atma

Yesterday I got the news that my mom is very ill in the hospital, I called my sister and she told me that she has terminal cancer in the lungs and it is too late to do anything. Talking to my sister I found out that suddenly my mother couldn't breath properly and after the exams the doctors said that the cancer is spread everywhere. They'll release her for the weekend and she has to go back for 7 days of chemo and after that is not more treatment because it is useless. What upset me most of all this situation is that they are not telling my mom that she has terminal cancer and she has only few months to live. The doctors and my brothers and sister are keeping it a secret even from other members of the family. My mother is a heavy smoker and as far as I remember she had 2 packets daily. My sis said that she is down to one now and of course at the hospital she is not smoking but the moment that they release her she'll go back to the cigarrettes because the doctos told my relatives not to deprive her of anything. My sister warned me not to said anything to my mom when I'll talk to her on the phone this weekend and it is so sad that I won't be able to tell her that this is her chance to prepare herself for death. Not so many people have the opportunity to know that they have few months to live and here they are going to help her killing herself faster providing her with the cigarrettes. Not common sense at all what to say of any spiritual life. Many times I saw devotees arriving in Vrindavan because they knew that death was near and they took shelter of the holy land, devotees and Radha-Shyam. They prepared themselves for a better birth or maybe no more births. Maharaja Pariksit heard the Bhagavatam from the lips of a pure devotee when he knew that his death was near. I feel so helpless at the moment but is not much that I can do. My sister who is also a heavy smoker told me that she'll quit after all this is finish. I told her to quit right now but she couldn't heard about it. How much illusion and foolishness. I feel so sorry for them. I can only pray that at the moment of my mom' death she can remember the Lord and get His mercy.

- If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented? - If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called, "Holes"? - If you mixed vodka with orange juice and milk of magnesia, would you get a Phillip's Screwdriver? - If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled? - If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? - When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny? - Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker? - Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with. - Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist? - Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites? - Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things? - If horrific means to make horrible, doesn't terrific mean to make terrible? - If 99 is pronounced ninety nine, Why isn't 11 pronounced onety one? - "I am." is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I Do." is the longest sentence - Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"? -Why is it that if someone tells you that there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them, but if they tell you a wall has wet paint you will have to touch it to be sure.

A friend in Mayapur told me to do this to clean the body of toxins. I did it once over there and I was amazed how much "stuff" came out. She said that was the best when you pass stones. 1/2 cup of olive oil 4 Tbls Epson salt 3 cups of water 3/4 cup lemon/grape fruit juice 13 lemons 2 containers, glass or plastic Put 4 tbls Epson salt with 3 cups of water in one container (salt mixture) Put 1/2 cup olive oil with 3/4 cup of juice Stop eating and drinking by 2.00 PM At 6:00 drink 3/4 cup of salt mixture. At 8:00 drink 3/4 cup of salt mixture Go to the bathroom as much as possible. At 10:00 PM at bedside drink oil and juice, lay down right away with head on two pillows -do not move- go to sleep. You may feel a rolling feeling like a train of marbles. Do not get up to pass, hold it and sleep. Morning- 6:00 AM drink 3/4 cup of salt mixture 8:00 AM drink 3/4 cup of salt mixture. You will pass for a few hours. 11.00 AM take fruit juice 11.30 AM eat a fruit 12.30PM eat a light no fat meal, some rice, no fats. By evening you will recover, you may feel a little sluggish because of the poisons passing through your body. Have fun

Dear Jayaradhe, I hope that you're better. I really think that you need more association and better care of yourself. Do you consider sometimes to move to a place were will be easier to meet devotees? Nothing like a bhajan or kirtana to make me feel better when I'm down. Just before to go to work a quick darshan of their Lorships and guru puja to start the day in the right way. Coming back from work, the temple doors are just opening for the evening darshan. Devotees everywhere, prasadam all over the place. Even at work I see devotees all the time, sometimes I take it for granted but reading about your and Leyh's experiences how happy you become meeting devotees is giving me a second chance of appreciate them more. Lord Krsna is so sweet that he put that devotee there in your moment of need. Please take care of yourself.

Today at work was a battlefield because this thing about baptism. One Jehovah Witness happened to mention that her kids are not baptized because they wait until the kids are mature enough to make their own decisions. One of the guys became mad and he said that her children are in hell because they are not baptized yet. Became a huge thing, with definitions abou hell and heaven, baptisms or other things. The guy was really narrow minded and was quite mean to the poor woman. All in the name of religion.

Gauracandra, You didn't get it, bhaktajoy said that he does "auto urine therapy", meaning his own urine, not cow urine. How many arrrrgghhhhrrgghh are you going to need now?

