ancient_paztriot

One of the many reasons I love Prabhupada…

SB 4.12.12

Dhruva Maharaja was endowed with all godly qualities; he was very respectful to the devotees of the Supreme Lord and very kind to the poor and innocent, and he protected religious principles. With all these qualifications, he was considered to be the direct father of all the citizens.

PURPORT

The personal qualities of Dhruva Maharaja described herein are the exemplary qualities of a saintly king. Not only a king but also the leaders of a modern democratic or impersonal government must be qualified with all these godly characteristics. Then the citizens of the state can be happy. It is clearly stated here that the citizens thought of Dhruva Maharaja as their father; as a child, depending on the able father, is completely satisfied, so the citizens of the state, being protected by the state or the king, should remain satisfied in every respect. At the present moment, however, there is no guarantee by the government of even the primary necessities of life in the state, namely, the protection of the lives and property of the citizens.

One word is very significant in this connection: brahmanyam. Dhruva Maharaja was very devoted to the brahmanas, who engage in the study of the Vedas and thereby know the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are always busy propagating Krsna consciousness. The state should be very respectful to societies that distribute God consciousness all over the world, but, unfortunately, at the present moment there is no state or government support given to such movements. As for good qualities, it is very difficult to find anyone in state administration with any good qualities. The administrators simply sit in their administrative posts and say no to every request, as if they were paid to say no to the citizens. Another word, dina-vatsalam, is very significant also. The state head should be very kind to the innocent. Unfortunately, in this age the state agents and the presidents draw good salaries from the state, and they pose themselves as very pious, but they allow the running of slaughterhouses, where innocent animals are killed. If we try to compare the godly qualities of Dhruva Maharaja to the qualities of modern statesmen, we can see that there is no actual comparison. Dhruva Maharaja was present in the Satya-yuga, as will be clear from the next verses. He was the ideal king in Satya-yuga. The government administration in the present age (Kali-yuga) is bereft of all godly qualities. Considering all these points, the people today have no alternative but to take to Krsna consciousness for protection of religion, life and property.

OOooo… play it again!

"… the people today have no alternative but to take to Krsna consciousness for protection of religion, life and property."

Hare Krsna!

Wanna see a dumb look?

Complain about any of the outrageous social rip-offs going on to any of the many little morons who justify their acts with "Hey, I'm just doing my job!"

Reply, "But you're the one advocating it by telling me".

SB 4.8.33

One should try to keep himself satisfied in any condition of life—whether distress or happiness—which is offered by the supreme will. A person who endures in this way is able to cross over the darkness of nescience very easily.

Material existence consists of pious and impious fruitive activities. As long as one is engaged in any kind of activity other than devotional service, it will result in the happiness and distress of this material world.

When we enjoy life in so-called material happiness, it is to be understood that we are diminishing the resultant actions of our pious activities. And when we are put into suffering, it is to be understood that we are diminishing the resultant actions of our impious activities. Instead of being attached to the circumstantial happiness and distress resulting from pious or impious activities, if we want to get out of the clutches of this nescience, then whatever position we are put in by the will of the Lord we should accept.

Thus if we simply surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we shall get out of the clutches of this material existence.

SB 4.8.27

The great sage Narada told Dhruva: My dear boy, you are only a little boy whose attachment is to sports and other frivolities. Why are you so affected by words insulting your honor?

PURPORT

Ordinarily if a child is rebuked as a rascal or fool, he smiles and does not take such insulting words very seriously. Similarly, if words of honor are offered, he does not appreciate them. But in the case of Dhruva Maharaja, the ksatriya spirit was so strong that he could not tolerate a slight insult from his stepmother which injured his ksatriya prestige.

SB 4.8.28

My dear Dhruva, if you feel that your sense of honor has been insulted, you still have no cause for dissatisfaction. This kind of dissatisfaction is another feature of the illusory energy; every living entity is controlled by his previous actions, and therefore there are different varieties of life for enjoying or suffering.

PURPORT

In the Vedas it is said that the living entity is always uncontaminated and unaffected by material association. The living entity gets different types of material bodies because of his previous fruitive actions. If, however, one understands the philosophy that as a living spirit soul he has an affinity for neither suffering nor enjoyment, then he is considered to be a liberated person. It is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (18.54), brahma-bhutah prasannatma: when one is actually situated on the transcendental platform, he has nothing for which to lament and nothing for which to hanker. Narada rsi first of all wanted to impress upon Dhruva Maharaja that he was only a child; he should not have been affected by words of insult or honor. And if he were so developed as to understand honor and insult, then this understanding should have been applied in his own life; he should have known that honor and dishonor are both destined only by one’s previous actions; therefore one should not be sorry or happy under any circumstances.

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Perhaps I laugh too much to be a ksatriya. But I sure feel like one. I make some pretty amazing claims. It should be cause for concern. But all I do is laugh. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

You see, all I have to do to really be successful is complete my service… follow through. The result is not my concern. I get whatever benefit either way. I am really enjoying the "potential" even now.

Hare Krsna! All glories to Prabhupada!

