leyh

The following is a transcript of a morning walk conversation between His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), Founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and a disciple in Geneva, June 1974. The transcript appeared in Back to Godhead , the magazine of the Hare Krsna Movement as the following article: Give God the Nobel Prize On an early morning walk, Srila Prabhupada points out to his Disciples how insignificant are man¡¯s scientific achievements compared to God¡¯s limitlessly complex creation. (June 1974, Geneva) Srila Prabhupada: Just look at this fig. In this one fig, you find thousands of seeds --- and each tiny seed can produce another tree as big as the original fig tree. Inside each little seed is a whole new fig tree. Now, where is that chemist who can do such a thing: first, make a tree, and then, make the tree bear fruit, and next, make the fruit produce seeds --- and finally, make the seeds produce still more trees? Just tell me. Where is that chemist? Disciple : They talk very loudly, Srila Prabhupada, but none of these chemists and such can do any of these things. Srila Prabhupada : Once a big chemist came to me and admitted, ¡°Our chemical advancement, our scientific advancement, is like a man who has learned to bark. So many natural dogs are already barking, but no one pays any attention. But if a man artificially learns the art of barking, oh, so many people will go to see --- and even purchase tickets for ten dollars, twenty dollars. Just to see an artificial dog. Our scientific advancement is like this.¡± If a man makes an artificial imitation of nature, say by barking, people go to see and even pay money. When it comes to the natural barking, no one cares. And when these big so-called scientific rascals claim they can manufacture life, people give all sorts of praise and awards. As for God's perfect, natural process --- millions and millions of beings born at each moment --- no one cares. People don't give God's process very much credit. The fool who concocts some imaginary scheme for creating living beings from dead material chemicals --- he is given all credit, you see: the Nobel Prize. ¡°Oh, here is a creative genius.¡± And nature is injecting millions and millions of souls into material bodies at every moment --- by the arrangement of God --- and no one cares. This is rascaldom. Even if we suppose you could manufacture a man or animal in your laboratory, what would be your credit? After all, a single man or animal might be created by you, but millions and millions are created by the Lord. So we want to give credit to Krsna, who is really creating all these living beings we see every day. Disciple: Prabhupada, you remember Aldous Huxley, who in Brave New World predicted a process of genetically screening babies, of breeding men for certain traits? The idea would be to take one strain of traits and breed a class of working men, take another strain of traits and breed a class of administrators, and take still another strain of traits and breed a class of cultured advisors and scholars. Srila Prabhupada : Once again, that is already present in God¡¯s natural arrangement. Guna-karma-vibhagasah : according to one¡¯s qualities and activities in his past life, in his present life he gets a fitting body. If one has cultivated the qualities and activities of ignorance, then he gets an ignorant body and must live by manual labour. If one has cultivated the qualities and activities of striving passion, he gets a passionate body and must live by taking charge of others --- administration. If one has cultivated the qualities and activities of enlightenment, he gets an enlightened body and must live by enlightening and advising others. So you see, God has already made such a perfect arrangement. Every soul receives the body he desires and deserves, and the social order receives citizens with required traits. Not that you have to ¡°breed¡± these traits. By His natural arrangement, the Lord equips particular souls with particular kinds of bodies. Why even try imitating what God and nature already do so perfectly? I told the scientist who visited me, ¡°You scientists --- you are simply wasting time.¡± Childish.They are imitating the dog's barking.The scientist pays no attention,gives no credit to the real dog doing the real barking. Actually, that is today's situation.When the natural dog barks,that is not science.When the artificial,imitation dog barks, that is science.Isn't it so? To whatever degree the scientist succeeds in artificially imitating what the Lord's natural arrangement is already doing --- that is science. Disciple : When you heard, Prabhupada, about the scientists claiming they can now produce babies in a test tube, you said,¡°But that is already being done in the mother¡¯s womb.The womb is the perfect test tube.¡± Srila Prabhupada : Yes. Nature is already doing everything with utter perfection.But some puffed-up scientist will make a shabby imitation --- using the ingredients nature supplies --- and get the Nobel Prize. Disciple : They should give the Lord and Mother Nature the Nobel Prize. Srila Prabhupada : Yes, yes. Disciple : Really, I think they should give you the Nobel Prize. You¡¯ve taken so many foolish atheists and created devotees of God. Srila Prabhupada : Oh, I --- I am a ¡°natural dog,¡± so they'll not give me any prize.[ laughs.] They will award the prize to the artificial dogs. [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 02-05-2002).]

