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Posts posted by suchandra
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Once A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami commented, although India is the land of religion, it will only sincerely take up Gaudiya Vaishnavism through American Vaishnavas demonstrating and showing Indians their own culture.
Something smiliar could now help western Vaishnavism being whipped into shape by Russia's 100 thousand members and sympathizers, 97 registered communities, 22 ashramas-monasteries and about 250 Vaishnava groups.
CESNUR 2005 International Conference
June 2-5, 2005 – Palermo, Sicily
http://www.cesnur.org/2005/pa_falikov.htm
...The multimillion arms deals are in the making. Russian vaishnavas meet with Indian dignitaries who come to Russia on official visits (including the former premier Vajpayee) and invite them to pray together (sometimes the invitation is accepted). The ruling nationalist Bharati Janata Party encouraged their efforts to spread the Indian culture abroad but more secular National Congress which regained power last year also doesn’t mind it. It’s not surprising they got a permission of Moscow government for building a new temple in Moscow as the old one was demolished during reconstruction of the city. The mayor Yuri Luzhkov thought he was promoting Indian-Russian friendship this way. The protest campaign of orthodox fundamentalists and anticultists followed with noisy public rallies in downtown Moscow under slogans like “Hindu fundamentalists kill Christians in India, there’s no place for them in Moscow!” The Moscow Krishnas organized press-conferences and arranged interactive radio and TV debates with anticultists’ leaders. The radio audience (the debate took place at a liberal station “Echo of Moscow”) supported Krishnas, but more conservative TV audience gave a victory to their opponents (the program “To the barrier!” at NTV channel)[16]. The poll was also taken at the Internet site Credo.Ru, mostly attended by religious affairs experts, which overwhelmingly supported the Krishnas’ right for a temple.[17] Hindu community of Moscow signed a letter asking for the place to worship. But more important the Russian defense minister Sergey Ivanov was on visit to India at the time and signed a contract for a sale of Russian aircraft carrier for almost 700 million dollars. Its Russian name was subsequently changed for Akramaditya (the Indian prince and Krishna worshiper). Luzhkov hesitated for a while but then granted building permission again. Being sixtish Moscow mayor doubtless remembered as the Soviet people were taught to greet Jawaharlal Nehru in Hindi on his visits to Russian capital – “Hindi-Rusi bhai bhai!” (Hindus and Russians are brothers!). As the National Congress came to power in India Russian vaishnavas hurried to meet with Sonya Gandhi and enlisted her support for building a temple. Orthodox church still doesn’t drop the efforts to influence the government but the latter has its own interests in the affair and it’s more or less obvious now that the temple project will be realized though in a much downscaled version.
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It’s evident that Hare Krishnas have taken root in changing Russian society. With their about 100 thousand members and sympathizers, 97 registered communities, 22 ashramas-monasteries and about 250 religious groups they are to stay in Russia.[18] Their refusal to storm heaven and well measured politics of cultural integration through open dialogue with society at large let them avoid pitfalls of their Western counterparts. The only split that took place happened in 1998 when Harikesha Swami who personally initiated many Russian devotees renounced his monastic vows and left ISKCON. Then about one hundred of his Russian followers mostly in St.Petersburg left the movement and captured the temple. But in 3-4 years the group of schismatics disintegrated and now there are no more than 10 people in it united mostly by economic but not spiritual interests.[19] The vaishnavas who were initiated by Harikesha Swami had to be reinitiated. Among them was Bhakti Vigyan Goswami himself who was reinitiated by the other well known pupil of Bhaktivedanta - Radhanath Swami.
Judging by the results of interactive radio and TV debates of Krishnas with their orthodox adversaries Russian public recognizes their right to existence. The further to the East from Moscow – the more so. It makes one think that cultural and religious identity of Russia is not as well defined as the Orthodox Church would like it to be.
Russian authorities also tend to tolerate them more than the other groups blacklisted by anticultists as “totalitarian sects”. The foreign policy interests obviously prevail over the customary government’s support of the Orthodox Church.