Can my enemies offer anything more than insults? I wish they'd try! (he was singing)

(Maybe it's my "action" that separates me from so many. A gOOd maybe?)

I'd expect to see NASA privatized in the near future… like hostpitals and military and everything else.

Any aliens out there… "Be ready for democracy!" (Don't they run democracy on people the way they used to run Christianity?)

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(CNN) -- The world's first privately built spacecraft is scheduled to leave Earth on June 21 and -- if successful -- usher in a new era of spaceflight for private enterprise.

Scaled Composites, the company launching SpaceShipOne, said the launch will open a new frontier for human spaceflight.

"Without the entrepreneur approach, space access would continue to be out of reach for ordinary citizens," said Burt Rutan, the aeronautics engineer leading the program, in a written statement. "The SpaceShipOne flights will change all that and encourage others to usher in a new, lost-cost era in space travel."

In the early morning of June 21, the spacecraft and its pilot are to be carried by a jet called the White Knight to an altitude of about 50,000 feet. The craft will then separate from the jet and glide for several seconds before its rocket engines are ignited.

The 80-second burn will propel the craft to Mach 3, three times the speed of sound, and into space. It will cruise for three minutes beyond Earth's atmosphere, approximately 100 km (62 miles) above the ground. The pilot will then perform a maneuver called "feathering" that reconfigures its wings to increase drag and bring it back to Earth.

The vehicle will touch down on the same runway it left about an hour and a half earlier.

The company's decision to launch into space -- and confirm its lead in the $10 million Ansari X Prize competition for civilian spaceflight -- was announced Wednesday. The California-based company said the public will be able to view the takeoff at its projected "spaceport" in the Mojave Desert of California.

SpaceShipOne is not the only spacecraft in the running for the X Prize. More than 20 teams from seven countries have registered to compete for the award. A private foundation will award the prize to the first team that privately finances, builds and launches a spaceship carrying three people into sub-orbital space -- 62.5 miles above Earth. If fewer than three are on the flight, weight equivalent to two other people must be carried. The vehicle must return safely and repeat the launch within two weeks.

Rutan's craft will have only one person on board for the June 21 attempt despite having room for two passengers. Depending on the success of the initial flight, it will compete for the X Prize later in the year.

The financial and visionary force behind the company, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, said the achievements of SpaceShipOne represent more than just a successful test flight.

"This flight is one of the most exciting and challenging activities taking place in aviation and aerospace today," Allen said in a written statement. "Every time SpaceShipOne flies we demonstrate that relatively modest amounts of private funding can significantly increase the boundaries of commercial space technology."

The Scaled Composites team has made 14 successful test flights without a major mishap. The last trial on May 13 achieved a height of 211,400 feet -- approximately 40 miles -- during a 55-second rocket burn. Despite a guidance system malfunction that forced the pilot to navigate the return trajectory by sight, the touchdown went smoothly.

The public will be able to view the latest test flight up close from the Mojave Airport.

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After seeing how these dark lords of Kali behave in obtaining money and putting it with this, I wonder how dark can the world get?

It's racing far too fast. Fact of Life: Things outta' control crash.

The point you just made could be a possible answer to many for soldiers or citizens of said king that we think are impossible… Some of the fantastic numbers we were talking about earlier.

SB 4.7.28

The members of the assembly addressed the Lord: O exclusive shelter for all who are situated in troubled life, in this formidable fort of conditional existence the time element, like a snake, is always looking for an opportunity to strike. This world is full of ditches of so-called distress and happiness, and there are many ferocious animals always ready to attack. The fire of lamentation is always blazing, and the mirage of false happiness is always alluring, but one has no shelter from them. Thus foolish persons live in the cycle of birth and death, always overburdened in discharging their so-called duties, and we do not know when they will accept the shelter of Your lotus feet.

PURPORT

Persons who are not in Krsna consciousness are living a very precarious life, as described in this verse, but all these circumstantial conditions are due to forgetfulness of Krsna. The Krsna consciousness movement is meant to give relief to all these bewildered and distressed persons; therefore it is the greatest relief work for all human society, and the workers thereof are the greatest well-wishers, for they follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, who is the greatest friend to all living entities.

SB 4.6.45

O most auspicious lord, you have ordained the heavenly planets, the spiritual Vaikuntha planets and the impersonal Brahman sphere as the respective destinations of the performers of auspicious activities. Similarly, for others, who are miscreants, you have destined different kinds of hells which are horrible and ghastly. Yet sometimes it is found that their destinations are just the opposite. It is very difficult to ascertain the cause of this.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is called the supreme will. It is by the supreme will that everything is happening. It is said, therefore, that not a blade of grass moves without the supreme will. Generally it is prescribed that performers of pious activities are promoted to the higher planetary systems, devotees are promoted to the Vaikunthas, or spiritual worlds, and impersonal speculators are promoted to the impersonal Brahman effulgence; but it sometimes so happens that a miscreant like Ajamila is immediately promoted to the Vaikunthaloka simply by chanting the name of Narayana. Although when Ajamila uttered this vibration he intended to call his son Narayana, Lord Narayana took it seriously and immediately gave him promotion to Vaikunthaloka, despite his background, which was full of sinful activities. Similarly King Daksa was always engaged in the pious activities of performing sacrifices, yet simply because of creating a little misunderstanding with Lord siva, he was severely taken to task. The conclusion is, therefore, that the supreme will is the ultimate judgment; no one can argue upon this. A pure devotee therefore submits in all circumstances to the supreme will of the Lord, accepting it as all-auspicious.