The following is a transcript of a morning walk conversation between His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), Founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and a disciple in Geneva, June 1974. The transcript appeared in Back to Godhead , the magazine of the Hare Krsna Movement as the following article: Give God the Nobel Prize On an early morning walk, Srila Prabhupada points out to his Disciples how insignificant are man¡¯s scientific achievements compared to God¡¯s limitlessly complex creation. (June 1974, Geneva) Srila Prabhupada: Just look at this fig. In this one fig, you find thousands of seeds --- and each tiny seed can produce another tree as big as the original fig tree. Inside each little seed is a whole new fig tree. Now, where is that chemist who can do such a thing: first, make a tree, and then, make the tree bear fruit, and next, make the fruit produce seeds --- and finally, make the seeds produce still more trees? Just tell me. Where is that chemist? Disciple : They talk very loudly, Srila Prabhupada, but none of these chemists and such can do any of these things. Srila Prabhupada : Once a big chemist came to me and admitted, ¡°Our chemical advancement, our scientific advancement, is like a man who has learned to bark. So many natural dogs are already barking, but no one pays any attention. But if a man artificially learns the art of barking, oh, so many people will go to see --- and even purchase tickets for ten dollars, twenty dollars. Just to see an artificial dog. Our scientific advancement is like this.¡± If a man makes an artificial imitation of nature, say by barking, people go to see and even pay money. When it comes to the natural barking, no one cares. And when these big so-called scientific rascals claim they can manufacture life, people give all sorts of praise and awards. As for God's perfect, natural process --- millions and millions of beings born at each moment --- no one cares. People don't give God's process very much credit. The fool who concocts some imaginary scheme for creating living beings from dead material chemicals --- he is given all credit, you see: the Nobel Prize. ¡°Oh, here is a creative genius.¡± And nature is injecting millions and millions of souls into material bodies at every moment --- by the arrangement of God --- and no one cares. This is rascaldom. Even if we suppose you could manufacture a man or animal in your laboratory, what would be your credit? After all, a single man or animal might be created by you, but millions and millions are created by the Lord. So we want to give credit to Krsna, who is really creating all these living beings we see every day. Disciple: Prabhupada, you remember Aldous Huxley, who in Brave New World predicted a process of genetically screening babies, of breeding men for certain traits? The idea would be to take one strain of traits and breed a class of working men, take another strain of traits and breed a class of administrators, and take still another strain of traits and breed a class of cultured advisors and scholars. Srila Prabhupada : Once again, that is already present in God¡¯s natural arrangement. Guna-karma-vibhagasah : according to one¡¯s qualities and activities in his past life, in his present life he gets a fitting body. If one has cultivated the qualities and activities of ignorance, then he gets an ignorant body and must live by manual labour. If one has cultivated the qualities and activities of striving passion, he gets a passionate body and must live by taking charge of others --- administration. If one has cultivated the qualities and activities of enlightenment, he gets an enlightened body and must live by enlightening and advising others. So you see, God has already made such a perfect arrangement. Every soul receives the body he desires and deserves, and the social order receives citizens with required traits. Not that you have to ¡°breed¡± these traits. By His natural arrangement, the Lord equips particular souls with particular kinds of bodies. Why even try imitating what God and nature already do so perfectly? I told the scientist who visited me, ¡°You scientists --- you are simply wasting time.¡± Childish.They are imitating the dog's barking.The scientist pays no attention,gives no credit to the real dog doing the real barking. Actually, that is today's situation.When the natural dog barks,that is not science.When the artificial,imitation dog barks, that is science.Isn't it so? To whatever degree the scientist succeeds in artificially imitating what the Lord's natural arrangement is already doing --- that is science. Disciple : When you heard, Prabhupada, about the scientists claiming they can now produce babies in a test tube, you said,¡°But that is already being done in the mother¡¯s womb.The womb is the perfect test tube.¡± Srila Prabhupada : Yes. Nature is already doing everything with utter perfection.But some puffed-up scientist will make a shabby imitation --- using the ingredients nature supplies --- and get the Nobel Prize. Disciple : They should give the Lord and Mother Nature the Nobel Prize. Srila Prabhupada : Yes, yes. Disciple : Really, I think they should give you the Nobel Prize. You¡¯ve taken so many foolish atheists and created devotees of God. Srila Prabhupada : Oh, I --- I am a ¡°natural dog,¡± so they'll not give me any prize.[ laughs.] They will award the prize to the artificial dogs. [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 02-05-2002).]

