Dervish

New Spain prime minister may pull troops out of Iraq Promising a fight against terrorism at home, Spain's prime minister elect says that if the United Nations does not take over control of Iraq, he will pull 1,300 Spanish troops out of Iraq in June. "I think Spain's participation in the war has been a total error," Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told a news conference today.

I wish to express my condolences to all of the swami's disciples, as well as all his godbrothers who mourn him.

That's great news!

seems to me that these tapes and magazines should be in a temple museum rather than being sold to the highest bidder on ebay!!! "These belong in a museum!" Seriously, they do! We don't even know who bought them and what they intend to do with them.

He left his body years ago. Those belonged to Hayagriva das??? Who owns them now, and why are they being sold on ebay?

Can I be a siksa Guru? I want to be a siksa guru, too! How much does it cost? /sarcasm I've spoken to some members of a very large group of Hare Krishnas, and I have heard some young people say on more than one occasion, "I want to be a guru when I grow up". One needs to find a pure mahabhagavat Vaishnav, surrender to them, and dedicate your spiritual life to their service, and these thoughts of wanting to be a guru of some kind should go away with this sincere dedication to seva. In the process you will be serving Hari Guru Vaishnava, and along the way you will be an inspiration to all you come into contact with. But if you have any motivation whatsoever for pratishta, this can spell trouble.

I believe Srila Govinda Maharaj has one disciple or one center in Turkey. I hope all devotees in Turkey will be alright.

Haribol! Srila Prabhupad has referred to the potency of Sri Guru; diksa guru, caitya guru, siksa guru, vartma-pradarsaka-guru, etc. I understand vartma-pradarsaka-guru as the one who introduced you to Krsna consciousness. For many of us, this person would be a devotee doing various forms of preaching on the street (a sankirtan participant, book seller, etc.) or possibly someone at a sunday feast. What happens if the vartma-pradarsaka-guru is no longer serious about Krsna consciousness, or simply never was? I don't want to be quick to criticize so-called "falldowns" (some of which are temporary, and shouldn't even be referred to), but am curious about vartma-pradarsaka-guru. If the vartma-pradarsaka-guru is not Mahabhagavat, is s/he acting as an instrument of the chaitya guru? Thank you!

One time I was on a train to Bombay, and these Indian fundamentalist Christians saw me chanting japa and they asked me if I was from America and I said yes (I know, bad decision, next time I go, I'll say I'm from New Zealand or something) then they asked me why I would reject "the most merciful lord Jesus Christ"? I can't remember my exact words (I was still fired up from being with devotees), but I said something like how can you reject the spiritual heritage of mother bharata by accepting animal slaughter and religions spread by imperialists? Then they started to cry and told me they wanted to come to America with me. Then when the train porter guy didn't have any vegetable biryani for sale, one of the men looked for some acceptable food for me at one of the train stations. The End!

I don't know you all that well, but I'm happy you're back /images/graemlins/smile.gif /images/graemlins/smile.gif /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I pray that no devotee in Spain was hurt by this terrorist act. Every group that wants to be treated with respect or given some level of independence needs to read a book about Gandhi, even watch the Ben Kingsley movie. I don't understand people sometimes.

I can sort of emphathize with that devotee. The very first time I met devotees, they were really not so serious. Then gradually the quality of my sanga went higher and higher. The important thing to do is to never give up, and realize that sometimes you can have strange association, but you can just go to another temple, another city, another country, another continent. But it's also important not to have this attitude "Oh I have had so much bad association, it's amazing I'm still around" Remember the post made by a devotee 1-2 months ago from the south who was excited about going to a temple for the first time miles away? I wonder .... /images/graemlins/frown.gif http://www.audarya-fellowship.com/showflat/cat/hinduism/69786/8/collapsed/5/o/1 Who here thinks CounterGopi is "Don't Bother"? Maybe I'm being very presumptuous, and I apologize if I offended anybody, but the moment I read this post, the above thread whose link i posted above immediately came to mind.

It's all a simple matter of choosing your association very very carefully. Being alone is better than having irritating sanga that will repel you from Krsna.

Actually, I think Jesus is of an olive complexion, not black, not even brown. Still he would be of color, yes.

Is it the one that begins with "Namaste Narasinghaya"? Tell me what it starts with and I'll find it for you. I have a small book of Nrsimhadev bhajans.

You mean mediate? Settle differences between two parties? Tough matters ...

Your statement comes in several expansions. You could say Yudhistira was gambling, Pandu was hunting, Pandu had 2 wives, some of the Pandavas had multiple wives, Draupadi had multiple husbands, Shiva, the greatest of the Vaisnavas, smoked ganja amd drank poison, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, a nitya siddha, ate meat. These are the pastimes. In several Vaishnava lilas you may find something to question or to say these actions are fine for everybody to practice. They are pastimes not meant for imitation.

Maybe this should go into "health and well-being"

India seems to have a fascination with soda. I could never find just plan CO2 water. All I wanted was something that could refresh, not something that would put me on mosquito radar.