tat te ’nukampam susamiksamano

bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam

hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te

jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak

(Bhag. 10.14.8)

The purport of this verse is that when a devotee is in a calamitous condition he takes it as a benediction of the Supreme Lord and takes responsibility himself for his past misdeeds. In such a condition, he offers still more devotional service and is not disturbed. One who lives in such a disposition of mind, engaged in devotional service, is the most eligible candidate for promotion to the spiritual world. In other words, such a devotee’s claim for promotion to the spiritual world is assured in all circumstances.

SB 4.6.46

My dear Lord, devotees who have fully dedicated their lives unto your lotus feet certainly observe your presence as Paramatma in each and every being, and as such they do not differentiate between one living being and another. Such persons treat all living entities equally. They never become overwhelmed by anger like animals, who can see nothing without differentiation.

PURPORT

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes angry or kills a demon, materially this may appear unfavorable, but spiritually it is a blissful blessing upon him. Therefore pure devotees do not make any distinction between the Lord’s anger and His blessings. They see both with reference to the Lord’s behavior with others and themselves. A devotee does not find fault with the behavior of the Lord in any circumstances.

SB 4.6.47

Persons who observe everything with differentiation, who are simply attached to fruitive activities, who are mean minded, who are always pained to see the flourishing condition of others and who thus give distress to them by uttering harsh and piercing words have already been killed by providence. Thus there is no need for them to be killed again by an exalted personality like you.

PURPORT

Persons who are materialistic and always engaged in fruitive activities for material profit cannot endure seeing the flourishing life of others. Except for a few persons in Krsna consciousness, the entire world is full of such envious persons, who are perpetually full of anxieties because they are attached to the material body and are without self-realization. Since their hearts are always filled with anxiety, it is understood that they have already been killed by providence. Thus Lord siva, as a self-realized Vaisnava, was advised not to kill Daksa. A Vaisnava is described as para-duhkha-duhkhi because although he is never distressed in any condition of life, he is distressed to see others in a distressed condition. Vaisnavas, therefore, should not try to kill by any action of the body or mind, but should try to revive the Krsna consciousness of others out of compassion for them. The Krsna consciousness movement has been started to deliver the envious persons of the world from the clutches of maya, and even though devotees are sometimes put into trouble, they push on the Krsna consciousness movement in all tolerance. Lord Caitanya advises:

trnad api sunicena

taror api sahisnuna

amanina manadena

kirtaniyah sada harih

[Cc. adi 17.31]

“One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others. ln such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” (siksastaka 3)

A Vaisnava should follow the examples of such Vaisnavas as Haridasa thakura, Nityananda Prabhu and also Lord Jesus Christ. There is no need to kill anyone who has already been killed. But it should be noted herewith that a Vaisnava should not tolerate the blaspheming of Visnu or Vaisnavas, although he should tolerate personal insults to himself.

Prabhupada said they simply squander our money. Here's a fine example of their incompetent cr_p. And I'm not just talking about the waste of money.

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Powell: Terrorism Report a 'Big Mistake'

WASHINGTON (AP) - A State Department report that incorrectly showed a decline last year in terrorism worldwide was a ``big mistake,'' Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday.

He said he was working with the CIA, which helped to compile the data, to determine why the errors got into the report.

``Very embarrassing. I am not a happy camper over this. We were wrong,'' the secretary told NBC's ``Meet the Press.''

Powell said he planned a meeting on the issue Monday and that the intelligence agency was working through the weekend in preparation.

I'm not saying it is responsible until I sit down with all of the individuals who had something to do with this report: CIA, my department, members of my department, other agencies that contributed to it,'' Powell said.

It's a numbers error. It's not a political judgment that said, `Let's see if we can cook the books.' We can't get away with that now. Nobody was out to cook the books. Errors crept in,'' he told ABC's ``This Week.''

He pledged to release a corrected report as quickly as possible.

I am regretful that this has happened. And we're going to get it fixed, we're going to get it corrected, and that's the best I can do,'' Powell said.

A leading House Democrat, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, had challenged the findings, contending they were manipulated for political purposes. The conclusion that terrorism was on the decline was used to boost one of President Bush's chief foreign policy claims, success in countering terror.

Waxman asked Powell for an explanation and the secretary called last week to say the mistakes for unintentional.

He says it wasn't politically motivated so I will accept that,'' Waxman said after their conversation. Still, the lawmaker said, ``We are still left with the fact that this report is useless until it is corrected.''

The April report said attacks had declined last year to 190, down from 198 in 2002 and 346 in 2001. The 2003 figure would have been the lowest level in 34 years and a 45 percent drop since 2001, Bush's first year as president.

