Gauracandra

Take this short survey and record your answers. Afterwards I’ll explain the context of what this survey is and how it came about. 1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? 2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator? 3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference, all the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend? 4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?

Hey Random, Perhaps you could shed some light on this topic of Mad Cow disease in the World Review section. Do you have any articles? I've read a bit about it, though not a lot. As I understand it, these prions are virtually indestructible. If you burn the cow, you will still find them in the dead body, if you feed a dead cow to a pig, and then feed the pig to a cow, the prions will activate and create mad cow disease. From what I've read they are virtually indestructable. If you have more info on these prions I'd be interested. Gauracandra

Maitreya, Your story made me burst out laughing. Since laughter is the best medicine thanks for the chuckles Gauracandra

Just a slight correction to the quote I gave of myself. At the time of that posting I was going by memory on the book and its author. I have since purchased the book, and wanted to make a correction to that posting. Michael Behe is a professor at LeHigh University, not Stanford. Gauracandra

This was a posting I made a long time ago. Anyone who wants a real interesting read should pick up Darwin's Black Box. Its funny, very detailed oriented, and a good response to Darwinian evolution. Gauracandra

But this is the very reason why I tend not to like the use of the word 'instinct'. I have never read any scientific explanation of the word instinct, beyond "its in the genes". Atleast saying that Paramatma is directing the living entity is internally consistent with the Vedantic view of the world. The materialistic view runs into a problem in that it views everything as mechanistic - this piece hits that piece, which drives this other item to move that to point b etc.... So if everything is mechanistic then I don't see how memory can be transferred genetically. The Vedantic view is that consciousness is transfered via the subtle body. The materialistic view is that consciousness dies with the body. So we are left with "Why does an ant go and grab a piece of leaf to grow mold to eat?" Because science can't explain this in terms of a mechanistic process they instead say that the mechanistic process is so complex, that it can't be understood, and so we call it instinct. This is what I mean by "they don't have a friken clue" and try to cover this fact by coming up with a very scientific sounding name. Why not just say "We're scientists, and we believe everything is mechanistic, but in all honesty we don't have enough knowledge to explain why ants do this." Gauracandra

But this is the very reason why I tend not to like the use of the word 'instinct'. I have never read any scientific explanation of the word instinct, beyond "its in the genes". Atleast saying that Paramatma is directing the living entity is internally consistent with the Vedantic view of the world. The materialistic view runs into a problem in that it views everything as mechanistic - this piece hits that piece, which drives this other item to move that to point b etc.... So if everything is mechanistic then I don't see how memory can be transferred genetically. The Vedantic view is that consciousness is transfered via the subtle body. The materialistic view is that consciousness dies with the body. So we are left with "Why does an ant go and grab a piece of leaf to grow mold to eat?" Because science can't explain this in terms of a mechanistic process they instead say that the mechanistic process is so complex, that it can't be understood, and so we call it instinct. This is what I mean by "they don't have a friken clue" and try to cover this fact by coming up with a very scientific sounding name. Why not just say "We're scientists, and we believe everything is mechanistic, but in all honesty we don't have enough knowledge to explain why ants do this." Gauracandra

What is interesting is how karma tells us what not to do. For instance, when any animal eats its own kind, it develops its own form of "mad cow disease". I was watching a program on this. Mad Cow disease came about because farmers were feeding dead cows to living cows. The disease is so strong that even if you feed a dead cow to a pig, and then feed that dead pig to a cow, it can still be transferred. Then they showed how a similar disease affects the few cannabalistic societies in the world. They get the same symptoms. So obviously if we look at the reactions to an action (karma) we can tell that cannabalism is not the way to go. Gauracandra

It always appears to me that the word instinct is substituted for "I don't have a friken clue" as a way to appear knowledgeable without answering why something actually happens. The reason I ask this is because a few days ago I was watching a program called "Animal Planet" and they were showing some remarkable examples of what animals do that require some level of intelligence. For instance, there is one kind of ant that acts as a farmer. They go to a particular leaf and nibble bits of it off. The actual leaf is indigestible to the ant - will cause the equivalent of an ant tummy ache They then put the leaf in certain spots that are best to grow a kind of mold on top of it. Then they eat that mold which grows on those bits of leaf. There are so many examples of animals doing things that are always lumped in as instinct. So what is instinct? besides a catch all word to cover up a lack of explanation. From a Vedantic perspective I have heard different explanations. First, that since we have gone through countless species of life (8,400,000 different species) that we "remember" to some extent the basics of those trillions of lives we have lived in those prior species. I have also heard that Paramatma (God residing in each living entity) gives instructions to help guide us in whatever species we are in. If you have an opinion/explanation on this please share. Gauracandra

