vanamali

Has blessed you with great faith, and you don't even realize you have it. You are a real devotee. I take the dust of your feet on my head. Sincerely, Vanamali

You are the best of all of us. Faithfully following Krishna to the end. Surely He loves you most of all. Jaya Sri Krishna!!!!

Sometimes I feel as if the Name Krishna has a taste. It seems to have mass... feels like tasting Krishna. If it feels alive to you, that's great! Keep going!

Even going to Krishna/Narayana for material benefit is better than not going at all. Yes, you should pray to Him for whatever reason you can! And He will not let you go after that, I am sure. Good luck!

Hey, if you want material benefits, at least go to Mother Lakshmi. She far outranks Kubera. And also pray to Her Husband, Sriman Narayana, while you are at it. You will get benefits both material and spiritual. And the spiritual ones last longer, too. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

if you look up close, you can see that He is smiling sweetly /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Lord Venkateshwara is dark black like Syamasundara Krishna! Do you know something? People say He is Sriman Narayana, but really He is Krishna. And I don't mean to say that He's a statue of Krishna... no, He is the *actual* living God. Krishna is existing simulatneously in Goloka/Vrindavana as Krishna, Vaikuntha as Narayana, and Tirumala-Tirupati as Venkatesha Govinda. Yes, Venkatesha can seem a little scary because there is so much energy coming from His presence. That is because He is different from the images in other temples in that He is a self-manifested murthy and has the full power and presence of God Himself. Couple that with the fact that He is nearly 10 feet tall, when you stand before Him, it is so overwhelming! But we should also remember that Venkateshwara is the Lord's kindest form. He is always eager to help His devotees, and He loves so much! He does not want you to feel He is unapproachable! Just think of Him as the God who is addicted to laddus! /images/graemlins/smile.gif Just like our gopala Krishna who loves eating butter, Venkatesha loves laddus... both symbolize the love of the devotees. Venkatesha too loves to be loved. Just love Him, and you need not be afraid. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

maybe you can give me your email address so we can talk... or I can give mine if you want. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Jaya Sri Krishna!

I think it's simply that the murthy is supposed to be *actually* Lord Ganapati for those ten days, and then when the murthy is dissolved, Lord Ganesh departs. But he returns again the following year. from http://www.salagram.net/parishad124Ganesha%20Chaturthi.html "On Ganesh Chaturti the devotees bathe and then worship the clay image of Ganesha. Offerings include sweets, particularly modaks, for which Ganesha has a special weakness. Later the image of the deity is taken out in procession accompanied by the singing of devotional songs. The image is worshipped for 10 days before it is immersed in the sea or river. While it is being immersed, the people chant: Ganapati bappa morya Mangal moorti morya… Purchchya varshi laukar ya… Father Ganapati, come again ! Auspicious one, come again ! Come again soon next year!"

Read about them here http://www.freeindia.org/biographies/greatpersonalities/lavakusha/page4.htm

Well, I don't know where I got my info... let me get back to you... Anyway, suffice it to say that They were not on earth at the same time. /images/graemlins/smile.gif I'm pretty sure Krishna was born in 3228 BC though... maybe not?

Lord Rama lived around 5,000 BC and Lord Krishna lived around 3200 BC /images/graemlins/smile.gif So probably not! But Hanuman is chiranjeevi (immortal) and so was on earth at the time of Lord Krishna's life. I remember he did meet Bhima (his half-brother) but whether he met Krishna, I don't remember. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

"He said we belong to Vedic Culture {sanskruti}, so we should be higher than them. Why should WE stoop down to their level? Basically this means we are above them so why should be see the fault as it were." ----------------------- It's not that we are "higher than them" but we should attempt to be above showing and feeling anger towards them. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Yo! Krishna's the boss! 'Cause without Him in the picture, everyone would be crying.

from http://garuda-purana.puranas.org/ Garuda Purana. This is in the form of instructions to Garuda by Vishnu. This deals with astronomy, medicine, grammar, and with the structure and qualities of diamonds. This Purana is dear to Vaishnavites. The latter half of this Purana deals with life after death. The Hindus of north-India generally read this Purana while cremating the bodies of the dead. This has given great importance to the origin of Garuda. There are eight thousand verses in this book. This book should be given as gift along with an image in gold of a swan to get prosperity.

Transcendentalists? You mean like Emerson? /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Getting angry with Krishna is another thing altogether! Yashoda is His, but really He is hers too. /images/graemlins/smile.gif That's just God playing with the devotee... no real (mundane) anger there (though she will feel angry at Him, scream and shout). Yes, that's the divine anger you were talking about. But the anger of devotees in this world (especially devotees at our level) is usually mundane. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Pankaja, I wouldn't say that the anger of all devotees is "spiritual." /images/graemlins/smile.gif I know when I give into anger, it is not spiritual anger, but my illusory clinging to things and people in the world that are not mine, but Krishna's. The false sense of proprietorship. Krishna is the property-owner, and we and all we "have" are His property. We should be happy, then, with whatever He chooses to do with us and ours. Best we try to control our passions while we are still on this earthly plane. I think the happier you are, the less likely you are to be angry. Doesn't mean you will never disagree with anyone on anything. Doesn't mean you can't debate. Just means that you aren't an anger machine ready to blow at any second.

"Says something about how we think maybe" ---------------------- I think it was the lack of a space between the "w" and the "h." Don't psych yourself out! /images/graemlins/smile.gif Jaya Sri Krishna! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Lord Venkateshwara is Narayana/Govinda, not a demigod. Our pain will cease when we can ask nothing from God but Himself. As Prema Pandurang said, we go to temple; we give five rupees and ask for five million. Ok! Krishna is ok with that- but when will you ask for Him? When you start loving Krishna for Himself, you begin to get peace of mind. Because anger and all the other faults have their root in desire. When we desire material things, our desires are often frustrated, and we become sad, angry, bitter... but when our desire is to love the Lord, just for the sake of loving Him, then we can always be fulfilled, we can always be happy. Slowly slowly all the other desires cease. And finally, when our only desire is God, we will become happy... because Krishna is always there with us, and we can never lose Him. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

maha mantram

He Krsnadas, you got it! Sarva dharmaan parityajya maamekam saranam vraja; Aham tvaa sarvapaapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa suchah. Abandon all dharma and just surrender to Me I will free you from all sins- Don't be afraid!

This is a debate that must be had, but I do not think that having it in this thread is going to yeild any results, good or bad.

Govinda Govinda

Enough enough enough! Jaya Sri Krishna. It is Radhika's birthday today. Let us engage ourselves in singing the Lord's glories and stop this useless chatter. Ok, friends?