The report also showed the virtual disappearance of attacks in which no one died.

There's a new terrorist threat information center that compiles this data under the CIA. And we are still trying to determine what went wrong with the data and why we didn't catch it in the State Department,'' Powell said Sunday.

It's a very big mistake. And we are not happy about this big mistake,'' he added.

The department has said that one of the mistakes was that only part of 2003 was taken into account.

When the annual report was issued April 29, senior administration officials used it as evidence the war was being won under Bush.

We weren't saying terrorism has gone away. The report clearly says terrorism is a main problem facing the world today. We've got to continue going after terrorists,'' Powell said.

But based on the data we had within the report, there was a suggestion that the number of incidents had dropped and it was the lowest since 1969,'' he added. ``That turns out not to have been correct. We were wrong. We will correct it.''

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Sound familiar? The subject may vary but the words are the same. (Probably feel like you get enough of their cr_p here without this).

This may not be it. (I don't have a Vedabase to search).

Yeah, it's not it. But it's closely related.

SB 3.11.1

The material manifestation’s ultimate particle, which is indivisible and not formed into a body, is called the atom. It exists always as an invisible identity, even after the dissolution of all forms. The material body is but a combination of such atoms, but it is misunderstood by the common man.

PURPORT

The atomic description of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is almost the same as the modern science of atomism, and this is further described in the Paramanu-vada of Kanada. In modern science also, the atom is accepted as the ultimate indivisible particle of which the universe is composed. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the full text of all descriptions of knowledge, including the theory of atomism. The atom is the minute subtle form of eternal time.

SB 3.11.2

Atoms are the ultimate state of the manifest universe. When they stay in their own forms without forming different bodies, they are called the unlimited oneness. There are certainly different bodies in physical forms, but the atoms themselves form the complete manifestation.

SB 3.11.3

One can estimate time by measuring the movement of the atomic combination of bodies. Time is the potency of the almighty Personality of Godhead, Hari, who controls all physical movement although He is not visible in the physical world.

SB 3.11.4

Atomic time is measured according to its covering a particular atomic space. That time which covers the unmanifest aggregate of atoms is called the great time.

PURPORT

Time and space are two correlative terms. Time is measured in terms of its covering a certain space of atoms. Standard time is calculated in terms of the movement of the sun. The time covered by the sun in passing over an atom is calculated as atomic time. The greatest time of all covers the entire existence of the nondual manifestation. All the planets rotate and cover space, and space is calculated in terms of atoms. Each planet has its particular orbit for rotating, in which it moves without deviation, and similarly the sun has its orbit. The complete calculation of the time of creation, maintenance and dissolution, measured in terms of the circulation of the total planetary systems until the end of creation, is known as the supreme kala.

SB 3.11.5

The division of gross time is calculated as follows: two atoms make one double atom, and three double atoms make one hexatom. This hexatom is visible in the sunshine which enters through the holes of a window screen. One can clearly see that the hexatom goes up towards the sky.

PURPORT

The atom is described as an invisible particle, but when six such atoms combine together, they are called a trasarenu, and this is visible in the sunshine pouring through the holes of a window screen.

SB 3.11.6

The time duration needed for the integration of three trasarenus is called a truti, and one hundred trutis make one vedha. Three vedhas make one lava.

PURPORT

It is calculated that if a second is divided into 1687.5 parts, each part is the duration of a truti, which is the time occupied in the integration of eighteen atomic particles. Such a combination of atoms into different bodies creates the calculation of material time. The sun is the central point for calculating all different durations.

SB 3.11.7

The duration of time of three lavas is equal to one nimesa, the combination of three nimesas makes one ksana, five ksanas combined together make one kastha, and fifteen kasthas make one laghu.

PURPORT

By calculation it is found that one laghu is equal to two minutes. The atomic calculation of time in terms of Vedic wisdom may be converted into present time with this understanding.

SB 3.11.8

Fifteen laghus make one nadika, which is also called a danda. Two dandas make one muhurta, and six or seven dandas make one fourth of a day or night, according to human calculation.

Not only is the Vedas right about the atom, but Prabhupada gave the famous example of cow dung being pure.

The descriptions of the body and it's workings, reproduction, field of activities, everything…

We accept evidence as proof? Well there's a whole lot of evidence in the Vedic literature. Of coarse, if someone has a pre-disposition and can't get past his own conditioning, then he can't learn the secrets.

Some devotee oughta do a book on Vedic proof.

Sorry, just using you to reply.

Of coarse, there is the description of time beginning with how long it takes for an electron to circle an atom. So the Vedas are not ignorant about electrons either.

Nor is it likely the person who engineered all this matter doesn't know about the periodic elements and so on. The vedas are not trying to give a spiritual science by providing people with enough material rope to hang themself.

People fight over the definitions when the fact that the idea and the atom word is even in the Vedas should be enough.

whatever you call it, there is no seperate existence as suggested by such language.

Atoms make the molecules that make the scientific elements.