Anticultists and orthodox fundamentalists will go on to fight them as a threat to spiritual monopoly of the Russian Orthodox Church. And the threat they are! In their official declarations Russian vaishnavas are careful to insist that they don’t proselytize among Russian public and accept candidates for initiation only after a long probation period. They call for interreligious dialogue and seem to be ready for it. But as long as the Russian Church doesn’t do its own missionary and educational work properly and concentrates only on the counter-mission, fighting “sects and cults”, it will lose at least some young people to Hare Krishnas. Those who are looking for strong mystical experience and don’t care if it’s given by a foreign faith. As Russia becomes more and more a part of the globalizing world there will be more of such people. And the only chance for the Church to retain them is not to stress its Russianness and thus “the birth right” for all Russian souls (which it does now) but to tap its own sources of mystical experience. When Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada went to America he accented not his hinduness but the universal appeal of love for God. And he offered an accessible way to realize this love in kirtanas. A good lesson for missionaries of all faiths to learn.
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devarsi-bhutapta-nrnam pitrnam
na kinkaro nayam rni ca rajan
sarvatmana yah saranam saranyam
gato mukundam parihrtya kartam
“Anyone who has completely surrendered unto Krishna, Mukunda, giving up all other duties, is no longer a debtor, nor is he obliged to anyone—not the demigods, nor the sages, nor the people in general, nor kinsmen, nor humanity, nor forefathers.” (Bhag. 11.5.41) That is the indirect hint given by Krishna to Arjuna in this verse, and the matter will be more clearly explained in the following verses.
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Devotees are basicly always attacked by the material energy - especially in this age of Kali:
Letter from Mantrini devi dasi, Tamohara's wife,
Posted July 16, 2005,
While we were in Montreal attending their Rathayatra and joining the Youth Bus Tour for the first leg, we were kidnapped in our truck camper! It is a long sorry tale, but basically while we were sleeping in the camper outside the Montreal temple, our camper truck was car jacked (stolen!) with us in it! We could not see the criminals, we were just jolting around in the back on the phone with the police (who only speak French, mainly...) The upshot was that at the first opportunity to escape, we jumped out of the back in the middle of the street (me barefoot in my nightgown!) Tamohara had the presense of mind to grab his glasses, shoes and my purse, but the thieves got away with all our most important personal belongings, the most dear being our beloved Goura Nitai deties! They basically took our entire house! The Montreal police were very luke warm about chasing after them...they seem to not like Americans, so we have little hope of recovering anything. We count our blessings that we weren't killed in the process...thank Lord Nrsinghadev for that!
But, we were forced to cut our trip around to various temples short and were lucky to get back into the U.S. without passports and id's. We are back in Alachua to stay for a while.
It is amazing, but devotees have been coming up to us and telling us stories of having their deities stolen...some recovered, some not. We are still devastated by that part of the incident!
Anyway, we must depend on the mercy of the Lord and His devotees at all times!
your very humbled servants,
Mantrini & Tamohara
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You're right, right so right!
All devotees who I know from the past always tell me - don't do it - don't ever think of visiting Vrindavana/Mayapur. Too many mysterious deaths of middle age, dedicated, nice devotees in these places of Mayapur/Vrindavan past years. You're right it's Kali-yuga and even when Lord Krishna performed his lilas on earth - where did the most obnoxious demons assemble, in the Holy Dhamas. Yesterday I read a report of devotees visiting Vrindavana and explaining how real "professionals" steal you just everything right in the Dhama and these aren't rare exceptions. Obviously the managers of Krishna-Balaram Mandir noticed the postings on some Vaishnava-forums about their warnings and in order to reconfirm it posted their Vrindavana-astakam today at dipika.org. Thanks for the "most admirable".
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Even the young devotees feel quite insecure!
When You get sick in Mayapur, what do You do? Newsletter for Residents of Iskcon Mayapur 2005, Vol 8 No 1
Lila Vrindavana devi dasi says: First of all I go to the local Mayapur Hospital, near Yoga Pitha. They usually help. Why I don't go there in the first place - because they have usually two hundred people lining up to see a doctor for free. They are very expert and have ample experience - if you get to the doctor, they know what they are doing. You can get doctor's darshan for thirty rupees if you don't want to line. These doctors saved my baby twice and me one time. When glorified Krishnagar child specialists did not find what was wrong with my baby, these doctors immediately identified pneumonia and gave instant help. So, I do respect them. You can see them for 30 rupees in any time of day and night, 24 hours, doctor is living right there. I you want for free - go in the morning, there is huge crowd of people, doctor have not time to even look at people, simply ask what's their problem, writes prescription on a piece of paper and they go and get it, they have free medicines and injections, they have all kinds of medicines, in Iskcon we did not find such medicines.
