Gauracandra

Just wanted to say I like your personal web page. Nice pictures. That Aranya Maharaj also leads some very nice kirtans. Haribol. Gauracandra

Yeah thats exactly when it happens worst. I sit outside during lunch and get some sun, then walk back inside directly under the air conditioner. Thanks for the tips. Gauracandra

Here is a simple question: What do we mean by "in the end"? Aren't Radha & Krsna's loving pastimes going on eternally, or do they start at one point, and end at another. Would this suggest that Radha & Krsna no longer have the loving affairs they once did? Or are you suggesting simply a multitude of levels of pastimes, one of which is the marriage of Radha and Krsna? Gauracandra

Thank you very much for posting this site. Its very nice to see and hear of the preaching activities of this pure devotee. Hare Krsna Gauracandra

Thank you very much for posting this site. Its very nice to see and hear of the preaching activities of this pure devotee. Hare Krsna Gauracandra

Hey Ananga, Interesting point about Satine=Sati. I did not pick up on that at all, but now that you mention it, it does fit in with the whole Indian play in the movie. Maybe I'll have to see it again to pick up on other points. Gauracandra

A few weeks back I was having some problems breathing well at work. I still have it but its not real strong lately. I was trying to figure out why it might be happening when I felt a cold burst of air from above. I sit directly under a ventilation shaft. Since summer is just starting I figured they have been turning on the air conditioning more. Does any one have opinions on air conditioning and if it is harmful to ones health? I can easily see the ducts getting filled with dust, mold, moisture etc... and then spreading it around the office. Just curious. Gauracandra

I don't want to interupt the flow of this posting, but just wanted to mention something that popped into my head when you said "Did Krsna marry the gopis?" Immediately I remembered seeing how the Manipuris dress up their deities of Radha Krsna. Radha often wears a white veil covering her face and it looks like she is Krsna's bride. Its very cute For some reason I always like looking at Manipuri deities, costuming etc... They seem so nice and colorful. Anyways, hope I didn't throw your topic flow off too much. Gauracandra

The following is something someone gave me at work. Its NOT a joke. It comes from a women's magazine from 1955. I suspect after reading this most men will be crying, and the women will be giving each other high fives Now personally I didn't see anything controversial here Gauracandra

I was standing in the grocery line and saw the front cover of Time (I think) with a headline about "Stem cell wars". Essentially the controversy is over whether to use stem cells from embryos to help find cures for diseases. So the perennial question that is always asked in these types of controversies is "When does life begin?" To me I don't think there is any argument that life begins at conception. But is this a separate question of when does the soul enter the body? I swear I have read somewhere or heard somewhere that the Vedic scriptures declare that the soul enters the human form like 4-8 weeks after conception, like when the fetus is the size of a thumb. I can't remember where I read this. Can anyone confirm this? and give any insight into the process the soul goes through in entering a body. And if the soul enters the body at this stage would that change anyone's opinion on using stem cells from embryos for research. If there is no soul in the embryos, though it is potential life. Its a very delicate question. I wasn't sure whether to put this in the Spiritual forum or the World Review forum, but figured this had more to do with ethics and spirituality. Any comments? Gauracandra

I was standing in the grocery line and saw the front cover of Time (I think) with a headline about "Stem cell wars". Essentially the controversy is over whether to use stem cells from embryos to help find cures for diseases. So the perennial question that is always asked in these types of controversies is "When does life begin?" To me I don't think there is any argument that life begins at conception. But is this a separate question of when does the soul enter the body? I swear I have read somewhere or heard somewhere that the Vedic scriptures declare that the soul enters the human form like 4-8 weeks after conception, like when the fetus is the size of a thumb. I can't remember where I read this. Can anyone confirm this? and give any insight into the process the soul goes through in entering a body. And if the soul enters the body at this stage would that change anyone's opinion on using stem cells from embryos for research. If there is no soul in the embryos, though it is potential life. Its a very delicate question. I wasn't sure whether to put this in the Spiritual forum or the World Review forum, but figured this had more to do with ethics and spirituality. Any comments? Gauracandra

Yeah and I also saw a person named Krishnananda dasa bite into a big juicy hamburger at McDonalds. Just because I say it over the internet means nothing. You want to spread rumors and smear the Los Angeles community, take it somewhere else. I've seen enough of your type on the internet. Always attracted to the stool. Like little old biddies sitting around gossiping with the fellow housewives. Gauracandra

Wrongo... I have visited New Dwarka and know the community well. What I suspect instead is that you'd rather use the internet for your own vendetta to spread rumors against others, rather than contribute in a positive fashion to these forums. The internet allows any person to spread lies and gossip about others. Unfortunately, those around the world reading these forums may not be in a position to know the untruth of your statements. I on the other hand know it to be false. Gauracandra

I don't believe you for one second Krishnananda. You are just trying to spread rumors. Grow up. Gauracandra

Actually you are right. I was thinking purely on the relative sinfulness and not thinking about what was being associated with the name Vaisnava. As soon as you said "Krishna's Cow Eatters Association" I understood what you meant. We can objectively acknowledge our faults, but to turn such activities and glorify them, or suggest they are sastrically approved is another matter. Right now the homosexual lobby is constantly attacking Catholics, like trying to force themselves into the Saint Patricks day parade. Imagine that happening at Ratha Yatra. So I can clearly see your point and agree. Gauracandra

I found the following link on CNN: http://www.babylon.com/partners/cnn/ It claims to be able to translate 9 languages. If anyone who knows a foreign langauge it utilizes and wants to test it out please let us know if it is any good. Gauracandra