So the smallest unit has parts? So what? It's still the smallest unit. An electron means a satellite. Has no meaning without it's orbital motion about the nucleus… sunshine and sun… simultaneous one and different.

And since neither can apparently function without the other… there is no meaning of one without the other. Thus the smallest coherent or meaningful unit is the atom.

The obvious philosophical conclusion of interdependent relationships seems to be built into the evidence of matter itself. Seems to me the distinctions between energy and energetic are also lost on this level. In other words, Krsna is everything.

SB 3.32.39

Lord Kapila continued: This instruction is not meant for the envious, for the agnostics or for persons who are unclean in their behavior. Nor is it for hypocrites or for persons who are proud of material possessions.

SB 3.32.40

It is not to be instructed to persons who are too greedy and too attached to family life, nor to persons who are nondevotees and who are envious of the devotees and of the Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

Persons who are always planning to do harm to other living entities are not eligible to understand Krsna consciousness and cannot enter into the realm of transcendental loving service to the Lord. Also, there are so-called disciples who become submissive to a spiritual master most artificially, with an ulterior motive. They also cannot understand what Krsna consciousness or devotional service is. Persons who, due to being initiated by another sect of religious faith, do not find devotional service as the common platform for approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead, also cannot understand Krsna consciousness. We have experience that some students come to join us, but because of being biased in some particular type of faith, they leave our camp and become lost in the wilderness. Actually, Krsna consciousness is not a sectarian religious faith; it is a teaching process for understanding the Supreme Lord and our relationship with Him. Anyone can join this movement without prejudice, but unfortunately there are persons who feel differently. It is better, therefore, not to instruct the science of Krsna consciousness to such persons.

Generally, materialistic persons are after some name, fame and material gain, so if someone takes to Krsna consciousness for these reasons, he will never be able to understand this philosophy. Such persons take to religious principles as a social decoration. They admit themselves into some cultural institution for the sake of name only, especially in this age. Such persons also cannot understand the philosophy of Krsna consciousness. Even if one is not greedy for material possessions but is too attached to family life, he also cannot understand Krsna consciousness. Superficially, such persons are not very greedy for material possessions, but they are too attached to wife, children and family improvement. When a person is not contaminated by the above-mentioned faults yet at the ultimate issue is not interested in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or if he is a nondevotee, he also cannot understand the philosophy of Krsna consciousness.

SB 3.32.19

Such persons are condemned by the supreme order of the Lord. Because they are averse to the nectar of the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are compared to stool-eating hogs. They give up hearing the transcendental activities of the Lord and indulge in hearing of the abominable activities of materialistic persons.

PURPORT

Everyone is addicted to hearing of the activities of another person, whether a politician or a rich man or an imaginary character whose activities are created in a novel. There are so many nonsensical literatures, stories and books of speculative philosophy. Materialistic persons are very interested in reading such literature, but when they are presented with genuine books of knowledge like Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Visnu Purana or other scriptures of the world, such as the Bible and Koran, they are not interested. These persons are condemned by the supreme order as much as a hog is condemned. The hog is interested in eating stool. If the hog is offered some nice preparation made of condensed milk or ghee, he won’t like it; he would prefer obnoxious, bad-smelling stool, which he finds very relishable. Materialistic persons are considered condemned because they are interested in hellish activities and not in transcendental activities. The message of the Lord’s activities is nectar, and besides that message, any information in which we may be interested is actually hellish.

SB 3.30.4

The living entity, in whatever species of life he appears, finds a particular type of satisfaction in that species, and he is never averse to being situated in such a condition.

PURPORT

The satisfaction of the living entity in a particular type of body, even if it is most abominable, is called illusion. A man in a higher position may feel dissatisfaction with the standard of life of a lower-grade man, but the lower-grade man is satisfied in that position because of the spell of maya, the external energy. Maya has two phases of activities. One is called praksepatmika, and the other is called avaranatmika. avaranatmika means “covering,” and praksepatmika means “pulling down.” In any condition of life, the materialistic person or animal will be satisfied because his knowledge is covered by the influence of maya. In the lower grade or lower species of life, the development of consciousness is so poor that one cannot understand whether he is happy or distressed. This is called avaranatmika. Even a hog, who lives by eating stool, finds himself happy, although a person in a higher mode of life sees that the hog is eating stool. How abominable that life is!

SB 3.29.43

Subject to the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sky allows outer space to accommodate all the various planets, which hold innumerable living entities. The total universal body expands with its seven coverings under His supreme control.

PURPORT

It is understood from this verse that all the planets in outer space are floating, and they all hold living entities. The word svasatam means “those who breathe,” or the living entities. In order to accommodate them, there are innumerable planets. Every planet is a residence for innumerable living entities, and the necessary space is provided in the sky by the supreme order of the Lord. It is also stated here that the total universal body is increasing. It is covered by seven layers, and as there are five elements within the universe, so the total elements, in layers, cover the outside of the universal body. The first layer is of earth, and it is ten times greater in size than the space within the universe; the second layer is water, and that is ten times greater than the earthly layer; the third covering is fire, which is ten times greater than the water covering. In this way each layer is ten times greater than the previous one.

