suchandra

If the first Christians came 52 AD to India there must have been quite a lot till the 15th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_India "According to the 3rd century Acts of Thomas, the first Christians in India were converted by St Thomas the Apostle, who arrived at Kodungallur on the Malabar Coast of India in 52 AD. It is also important to note that the first Christian baptisms in India were performed by the saint. The Syrian Malabar Nasrani people are an ethnic community in Kerala, South India. Their tradition goes back to the very beginnings of first century Christian thought, and the seven churches that were established by St. Thomas the Apostle among the natives and the Jewish diaspora in Kerala. They follow a unique Hebrew-Syriac Christian tradition which includes several Jewish elements along with some Hindu customs. Their heritage is Syriac-Keralite, their culture South Indian, their faith St. Thomas Christian, and their language Malayalam. According to the Acts of Thomas, the first converts made by Thomas in India were Malabari Jews, who had settled in Kerala since the time of King Solomon of Israel. There is a general agreement among the historians that St. Thomas, a Jew himself by birth, visited India in search of Jews settled here. Although the Christian ideals were foreign, many Hindus embraced the ideologies of baptism because of its similarities to bathing in the Ganges, which was first mentioned in the Rig Veda, the Mahabharata, and the Devi Bhagvatam . After evangelizing in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Apostle is believed to have been martyred at St. Thomas Mount in Chennai and buried on the site of San Thome Cathedral. Members of the Syro-Malabar Church, an eastern rite of the Catholic Church, adopted the Syriac liturgy dating from an unknown period before 4 th Century. In the 4th century, Apostle’s relics were taken to Edessa at the instance of the then Bishop of Edessa under whose jurisdiction the Kerala Church was and was later moved to Italy. The Christian community founded by St Thomas has since developed into a number of churches during the Portuguese persecution, including Syriac-rite churches in communion with the Roman Catholic, Antiochian Orthodox churches, and 'Nestorian' churches. The arrival of St Thomas, and the subsequent establishment of the seven and a half churches is viewed with skepticism by Western historians. However, the theory has never been discounted, and the Keralites still attribute an apostolic origin to their church."

Since Buddhists believe, "there is repetition of birth and death", they're more advanced than Christians and our whole Western intellectual elite back and forth who say, there is no repetition of birth and death. Did Lord Caitanya preach to Christians, no, but He preached to the Buddhists. In sum, Buddhists can't be so bad.

Unfortunately there's one page missing, but this letter below from 2nd of September, 1955 gives a nice outline how Prabhupada carefully planned to successfully set up a spiritual movement "for learning the science & techniques of Theism or spiritualism of the highest standard" and "We are interested more in preaching members than in the sleeping members." 1955: September - India Dear Brother, I am in due receipt of your kind enquiry and I am glad that you wish to become a member of the League of Devotees for learning the science & techniques of Theism or spiritualism of the highest standard. The Prospectus is enclosed herewith please find & decide for yourself for becoming a permanent member of this noble institution. The membership fees are mentioned below which is the extract from the Leagues registered rules & regulations. Rule 1. "The general body of the League will consist of members of the four orders of life namely (a) Brahmacaris (b) Grhasthas © Vanaprasthas (d) Sannyasis or Tyagis". Rule 4. "The members will be of three classes defined as class A, B and C in accordance with the membership fees paid. (a) Those who will contribute Rs 500.- and above per month will belong to the "A" class. (b) Those who will contribute Rs 50.- and above per month will belong to the "B" class. © Those who will contribute Rs 10.- and above per month will belong to the "C" class." Rule 16. "Every member is entitled to one vote either in person or by proxy at a general meeting held for its elections of the members of the Executive Committee. or for any other purposes." If you think yourself unable to pay either of the above mentioned membership fees per month, then you can apply for free membership or for a lesser value of monthly subscription for consideration of the Executive Committee., who will decide on the subject. But if you become preacher member, in that case you will have to pay once Rs 10.- only for the degree of "Bhakti-sastri" which will be awarded to you by registered certificate of degree for your becoming preaching member of the League and doing the necessary preaching work on behalf of the League. The preaching work is conducted as follows: (1) As soon as you get the certificate of degree of "Bhakti-sastri" at once you become a bona fide preacher of this institution and for this you will have to read "Bhagavad-gita" regularly. (2) As you go on reading "Bhagavad-gita" question will arise in your mind for so many teachings in that Book & you are at liberty to ask us for answers of those questions which will be replied to you very clearly for your understanding. (3) Some of the general questions are already answered in different pamphlets & one of them is sent herewith for example and your understanding. (4) These questions & answers you will have to preach to others, so that both yourself & your audience will be benefited by that process. (5) If you cannot go to others outside your hearth & home, you can do the preaching work amongst your family members only and in this meeting your other friends, neighbors & relatives also can join. (6) Hold this meeting regularly for one hour in your home or any other suitable place near about your home, and chant the hymns or slokas of "Bhagavad-gita" with reverence & devotion. If possible the reading of Bhagavad-gita may be preceded & followed by a congregation chanting of the holy name of God as mentioned below--Hare Krishna . . . Hare Hare. (7) Now relevant questions that may be arising out in the meeting may either be answered relevantly & just according to the authority of "Bhagavad-gita". But if it is found difficult the question may at once be referred to us and it will be very nicely & clearly answered by us for clear understanding of all concerned. (8) Some of the audience also may be interested in becoming a preaching worker of this League & we shall be glad to substain him in the same way as we shall be dealing with you. We are interested more in preaching members than in the sleeping members. The motto of preaching shall always be aimed at the ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is to re-establish our lost relation with Godhead who is the Absolute Whole, and we all living entities are His parts & parcels. We have forgotten our relation with Godhead from time immemorial by somehow or other & due to our forgetfulness of the relation, we are roaming life after life in different species of bodies which are 84 lacs in number. This process of transmigration from one body to another after death is a __ of disease of the living entity & the chance of curing the disease is possible very effectively in this human form of life. The value of this human form of life is therefore immense and a moment lost of this life means a loss of immense value. Do not therefore neglect the time that you have been allotted by the laws of Nature and utilize it fully--not in the matter of animal life but in human life. Eating, sleeping, fearing & sense gratifying process are meant for the animal portion of our life, but as human being we have got the special prerogative for searching out the cause of our threefold miseries & to rectify it in this very life without any further loss of time. The League of Devotees stand to serve the humanity in this spirit & the preaching member's cooperation in this noble act of human behavior will reciprocally benefit both the League and its preaching members. The highest benefit that is possible to do to the humanity is this act of preaching for receiving the Divine Consciousness of the living being. By doing so, we do not only send a living entity back to home & back to Godhead but at the same time we ourselves also go back to home back to Godhead. Rise up to the occasion of this preaching work & be a real benefactor to the people in general & your family members in particular. [page MISSING]

