan caiva varjayet grjanam kinsukan caiva kukundanca tathaiva ca udumbaram alavun ca jagdhva patati vai dvijah (Hari Bhakti Vilasa 8.158,159, from Kurma Purana) One should not eat eggplant, banana leaves, sunflower leaves and asmantaka leaves, onions, garlic. One should not eat sour gruel (a thin watery pouriage) or the juice of the tree. One should also give up turnips and beetroots, carrots, kinsuka, forest figs, and white pumpkin. If the twice born persons eat these things, they all become fallen. Manu-samhita: 5.5. Garlic, leeks and onions, mushrooms and (all plants), springing from impure (substances), are unfit to be eaten by twice-born men. 5.19. A twice-born man who knowingly eats mushrooms, a village-pig, garlic, a village-cock, onions, or leeks, will become an outcast. By the way, can anyone explain to me what twice-born means.

We should trust God's word even if we don't completely understand why he tells us to abstain from certain things. As devotees we shouldn't wait for "scientific proof" cos God's words are enough. This should be a slap in the face for those scientists/doctors who claimed that garlic was beneficial for our health.

cool, that's all I wanted to know. So it's wrong to get married purely for social custom. I don't want to be a sanyasini, I just want to be able to practice Krishna Consciousness perfectly and to be able to follow the 4 regulations. And I'm not a fanatic. If I meet a nice guy who's a devotee, who knows?

I'm not in love with anyone. I don't even think of married life at all but it's people around me that go that there's no other alternative to life apart from marriage. The female siblings are on my case and like you said 99.9999% of people don't even know what marriage is for. I don't know any guy who follows even ONE of the 4 regulations. Trust me I don't think of marriage, it's just something that's arisen cos many people in my generation are getting married otherwise I'm happy the way I am. I think many of you find it hard to believe that maybe one can feel like this. This isn't something I just read up and felt I've got to aspire to it. I've always been like this which explains why I've never had or even wanted an intimate relationship with a guy. Think what you want of what I've just said but as an individual, marriage doesn't interest me.

"But I think its best to get married then to let your senses all go crazy, by getting married you can learn to control your senses and live krsna consciously with your loved ones." What are you trying to say? Are you saying I'm scared of commitment to one person. I'm just afraid that if I do get married, that person may stop me from keeping to the 4 regulations so maybe it might be better for me to stay single. Some of you are really lucky to be able to marry devotees who you can share krishna conciousness with. But where I live I think that's an impossibility (trust me I know), so I've kinda accepted it. And besides I really don't feel like getting married anyway.

"Maybe it is not quite appropriate to ask such an intimate question to anyone in a forum, except one is in a special situation and is looking from advice" Sorry I didn't mean to ask such an intimate question. It was more about knowing whether I'm a weirdo for feeling the way I do.

Do any of you feel like not getting married at all due to the fact that spiritual development has made you desireless?

There is a difference between you and Krishna because he is the whole which you are part and parcel of. We are just mere drops of the Ocean called Krishna. If you read the Bhagwad Gita it specifically states this.

I think you mean Amba, not Ambika.

Isn't it weird how many of us have actually thought about or attempted suicide. Really surprising, thought maybe not since Lord Krishna said in the Gita that one of the 4 types of people that approach Him are those who are distressed.

Sorry the previous post was mine, forgot to login The figure has to be around the "17 millions", I'd say since it counts the full 25th, 26th, and 27th maha yugas plus a kali yuga from the 24th maha yuga and a bit of the treta yuga before that plus all the time til the present day in the this mahayuga. Sorry to keep rambling /images/graemlins/blush.gif

Yeah, it's confusing but I'll try to explain clearly. We are in Kali yuga right now, which is the last yuga in the Maha yuga which consists of Satya, Treta, Dwapar and Kali. There are 71 Maha yugas in one manvantara. 14 manvantaras in one kalpa. 2 kalpas make the day and night of Brahma. 360 such days make one year in Brahma's life. And 100 years make His whole life. And yes all these repetions of yuga's include the same avatars but I think if I'm not mistaken Chaitanya Mahaprabhu made a rare and kind appearance in this kali yuga which is really fortunate for us.

At Christmas last year, I actually attempted suicide and after I did it I felt like God was talking to me, I realised the sinful act I was performing and from then on I never wanted to leave Him. In my case, I had to fall to get up again(don't get any ideas). You say you feel like you're failing in some way, that's why you feel suicidal. I also felt like that but don't ever contemplate it. We are all imperfect but as long as we strive to do the right thing we're doing alright. To think like this is like refusing this gift he's given you ie human life. However low you feel, just remember God is always with you and is always there to help you when you are in trouble.

I love the Mahabharat and along with the Ramayan, I frequently find solutions to my daily problems or dilemmas. It teaches us about how to behave in different relationships and how certain members are dearly respected such as mothers, fathers and women in general which is lacking in today's society. I find the story absolutely fascinating and even though I've watched the B.R Chopra version like 10 times I still manage to find out something new every time I watch it. On the subject of relationships, I particularly liked the relationship between Kunti and her sons. I find Kunti very admirable and the devotion the Pandavas had for their mother was quite exceptional. Does anyone have any favourite characters? Mine's is Bhishma, the man who lived a self-less life and made huge sacrifices for the happiness of his father.

Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question but how can you tell if you have achieved self realisation? Is it just knowing that you are not this body but a spirit-soul. Is there more to self realisation than this and could you be fooling yourself that you are liberated. I know that since December last year I haven't felt the same and find it extremely difficult to participate in "normal" life 'cos i just don't care for it. I want to do something worthwhile and nothing seems to fit the bill except devotional service. I feel trapped in this body and feel uncomfortable in this existence. I feel weird. Sorry if I sound a bit mad but I can't help it.

I also feel like that whenever I watch religious serials on tv. I wish I could spend my whole life listening to the Lord's words and pastimes and talking and thinking about them. Everything else seems worthless and ridiculous to talk about. I just feel sorry for your situation. Just pray that one day your wife will feel the same as you.

I've always wondered how Subhadra and Arjuna were allowed to marry each other even though they were first cousins. I know that everything happens if Krishna plans it that way but was this considered normal or?

What I meant was those 3/4 days were really intense. After that I spoke to my sister about it cos i felt like I was going mad but she reassured me and we help each other understand what we're going through. At the moment I do participate in normal activities while still thinking it's all worthless and doesn't compare to devotional service. I have no enthusiasm or desire for mundane or material things. I think you are really inspiring. I didn't mean to say I was only devoted for 3 days. I just live like the "lotus", In that though we live in this material existence yet we still remain elevated above it spiritually. Btw I know how you feel about friends not understanding, I virtually don't have any proper friends who I can talk to about Krishna cos I know they won't understand. Thankfully my sisters are alright about it.

There was a time I felt exactly the same. It was after I watched a film about the life of Jesus. It hit me really hard. I couldn't stop thinking about Jesus and God. I became so isolated that I didn't speak to anyone for about 3/4 days. I didn't feel like doing anything like eating, sleeping, socialising. I only felt like devoting myself to the Lord. I don't know how to help you but really if you think about you don't need help. It's the others that need help. You seem like an enlightened devotee. It's special when you realise that nothing is more important than Krishna and He is everything and the cause of everything. I just wish there were more people feeling like this. All I can say is strenghthen the relationship with Krishna and carry on as you are so you don't fall into the lap of Maya though saying that it is impossible for a devotee to become a slave to Maya.

Thank you Myra. I understand now what I should do. I'll just keep praying and leave the results to Krishna.