Ratnavali devi dasi says: It would be nice to have a 24-hours medical shop here in Iskcon, sometimes I get really sick I need some particular medicine, I can not expect when I will get sick., I keep a stock of it, but sometimes it happens that it finishes and I really need it, it would be nice to have 24-hour medical shop. I ´t is nice that they have brought from Krsna Nagar some good doctor, weekly once he is coming once on Sunday, now he is coming on Monday 1-3 pm, it's written on the board over there.
Only once I showed to him recently I didnt have to much need to see the doctor, but at least I know that if I need I can make an appointment to see that doctor at the time, but I can not wait for a week every single time sometimes you need to go to the doctor, I can't say "OK, sickness you please prolong after one week when the doctor comes you come back!" I can not say that, but he is a good , fortunately at that day doctor came and I was sick, on Sunday, and so it worked out for me, otherwise it would be very difficult.
Otherwise, without him I dont feel realy comfortable to go to any doctor over there (boundary wall Medical Center), I dont know what they are going to give, and is it really wirth while going.
This doctor from Krishnanagar helped me very much, he had good knowledge and it worked immediately, he could understand. Otherwise everytime I have to go to Navadviipa that's what I was doing when I got some serious complications, a general fever and cold or whatever I could go there, but if some extra care is required then I go to navadvipa doctor that's the only option that I have right now, it would be nice if we would have more facility.
Bhakta Priya devi dasi:
First of all I try to diagnose myself - what disease it is I got now? If it's something I had before, I don't bother for doctor - go and get medicene myself. If it is something new I go to see Gour-baba in Chaitanya Mission and also do a search on the Internet - what traditional and non-traditional medicine offers for that condition, I am trying to find the course for this disease.
Some simple diseases can be taken care of by simple herbs and spices. I have a book on herbal healing from Russia. I have experience that when all kinds of doctors and medicines did not help, the herbal answers that I found in that book did help me. Regarding doctors that are available here, I prefer Gour-baba. I tried the doctors in the boundary wall, one doctor comes from Krishnanagar - he is good doctor, but prescribes lots of expensive medicines, to make money, and I end up using not even half of them, and I am trying to avoid allopathic medicine in general.
Ramaniya devi dasi says: Chanting Hare Krishna, I fully depend on Krsna! I dont go to doctors, unless it's very, very, very urgent or important. By Krsna's mercy I have good health.
Lila Madhuri Devi Dasi says:
Ayurvedic system, means adopting the nutrition to the need of the moment. I kind of have some knowledge of it myself and also I take help from the doctor in Navadwip, I don't know his name, in Oladevitala. I do nothing else and sleep a little bit more.
Pitambara das says: I say, those people who call themselves doctors, which can only know two names for the medicines - antibiotic and penicillin - that's himsa. Last festival, Radhanatha Swami sent five doctors and one of those doctors saved my life, because these people that call themselves doctors at the dispensary here, they are a joke. I have no idea of their names, they are death personified! No. it's really true they know two antbiotics, I had one friend from Sweden, he had a little bacha (child) with him - they gave the kid same antibiotic as to adult - they only know these two things. It's a joke. And the fortunately, OK. to die in Mayapur, but, it's so interesting that you took up this question, I have been meditating on that, I did full pranamas to Radhanatha's disciple - he saved my life during the festival. Thank God! - there was someone educated, but you know these two guys, who sit in the small chamber on boundary wall..than it's even the brahmacaris they know more than these two, "doctors", Narayana is one, with very bad teeth. I mean that's my experience I only live here nine years, so what do I know? Hmmm...