Amen! No one comes to the Father except through me, obey the GBC.

Sorry for choosing the term "preaching", which is obviously afflicted with kind of nightmarish remembrance for some. Theist prabhu and Guruvani prabhu, you made some 16,000 posts at audarya-fellowship which you consider of course not as "preaching", but what else is it? Sharing your thoughts with other Vaishnavas in a non-preaching way? Could also be that those who're real preachers and write some 16,000 posts would never admit that they're preachers? This is also confirmed by sastric evidence: Prabhupada: "So Prahlada Maharaja is Vaisnava. Vaisnava qualification is trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih Vaisnava is always humble, meek and humble. That is Vaisnava. Vaisnava is powerful, but still he is very meek and humble." (ACBSP, Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.8 Mayapur, February 28, 1977)

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="467"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td colspan="3">ISKCON Pune, Sunday , September 02, 2007: "The Janmashthmi festival at ISKCON this year will not only be an elaborate celebration, but also an educational and cultural programme. "Over a lakh devotees are expected to participate, as compared to last year's 35,000," says Chaitanya Charan Das, spokesperson for ISKCON. The exceptional characteristic of the programme would be the numerous abhisheks, wherein over 25,000 disciples would offer the sanctified bath to the Lord. A question and answer booth set up in the premises of ISKCON will have IIT graduates sharing nuggets on the glory of the Indian culture and philosophy." Celebrating Krishna</td></tr> <tr valign="top"><td colspan="3" height="10">http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=254055 </td></tr> <tr valign="top"><td colspan="3">The city is gearing up to celebrate Lord Krishna's birthday on September 4 with fervour and devotion</td></tr> <tr valign="top"><td colspan="3" height="10"> </td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan="3">Neha Madaan</td></tr> <tr valign="top"><td colspan="3" height="10"> </td></tr><tr valign="top"> <td colspan="3"> This Janmashtami, go back to those childhood stories told by grandma or the family pandit, about Lord Krishna's tumultuous but inevitable entry into the world, so as to restore dharma to its rightful place. Be a part of the celebrations around you to commemorate the Lord's birth. And decide where you would want to be on September 4, the day marked for Lord's Krishna reverence. Shyam Joshi, the priest at the Shree Ashtasiddhi Hanuman Temple in MG road tells us, "The temple authorities will commence the preparations at 6 am, with an aarti and abhishek. In the evening again, arrangements are made for the Sandhya aarti. The temple priests distribute sweets from dawn to dusk. At 12 am precisely, the aarti, signifying Lord Krishna's birth, commences in earnest. In the Pushtimarg sect, the God worshipped is Shri Nathjee, the child image of Krishna. The temples built to worship Shri Nathjee are customarily known as Haveli temples. One such temple is in Rasta Peth. The authorities in the temple go by a set of norms, or stringent rules, to be accurate. "The cradles of Bal Krishna, are beautifully adorned with flowers. His effigy is bathed with water drawn from wells by priests wearing Pitambar," reveals Joshi. The Janmashthmi festival at ISKCON this year will not only be an elaborate celebration, but also an educational and cultural programme. "Over a lakh devotees are expected to participate, as compared to last year's 35,000," says Chaitanya Charan Das, spokesperson for ISKCON. The exceptional characteristic of the programme would be the numerous abhisheks, wherein over 25,000 disciples would offer the sanctified bath to the Lord. A question and answer booth set up in the premises of ISKCON will have IIT graduates sharing nuggets on the glory of the Indian culture and philosophy. Discourses, delivering the Janmashtami message and the relevance of the festival in modern lives marred with stress and terror, are also on the list. Bharatnatyam per-formances based on the miracles of Krishna will be performed at the Alpa Bachat Bhavan, a short distance from the ISCKON campus. “Also, kirtans and darshans have been organised on September 3 and 4 at the Camp centre. A special midnight darshan is arranged as well, on the night of September 4," Charan Das adds. </td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3">http://www.krishnajanmashtami.com/</td></tr></tbody></table>

