Dervish

Aimless, When you say you want proof, what kind of proof do you want? Scientific proof? http://www.vnn.org/world/WD0210/WD07-7592.html Is this what you're talking about? Sita Ram!

There are so many examples in the mass media. One of the most popular movies in recent times was Star Wars. I always thought Star Wars had a vedic element, too. Like Jedi being fighting brahmanas.

"I hear Hare Krishna people subject other religions like Chritianity and Islam to historical scrutiny all the time, but they don't seem to want to subject the vedas to the same scrutiny, but how do we know it isn't all just made up?" While it's possible that some devotees may question some things about Christinity and Islam, I doubt there are any devotees who would say that both are simply made up faiths with no potential of spirituality. Many, including some acharyas, have accepted Jesus as an avatar of God, and Srila Haridas Thakur has said the chanting of Allah and Vishnu is the same.

Approximate Distance: 120 km Estimated Time of Arrival: 3 hours (can change depending on automobile and traffic conditions) A couple of years back, you could get a cab to take you there for 1500-2000 rupees, though I'm not sure now. You may be better off taking a train from Dehli to Mathura, then taking auto rickshaw to Vrindavan. I'll see if I can find one map for you ... OK, I realize this may be too simple ( I believe the long road is called "Delhi Road"), but once you're out of Delhi, there are pretty much no turns or other roads until you reach Mathura. One thing though prabhu when you cross the Haryana - Uttar Pradesh Border, there is a checkpoint of some kind, and the driver must have some certificate to pass, otherwise they have to wait in a long line and pay.

Even though this happened over a week ago, the people there are still in my thoughts, since so many became homeless and lost their family. One question about the devotees there, though. Does anyone know if it is OK to wear Tulasi around your neck, or will the secret police know what that is and arrest you?

I just browsed it today, very beautiful website!

I find it rather sad that a seemingly innocuous query about Srila BV Puri Maharaj (on his Vyas Puja, no less) was perhaps a coy, furtive attempt at trolling for yet another ISKCON/Ritvik/Scions of ISKCON vs. Gaudiya Math mega-debate. It is repugnant that such an opening was utilized to become controversial, the instigators seize a sanctimonious air of righteous indignation and blame everything, from the Bon Maharaj conflict of the 1960's to relatively recent internet flame-wars perpetuated by so-called representitives of various Gaudiya missions, on somebody asking a question about Srila Puri Maharaj, and Yasodanandana prabhu's response to a question overtly challenging the validity of believing in Srila Puri Maharaj as a bone-fide diksha guru. There was a time 26-38 years ago, when Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad came to the people of the west, and so many were very mercifully given his direction association, his direct service, and an eternal spiritual connection through diksha, and eternal samskaras through his siksa. In the meantime, there were a few disciples who were new, or had some poor aptitude to the student guru relationship, and perhaps "I found a really neat guru down the street, and I want to go hear from him. What do you think, swamiji?" was actually uttered a few times, and not just literary hyperbole. All disciples were to stay with Srila Prabhupad, and rightfully so. With Srila Prabhupad to guide them directly in these beautiful, merciful years, who or what else did they need? And just as Srila Prabhupad had said in some letters, there might have been some godbrothers who had no qualification to give siksa or diksa, but had capacity to do damage to Prabhupad's worldwide preaching efforts. And there might have been qualified souls as well, but for the sake of simplicity and easy understanding of all the newcomers to Krsna consciousness, it was presented in a simple manner. "Hear from me only" (approximation). Years later, it was the zonals acharyas who ultimately did the most damage to Srila Prabhupad's movement, and made the world, especially the US, see it as a scandalous cult. The more extreme ritviks who had the fortune of having association of Srila Prabhupad while he was on the planet, who expect everyone else to see Srila Prabhupad from their eyes don't improve this dark situation. Some of us were too young to have ever taken face to face initiation with Srila Prabhupad (or perhaps some of us found Krishna conciousness at an older age!). We should not be chewed out for taking shelter of one of Prabhupad’s godbrothers, or even one of the disciples of his godbrothers (god-nephews?). What is sad is that we are subject to the shameless proselytizers who are hawking their version of how things went between their group and Srila Prabhupad. I may be seen as a young, and impressionable person who can get sucked into a group, so borrowing a phrase from the previous poster, “So, if proper context is derived from these statements, this is the scenario.” I have been pressured either to accept the so-called Prabhupad Ritvik order of July 9 th 1977, heed the conversation between Narayan Maharaj and Prabhupad where “see to them” = take Diksha shelter of Narayan Maharaj, or to read a plethora of letters by Prabhupad written during the prime of ISKCON where his disciples were to avoid his godbrothers, and accept that as canon governing our modern scenario. If I accept one of those 3 over the other, I have older men from 2 other groups telling me how misguided I am, and how saddened Srila Prabhupad would be. If I choose none of the above, then even worse, all 3 and maybe even more want a piece of the action. But I want nothing of it. Let me finally make it clear that I am certainly not upset when I hear some people like one institution, like one acharya etc, but don't feel inspired by the other. To let this intolerance get thrown around is the complete antithesis to the compassion and open-minded tolerance that Sanatana Dharma is universally known for. You will never convince me that your ISKCON/Ritvik/Scions of ISKCON mission is so righteous and pure that I would abandon my Gaudiya Math guru, and I in turn will never convince you that my Gaudiya Math guru is superior to your ISKCON/Ritvik/Scions of ISKCON guru or institution. I accept that, and I hope you all do too. The pasting of quotes below is definetely not an attempt to say I'm right and you're wrong, but the variation in instruction by Srila Prabhupad shows you cannot merely oversimplify, and call every single Gaudiya Vaishnava besides Srila Prabhupad "a really neat guru down the street" that would make Srila Prabhupad "saddened" if we hear from them. "In keeping with the spirit of the previous acarya's vision of Gaudiya-Madhva sampradaya, to cement relations with all the sister temples of Gaudiya-Madhva sampradaya under one banner, to solidify preaching the message of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as desired by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada and Srila Thakura Bhaktivinoda and all the previous acaryas in this line." (Room Conversation, Vrindaban, October 29, 1977 "Even amongst our God-brothers we have misunderstanding but none of us is astray from the service of Krishna. My Guru Maharaja ordered us to execute his mission combinedly. Unfortunately we are now separated. But none of us have stopped preaching Krishna Consciousness. Even if there was misunderstanding amongst the God-brothers of my Guru Maharaja none of them deviated from the transcendental loving service of Krishna. The idea is that provocation and misunderstanding may remain between one man and another. But our staunch faith in Krishna Consciousness may not allow any material disruption. Please therefore try to be sympathetic with any person even if they differ. The only qualification we have to scrutinize is if one is acting in Krishna Consciousness as far as one is able to do it. This personal grudge is not inhuman and as I have told many times, that individualism is the cause of personal misunderstanding. When such individualism is employed in the center of Krishna there is no harm even if there is personal misunderstanding. Personal misunderstanding exists even in the higher levels. There is competition of loving Krishna even in the party of Srimati Radharani." Letter to: Brahmananda : 67-11-18 Calcutta "Among Vaisnavas there may be some difference of opinion due to everyone's personal identity, but despite all personal differences, the cult of Krsna consciousness must go on. We can see that under the instructions of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja began preaching the Krsna consciousness movement in an organized way within the past hundred years. The disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja are all Godbrothers, and although there are some differences of opinion, and although we are not acting conjointly, every one of us is spreading this Krsna consciousness movement according to his own capacity and producing many disciples to spread it all over the world." Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4: Chapter Twenty-eight, Text 31

Srila Prabhupad