"Get me an advance copy of Hrsikesh the movie!" ---- "This movie begins in 1947 with Hrisikesh as an 80 year old sadhu getting shot during partition riots and then reborn in America as Richard Shaw-Brown." Whooooaaaa ... So does anyone think that any movie based on the Hare Krishna movement could succeed and be non-offensive? I would hope so. It seems that this film is trying to do too much, between making a vietnam statement ("It is an anti-war movie!") and being spiritual. Forrest Gump meets Gandhi, meets true spirituality might sound like a great ideal, but from what I know about all this, not so sure it will work. Between rumors of this film, big budget Ramayana, big budget Mahabharata, and quality Krishna cartoons, there seems to be much excitement, but no confirmation of any substance thus far /images/graemlins/frown.gif

I don't see why Pat Robertson doesn't like Muslims.

"USS Krishna (ARL-38) was sold to the Philippines and renamed Narra (AR-38)" What were they thinking?!?!?!?! Some Filipino devotees should get together have it re-renamed, or better yet, the US Navy should make a new and better ship and give her the same name http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/1938.htm USS KRISHNA (ARL-38) was built by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Works of Seneca, Illinois and launched on 25 May 1945. She was commissioned as LST-1149 on 3 December 1945 and was soon converted to an ARL without having seen service as an LST. The deckhouse was extended forward for additional workshops, machinery spaces and storerooms. A sixty ton derrick and ten and twenty five ton booms were added on the main deck. The tank deck contained the various machinery and shops necessary to carry out assigned tasks. The ship's name is taken from the Hindu God; Krishna, an epic hero charioteer and object of devotional worship. He is generally depicted as an adolescent playing a flute and sporting with milkmaids. The letter designation, ARL, means Auxiliary Repair, Landing Craft.

An Uttama Adhikari can change the world, and make many sincere followers, but failure of a person to become attracted to Krishna OR the failure of an initiated disciple to follow through and become pure devotees cannot be blamed on the Maha-bhagavat. We do possess a will of our own, otherwise we would not be in the material world. One has to have sufficient sukriti to become a devotee, and even then, the path can fall short if aparadha is committed, or if the devotee simply becomes very lazy.

Uttama Adhikaris also assume madhyama characteristics simply to serve as an example to aspiring kanisthas who need to be trained in vaidhi bhakti. -- Check out this purport by Srila Prabhupada Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya Lila 16.74 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that if an observer immediately remembers the holy name of Krsna upon seeing a Vaisnava, that Vaisnava should be considered a maha-bhagavata, a first-class devotee. Such a Vaisnava is always aware of his Krsna conscious duty, and he is enlightened in self-realization. He is always in love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and this love is without adulteration. Because of this love, he is always awake to transcendental realization. Because he knows that Krsna consciousness is the basis of knowledge and action, he sees everything connected with Krsna. Such a person is able to chant the holy name of Krsna perfectly. Such a maha-bhagavata Vaisnava has the transcendental eyes to see who is sleeping under the spell of maya, and he engages himself in awakening sleeping conditioned beings by spreading the knowledge of Krsna consciousness. He opens eyes that are closed by forgetfulness of Krsna. Thus the living entity is liberated from the dullness of material energy and is engaged fully in the service of the Lord. The madhyama-adhikari Vaisnava can awaken others to Krsna consciousness and engage them in duties whereby they can advance. It is therefore said in Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila, Chapter Six, verse 279): lohake yavat sparsi' hema nahi kare tavat sparsa-mani keha cinite na pare "One cannot understand the value of touchstone until it turns iron into gold." One should judge by action, not by promises. A MAHA-BHAGAVATA CAN TURN A LIVING ENTITY FROM ABOMINABLE MATERIAL LIFE TO THE LORD'S SERVICE. THIS IS THE TEST OF A MAHA-BHAGAVATA. Although preaching is not meant for a maha-bhagavata, a maha-bhagavata can descend to the platform of madhyama-bhagavata just to convert others to Vaisnavism. ACTUALLY A MAHA-BHAGAVATA IS FIT TO SPREAD KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS, but he does not distinguish where Krsna consciousness should be spread from where it should not. He thinks that everyone is competent to accept Krsna consciousness if the chance is provided. A neophyte and intermediate devotee should always be anxious to hear the maha-bhagavata and serve him in every respect. The neophyte and intermediate devotees can gradually rise to the platform of uttama-adhikari and become first-class devotees. Symptoms of a first-class devotee are given in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.45): sarva-bhutesu yah pasyed bhagavad-bhavam atmanah bhutani bhagavaty atmany esa bhagavatottamah When teaching Sanatana Gosvami, the Lord further said: sastra-yuktye sunipuna, drdha-sraddha yanra 'UTTAMA-ADHIKARI' SE TARAYE SAMSARA "If one is expert in Vedic literature and has full faith in the Supreme Lord, then he is AN UTTAMA-ADHIKARI, A FIRST-CLASS VAISNAVA, A TOPMOST VAISNAVA WHO CAN DELIVER THE WHOLE WORLD AND TURN EVERYONE TO KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS." (Cc. Madhya 22.65) With great love and affection, the maha-bhagavata observes the Supreme Personality of Godhead, devotional service and the devotee. He observes nothing beyond Krsna, Krsnaconsciousness and Krsna's devotees. The maha-bhagavata knows that everyone is engaged in the Lord's service in different ways. He therefore descends to the middle platform to elevate everyone to the Krsna conscious position.

That guest was me, forgot to log in