Phani Sevaka devi dasi says: I depends if it's little or if it's heavy. And sorry, I can not find a good doctor here, in Mayapur. I must go to Calcutta, if it's simple disease I just have to take rest and sleep nicely more hours, but it's not good, I have to go to mangala aratik everyday, but it's OK just to sleep for more hours to take care of this body, then it's OK, but my own experience when I'm very sick, have a very big headache, nobody can do anything in Mayapur, so I have to go to Calcutta to find some specialist.
Maha Laksmi devi dasi: If my children get sick I go to Homeopathic doctor, Devnath, Vikas Sanga or Adi dev Prabhu, Nmahatta. And myself I just take maha-tulasi and pray.
Sevika Radha devi dasi says: I take maha-tulasi and charinamrta. Whenever I try to take medicines doctor gives, I have side effects. When I take charinamrta, and maha -tulasi I get better.
Amrita devi dasi says:
I am going to Navadwip to the Dr. Oladevitala, while I am staying at I am waiting to recover and praying, that's what I am doing normally.
Atul Krsna das says: Usually when I get sick I take more rest, and take some drugs from the dispensary - whatever they give me usually, I try to get some antibiotics. I go to dispensary on the matin gate. Usually I always get the same thing, the flu. And if bad I just have to take antibiotics to get rid of it.
Bhaktajanapriya das says: I call some medical help, if I am sick I have to take help from the medical. It depends on what type of sickness, if it's a little fever I dont go to the doctor just take some medicine by myself. And if it's a little more serious then I will go to the ayurvedic doctor trying to avoid the allopathic, I go for homeopathy or ayurvedic - in Navadwip, at Oladevitala.
And pray to Krsna, like if you wish then I know I can be cured, or that I can have nice health so that I can serve God better, that way - because without His sanction the medicine will not work.
Padmini Radha devi dasi says: As long as it is not an obstacle to our regular sadhana it's OK, otherwise when it becomes difficult to get up for mangala-arotik, the you really feel "OK, Krsna, help me, because I need this body to serve You!"
Usually we try to go to homeopathic doctor from Mayapur, Vikas sanga. We try to avoid allopathic medicine as much as possible. Kavita is from Mayapur, she stays there at the land department and goes to the villages. Since she knows us, she is very close to my prabhu,so sometimes we just call her up and tell her. like for a few days I was completely down all the time feeling completely tired and very sleepy, I have just to lie down. I ahd to go to her, blood pressure was low and she gave me some medicine and I feel better. She is our medical help, until now nothing else has been required. She can be found usually in the morning, I think before 8:30, she has a mobile and you can call her up and fix an appointment, or she comes to the Mayaour Vikas Sanga office, but usually her business she has to go the village and do some visits, so it's not very regular so it's better to call her on mobile to fix an appointment: ph# 9434056807
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substitute alternatives are surely fine and welcome but the topic is that in Vrindavana Dhama obviously some mismanagement has to be corrected. Helpless devotees seem swamped with a situation that is purely spiritual - to arrange a dignified atmosphere for departing Vaishnavas who desire to go back home back to Godhead in Vrindavana Dhama.
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“We must understand the transcendental importance of Mathura, Vrindavana and Navadvipa dhamas. Anyone who executes devotional service in these places certainly goes back home, back to Godhead after giving up his body." (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.1.28 Purport)
There must have happened some quite dramatic scenarios before they wrote such an instruction manual about the most natural thing in the world, dieing, even composing it with eight verses to make it look like an astakam. However, people who dont have the facts what happened there in the past might feel shocked about this repelling verbalisation of an organisation which claims to feed daily 50.000 poor children. Every western city has a crematorium for the poor so what they need is proper management and not behave like helpless laymen.
Since a crematorium is something like a social service for the poor but also a business for burials who can be paid by a suitable fee this broadcast by Dhanajaya das is more or less evidence of incapacity for an institution who teaches in essence nothing else than to successfully give up your body at the end of live and go back home, back to Godhead. Why not consult an accredid advertising agency how to successfully run a crematorium in the Holy Dhama? No money to install the most important facility of spiritual live, to properly leave this world in Vrindavana and have a little grave, reminding, this person donated so many years of work to serve Iskcon?
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Never heard something as below from the Vedas, someone has the link?