SB 3.29.23

One who offers Me respect but is envious of the bodies of others and is therefore a separatist never attains peace of mind, because of his inimical behavior towards other living entities.

PURPORT

In this verse, two phrases, bhutesu baddha-vairasya (“inimical towards others”) and dvisatah para-kaye (“envious of another’s body”), are significant. One who is envious of or inimical towards others never experiences any happiness. A devotee’s vision, therefore, must be perfect. He should ignore bodily distinctions and should see only the presence of the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and the Lord Himself in His plenary expansion as Supersoul. That is the vision of a pure devotee. The bodily expression of a particular type of living entity is always ignored by the devotee.

It is expressed herein that the Lord is always eager to deliver the conditioned souls, who have been encaged within material bodies. Devotees are expected to carry the message or desire of the Lord to such conditioned souls and enlighten them with Krsna consciousness. Thus they may be elevated to transcendental, spiritual life, and the mission of their lives will be successful. Of course this is not possible for living entities who are lower than human beings, but in human society it is feasible that all living entities can be enlightened with Krsna consciousness. Even living entities who are lower than human can be raised to Krsna consciousness by other methods. For example, sivananda Sena, a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, delivered a dog by feeding him prasada. Distribution of prasada, or remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Lord, even to the ignorant masses of people and to animals, gives such living entities the chance for elevation to Krsna consciousness. Factually it happened that the same dog, when met by Lord Caitanya at Puri, was liberated from the material condition.

It is especially mentioned here that a devotee must be free from all violence (jivahimsa). Lord Caitanya has recommended that a devotee not commit violence to any living entity. Sometimes the question is raised that since vegetables also have life and devotees take vegetable foodstuffs, isn’t that violence? Firstly, however, taking some leaves, twigs or fruit from a tree or plant does not kill the plant. Besides that, jivahimsa means that since every living entity has to pass through a particular type of body according to his past karma, although every living entity is eternal, he should not be disturbed in his gradual evolution. A devotee has to execute the principles of devotional service exactly as they are, and he must know that however insignificant a living entity may be, the Lord is present within him. A devotee must realize this universal presence of the Lord.

SB 3.29.18

A devotee should always try to hear about spiritual matters and should always utilize his time in chanting the holy name of the Lord. His behavior should always be straightforward and simple, and although he is not envious but friendly to everyone, he should avoid the company of persons who are not spiritually advanced.

PURPORT

In order to advance in spiritual understanding, one has to hear from authentic sources about spiritual knowledge. One can understand the reality of spiritual life by following strict regulative principles and by controlling the senses. To have control it is necessary that one be nonviolent and truthful, refrain from stealing, abstain from sex life and possess only that which is absolutely necessary for keeping the body and soul together. One should not eat more than necessary, he should not collect more paraphernalia than necessary, he should not talk unnecessarily with common men, and he should not follow the rules and regulations without purpose. He should follow the rules and regulations so that he may actually make advancement.

There are eighteen qualifications mentioned in Bhagavad-gita, among which is simplicity. One should be without pride; one should not demand unnecessary respect from others, and one should be nonviolent. Amanitvam adambhitvam ahimsa. One should be very tolerant and simple, one should accept the spiritual master, and one should control the senses. These are mentioned here and in Bhagavad-gita as well. One should hear from authentic sources how to advance in spiritual life; such instructions should be taken from the acarya and should be assimilated.

It is especially mentioned here, nama-sankirtanac ca: one should chant the holy names of the Lord—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—either individually or with others. Lord Caitanya has given special stress to chanting of these holy names of the Lord as the basic principle of spiritual advancement. Another word used here is arjavena, meaning “without diplomacy.” A devotee should not make plans out of self-interest. Of course, preachers sometimes have to make some plan to execute the mission of the Lord under proper guidance, but regarding personal self-interest, a devotee should always be without diplomacy, and he should avoid the company of persons who are not advancing in spiritual life. Another word is arya. aryans are persons who are advancing in knowledge of Krsna consciousness as well as in material prosperity. The difference between the aryan and non-aryan, the sura and asura, is in their standards of spiritual advancement. Association with persons who are not spiritually advanced is forbidden. Lord Caitanya advised, asat-sanga-tyaga: one should avoid persons who are attached to the temporary. Asat is one who is too materially attached, who is not a devotee of the Lord and who is too attached to women or enjoyable material things. Such a person, according to Vaisnava philosophy, is a persona non grata.

A devotee should not be proud of his acquisitions. The symptoms of a devotee are meekness and humility. Although spiritually very advanced, he will always remain meek and humble, as Kaviraja Gosvami and all the other Vaisnavas have taught us by personal example. Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught that one should be humbler than the grass on the street and more tolerant than the tree. One should not be proud or falsely puffed up. In this way one will surely advance in spiritual life.

SB 3.27.6

One has to become faithful by practicing the controlling process of the yoga system and must elevate himself to the platform of unalloyed devotional service by chanting and hearing about Me.