apane aca re keha, na kare pracara pracara karena keha, na karena acara "Some behave very well but do not preach the cult of Krishna consciousness, whereas others preach but do not behave properly." (Srila Sanatana Goswami - 1488-1558 CE) Due to present ISKCON insisting upon not to introduce a global daivi-varnashram movement but maintain an artificial so called "brahminical temple structure", tens of thousands of devotees live now outside of a spiritual society in all kind of different situations and more or less not outwardly to be recognized as Vaishnavas, working in karmi companies. Still, preaching is not limited to those wearing the dress of a Vaishnava and claiming to be bonafide monks. How do you preach? My approach is to some way or other point out that everything on the bodily platform is temporary, the bodily concept of life ends when we die, but there's something within us that says we don't want to die. At this point Bhagavad-gita/Vedas says, yes, awaken your soul and come to the level of identifying with eternal life, give up identifying with what will end when this body ends. Or do you prepare prasadam and distribute it to your fellow-workers? What kind of prasadam do you prepare? Prabhupada: "Fortunately, even at our first meeting, His Divine Grace advised me to preach the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in English in the western countries...I was...convinced that Sri Caitanya Mahprabhu's message is the only panacea for suffering humanity. I was also convinced that the message of Lord Caitanya was then in the hands of a very expert devotee and that surely His message would spread all over the world.... I took his words very seriously and was always thinking of how to execute his order.... If there is any credit for my activities of translating, it is all due to His Divine Grace.... I am confident that he is very pleased by this work of translation. He was very fond of seeing many books published to spread the Krishna consciousness movement. Therefore our Society, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was formed to execute the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur... On this occasion, therefore, I request my disciple who are determined to help me in this work to continue their co-operation fully, so that philosophers, scholars, religionists, and people in general all over the world will benefit by reading our transcendental literatures such as Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya Caritamrta." (Cc Concluding words)

These're good points and Prabhupada said on 1. September '71, the GBC should avoid that people find black spots in our spiritual society. "We are now growing in volume all over the world dealing with public money". Prabhupada considered the laxmi collected not as his earnings but as "public money", which has to be used to spiritually benefit the public in the best way possible. Somehow the present GBC would never admit that there're any black spots? "I am glad that you have admitted about the GBC members not very appropriately discharging their duty. I do not mind this discrepancy but you should be alert; you and all GBC members. We are now growing in volume all over the world dealing with public money. People have respect for our movement. Now it is time for GBC members to be very very careful so that people may not point out any black spot in the behavior of our society. I have issued a letter to all the GBC members only for this purpose that each one of you should always think how to improve the cause and advance our society and as soon as there is some good point you can communicate with your colleagues and give some decision and put it before me so that I can give my final approval. So you should not remain for a moment without thought of improving ISKCON activity. So far you are concerned, being the zonal secretary of that quarter of the world, your duty is to see that all our different centers within your jurisdiction must be going very accurately. The accounts are not being kept very scientifically and if there is extravagant spending that should be changed. We should simply accept the bare necessities of life. The balance money and energy should be employed for pushing forward Krishna's mission." Letter to TKG, London, 1 September, 1971

Phani prabhu of www.iskconconstitution.com will surely find ways how to make the whole thing 100% according Prabhupada's vision of an expanding global Sankirtan Movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The Bureau of ISKCON Constitution in article above says clearly: "During his lifetime Srila Prabhupada did not implement this election-procedure, and during the 1975 GBC meetings in Mayapur (in Srila Prabhupada’s presence) it was resolved that GBC secretaries would not be elected, but that HDG himself would make necessary changes to the membership." So, thing is that this "Prabhupada did not implement this election-procedure", was changed by the GBC in 1978 into a "life-long GBC member once apppointed by vote". The question arising: Good decision, wrong decision or is it all one?

The name is attached: <small>Submitted by phani on Fri, 08/31/2007 - 21:55 original article: http://www.iskconconstitution.com/node/100 </small>