It always appears to me that the word instinct is substituted for "I don't have a friken clue" as a way to appear knowledgeable without answering why something actually happens. The reason I ask this is because a few days ago I was watching a program called "Animal Planet" and they were showing some remarkable examples of what animals do that require some level of intelligence. For instance, there is one kind of ant that acts as a farmer. They go to a particular leaf and nibble bits of it off. The actual leaf is indigestible to the ant - will cause the equivalent of an ant tummy ache They then put the leaf in certain spots that are best to grow a kind of mold on top of it. Then they eat that mold which grows on those bits of leaf. There are so many examples of animals doing things that are always lumped in as instinct. So what is instinct? besides a catch all word to cover up a lack of explanation. From a Vedantic perspective I have heard different explanations. First, that since we have gone through countless species of life (8,400,000 different species) that we "remember" to some extent the basics of those trillions of lives we have lived in those prior species. I have also heard that Paramatma (God residing in each living entity) gives instructions to help guide us in whatever species we are in. If you have an opinion/explanation on this please share. Gauracandra

Shvu nobly remarked thusly: Yes. Yes indeed, I like this line of thinking Gauracandra

You've sent me into spasmatic laughter.... this is so gross, and I feel bad for the chicken, but the fact that meateaters get disturbed by having to see a fried chicken's head is just hilarious. Oh God this is too gross and too funny. Thanks Random. Gauracandra

Ewwww...this is disgusting This reminds me of an article I read recently. A lady was suing Kentucky Fried Chicken, or McDonalds, I forget who exactly. Basically she ordered Fried Chicken, and in her bucket was a fried chickens head. It freaked her out and 'traumatized' her. It was one of the funniest things I read. The accompanying picture to the article showed the chicken's head in fried batter. What makes it so funny, is because people eat meat because it is separated from the actual animal. Having to see a real chicken's head with eyeballs starring back at you while you munch down on its beak has gotta be freaky It was so disgusting. This is why hamburgers are not called cow burgers, or pork is actually pig, they want to separate the meat from the actual animal. So this is very funny I think....and gross....ewwwww Gauracandra

Something very odd occurred in the American culture that has caused a great deal of detrimental harm in my opinion to the United States of America. There came to be developed a notion that majority does not rule, but rather that the majority must bend to the will of the minority. Now I understand that we must put in place systems that prevent targeted harm towards people belonging to minority positions. Heck, I’m a minority (a vegetarian-American). But at some point this “logic” becomes ridiculous. Everything can be “logical” in a cultural vacuum. Let me give a real life example not related to the article, and then address the article directly. Currently I am working on a big project at work that seeks to segment our book of business into finer buckets so as to allow the creation of the optimal pricing structures for our clients. I am now in the process of answering questions from a government agency that feels our approach will be discriminatory to devout Muslims. According to the Koran, devout Muslims are not allowed to use credit. Our plan, in part, looks at a person’s credit history in determining what bucket they fall into. So if you are Muslim and have always used cash (never took out a mortgage on a home from a bank, rented a car from the airport, made hotel reservations etc….) you won’t have a credit history. I don’t know what percent this is, but I suspect it is less than 0.1% of the population. Yet we are being told that we have to modify our entire plan to accommodate this 0.1% of the population. Now I don’t believe in discrimination, but this is stupidity. Yet this sort of logic pervades our entire governments approach to policy. We are being told now that homosexuals have a right to get married. Personally I don’t care what you do in your bedroom. But marriage has always been between a man and woman because it was viewed as the best structure to raise children. To combat this argument we are told that not ALL married men and women decide to have children. Thus the argument, they say, is invalid. The idea being if you can show that not every situation is covered then the argument doesn’t hold. So they redefine marriage and say it is based on ‘love’. What is ‘love’? Its really anything we wish to define it as. So if two men love one another then they should be allowed to get married. Forget the fact that this in no way benefits the principle reason marriage has developed in hundreds of cultures, independently, around the world – that is raising children. But if marriage is based on ‘love’ then logically there will be no way to prevent the adoption of plural marriage into this definition. Polygamy was banned, rightly or wrongly, because it was viewed as harmful to the raising of children. If homosexuals get the right to marriage, then there will be no logical reason to prohibit polygamy. Why can’t a person ‘love’ 5 different women? Why can’t 3 men and 2 women all love one another? As soon as you define marriage as any partnering of individuals, you immediately make marriage meaningless. If marriage means everything, then marriage means nothing. This is an unfortunate byproduct of this so-called ‘logic’. It should be noted that none of this man’s wives and children were against him. They all were supportive of him as he was being prosecuted. I understand some will be against him because he was a drain on the welfare system. This is understandable and I support this line of reasoning. But that is a problem of the enforcement of the welfare provisions and not a question of polygamy. Gauracandra