PURPORT

Yoga is practiced in eight different stages: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. Yama and niyama mean practicing the controlling process by following strict regulations, and asana refers to the sitting postures. These help raise one to the standard of faithfulness in devotional service. The practice of yoga by physical exercise is not the ultimate goal; the real end is to concentrate and to control the mind and train oneself to be situated in faithful devotional service.

Bhavena, or bhava, is a very important factor in the practice of yoga or in any spiritual process. Bhava is explained in Bhagavad-gita (10.8). Budha bhava-samanvitah: one should be absorbed in the thought of love of Krsna. When one knows that Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the source of everything and that everything emanates from Him (aham sarvasya prabhavah), then one understands the Vedanta aphorism janmady asya yatah [sB 1.1.1] (“the original source of everything”), and then he can become absorbed in bhava, or the preliminary stage of love of Godhead.

Rupa Gosvami explains very nicely in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu how this bhava, or preliminary stage of love of God, is achieved. He states that one first of all has to become faithful (sraddhayanvitah). Faith is attained by controlling the senses, either by yoga practice, following the rules and regulations and practicing the sitting postures, or by engaging directly in bhakti-yoga, as recommended in the previous verse. Of the nine different items of bhakti-yoga, the first and foremost is to chant and hear about the Lord. That is also mentioned here. Mat-katha-sravanena ca. One may come to the standard of faithfulness by following the rules and regulations of the yoga system, and the same goal can be achieved simply by chanting and hearing about the transcendental activities of the Lord. The word ca is significant. Bhakti-yoga is direct, and the other process is indirect. But even if the indirect process is taken, there is no success unless one comes fully to the direct process of hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord. Therefore the word satyena is used here. In this connection Svami sridhara comments that satyena means niskapatena, “without duplicity.” The impersonalists are full of duplicity. Sometimes they pretend to execute devotional service, but their ultimate idea is to become one with the Supreme. This is duplicity, kapata. The Bhagavatam does not allow this duplicity. In the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is clearly stated, paramo nirmatsaranam: “This treatise Srimad-Bhagavatam is meant for those who are completely free from envy.” The same point is again stressed here. Unless one is completely faithful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engages himself in the process of hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, there is no possibility for liberation.

SB 3.25.39–40

Thus the devotee who worships Me, the all-pervading Lord of the universe, in unflinching devotional service, gives up all aspirations to be promoted to heavenly planets or to become happy in this world with wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body. I take him to the other side of birth and death.

PURPORT

Unflinching devotional service, as described in these two verses, means engaging oneself in full Krsna consciousness, or devotional service, accepting the Supreme Lord as all in all. Since the Supreme Lord is all-inclusive, if anyone worships Him with unflinching faith, he has automatically achieved all other opulences and performed all other duties. The Lord promises herein that He takes His devotee to the other side of birth and death. Lord Caitanya, therefore, recommended that one who aspires to go beyond birth and death should have no material possessions. This means that one should not try to be happy in this world or to be promoted to the heavenly world, nor should he try for material wealth, children, houses or cattle.

How liberation is imperceptibly achieved by a pure devotee and what the symptoms are have been explained. For the conditioned soul there are two statuses of living. One status is in this present life, and the other is our preparation for the next life. If I am in the mode of goodness then I may be preparing for promotion to the higher planets, if I am in the mode of passion then I shall remain here in a society where activity is very prominent, and if I am in the mode of ignorance I may be degraded to animal life or a lower grade of human life. But for a devotee there is no concern for this life or the next life because in any life he does not desire elevation in material prosperity or a high-grade or low-grade life. He prays to the Lord, “My dear Lord, it does not matter where I am born, but let me be born, even as an ant, in the house of a devotee.” A pure devotee does not pray to the Lord for liberation from this material bondage. Actually, the pure devotee never thinks that he is fit for liberation. Considering his past life and his mischievous activities, he thinks that he is fit to be sent to the lowest region of hell. If in this life I am trying to become a devotee, this does not mean that in my many past lives I was one-hundred-percent pious. That is not possible. A devotee, therefore, is always conscious of his real position. Only by his full surrender to the Lord, by the Lord’s grace, are his sufferings made shorter. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, “Surrender unto Me, and I will give you protection from all kinds of sinful reaction.” That is His mercy. But this does not mean that one who has surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord has committed no misdeeds in his past life. A devotee always prays, “For my misdeeds, may I be born again and again, but my only prayer is that I may not forget Your service.” The devotee has that much mental strength, and he prays to the Lord: “May I be born again and again, but let me be born in the home of Your pure devotee so that I may again get a chance to develop myself.”