New article by the newly set up "ISKCON Constitution Bureau": "Matters have become more complicated now, with whole temples accepting the ritvik apa-siddhanta." The "Direction of Management" http://www.iskconconstitution.com/node/100 The "Direction of Management" <small>Submitted by phani on Fri, 08/31/2007 - 21:55.</small> Community Proposal In 1970 Srila Prabhupada wrote the “Direction of Management,” a document specifying how ISKCON should be managed during and after his bodily presence. One of the stipulations he made was that GBC secretaries should be elected every three years by the temple presidents. During his lifetime Srila Prabhupada did not implement this election-procedure, and during the 1975 GBC meetings in Mayapur (in Srila Prabhupada’s presence) it was resolved that GBC secretaries would not be elected, but that HDG himself would make necessary changes to the membership. Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu, in a paper presented at a meeting of ISKCON’s North American leadership on May 17, 2007 in Houston, Texas (http://news.iskcon.com/node/463), states that this effectively rescinded the directions in the DOM—not only for the year 1975, but for all time to come. Until now I accepted this point of view, considering that Srila Prabhupada, after writing the DOM, never put it into practice himself, at least not the election-procedure. Srila Prabhupada ran into quiet some trouble with his GBC, so much that at one point he had to write to the temple presidents to disregard the GBC and report to him directly, until he had time to set the GBC straight on some managerial changes they had implemented without waiting for his approval. He had to use his authority as absolute leader of the society to set things straight, and that seems to be what the resolution during the 1975 meetings specified: Srila Prabhupada would make any necessary changes to the GBC membership, elections would not be held. But he had not “forgotten,” or silently disregarded the directions of the DOM, as Ravindra Swarupa Prabhu indicates, and I used to believe, too. Some seven months earlier, 22 July 1974, Srila Prabhupada had an urgent amendment added to the DOM, specifying that he was the supreme authority in all matters of the society and that his post could not be occupied by anyone else. In this amendment he also declared that there shall be a GBC, appointed by him, according to the original DOM—which includes the stipulation re. elections. To me it appears as if Srila Prabhupada, who managed ISKCON with absolute authority, wanted the GBC to be the ultimate managing authority—under his supervision during his lifetime, but more on the lines of a “constitutional monarchy” after his departure. Three-yearly elections would provide some reality-check in case the GBC should move away from Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, as they had previously and, as we now know, would again after his departure. Matters have become more complicated now, with whole temples accepting the ritvik apa-siddhanta, and, more importantly, ISKCON’s congregation becoming more numerous and recognized as part of the society. As Ravindra Swarupa pr. points out: “Yet many in our congregations have various degrees of other allegiances: to other gurus and teachers, to traditional practices of ethnic Hindu communities, to “new age” teachings and practices, to non-ISKCON Gaudiya communities, to other assorted novel concocted teaching and spiritual fads, and so on. Most of us have seen, here or there and now and then, one or the other of such congregational factions become influential in a temple or its community to the detriment of Srila Prabhupada teachings.” I don’t say we don’t need a constitution since we’ve got the DOM, or that all directions of that document have to be applied as they were written down by Srila Prabhupada in 1970. I don’t understand enough of the management of our worldwide society or the implications such changes would have. But I do think that we should recognize Srila Prabhupada’s desire for a GBC that’s answerable in some way to the larger community of devotees, and look for ways how to implement this.

Thanks Theist Prabhu, this is of course true, it is rare. Srila Narayana Maharaja at a conversation in Murwillumbah, Australia: Feb.12, 2002, puts the rareness of highly developed love and devotional sentiments like that: "Therefore, in his service to Radhika, for rati-keli-siddhyai, a guru cannot serve in his male form. Srila Swami Maharaja and my Gurudeva are both serving there in their female forms as gopis. In that realm my Gurudeva is Vinoda Manjari, Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakura is Nayana Manjari, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is Kamala Manjari, Srila Jiva Gosvami is Vilasa Manjari, Srila Rupa Gosvami is Rupa Manjari, and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami is Rati Manjari. These manjaris can serve Radha-Krishna Conjugal." Sriman Dhrstadyumna dasa: "And our Srila Prabhupada?" Srila Narayana Maharaja: "If you fully surrender, by body, mind, words and ego, then I may tell you. Otherwise, I will not. I know who he is, but you do not know. None of the ISKCON leaders know. Your Prabhupada has cheated them all, in the sense that he has not revealed himself to them at all.'' Before Srila Narayana Maharaja made that statement above he tells us the manjari name of his guru and the manjari names of many other gurus. Then, pointing out the rareness of pure bhakti, he wants complete and full surrender before he tells us Srila Prabhupada's manjari name. This is according Srila Narayana Maharaja even not known to the present ISKCON leaders - indeed, this state states of highly developed love and devotional sentiments as you say is rare to obtain! Narayana Maharaja Salt Spring Island, B.C. Canada May 2001 (Morning class):... If anyone does not have belief in my statements, he can acquire and hear the cassette. At that time he spoke in Bengali so that others would not understand. If he were to say that all his disciples were ignorant, that they did not know very much, and that they were imperfect, they may have become upset. For this reason he spoke so many things in Bengali. He told me, 'I brought them, but I could not teach them in full.' If he had told them everything, and if they were so knowledgeable and expert, why have so many of the senior devotees, even those in the renounced order, fallen down? Where are they now? Where they are now is not ISKCON. They were not ISKCON, they are not ISKCON, and they will not be ISKCON. …If there is no need for Prabhupada's disciples to continue hearing from a bona fide guru, then why are they falling? Why? I know more than you, much more than you." Narayana Maharaja says, that pure devotional service is so rare that all those who served in ISKCON and then "fell down" and left ISKCON, that those were and will be excluded for ever. In sum you're so right! Highly developed love and devotional sentiments - it's rare!