Just wanted to mention that this week's episode by Siddhasvarupananda was about the advent of Caitanya. It was nice. I was also informed by email that they have a center in Austin, and also have a Public Access program there as well. I believe that the Iskcon Texas devotees put on a public access program there (in Texas) also (called Hare Krsna TV or something). It would be great if there was some more organized, national use of the Public Access arena for the propagation of the Holy Name, by whatever organization. Its free, and is just sitting out there waiting to be used. Gauracandra

Utah polygamist found guilty May 19, 2001 Posted: 6:29 AM EDT (1029 GMT) PROVO, Utah (CNN) -- A jury in the U.S. state of Utah has found an avowed polygamist guilty on four counts of bigamy. Tom Green, 52, a self-professed "fundamentalist" Mormon who lives with his five wives and 29 children near Trout Creek, 125 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, had testified that he married the women in a spiritual sense. Along with the bigamy charges, the jury also found Green guilty of failure to pay child support. LEGAL RESOURCES Latest Legal News Law Library FindLaw Consumer Center Select a topic Bankruptcy Discrimination Divorce Estate Planning Landlord-Tenant Personal Injury Taxes He faces a possible prison sentence of 25 years. During the trial -- Utah's first high-profile bigamy case in half a century -- Green flouted a judge's warnings by going on national television to defend a lifestyle which was common Mormon practice until the mid-19th century. After the verdict was delivered Friday night, Green lambasted Mormons such as Juab County prosecutor David Leavitt, the brother of Utah Governor David Leavitt, for what he said was a rejection of their Mormon heritage. "How can somebody claim to be a Mormon and say that plural marriage is wicked,?" Green said in remarks quoted by Reuters. Green added that polygamy had been practiced by two revered Mormon leaders -- Brigham Young and the prophet, Joseph Smith. Banned since 1890 Polygamy's legacy in Utah dates back to the 1840s, when members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, as the Mormon church is formally known, first settled in the state. But the practice never gained wider currency outside the Church. By 1890, the Church banned the taking of multiple wives, with the penalty for offenders being excommunication. Utah's constitution formally outlawed polygamy as a condition of statehood. But despite the ban, polygamy never died out in Utah. An estimated 30,000 polygamists, most of them in Utah, live in the American West, according to the Associated Press. For this reason, Green maintained that he was being unfairly singled out for perpetuating a practice that was once a cornerstone of Church theology. Though raised as a member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, Green said he awakened to his fundamentalist beliefs in the 1980s -- part of which embraced early Church teachings accepting the taking of multiple wives. Though polygamists were sometimes imprisoned up until the 1950s, Green said polygamy had been "the unwritten rule for 50 years in Utah." He described the arrangement as one of, "You'll pretend we don't exist and we'll pretend you don't exist," AP reported. During the trial, Green cast himself as a supportive husband whose efforts to provide for his family were beset by the destruction of his mobile home in a windstorm, and a fire in January 1997, in which he lost a three-year-old child. He said that one of his wives suffered smoke inhalation and had to be admitted to a hospital after rescuing children from the flames. The defense focused its efforts on parrying prosecution charges that Green married teenagers, divorced them and then collected their welfare payments as he continued living with them. Green also faces a charge of first-degree felony rape of a 13-year-old girl with whom he allegedly had sex in 1986. He subsequently married the girl. The charge carries a prison term of five years to life, Reuters reported. A trial date is yet to be set.