Israel Shamir: "..The Church banned fixed interest, until John Calvin’s fateful folly. The Jewish Law forbade Jews to charge interest for their "brothers" (other Jews), but required to charge ‘strangers’ (non-Jews). St. Ambrose understood the implications of this approach, when he wrote: “From him demand usury, whom you desire to harm. From him exact usury, whom it would not be a crime to kill. Where there is a right of war, there also is a right of usury”. In the old days, the ‘anti-Semitic’ Church condemned usury as the exclusively Jewish occupation, but now it is free for all."
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"When money is lent on a contract to receive not only the principal sum again, but also an increse by way of compensation for the use, the increase is called interest by those who think it lawful, and usury by those who do not" (Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, p. 1336)
Quotes from the Old Testament:
"If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury "(Exodus 22:25).
"Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase" (Lev. 25:37).
"Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury "(Deut. 23:19).
"He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved" (PS. 15:5).
....This war went on for centuries until they were finally destroyed at the time of King David (1,000 B.C.). These nations were the strangers that Moses permitted the Israelites to exact usury. Usury was economic warfare to pauperize and destroy their economy so that they could not afford to wage war against the Israelites:
"Who were these "foreigners", and why was Israel permitted to exact usury from them if usury was unlawful? It was understood from ancient times that this permission related specifically to the conquest of the promised land. Usury was part of the violence that Israel inflicted upon the wicked people whom God was driving out before them. God had told Israel that the conquest would encompass a length of time. Exodus 23:29-30, "I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate, and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land." The oppression of usury was an effective means of keeping the Canaanites under check until they had been totally conquered. In this case, usury was an instrument of God's judgment upon a wicked people "(Mooney, Usury: Destroyer of Nations).
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According this article, modern banking is through and through a corrupt thing what causes world wide suffocation of many nations: harimedia.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=248#248
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Srila Sridhar Maharaj: According to the varnasrama system, generally the sudras (laboring class) and ladies are not allowed direct participation in the higher religious functions. Only indirect participation is allowed for them, and they also do not get the sacred thread...
In this age of Kali, especially nowadays, men are definitly not more qualified than women, even worse. The problem rather is the chaos in many temples, instead of Matajis being trained as perfect preachers, who are forbidden to get involved in financial affairs, they have to go out and collect. And become in reality, without knowing, members of the vaisya class, although living in a monastary and that what makes matajis in the temple look like inferior. Rupa Goswami condemned that, all the six Goswamis only constructed temples under the condition without getting personally involved in the financial dealings. Srila Prabhupada, NOD, 7/12:
/images/graemlins/smile.gif
We can see in the lives of various acaryas in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that they are not very enthusiastic about constructing temples. However, if somebody comes forward to offer some service, the same reluctant acaryas will encourage the building of costly temples by such servitors. For example, Rupa Gosvami was offered a favor by Maharaja Mansingh, the commander-in-chief of Emperor Akhbar, and Rupa Gosvami instructed him to construct a large temple for Govindaji, which cost vast amounts of money.
So a bona fide spiritual master should not personally take any responsibility for constructing temples, but if someone has money and wants to spend it in the service of Krishna, an acarya like Rupa Gosvami may utilize the devotee's money to construct a nice, costly temple for the service of the Lord. Unfortunately, it happens that someone who is not fit to become a spiritual master may approach wealthy persons to contribute for temple constructions. If such money is utilized by unqualified spiritual masters for living comfortably in costly temples without actually doing any preaching work, this is not acceptable. In other words, a spiritual master needn't be very enthusiastic for constructing temple buildings simply in the name of so-called spiritual advancement. Rather, his first and foremost activity should be to preach. In this connection, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja recommended that a spiritual master print books. If one has money, instead of constructing costly temples, one should spend his money for the publication of authorized books in different languages for propagating the Krishna consciousness movement.
http://www.radhadamodarmandir.com/gosvami/index.html#Rupa-Goswami
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"..Surprise at the number of women gravitating towards Krsna..", women gravitating towards Krishna doesnt necessarily mean that such women have to become nuns in a monastery, but rather could be important catalysts for changing material family live into a Krishna centered household. Express of surprise not because of "softer hearts and are more inclined towards Krishna", rather the rare determination of entering a monastic live-style at such young age around 20.
Vedabase.net Offline, Password?
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