For me and quite some of my godbrothers it became increasingly and inescapably obvious that the movement was simply not fulfilling its own stated primary goal of presenting more thoughtful answers when it comes to create "pure devotees" -- who would skillfully and successfully guide serious practitioners to those sublime states of spiritual consciousness elaborately described in the Nectar of Devotion and reiterated in the daily morning lectures. One does, of course, encounter devotees who seem peaceful, content, full of sincere purpose and conviction, high-spirited, effulgent, enthusiastic, and so on. And it is true that most devotees have experienced at one time or another, uplifting feelings from chanting Hare Krishna, seeing the beautiful decorated Deities or during harinam on Oxford Street, London. But what of the more developed and sustained spiritual states described by such terms as "bhava" and "prema"? What of the love of Krishna that flows from the depths of one's being, overwhelms the mind and heart, and utterly transforms one into a holy person whose very presence inspires genuine sanctity in others? Is ISKCON actually producing such manifestly Krishna conscious persons - this was questioned repeatedly. To account for this embarrassing lack of pure devotees in ISKCON, one might feel tempted to enact an ISKCON version of "The Emperor's New Clothes": do the best one can to convince oneself and others that certain high-profile leaders are, indeed, pure devotees, and proclaim that those who don't acknowledge their status are either not yet advanced enough for such spiritual discernment or are "envious fools." Or, alternatively, redefine the term "pure devotee" in such a broad, generous manner as to include the greatest number of devotees possible. Somehow this didnt work in the length of time and the facade seemed to crumble intermittently. In order to compensate this missing genuine spiritual mysticism all kind of changes occured and obviously still go on.....

Krishna-ksetra Dasa, Aug 31, 2007: “When I joined ISKCON, in Germany, the questions were fairly simple: whether to eat seconds or thirds of dessert, which town to go to for chanting, and so on. The answers to some of our philosophical questions, though, were sometimes stereotyped, and [iSKCON’s founder] Srila Prabhupada taught us that Krishna consciousness is not stereotyped. So I began to think that we needed to go deeper into our tradition to secure more thoughtful answers to the questions we asked.” ISKCON Studies Institute Launches Conference ISKCON Studies Institute Launches Conference These are important points, actually I was just caught up when reading HG Sri Sriman Krishna Ksetra Prabhu's wisdom, to think, whether to eat seconds or thirds of dessert, it's a shame I know. Time to become more thoughtful - it's so very true! Any suggestions?

Well, good points, but things are getting more tough in India - Muslim/Hindus need quite strong government to go together, but is this realy warranted? The Central Security agencies had sent today a secret message saying that Bangalore’s ISKCON Temple, Vidhana Soudha, Jamia-Masjid and prominent buildings are being targeted by the terrorists: MORE TERRORIST GROUPS ENTERING INDIA http://www.starofmysore.com/main.asp?type=news&item=14189 Bangalore, Aug. 31 (TRR)- Pakistan -based terrorist outfits are wooing innocent Indian youth to indulge in terrorist activities, according to intelligence sources. Some organisations who have identified themselves with terrorist outfits are giving training to local youth and also money to them. Al Rasheed, a Pakistan-based Trust, is trying to get foothold in India. Abdul Rehman, the man arrested in connection with the attack on Indian Institute of Science (IISc), is a native of Nalagonda District of Andhra Pradesh. He is also Operations chief in South India and was trained in Bangladesh. Bagalkot camp It has also been found during investigation that Habeed alias Mehaboob Ibrahim, who was arrested in Bagalkot, stayed with Pakistan and Bangladesh nationals. These two incidents give sufficient indications of the fact many terrorists arrested in AP and Karnataka have links with Pakistan and Bangladesh. Al Barkat, a Somalia-based Organisation, is also reported be targeting India. The Central Security agencies had sent a secret message saying that Bangalore’s ISKCON Temple, Vidhana Soudha, Jamia-Masjid and prominent buildings are being targeted by the terrorists. It is also believed that terrorists Mustafa, who is now in London, Kameel who is now hiding in Italy, Nedal, Mohamed, Jaleem Khan, Amidoicch, who are now in Chechenya, are trying to sneak into India. These terrorists who have identified themselves with Al -Qaida and Taliban have been listed by the intelligence agencies. The agencies have gathered information about International Islamic Relief Agency, International Relief Organisation, Islamic Relief Organisation, Islamic World Relief, Al-Islamia and Al-almiya Organisations trying to find a base in India. Terrorists are conducting their transactions hiding their real names while opening accounts in Banks. It is possible that they may give fictitious names and address. The Central government has already cautioned the Banks to be careful about terrorist organizations, who are resorting to benami transactions. The Security Advisory Council has also found out the names of foreign VIPs who are supporting terrorist activities in India. Pakistan’s Minister of State for Information and Culture; Kandahar region’s State Agriculture Minister, Foreign Affairs and Commerce Ministers, sources of Islamabad’s Taliban Embasy office, Pakistan’s Internal Affairs Minister, Chief justice of Kandahar Military Court are believed to be some of the main supporters of terrorists operating in India, according to the intelligence agencies.

ISKCON should somehow try to push the feeding of people with prasadam in the West - why India? Spiritual food is badly needed anywhere: Novelist Porochista Khakpour Drinks the Kool-Aid at a Hare Krishna Temple http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/08/novelist_porochista_khakpour_d.html