I have never understood exactly why polygamy is illegal. Personally I don't think it is a good practice, and certainly not for most people. But orthodox Mormons view it as part of their religious commandments. Why is marriage even governed? If two people want to get married, go do whatever ceremony you want and you're married. There is no need for any government intervention. If this man had not been married and simply had 5 girlfriends no one would have noticed. Still the having sex with a minor is disturbing in this case. But that aside, I don't think that polygamy should be banned (especially considering all the other 'family' structures that have of late been seen as 'normal'). Just one man's opinion. Gauracandra

Sri-Sri-Nityananda Astottara-Sata-Nama-Stotram One Hundred and Eight Names of Sri Nityananda Prabhu Composed by Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya Sriman-nityananda-candraya namah I offer my obeisances to the moon of Sri Nityananda Nityanandam aham vande Karne lambita-mauktikam Caitanyagraja-rupena Pavitri-krta-bhutalam I praise Sri Nityananda, on whose ear a pearl ornament hangs. Accepting the role of Lord Caitanya’s elder brother, He purified the earth. Pranamya sri-jagannatham Nityananda-mahaprabhum Namnam astottara-satam Pravaksyami mudakaram Offering prostrated obeisances before Sri Nityananda Mahaprabhu, master of the universe, I shall now proclaim His one hundred and eight names, which awaken ecstasy in the heart. Nilambara-dharah srimal Languli musala-priya Sankarsanas candra-varno Yadunam kula-mangalah Nilambara-dhara: Sri Nityananda wears blue garments Srimat-languli: He wields a splendid plow (as His weapon) Musala-priya: He delights in fighting with the club Sankarsana: and causes integration of the cosmic manifestation. Candra-varna: His complexion is like the moon. Mangala: and He creates auspiciousness. Yadunam kula: for the Yadu dynasty. Gopika-ramano ramo Vrndavana-kala-nidhih Kadambari sudha-matto Gopa-gopi-ganavrtah Gopika-ramana: Sri Nityananda delights in the company of the gopis Rama: He is the supreme enjoyer Vrndavana-kala-nidhi: the moon of Vrndavana Kadambari: decorated by garlands of kadamba flowers. Sudha-matta: intoxicated by honey nectar Avrta: and surrounded Gana: by a multitude Gopa-gopi: of cowherds and cowmaids Gopi-mandala-madhya-stho Rasa-tandava-panditah Ramani-ramanah kami Mada-ghurnita-locanah Gopi-mandala-madhya-stha: Sri Nityananda Prabhu stands amidst a circle of milkmaids Pandita: He is a consummate scholar Rasa-tandava: of exuberant rasa-dancing Ramana: He is the lover Ramani: of the beautiful young girls (of Vraja) Kami: Sri Nityananda Prabhu feels amorous sentiments Mada-ghurnita-locana: and His eyes roll in intoxication Rasotsava-parisranto Gharma-niravrtananah Kalindi-bhedanotsahi Nira-krida-kutuhalah Parisranta: Sri Nityananda Prabhu becomes exhausted Rasa-utsava: in the rasa festival Anana: and His face Avrta: is covered Gharma-nira: by drops of perspiration Utsahi: That Lord showed His great might Kalindi-bhedana: as He divided the Kalindi river into many streams with His plowshare Kutuhala: He is eager Nira-krida: to engage in watersports Gaurasrayah samah santo Maya-manusa-rupa-dhrk Nityanandavadhutas ca Yajna-sutra-dharah sudhih Gaura-asraya: Sri Nityananda takes shelter of Gaura Sama: He is equipoised Santa: peaceful Maya-manusa-rupa-dhrk: and accepts the apparent form of a man Nitya-ananda: Lord Nityananda is ever blissful Avadhuta: and is not bound by social convention Yajna-sutra-dhara: He wears a sacred thread for performing sacrifice Sudhi: and has exquisite intelligence Patita-prana-dah prthvi Pavano bhakta-vatsalah Premananda-madonmatta Brahmadi-nama-gocarah Patita: To those fallen (in the world of birth and death) Prana-da: Sri Nityananda bestows the energy of spiritual life Prthvi-pavana: He purifies the earth Bhakta-vatsala: Sri Nityananda is affectionate to His devotees. Mada-unmatta: and mad with intoxication Prema-ananda: of the bliss of Krsna-prema Nama-gocara: His names are known Brahma-adi: by Brahma (Haridasa) and other devotees Vana-mala-dharo hari Rocanadi-vibhusitah Nagendra-sunda-dor-danda Svarna-kankana-manditah Vana-mala-dhara: Sri Nityananda wears a garland of forest flowers Hari: and a necklace of pearls Rocana-adi-vibhusita: Sri Nityananda is ornamented by yellow rocana ointment and so forth Nagendra-sunda-doh-danda: His arms, which resemble the trunks of elephants Svarna-kankana-mandita: are decorated by golden bangles Gaura-bhakti-rasollasas Calac-cancala-nupurah Gajendra-gati-lavanya Sammohita-jagaj-janah Gaura-bhakti-rasa-ullasa: Sri Nityananda delights in the mellows of devotion to Gaura Calat-cancala-nupura: His anklets ring and His body sways to and fro Gajendra-gati: as He strolls about like the king of elephants Jagat-jana: causing the people of the world Lavanya-sammohita: to become completely fascinated by His beauty Samvita-subha-lila-dhrk Romancita-kalevarah Ho! Ho! Dhvani-sudhasis ca Mukha-chandra-virajitah Dhrk: Sri Nityananda accepts Subha-lila: auspicious pleasure-pastimes Samvita: which cover (His identity as the Supreme Lord) Roma: The hair follicles Kalevara: of His body Ancita: expand (like kadamba flowers) Sudha-asi: Sri Nityananda grants nectarean benedictions Ho! Ho! Dhvani: as He cries out, “Ho! Ho!” Mukha: His face Virajita: shines Candra: like the full moon Sindhuraruna-susnigdha Subimbadhara-pallavah Sva-bhakta-gana-madhya-stho Revati-prana-nayakah Adhara-pallava: Sri Nityananda’s blossoming lips Susnigdha: are tender Aruna: and red Sindhura-subimba: like vermilion or luscious bimba fruit Sva-bhakta-gana-madhya-stha: He resides amidst the host of His devotees Nayaka: Sri Nityananda (who is none other than Lord Balarama) is the Lord Revati-prana: of Revati-rani’s life breath Lauha-danda-dharo srngi Venu-panih pratapavan Pracanda-krta-hunkarah Mattah pasanda-mardanah Lauha-danda-dhara: Sri Nityananda wields an iron staff Srngi: and wears wonderful ornaments Venu-pani: He holds a bamboo flute Pratapavan: Sri Nityananda is very chivalrous Krta-hunkara: and He roars Pracanda: very fiercely Matta: displaying the symptoms of divine madness (in His ecstasy of love for Krsna) Pasanda-mardana: as He subdues the atheists Sarva-bhakti-mayo deva Asramacara-varjitah Gunatito guna-mayo Gunavan nartana-priyah Maya: Sri Nityananda is embued Sarva-bhakti: with all devotional attributes Deva: He is the lord of luster Varjita: and He abandons Asrama-acara: the standard behavior of all asramas Guna-attita: Sri Nityananda is transcendental to mundane qualities Guna-maya: He is filled with sublime qualities Gunavan: and is the embodiment of exalted qualities Nartana-priya: Sri Nityananda delights in dancing. Tri-gunatma guna-grahi Saguno guninam varah Yogi yoga-vidhata ca Bhakti-yoga-pradarsakah Tri-guna-atma: Sri Nityananda is the original source of the three material qualities – goodness, passion, and ignorance. Grahi: Sri Nityananda accepts (only) Guna: the good qualities of a person Su-guna: Sri Nityananda’s qualities are transcendental Vara: and He is the best Guninam: of all persons endowed with sublime qualities Yogi: Sri Nityananda is (always) in union (with Sri Krsna Caitanya) Yoga-vidhata: Sri Nityananda bestows yoga (union) (with Sri Krsna Caitanya) Pradarsaka: Sri Nityananda proclaims Bhakti-yoga: the glories of devotional union (with Sri Krsna) Sarva-sakti-prakasangi Mahananda-mayo natah Sarvagama-mayo dhiro Jnana-do mukti-dah prabhuh Sarva-sakti: All powers Prakasa: arise Angi: from Sri Nityananda’s body Maya: Sri Nityananda is filled Maha-ananda: with immense bliss Nata: He is the best of dancers Sarva-agama-maya: Within Sri Nityananda all holy scriptures reside. Dhira: Sri Nityananda is sober Da: He is the bestower Jnana: of transcendental knowledge Da: and the giver Mukti: of liberation Prabhu: Sri Nityananda is the Master Gauda-desa-paritrata Premananda-prakasakah Premananda-rasanandi Radhika-mantra-do vibhuh Paritrata: Sri Nityananda is the savior Gauda-desa: of the land of Gauda Prakasaka: Sri Nityananda reveals Prema-ananda: the bliss of Krsna-prema Rasa-anandi: Sri Nityananda tastes delight in the mellows Prema-ananda: of the bliss of love for Krsna Da: Sri Nityananda gives Radhika-mantra: the mantra for worshipping Srimati Radhika Vibhu: Sri Nityananda is self-controlled and all pervasive. Sarva-mantra-svarupas ca Krsna-paryanka-sundarah Rasa-jno rasa-data ca Rasa-bhokta rasasrayah Svarupa: Sri Nityananda is the original form Sarva-mantra: of all mantras Sundara: and He becomes the beautiful Paryanka: bedstead Krsna: of Krsna (Caitanya) Rasa-jna: Sri Nityananda is adept in the science of rasa Rasa-data: He is the bestower of rasa Rasa-bhokta: and the enjoyer of rasa Rasa-asraya: Sri Nityananda is the abode of rasa Brahmesadi-mahendradya Vandita-sri padambujah Sahasra-mastakopeto Rasatala-sudhakarah Sri-pada-ambuja: His beautiful lotus-like feet Vandita: are offered worship Brahma-isa-adi-maha-indra-adya: by the devas headed by Brahma, Siva, and Indra Upeta: Sri Nityananda has Sahasra-mastaka: thousands of heads (in His form as Sesa-naga) Kara: and causes Rasatala-sudha: the residents of the lower planetary systems to taste nectar Ksirodarnava-sambhutah Kundalaikavatamsakah Raktopala-dharah subhro Narayana-parayanah Sambhuta: Sri Nityananda is born Ksira-udarnava: of the milk ocean Avatamsaka: He is ornamented Kundala-eka: by a single earring Rakta-utpala-dhara: He holds a red lotus Subhra: His complexion is white Narayana-parayana: and He is wholly dedicated to Gaura Narayana Apara-mahimananto Nr-dosadarsinah sada Dayalur durgati-trata Krtanto dusta-dehinam Apara-mahima: Sri Nityananda possesses unbounded glories Ananta: for He is limitless Sada: Sri Nityananda eternally Adarsina: overlooks Nr-dosa: the vices of mankind Dayalu: He is merciful Trata: and is the savior Durgati: from catastrophe Krta-anta: Sri Nityananda makes an end (awards death) Dusta-dehinam: to evil embodied beings Manju-dasarathir viro Laksmanah sarvaval-labhah Sadojjvalo rasanandi Vrndavana-rasa-pradah Manju: Sri Nityananda is the charming Dasarathi: son of Dasaratha (Laksmana) Vira: He is the greatest hero Laksmana: and (the avatara of ) Laksmana Labha: By gaining Nityananda Sarvavat: one gains everything Sada ujjvala: He is always effulgent Rasa-anandi: engladdened by the transcendental relationships of Krsna consciousness Vrndavana-rasa-prada: and He bestows Vrndavana rasa Purna-prema-sudha-sindhur Natya-lila-visaradah Kotindu-vaibhavah sriman Jagad-ahlada-karakah Sindhu: Sri Nityananda is the ocean Sudha: of the nectar Purna-prema: of full love for Krsna Visarada: and He is expert Natya-lila: in pastimes of drama Vaibhava: His presence has the cooling power Koti-indu: of millions of moons Sriman: Sri Nityananda is illustrious Jagat-ahlada-karaka: and He engladdens the whole world Gopalah sarva-palas ca Sarva-gopavatamsakah Gopala: Sri Nityananda is a cowherd Pala: the protector Sarva: of all (living beings) Avatamsaka: and the crest-jewel Sarva-gopa: of all cowherd boys Maghe masi site pakse Trayo-dasyam tithau sada Uposanam pujanam ca Sri-nityananda-vasare Yad yat sah kurute kamam Tat tad eva labhen narah One who fasts without deviation and offers worship on the appearance day of Sri Nityananda, which is the thirteenth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Magha, will receive whatever wish one may desire. Asadhya-roga-yukto ‘pi Mucyate gada-bhisanat Aputrah sadhu-putram ca Labhate natra samsayah Even though infected, a man becomes freed from that terrible malady. A sonless man who worships Him receives a godly son, without a doubt. Nityananda-svarupasya Namnam astottaram satam Yah pathet pratar utthaya Sah prema hi labhed dhruvam One who rises early in the morning and recites the Hundred and Eight Names of Sri Nityananda Svarupa truly achieves love of Krsna. Iti sri-sarvabhauma-bhattacarya-pada-viracitam Sri-nityanandastottara-sata-nama-stotram sampurnam Thus the one hundred and eight names of Sri Nityananda, which was compiled by Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya-pada, is fully complete. Sri Harih Translated by Bhakti Vedanta Bhagavata Svami