valaya and gHari prabhus: Please accept my humble obeisances and thanks for your advice. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!Valaya,I particularly like your reference to the japa-mala as the 108 gopis.I did know that the 108 beads represents the gopis but your imagery of holding onto those gopis and crying pitifully" will stay in my mind hopefuly forever.Even if I cannot summon the strength to complete even one round,I'll think of the gopis' devotion for the Lord and try to draw inspiration from their love. gHari,you wrote:"Out in the world with the users and abusers pulling us this and that way, it is much more difficult than being surrounded by divine gentle vaishnavas. That one chanting is who we really are, the one we really want to be, the only one we really enjoy being. Just sometimes we forget that, having to hide our true selves from the wicked world for just too too long."That is so true!So many times,in the midst of my non-devotee friends,I have found myself softly murmuring the maha-mantra or some bhajan like Jaya Radha-Madhva while we are engaged in some boring,mundane discussion.But at the same time,I have this fear that this constant chanting might cause me to be labelled as a fanatic/freak.This fear probably goes to show that I have no love for Krsna. If only we lived in a world where chanting anywhere and everwhere is socially acceptable... Despite the fact that I am a contaminated offender,I can still get a little (but only a little) thrill from thinking about the magnanimous nature of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees...May I be blessed with the desire and humility to beg the gift of the holy names from all of them.May the holy names of God be lovingly vibrated in my life and in the lives of people all over the world! krsnotkirtana-gana-nartana-kala-pathojani-bhrajita sad-bhaktavali-hamsa-cakra-madhupa-sreni-viharaspadam karnanandi-kala-dhvanir vahatu me jihva-maru-prangane sri-caitanya daya-nidhe tava lasal-lila-sudha-svardhuni "O my merciful Lord Caitanya, may the nectarean Ganges waters of Your transcendental activities flow on the surface of my desertlike tongue. Beautifying these waters are the lotus flowers of singing, dancing and loud chanting of Krsna's holy name, which are the pleasure abodes of unalloyed devotees. These devotees are compared to swans, ducks and bees. The river's flowing produces a melodious sound that gladdens their ears." [sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 2.2] I love the pastoral imagery of the above verse. [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 01-26-2002).] [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 01-26-2002).]

"The spirit indeed is willing,but the flesh is weak."(Matthew 26:41) Sometimes we knowingly take the posion of sense gratification even when we know it is poison.That helpless feeling of having succumbed to material desire yet again is so sickening. Is it by our own efforts or do we have to stop trying and totally rely on Krsna's mercy to transcend maya? I still like to think that its a two way thing.You get as much grace as the effort you put into spiritual practice.But what if you want to put in effort,but you just can't seem to summon the energy to even try? For example I have been trying to chant a few rounds of the maha-mantra every morning when I wake up,I'm so saturated with sleep and lust,that it is virtually impossible to go get my beads... [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 01-26-2002).] [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 01-26-2002).]

Who was the compassionate devotee who begged Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to send him to hell to relieve the suffering of living entities? [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 01-11-2002).]

Well,the tone that I used was rather harsh.I hope no offence was taken...

gHari Prabhu: We had a difference of opinion some threads ago.I hope you are no longer mad at me...?

"We appeal to everyone to take to the Krsna Consciousness movement and chant the Hare Krsna mantra. Even if you cannot give up your bad habits and sinful activities at once, still take to the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, and before long you will become purified and your life will be glorious."(His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta in a talk given on appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura on September 1973,Mumbai,India) [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 02-05-2002).]