"But this culture is lost. Now unless one is shot dead, he would not leave family life. Even Mahatma Gandhi, he got independence and everything; still he would not leave. So he was shot dead. This is our position. All politicians, all big big men, they are not going to retire, stuck up. This is not civilization. When one is young, he can remain with family, wife, children, twenty-five to fifty years. That’s all. No more. Give up. Then take vanaprastha. Train up yourself for becoming sannyasi. Then take sannyasa simply for understanding God. That is sannyasa. You can take sannyasa from the very beginning, but if it is not possible, at least at the fag end of your life everyone should take sannyasa and completely devote in understanding the science of God. That is called sannyasa. This is Vedic system, varnasrama-dharma. Now it is foolishly going as Hindu dharma. What is the Hindu dharma? Hindu is not found even in the scriptures. This is a name given by the Mohammedans. Sindu. There is a river, Sindu. From Sindu it has come, “Hindu.” Actually the Vedic culture is varnasrama-dharma, four varnas and four asramas. That is real Vedic culture, how to create brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa—eight. This is called varnasrama-dharma. varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman visnur aradhyate pantha nanyat tat-tosa-karanam Actually human civilization begins when this institution of varnasrama is accepted. Otherwise it is animal civilization—eating, sleeping, mating, and dancing, that’s all. All right. Thank you very much." (end) ACBSP - Melbourne, April 23, 1976 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Such important items like proper timing when to retire family live and what turns a materialistic society from animal level to human platform - are somehow still unknown in modern people's mind. Rather it is expected by the establishment that qualified varnaprasthas are instead starting to watch out for expensive medical treatment to compensate the fear of death till Yamaraja knocks at the door: The medicalisation of old age http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2459/is_n4_v27/ai_21102352 Bureau of Vital Statistic http://www.rootsweb.com/~txfalls/picDeathCert_GOOD_JeffersonDavis_07281936_05132005.jpg