Haribol Karthik, I didn't take offense I was clarifying things. Thank you for the unnecessary apology. That was nice from you. I don't mind jokes at all.

Fake meat made my life easier a few years ago when my little one was entering nursery school. By law the schools provide lunch to all the kids in nursery grade.They want to make sure that the kids have a meal before class. I told them that she was vegetarian and she could bring her own lunch. They agreed with the condition that her plate should look the same like the other kids. They gave me the menu one week in advance and every day she took her lunch and ate with the children. Veggie chicken, burgers, gelatine made with agar agar, saved me from removing her from school. All the "fake" products don't taste or smell like the originals at all and can be good fillings for a sandwich, at least the ones that I know. When I have to go to work I have to pass for a fast food restaurant and the smell is revolting, so true, you feel like cutting the air with a knife, so saturated with grease and blood.

I just got a massage from a devotee that lived in India for many, many years and I'm amazed how different is from the western ones. It was very relaxing and gentle and she explained to me every thing that she was doing. Why more work in some areas of the body, what should I take care of and how she was releasing all the tensions that accumulate in certains parts. She is trying to teach me because she is becoming so popular with her clients that some of them want double massage! It was a real nice experience and I loved it. It helped that I know her for a long time because I can't relax with a stranger Some people had tried to just massage my neck and I became so tense that had been pure torture. Anybody knows about this kind of ayurvedic massage?

Karthik, It is not a secret that my name isn't in her birth certificate, nothing to do with Yudhistir's curse, and I was clever enough to put her in my passport. Some intelligence is there. I don't want to brag about it but I got the 6 F's from Gauracandra's little test and I'm not kidding. For me the 'of' sound like 'of' not 'ove' that he was trying to use like excuse . I showed to two guys last night and they didn't even get 3 they got only 2 even after one of them heard me telling the other that there were 6 F's. How dumb can you be?

Dear Leyh, thank you for your postings. When I read the verse from Ohe! Vaisnava Thakura, you brought so many nice memories to mind. Every day before going to sankirtan I sang that song in front of Srila Prabhupada's picture to give me strenght to go out in book distribution. I love that song especially that verse: krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro, tomara sakati ache ami to kangala, 'krsna''krsna' boli', dhai tava pache pache In Singapore I had very nice experiences, I was in both temples, with Sundar Gopal when he was in Iskcon and with Bhima who is chinese and had a large chinese following. Now he is in Malaysia. Maybe he was the one who told you that Hansadutta is a pure soul. Bhima is a great cook and he had a very nice feast for Lord Nrisimhadeva in 94. Actually prasada was really good in both temples Whatever Jayaradhe said in her post above I agree 100%. Continue in that wonderful mood prabhu.

Just a little anecdote about caste. In my daughter's birth certificate in the part about caste the clerk put 'indian vaishnav'. Still amuses me to read that. For the second daughter they didn't have anymore the caste part and mother's name, so I don't have legal proof that she is my daughter. That is not amusing. Interesting point about establishing varnashram in the devotee's world. So true, being a shudra is considered less. Too many thinking that they are brahmanas when they don't have the qualifications. Before anybody say anything here, I consider myself nothing, just trying to be a decent human in this lifetime. How is that? Follow the 4 regs to be in the human platform.

A Young Brunette A young brunette goes into the doctor's office and says that her body hurts wherever she touches it. "Impossible," says the doctor. "Show me." She takes her finger and pushes her elbow and screams in agony. She pushes her knee and screams, then pushes her ankle and screams. Everywhere she touches makes her scream. The doctor says, "You're not really a brunette, are you?" "No, I'm really a blonde". "I thought so," he says. "You have a broken finger."

Valaya prabhu said: "First Atma posed what on the surface seems a sraightforward question about a particular incident, but it quickly goes into the male-female thing. Avinash makes it more personal and Tarun--well, Tarun just Taruns it up to a new level.." For the record, I never posed a question here, I just shared what I thought was interesting while I watched Mahabharata.And I'm a very straight-forward person regardless of what anybody thinks. I did have fun with Avinash and Tarun's comments. I apreciate sense of humor and wit in people.

Leyh, Bhanu Swami is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and he normally stays in Chennai, South India. Do you have contact with Ekachakra and his wife Indulekha? I know them very well from India and Singapore. I lost their e-mail address and I would like to contact them again. Tell them to write to Gauri from Calcutta, they know where to write.

Avinash, Krsna is not an ordinary male and that you know very well. The jokes are for the ones that identify with the body, male and female, it doesn't matter. BUT, in my humble opinion I think it's better to be in a woman body because you are supposed to be inferior to the so-called man and that makes you a little humble. Men think that they are the masters and women are the servants Still they don't get it, the poor things.