"We appeal to everyone to take to the Krsna Consciousness movement and chant the Hare Krsna mantra. Even if you cannot give up your bad habits and sinful activities at once, still take to the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, and before long you will become purified and your life will be glorious."(His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta in a talk given on appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura on September 1973,Mumbai,India) [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 02-05-2002).]

gHari: I say this reluctantly,but I think that one word describes your current mentality perfectly,and that word is "Fanatic" According to such a mentality,being a Vaishnava is a license to heap arrogant abuse and pass derogatory judgement on those with conflicting opinions. "One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly." (Siksastaka Text 3) Please remember Lord Chaitanya's teaching on humility.Humility is one of the pillars of Krsna Consciousness. My puzzlement over the Mr Nair incident was a doubt which I tried to express in this forum in a respectful way,in the hope that more enlightened devotees could help me to solve my doubt.If I have a genuine doubt,isn't it better that I bring it out into the open then for me to artificially suppress it? For the record,I now have no doubt that Srila Prabhupada is a genuine Vaishnava. You write:"That poster I guess needed to be challenged, in order to stop taking such great offence so lightly. We could have just walked away." You didn't just challenge him.You called him an idiot who is going to waste his life anyway.That is just plain abuse and I don't see how abusing krsnaraja challenges his opinions in anyway. I believe that it is our duty to be displeased when the Lord is offended,but we have to defeat the offenders with arguments,not abuse.Besides,we shouldn't be too quick to label people as offenders when we may be offenders ourselves.Please forgive me if I have offended you in anyway.Hare Krsna. [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 12-16-2001).]

gHari: I'm not saying you should take Krsnaraja seriously.I'm saying you don't have to refute his views so arrogantly even if you disagree with him.Everyone's entitled to their opinion.And btw,a Vaishnava is suppose to be the friend of all living entities.A Vaishnava would never say:"You're going to waste your life anyway." as you said to Krsnaraja. This is not meant to offend you,but to remind you that we who are aspiring to be devotees of Krsna should be merciful just as He is merciful. [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 12-16-2001).]

gHari: Who are you to say call Krsnaraja an idiot,and what gives you the right to say that he's going to waste his life anyway? Report back to you?Who do you think you are? An acarya? You are probably still grieving over the passing of George Harrison,but that is no excuse to display such un-Vaishnava-like arrogance! [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 12-15-2001).]

gHari: Thank you for your encouragement.Do you know the circumstances in which the omnipotence paradox about whether Krsna could make a rock that he could not lift wasposed to Srila Prabhupada? Also,I think his answer was beautiful,even though I'm still trying to understand it.I would be really grateful if you or any other devotee could enlighten me.Haribol!

Vinay: The following is an excerpt from Krsna --- The Supreme Personality of Godhead,also known as the "Krsna Book" (you can read the entire Krsna Book online at www.krsnabook.com) The "Krsna Book" is by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) and the following excerpt might be of some help to you in understanding why Krsna had 16,108 wives. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna certainly has no business being anyone's husband or son or father, because everything belongs to Him and everyone is under His control. He does not require anyone's help for His satisfaction. He is atmarama, self-satisfied; He can derive all pleasure by Himself, without anyone's help. When the Lord descends to play the part of a human being, He plays a role either as a husband, son, friend or enemy, in full perfection. As such, when He was playing as the perfect husband of the queens, especially of Rukminiji, He enjoyed conjugal love in complete perfection. According to Vedic culture, although polygamy is allowed, none of the wives should be ill-treated. In other words, one may take many wives only if he is able to satisfy all of them equally as an ideal householder; otherwise it is not allowed. Lord Krsna is the world-teacher; therefore, even though He had no need for a wife, He expanded Himself into as many forms as He had wives, and He lived with them as an ideal householder, observing the regulative principles, rules and commitments in accordance with the Vedic injunctions and the social laws and customs of society. For each of His 16,108 wives, He simultaneously maintained different palaces, different establishments and different atmospheres. Thus the Lord, although one, exhibited Himself as 16,108 ideal householders. Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Sixtieth Chapter of Krsna, "Talks Between Krsna and Rukmini." [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 12-11-2001).]