When our fellow men will learn to at least prepare popcorn properly? That buttery aroma might be toxic, too http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/329640_popcorn30.html Common chemical in popcorn at center of concern By ANDREW SCHNEIDER P-I SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Pop Weaver, one of the largest producers of microwave popcorn, is removing a controversial chemical flavoring agent from its products. The chemical -- diacetyl -- adds buttery taste. Government worker safety investigators have linked exposure to the synthetic butter to the sometimes fatal destruction of the lungs of hundreds of workers in food production and flavoring factories. And while Pop Weaver has dropped diacetyl from its product, it remains in widespread use in thousands of other consumer products, including the microwave popcorn brands Orville Redenbacher and Act II. Despite the worker safety findings -- and despite scores of jury decisions and settlements awarding millions of dollars to workers who sued after having their lungs destroyed by exposure to diacetyl -- neither the Food and Drug Administration nor the Consumer Product Safety Commission have investigated. The FDA years ago declared the chemical safe for consumption. Labels on almost all products containing it call it a flavoring and only rarely do the labels mention diacetyl. The only government investigators to examine whether consumers are at risk -- whether diacetyl is released when consumers pop corn in their home microwaves, and if so, how much -- is the Environmental Protection Agency. But to the frustration of many public health workers, the findings of the EPA's study -- which began in 2003 and was completed last year -- have been released only to the popcorn industry. In part, it was the EPA's study that led Pop Weaver to reformulate its flavoring without diacetyl, said Mike Weaver, chief executive officer of the 80-yearold family-owned company. "We have to have good flavors, but at the same time we have to have ingredients that consumers feel good about and we were hearing too many concerns raised about diacetyl," he said. "With these growing concerns and with EPA's actions, we felt it was the prudent to stop using diacetyl and we have." In addition to Pop Weaver and six other private brands, the Indiana-based company also sells "Trail's End" popcorn for the Boy Scouts of America. Five million boxes were sold last year, the Scouts said. "Maybe the big food conglomerates don't take diacetyl seriously, but we take it very, very seriously," Weaver said. "We sell popcorn only. Without it, we're out of business." ConAgra Foods, which says it is the largest supplier of the 3 billion bags of microwave popcorn sold worldwide each year, declined to comment on Pop Weaver's action. However, in interviews earlier this month, corporate spokeswoman Stephanie Childs told the Seattle P-I that ConAgra has been "looking at the diacetyl issue very seriously over the years." Scientists and consultants for ConAgra, whose brands include Orville Redenbacher and Act II, found in 2004 that diacetyl was released when freshly popped bags of corn were opened. However, Childs said that the company saw no need to change its flavorings. "Based on all the information we have available to us, we are confident the everyday, normal use of butter-flavored microwave popcorn in the home is safe," she said. But in a November 2004 letter to the EPA, Patricia Verduin, ConAgra's senior vice president for product quality, wrote: "We believe it is imperative that the health and safety of this product be assured to the extent possible within the very near future." In the letter to the then-head of the EPA's Office of Research and Development, she said that ConAgra had developed a "Consumer Exposure Risk Index" to address potential health concerns from material released when the bag of popped corn is opened. ConAgra declined to discuss what level of risk it documented to consumers from vapors from diacetyl, other flavoring ingredients or the bag itself. "We shared that information with EPA on a confidential basis and we look to them for the next step," Childs said. "We, as well as the rest of the world, are awaiting the release of EPA's study." But the industry already knows what the EPA found, according to George Gray, the current head of the EPA's office of Research and Development. He told the P-I that the popcorn industry was given the opportunity to review the final results before the study was submitted for publication. Gray said there was nothing improper in allowing the industry to review the findings, saying it was necessary to convince industry that none of their confidential business information, such as what the flavoring agents are and the construction of the popping bag, was released to the public. Further, Gray said the information could not be released to other public health professionals because it would prevent his scientists from getting their work published in peer-reviewed journals. However, most prominent medical and scientific journals said that exceptions are always made. "We're not going to punish researchers for disclosing information that is of vital interest to the public health," said Karen Pedersen, manager of media relations for The New England Journal of Medicine. "EPA cannot be permitted to play these games with matters that are important to public health. This is just questionable science at its worst," said David Michaels, director of the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at George Washington University's School of Public Health. "Diacetyl is a dangerous chemical, declared safe, for the most part, by the flavoring industry." The importance of the EPA's findings is increased because no one outside the industry is examining what consumers and workers who pop corn in theaters, discount stores, school gyms and fairgrounds are being exposed to. Through 2003 and 2004 there was heavy news coverage of federal occupational health specialists investigating the cases of hundreds of workers sickened at six Midwest popcorn plants. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which investigates worker health issues, had determined that it was exposure to the vapors from heated butter flavoring that was debilitating the workers. The most likely culprit, the health detectives concluded, was the diacetyl in the flavoring. All of the workers who were diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans or other serious lung injuries worked with the flavoring. In the midst of this, Jacky Rosati, an investigator from the EPA's National Risk Management Laboratory in Research Triangle Park, N.C., said she would try to determine how much diacetyl consumers might be exposed to when they popped corn at home. Rosati and her team, all scientists with the EPA's Indoor Environmental Management Branch, collected multiple bags of 50 of the most popular brands of microwave popcorn. The corn was popped in a specially constructed box containing an old microwave and air collection filters. Measurements were taken of the type and concentrations of the chemicals detected in the vapor or steam released when the bags are opened. "We said let's look at what goes into the bag, popcorn, chemical ingredients, materials that coat the bag, and then let's determine what gets released into the indoor air when you pop it," said Bill Farland, then the EPA's deputy assistant administrator for science, research and development. The final corn was popped and the data collected in the fall of 2005 and Rosati's report was sent to EPA scientists for review. Meanwhile, more cases of the lung disease were being reported to the NIOSH. More workers are fighting to get onto lung transplant lists, which is their only hope for survival. The manager and the owner of a Detroit company that manufactures popcorn carts were diagnosed. The death of a man who was Montana's largest popcorn supplier was attributed to the popcorn flavoring he used. The NIOSH found that his daughter and son-in-law who took over the family business were also sickened, this time from the butter-flavored oil they used. Back at the EPA, Rosati was waiting for industry -- three popcorn companies and the flavoring trade association -- to complete its review. "This is not the way that our government agencies should be protecting the public's interest," said George Washington's Michaels. "With this arm-in-arm relationship between government scientists and the industry using diacetyl, how can the public feel that they are learning the truth about this chemical which is in thousands of products?" It had to be done with industry's help, said Farland, who has since retired. He said he doubted that the EPA would have authorized the study if Rosati had proposed to do it without industry involvement. "The only thing that industry got to look for is confidential business information," said Jennifer Wood, the EPA's press secretary. "They could make no changes to the findings." Meanwhile, as the study was being offered to various journals, the tally of injured workers increased and became more varied. They came from a candy factory in Chicago, from a Tennessee potato chip company, and one, then three, and now more than 20 from six different California companies that made and sold flavorings with diacetyl. Their physicians say a couple will die because they won't survive the wait for a transplant. Back in Washington, the EPA says that a journal, which it declined to identify, will publish Rosati's study "this fall." Ultimately, all Rosati can report is the amount of diacetyl and other chemicals released when the bag is opened. The study wasn't designed to provide any health-related answers, Gray acknowledged. Without more knowledge about the toxicity of diacetyl no one can extrapolate the hazard of what is released when the popcorn is opened, or from any of the other diacetyl-containing products used in the home. This is because no one knows specifically what amount of diacetyl will harm humans. That's likely to remain the case unless the industry decides to share its knowledge or the FDA reverses course and decides testing is needed after all. SECRET INGREDIENTS: A CONTINUING EXAMINATION OF THE SAFETY OF OUR FOOD WHAT IS DIACETYL? A naturally occurring substance found in many dairy products and some wine. It was first produced synthetically in Europe and is added to thousands of foods throughout the world to increase or enrich butter flavoring. WHAT PRODUCTS CONTAIN DIACETYL? Microwave popcorn, potato chips, baked goods and candies, frozen food, artificial butter, cooking oils and sprays, beer, dog food and others. HOW DIACETYL HARMS PEOPLE Worker hazards: In manufacturing plants, it's been linked to bronchiolitis obliterans -- irreversible obstructive lung diseases -- for which lung transplants are often the only way to survive. Lawsuits against diacetyl manufacturers by hundreds of workers in popcorn, flavoring and other food plants claiming injury from breathing diacetyl have led to jury awards and settlements of more than $20 million. Consumer hazards: The Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have declined to study the impact on consumers. The Environmental Protection Agency has looked at the vapors from heated diacetyl as an air pollutant but has not released the results to the public or to public health professionals. Pending action: Congress ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop and enforce standards for worker exposure to diacetyl. In California, legislation has been drafted that would ban the use of diacetyl by 2010. Rep. Rosa Delauro, D-Conn., has asked the FDA to ban diacetyl until it can be thoroughly studied. P-I senior correspondent Andrew Schneider can be reached at 206-448-8218 or andrewschneider@seattlepi.com.