Funny enough, I was also standing in the check out line in the grocery store with a friend when I noticed that cover and I made the same comments. She really looks bad now and with all that powder on her face trying to cover up the wrinkles around her eyes she looks like a ghost. Here is something for the beautiful women in the world: Facts on Figures; > There are 3 billion women who don't look like supermodels and > only eight who do. > > Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14. > > If Barbie was a real woman, she'd have to walk on all fours due > to her proportions. > > The average woman weighs 144 lb. and wears between a 12-14. > > One out of every four college aged women has an eating! disorder. > > The models in the magazines are airbrushed -- not perfect! > > A psychological study in 1995 found that three minutes spent > looking at a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel depressed, > guilty, and shameful. > > Models twenty years ago weighed 8% less than the average woman. > Today they weigh 23% less. > > > > ~Beauty of a Woman~ > The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, > The figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair. > The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes, > Because that is the doorway to her heart, > The place where love resides. > The beauty of a woman Is not in a facial mole, > But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. > It is the caring that she lovingly gives, > The passion that she shows. > The beauty of a woman > With passing years -- only grows. > > > An English professor wrote the words, "Woman without her man is > nothing," on the blackboard and directed the students to punctuate it > correctly. > The men wrote: "Woman, without her man, is nothing." > The women wrote: "Woman! Without her, man is nothing."

Me? Anti-male. No way. I love men, they are my gurus in every respect on how not to do the wrong things. I learn from them all the time. Do I want to become a man in my next life? No way, no more male-female stuff for me, I want to serve the only male, Lord Sri Krsna. BTW, Tarunjini, how come if the male race is so intelligent all you do is hanker for the ones with the poor intelligence?. Maybe you should hang out with your own intelligent types. Hey, is that why there are so many gays around???? Avinash, I'm not aware of a curse in all men in the scriptures. Maybe somebody else knows about it.

I'm very good in keeping secrets but if by any reason something slip out out of my mouth, I can always mention Yudhistir's curse on us, poor women I read Mahabharat years ago and I knew about this curse from the book.

If the shoe fits, wear it.

I'm watching Mahabharat and just now Yudhistira is upset because Kunti Devi never told them that Karna was their elder brother. Because she kept it secret, he cursed all womanhood to never be able to keep a secret. Very interesting.... Now Gandhari is going to protect Duryodhana with all her shakti and Krsna just came in...

Once upon a time there was a saint very worried because no one was praying to him People prayed to St. Joseph, St. Peter, St Damiano, St. Judas, but nothing to him. Then he asked for a meeting with God and He advised him to do the following: "Make yourself some business cards and spread them all over the world. Write that you perform miracles to the order, but don't give it to the IDIOTS and EASY WOMEN..." The saint did so, and now he is the most miraculous saint with millions of devotees all over the world. Do you know the saint's name? Think!....Remember! + + + + + + + Don't you know????? + + + + + + + + + + Ahhh, ha ha ha!!!!!! ++++++++ You didn't get the business card....!

Thanks Lord Krsna for sending Srila Prabhupada to teach us who is God!

What about the tongue cleaner? When my sister saw my tongue cleaner from India she just stole it from me. She and her husband (he is a dentist)asked me to send them dozens of them. It is incredible that such inexpensive article clean your tongue of all the juckie stuff that accumulate in your tongue and give that funny smell and taste in your mouth. The tongue reflects what is going on in your stomach and sometimes a bad stomach gives bad breath, cavities too. You can get silver tongue cleaners that last forever and I heard that Hari Vilasa use a gold one for which he was criticized, you don't put Laksmi Devi in your mouth and also you don't wear gold ankle bells because you don't put Laksmi Devi at your feet. Just little things that one learn in India.

A man and woman are getting all snugly in bed. The passion is heating up. But then the lady stops and says, "I don't feel like it, I just want you to hold me." The guy says "WHAT??" The lady explains that he must be in tune with her emotional needs as a Woman. Then he realizes that nothing is going to happen tonight and he might as well deal with it. So the next day the man takes her shopping at a big department store. He walks around and has her try on three very expensive outfits. She can't decide. He tells his woman to take all three of them. Then they go over and get matching shoes worth $200 each. Then they go to the Jewellery Department where she gets a set of diamond earrings. The lady is so excited. She thinks her guy has flipped out, but she does not care. She goes for the tennis bracelet. He says "you don't even play tennis, but OK if you like it then let's get it." The woman is jumping up and down so excited she cannot even believe what is going on. She says "I am ready to go, lets go to the cash register." The man stops and says, "No, I don't feel like buying all this stuff now." The woman's face goes blank. He Continues-"I just wanted you to HOLD this stuff for a while." The look on her face is indescribable and she is about to explode. The guy says, "You need to be in tune with my financial needs as a Man".