Vinay: The following is an excerpt from Krsna --- The Supreme Personality of Godhead,also known as the "Krsna Book" (you can read the entire Krsna Book online at www.krsnabook.com) The "Krsna Book" is by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) and the following excerpt might be of some help to you in understanding why Krsna had 16,108 wives. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna certainly has no business being anyone's husband or son or father, because everything belongs to Him and everyone is under His control. He does not require anyone's help for His satisfaction. He is atmarama, self-satisfied; He can derive all pleasure by Himself, without anyone's help. When the Lord descends to play the part of a human being, He plays a role either as a husband, son, friend or enemy, in full perfection. As such, when He was playing as the perfect husband of the queens, especially of Rukminiji, He enjoyed conjugal love in complete perfection. According to Vedic culture, although polygamy is allowed, none of the wives should be ill-treated. In other words, one may take many wives only if he is able to satisfy all of them equally as an ideal householder; otherwise it is not allowed. Lord Krsna is the world-teacher; therefore, even though He had no need for a wife, He expanded Himself into as many forms as He had wives, and He lived with them as an ideal householder, observing the regulative principles, rules and commitments in accordance with the Vedic injunctions and the social laws and customs of society. For each of His 16,108 wives, He simultaneously maintained different palaces, different establishments and different atmospheres. Thus the Lord, although one, exhibited Himself as 16,108 ideal householders. Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Sixtieth Chapter of Krsna, "Talks Between Krsna and Rukmini." [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 12-11-2001).]

Some days ago,I had a rather bizzare dream about Srila Prabhupada.I dreamt that I was attending some program and in the course of the dream,Srila Prabhupada was seated alone.I think it was raining and as I happened to be carrying an umbrella,I offered to shelter Srila Prabhupada from the rain,but he declined. I keep thinking that the meaning of this dream is that I am not qualified to render service to Srila Prabhupada.But even if I am unqualified,that cannot stop me from thinking of him with affection and admiration.

JRdd: I really appreciate your encouraging words,but please don't shower me with such profound praises...I am neither humble nor do I have deep philosophical understanding...If I have demonstrated any understanding of Krsna Consciousness,then it can only be credited to the mercy of Srila Prabhupada.I hope that Krsna will someday give me the humility to always think of myself as the person setting up the microphone for Srila Prabhupada to preach.All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 12-07-2001).]

A Christian on an Interfaith forum at http://forum.foolmoon.com/forum/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=28&DaysPrune=1000 asked me whether Krsna has the ability to experience physical pain.The following is part of my reply: ------------------------------ In the Invocation to Sri Isopanisad, one of the scriptures in the Vedic canon, it is stated: “The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.” (Sri Isopanisad, Invocation) In his purport to this invocation, His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains: “The Complete Whole must contain everything both within and beyond our experience; otherwise He cannot be complete.” (Sri Isopanisad, Purport to Invocation) If God is the Complete Whole, there is no reason why the knowledge of and the ability to experience any kind of pain, mental or physical cannot be found in Him. The Vedic conclusion is that Krsna is God and because He is the Complete Whole,everything both within and beyond our experience (including the experience of any kind of pain) is contained within Him. Vedic philosophy defines God as being completely free and independent.In other words, He is absolute (the word “absolute” comes from the Latin absolvere, which means “to make free”)and as such, He is never conditioned by pain although He is capable of voluntarily experiencing it. ------------------------------ Although I am not an authority on Krsna Consciousness and Vedic philosophy,I endeavoured to answer to the best of my ability.Was my answer in accordance with Vedic philsophy? Can any devotee comment? [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 12-05-2001).]