Wonder if they can detect that Bhagavad-gita speaks the truth? See a Lie Inside the Brain Researchers Detect the Truth and Find Lies With an FMRI http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3542921&page=1 Who needs Pinocchio's nose to find a lie? The FMRI scan on the right detects a brain processing a false statement; the less colorful brain on the left corresponds to someone in the middle of a truthful statement. (ABC) By GIGI STONE Aug. 30, 2007 Harvey Nathan is on a mission to prove he's not a liar. "It's a gut-wrenching experience, " Nathan said. "It's bad." In 2003, a deli he owned in Charleston, S.C., burned to the ground. Nathan's insurance company accused him of deliberately setting the fire to collect money on his insurance policy and pressed criminal charges. A judge dismissed the case, but Nathan says his insurance company still does not believe him and has yet to pay for the damage. "It's frustrating to go through and know there's nothing you can do," Nathan said. So Nathan went to a new company based in San Diego called No Lie MRI, which claims to use "the first and only direct detection of lies in human history" by actually mapping the portion of the brain that's used in deception. Polygraph tests, the old standard of being able to tell when someone is lying, are rarely admitted as evidence into court. The polygraph measures blood pressure, sweat and breathing, among other things, to look for emotional signs of lying. But it is possible in some cases for people to learn to control these things and trick the machine. Now there may be a solution: a truth serum without the needles. "Whether it's the spouse that hasn't been cheating, but his partner thinks he was, or the person that didn't take the money," said the founder of No Lie MRI, Joel Huizenga, "this is all about people being vindicated when they've been wrongly accused." Find the Lie — Follow the Blood in the Brain The technology his company uses is called functional magnetic resonance imaging, or FMRI. Here's how it works: When someone lies, the brain first stops itself from telling the truth, then generates the deception. When the brain is working hard at lying, more blood rushes to specific portions of the brain and that's what can be detected on the machine. While No Lie MRI is already offering the service to select customers, a company based in Massachusetts called Cephos, founded by Steven Laken, is taking a more cautious approach with the technology. Laken's company is still researching the FMRI at the Medical University of South Carolina to look for more positive results before it brings the service to the market. "What we have now is a controlled lab experiment, where people commit a crime and try to lie to us and see if we can use imaging results to see what they were lying about," said Mark George, who is running the studies commissioned by Cephos at the Medical University of South Carolina. "Through these studies, we've been pretty good — 90 [percent] to 95 percent accuracy rate so far." Put the Test to the Test The researchers testing the technology agreed to let ABC News try it out. Our experiment started with a mock crime. I was told to either steal a ring or a watch from a drawer in the lab and then go under the FMRI machine and lie about what I had taken. The FMRI results visibly showed more blood rushing to the specific parts of the brain when I was lying. "We're looking beyond just the anxiety, what you're doing cognitively when telling a lie. When you're telling a lie, you're overriding a normal response of telling the truth, " said George. "So your brain is putting on a brake and overlearning a response. It's harder to tell a lie then tell the truth, [to] remember what you're lying about. You've created a false way the world is. So we're looking at overworking, inhibiting, multitasking. Those areas are pretty predictive in catching someone when you're lying." The FMRI technology is still not admissible in court, but there's potentially a huge market for use in situations like libel, slander and fraud where it's one person's word against another, and in employee screening by government agencies. A law review article has discussed the legality of using FMRI to interrogate foreigners in U.S. custody. "If the science results continue to be good, you could use in courts of law people saying, 'I did this, didn't do that,'" George said. "Also, [it could be used] for security clearances to figure out if someone is a member of a different group. Security clearance and courts of law are biggest areas for potential use." As for the deli owner Harvey Nathan, he says No Lie MRI gave him a chance to clear his name, giving him proof that he is innocent — even though his insurance company has not chosen to accept the FMRI results yet.

Lord Buddha's (9th incarnation of Sri Vishnu) trick was to implement the worship of Him besides His teaching of voidism to a less intelligent audience. Thus people who would meditate upon Lord Buddha would make further advancement and finally come to realize that Lord Buddha is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although these folks wouldnt really be able to articulate.

"bizarre consequences": a fallen soul from the spiritual world moving faster than light would theoretically arrive at the destination of taking shelter at Krishna's Lotusfeet before leaving. Sounds quite practical - no more material world.

German experts detect particles faster than light newKerala.com – August 27, 2007 http://www.newkerala.com/july.php?action=fullnews&id=56254 Hamburg, Aug 27: Two German physicists from the University of Koblenz claim to have done the impossible by finding photons that have broken the speed of light. If their claims are confirmed, they will have proved wrong Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, which requires an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 miles per second. However, Gunter Nimtz and Alfons Stahlhofen say they have possibly breached a key tenet of that theory. They say they have conducted an experiment in which microwave photons - energetic packets of light - travelled "instantaneously" between a pair of prisms that had been moved from a few millimetres to up to one metre apart. When the prisms were placed together, photons fired at one edge passed straight through them, as expected. After they were moved apart, most of the photons reflected off the first prism they encountered and were picked up by a detector. But a few photons appeared to "tunnel" through the gap separating them as if the prisms were still held together. Although these photons had travelled further, they arrived at their detector at exactly the same time as the reflected photons. In effect, they had travelled faster than light. Gunter Nimtz, one of the physicists from the University of Koblenz, told New Scientist magazine: "This is the only violation of special relativity that I know of." The duo said being able to travel faster than light would lead to a wide variety of bizarre consequences. For instance, an astronaut moving faster than light would theoretically arrive at a destination before leaving, they said. The scientists said they were investigating a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling, which allows sub-atomic particles to break apparently unbreakable laws. <!-- google_ad_section_end --> --- IANS