A pure devotee is not anxious to elevate himself in his next birth. He has already given up that sort of hope. In any life in which one is born, as a householder, or even as an animal, one must have some children, some resources or some possessions, but a devotee is not anxious to possess anything. He is satisfied with whatever is obtainable by God’s grace. He is not at all attached to improving his social status or improving the status of education of his children. He is not neglectful—he is dutiful—but he does not spend too much time on the upliftment of temporary household or social life. He fully engages in the service of the Lord, and for other affairs he simply spares as much time as absolutely necessary (yatharham upayunjatah). Such a pure devotee does not care for what is going to happen in the next life or in this life; he does not care even for family, children or society. He fully engages in the service of the Lord in Krsna consciousness. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that without the knowledge of the devotee, the Lord arranges for His devotee to be immediately transferred to His transcendental abode just after leaving his body. After quitting his body he does not go into the womb of another mother. The ordinary common living entity, after death, is transferred to the womb of another mother, according to his karma, or activities, to take another type of body. But as far as the devotee is concerned, he is at once transferred to the spiritual world in the association of the Lord. That is the Lord’s special mercy. How it is possible is explained in the following verses. Because He is all-powerful, the Lord can do anything and everything. He can excuse all sinful reactions. He can immediately transfer a person to Vaikunthaloka. That is the inconceivable power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is favorably disposed to the pure devotees.

SB 3.25.26

Thus consciously engaged in devotional service in the association of devotees, a person gains distaste for sense gratification, both in this world and in the next, by constantly thinking about the activities of the Lord. This process of Krsna consciousness is the easiest process of mystic power; when one is actually situated on that path of devotional service, he is able to control the mind.

PURPORT

In all scriptures people are encouraged to act in a pious way so that they can enjoy sense gratification not only in this life but also in the next. For example, one is promised promotion to the heavenly kingdom of higher planets by pious fruitive activities. But a devotee in the association of devotees prefers to contemplate the activities of the Lord—how He has created this universe, how He is maintaining it, how the creation dissolves, and how in the spiritual kingdom the Lord’s pastimes are going on. There are full literatures describing these activities of the Lord, especially Bhagavad-gita, Brahma-samhita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. The sincere devotee who associates with devotees gets the opportunity to hear and contemplate this subject of the pastimes of the Lord, and the result is that he feels distaste for so-called happiness in this or that world, in heaven or on other planets. The devotees are simply interested in being transferred to the personal association of the Lord; they have no more attraction for temporary so-called happiness. That is the position of one who is yoga-yukta. One who is fixed in mystic power is not disturbed by the allurement of this world or that world; he is interested in the matters of spiritual understanding or the spiritual situation. This sublime situation is very easily attained by the easiest process, bhakti-yoga. rjubhir yoga-margaih. A very suitable word used here is rjubhih, or “very easy.” There are different processes of yoga-marga, attaining yoga perfection, but this process, devotional service to the Lord, is the easiest. Not only is it the easiest process, but the result is sublime. Everyone, therefore, should try to take this process of Krsna consciousness and reach the highest perfection of life.

Of coarse, devotees don't feel they have to prove God to others for their own sake, but for Krsna's sake.

Prabhupada's body did not go rigomortus (not spelled right). And if there's no exceptions but his that modern science knows of, well that evidence is as empirically strong as any that God exists - since Prabhupada was a pure devotee.

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Maybe my successful website will be proof. (At least it should expose everybody - simply by telling the truth /images/graemlins/smile.gif. That's an indirect proof.

The concept of a knowledge base for the people in general is awesome. But not just a knowledge base, but the best wisdom and knowledge… strong enough to easily deal with the problems of science, business and politics. But the ability of Krsna to relate through these monitors on His own terms - as arranged by Prabhupada - is Inconceivably wonderful.

The fact that I only really get it (short of hitting the road) makes me uniquely different - and outta time. But I do enjoy it.

SB 3.5.14

O sage, persons who because of their sinful activities are averse to the topics of Transcendence and thus ignorant of the purpose of the Mahabharata [bhagavad-gita] are pitied by the pitiable. I also pity them because I see how their duration of life is spoiled by eternal time while they involve themselves in presentations of philosophical speculation, theoretical ultimate goals of life, and different modes of ritual.

PURPORT

According to the modes of material nature, there are three kinds of relationships between human beings and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those who are in the modes of ignorance and passion are averse to the existence of God, or else they formally accept the existence of God in the capacity of an order supplier. Above them are those who are in the mode of goodness. This second class of men believe the Supreme Brahman to be impersonal. They accept the cult of bhakti, in which hearing of krsna-katha is the first item, as a means and not the end. Above them are those who are pure devotees. They are situated in the transcendental stage above the mode of material goodness. Such persons are decidedly convinced that the name, form, fame, qualities, etc., of the Personality of Godhead are nondifferent from one another on the absolute plane. For them, hearing of the topics of Krsna is equal to meeting with Him face to face. According to this class of men, who are situated in pure devotional service to the Lord, the highest goal of human life is purusartha, devotional service to the Lord, the real mission of life. The impersonalists, because they engage in mental speculation and have no faith in the Personality of Godhead, have no business hearing the topics of Krsna. Such persons are pitiable for the first-class pure devotees of the Lord. The pitiable impersonalists pity those who are influenced by the modes of ignorance and passion, but the pure devotees of the Lord take pity on them both because both waste their most valuable time in the human form of life in false pursuits, sense enjoyment and mental speculative presentations of different theories and goals of life.