A few years back I met a really austere sannyasi living in Vrndavana. He wasn't affiliated with any organization that I know of. Without knowing anything about him I decided to give him a donation to help him in his travels. He was really austere and you could see it in his face and body. In my opinion he may have been taking it too far. He was very skinny (almost skeletal), with sunburn marks on his body, etc.... He was very,very humble and would sit in front of the deities chanting. In return for the donation he gave me a photocopy of a some translations he was working on. He was hoping to publish them one day. I figured it would be good to "publish" some of these here for all to read. Gauracandra

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I used to think perhaps I was crazy to endure the suffering, and bad breath side effects of this remedy I've been using it for over 15 years. Now I know others use it as well. Why is it that only bad things are good for you and good things are bad for you? Why can't the cure for a cold be ice cream with hot fudge By the way, thanks Maitreya, for some background info on this Bragg's guy. Now can you tell me anything about this Dr. Bronners character. Have you ever tried that stuff (its toothpaste, shampoo, and probably can even act as an industrial cleanser Gauracandra

This is a remedy for sore throats and illness. According to legend, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, used to take 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every day to prolong health. Whenever I get the feeling that I'm about to get sick, or have the first scratchings of a sore throat I do the following: boil a cup of water, and then mix in raw apple cider vinegar. Then gargle and swallow the preparation. Supposedly the enzymes in the raw apple cider vinegar work to kill off the germs that cause illness. The reason I mention this is because I did it this morning because I began to feel ill. I have found that it tends to work, and my throat starts to feel better. Just a warning: this preparation is nasty tasting. I mean REALLY bad. Often I gag trying to swallow down this stuff. I don't have a standard measurement of how much I put in, but I try to make it as strong as I can. Others have suggested gargling with salt water. I've tried that but feel this works better. But it is awful to drink. If you can't force yourself to swallow it, just gargle and spit it out. As for what apple cider vinegar to use, I always buy Braggs, more out of habit than anything else. Here's to good health. Gauracandra

Shvu, How about a yellow urchin from Dubai. I think an urchin is some sort of sea animal, not sure though Gauracandra

Maitreya said: Several months ago I ran across a Public Access channel that carries a program by Siddhasvarupananda every week. What surprised me was that I always thought he was more or less based in Hawaii and the Phillipines, and am unaware of any of his disciples in my area. But his program was really quite good. Mostly they are old programs from the mid to late 80s (you can tell by the context of the dialogues, like speaking of the Soviet Union, or Reagan etc...). He has a very different style,yet preaches the same message. I think his idea is rather than focusing on the Sanskrit verses, he speaks in english. If you are trying to get across an idea to someone what is easier for that new person to understand - 'jiva' or 'soul' etc... But he does a good job of presenting his views nicely. After running across his program, I decided to try to find out more of what he has on the internet. I figured he was pretty media savy, but was disappointed that most of the sites related to his organization seem to be down or inactive. Does anyone know of his official internet site? Also, I think I had read that his right hand man Tusta Krsna (I believe) has passed away. Is this one of the reasons that his Internet presence is not very strong? Gauracandra

The CEO of my company tried this one out on us at our annual profit sharing meeting. Afterwards, I also thought of others like a brown otter from the Dominican Republic The key is as Animesh pointed out the mathematics in the beginning that forces one to get a 4. From there, there aren't a whole lot of countries in the world with the letter D to choose from. Gauracandra