I had the good fortune of attending a program at a devotee’s home which was graced by His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara (aka Dr Thoudam Singh who was with Srila Prabhupada during the morning walk conversations that became compiled into Life Comes From Life) last Sunday evening.I think I had to be the only Chinese attending the program! It was the first time that I had ever met a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada. He looked very kindly and scholarly. And his appearance reminded me a little of the Dalai Lama. I had brought my tape-recorder along and I went up to His Holiness and inquired whether I could record the program. He very kindly said: “Yes.” His Holiness sang bhajana and played the kartals with so much devotion. During the bhajana, he waved his hands, apparently urging the devotees to sing louder. His singing was very powerful and I was totally mesmerized even though I didn’t know most of the words to the bhajana. After the singing, His Holiness gave a short class on the Bhagavad-gita 18.63 (“Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.”) Where he spoke about the utilization of free will for devotional service. After the class, there was a short question and answer session, followed by another sweet bhajana. During the program, I also managed to receive prasadam directly from Maharaja’s hands and later, a devotee distributed the remnants of His Holiness’s prasadam. It was a wonderful evening and before I left, I told His Holiness that I had to go. He gently patted me on the shoulder and invited me to a program on the next day. I didn’t attend that other program, but I will always remember that evening, especially the ecstasy on His Holiness’s face when he sang the holy names.

I had the good fortune of attending a program at a devotee’s home which was graced by His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara (aka Dr Thoudam Singh who was with Srila Prabhupada during the morning walk conversations that became compiled into Life Comes From Life) last Sunday evening.I think I had to be the only Chinese attending the program! It was the first time that I had ever met a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada. He looked very kindly and scholarly. And his appearance reminded me a little of the Dalai Lama. I had brought my tape-recorder along and I went up to His Holiness and inquired whether I could record the program. He very kindly said: “Yes.” His Holiness sang bhajana and played the kartals with so much devotion. During the bhajana, he waved his hands, apparently urging the devotees to sing louder. His singing was very powerful and I was totally mesmerized even though I didn’t know most of the words to the bhajana. After the singing, His Holiness gave a short class on the Bhagavad-gita 18.63 (“Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.”) Where he spoke about the utilization of free will for devotional service. After the class, there was a short question and answer session, followed by another sweet bhajana. During the program, I also managed to receive prasadam directly from Maharaja’s hands and later, a devotee distributed the remnants of His Holiness’s prasadam. It was a wonderful evening and before I left, I told His Holiness that I had to go. He gently patted me on the shoulder and invited me to a program on the next day. I didn’t attend that other program, but I will always remember that evening, especially the ecstasy on His Holiness’s face when he sang the holy names.

All Glories to George Harrison.His name will forever be associated with Krsna and that is the highest honour for a living entity! I feel sad that with George Harrison passing,the world is deprived of the presence of an advanced devotee. But at the same time,we should be happy for him.Right now he is surely with Krsna and Srila Prabhupada,in the eternal beauty of Vrindavana Goloka.I can imagine the three of them jamming together...George would be playing the guitar...Srila Prabhupada would be playing intricate rhythms on mrdanaga and Krsna would be weaving eternally transcendental melodies with his flute.They could play forever.

[This message has been edited by leyh (edited 11-30-2001).]

Atma and Gauracandra: There used to be a ban on long hair here way back in the 70s,so devotees with sikas might have been frowned upon.I don't know for sure because I've only experienced about one and a half years of the 70s as an infant. The ban has been lifted for some time already. I've met and personally associated with devotees who wear the full devotional attire with bead bags,tilak,and dhoti.About a month ago,I met a Peruvian devotee openly selling copies of The Science of Self Realization and incense on a street in Serangoon (considered the "Little India" of Singapore),where there is also a Govinda's Restaurant. Atma,thanks for the encouragement about chanting in public.Maybe I'll just think of it as offering a chance for strangers to have darshan of the Lord Jagannath which has been sewed onto my bead bag. [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 11-30-2001).]

Atma and Gauracandra: There used to be a ban on long hair here way back in the 70s,so devotees with sikas might have been frowned upon.I don't know for sure because I've only experienced about one and a half years of the 70s as an infant. The ban has been lifted for some time already. I've met and personally associated with devotees who wear the full devotional attire with bead bags,tilak,and dhoti.About a month ago,I met a Peruvian devotee openly selling copies of The Science of Self Realization and incense on a street in Serangoon (considered the "Little India" of Singapore),where there is also a Govinda's Restaurant. Atma,thanks for the encouragement about chanting in public.Maybe I'll just think of it as offering a chance for strangers to have darshan of the Lord Jagannath which has been sewed onto my bead bag. [This message has been edited by leyh (edited 11-30-2001).]