Here is a serious question relating to the relative sinfulness of activities. If you were to ask me my opinion (and I can't support this with Sastra, its just my opinion) what is worse homosexuality or meateating I would say meat eating is far more sinful. Homosexuality is considered sinful, but is just sexual pleasure among consenting adults. Meat eating actively causes pain and suffering to other creatures of God. Thus I would say to eat meat and cause pain is worse than homosexuality. I saw Boy George on MTV a few months back wearing tilak and in his home were pictures of Krsna and a deity of Srila Prabhupada. He obviously has an attraction to the philosophy. He is gay but vegetarian. If you were to ask me who was more pure Pat Robertson (a meat eating Christian theologian) or Boy George (a homosexual attracted to Vaisnavism) I would side with Boy George (all other things being equal). The funny thing is gays are less than 1% of the population while meat eating occur among 98% of the population. But I think many devotees would rather focus on that 1% because its easier. There were some devotees who embraced Boy George and others on the internet who attacked him for his homosexuality. But like JNDas put in another posting, we should not be criticized for being dirty, we should be praised for making whatever attempts we can. Just a few thoughts. Gauracandra

Jagat said: This is interesting and can be very controversial. I realize that based on one's consciousness one accepts a certain body. Would it then be reasonable to say that such characteristics are in fact genetic? Such as intelligence, tranquility, the ability to withhold instant gratification etc.... Thus some people are genetically meant to be in the mode of goodness, some in the mode of passion, some in the mode of ignorance - in this body? I have noticed when looking at children it is often very easy to see the personality of their parents. Some children (even as teenagers) are very peaceful and pure. Call it tejas or what have you, but you can see their purity in their faces. And sure enough when you look at their parents, they too have the same qualities. Now some of it will be parental instruction. But if a parent is very calm and thoughtful I think to some degree it is the body and consciousness they have. And this leads them to pass on certain traits to their children. I remember taking a psyche class in college. My professor mentioned that at one point there was a theory that personality depended on body type (mesomorph, exomorph, I don't remember all the categories but they were like this). Anyways, he said that although this theory was rejected by the psychological community, in fact in his opinion it tended to be true. He mentioned that the thin boned, tall refined individuals tended to be the intellectuals, the overweight people tended to be the loud and humorous ones and he gave many stereotypes that do tend to hold up to some degree. Anyways, I'm rambling a little. If I've made any sense (or point) please feel free to comment on. Gauracandra

Based on what you have said, I would think it would be the reversed, with Chanakya reading Garuda Purana, and utilizing some of it in his writings along with other readings. We'll never know the exact dates, but like one forum member pointed out a few months back, a date for a written manuscript does not tell us its maximum age, rather only its minimum age. Prior additions may have been destroyed through the centuries, and the strong oral tradition would suggest it existed even before that. Gauracandra

Yes, that recording is just celestial sounding. Whenever I hear it, it just sounds out of this world, almost alien. Gauracandra

Just wanted to quickly revisit this topic and talk about the deity altar for a moment. One of the things I like about my local Sri Vaisnava temple is that they have a small enclosure that you can walk into to have darshan of the deity. Its a small little room separated from the greater room. This creates a sense of sacred space and intimacy between the devotee and the Lord. The only problem I see with this is that it is not very conducive to holding kirtan as most people won't be able to see the Lord. Another point in a similar vein, is that I tend to like altars that are open from end to end. At some temples they have pillars that break up the space between each deity. What this generally does is make it impossible to see all of the deities at once. If it was just a rectangle across it would allow anyone, at any part of the room to view all of the deities. I'd be interested in anyone's opinion on the optimal way to construct a temple room. Gauracandra

Now why don't we get this kind of politics in the U.S. They say the U.S. voter is apathetic, well one way to get a higher turn out would be to turn politics into WWF style wrestling. Think about it. When George W. Bush and Al Gore had Florida up in the air, the easiest way to settle it would be to have a 30 ft caged tag team grudge match. In one corner George Bush and Dick Cheney, in the other Al Gore and Joe Lieberman. I think Bush could take Gore, but Cheney may very well have a heart attack going up against Lieberman. Just have a good ole Raw is War, WWF style smack down. Guarantee the audience will tune into those "debates". They could even come out with cool uniforms and face paint. Just get Bobby Heenan to do the commentary (instead of Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts) and have Vince McMahon do the referreeing (instead of Bernard Shaw). I smell ratings. Can you smell what the Rock is Cookin? Gauracandra [This message has been edited by Gauracandra (edited 07-02-2001).]

I know nothing about Indian politics, but those pictures you put up of an elderly indian politician being roughed up were disgusting. I'm sure, like you said, he was pocketing money, but all of them are like that. It sounds like this was simply political revenge to humiliate him. So whoever this Jayalalitha is, she better watch out, because what goes around comes around. Next time the other political party is in office, she better quickly high tail it out of Tamil Nadu because she too will have her door kicked down and dragged out onto the street. Gauracandra

Just to give a positive alternative I'd suggest anyone interested to go rent Blade Runner starring Rutger Hauer and Harrison Ford. I caught the ending of it yesterday on the Sci-fi channel. Now that is a great movie. Beautiful to look at, visionary, interesting story, and you actually care about the characters. It gets an A+ in my book. Gauracandra

How about this? In my college days I remember my professor once asked our philosophy class our opinions on various controversial issues (drug legalization, abortion etc...). We didn't know what he was going to do. Once we gave our opinion, he then had us debate taking the other side. So we could have reps from Iskcon debating why Narayan Maharaj should be invited to speak at Iskcon temples, and disciples of Narayan Maharaj explaining why not. That would be soooooooo cool. Never would happen, but would be interesting reading Gauracandra