Gaea

maybe he is worried about the distress cows go thru to give milk etc, and subsequent karmic response.

my personal view is that we must be prctical and if i don't have a cow in my back yard then i'll have to run down to the shop and buy some. being veggie is hard enough in the western world, getting all the amino acids and vitamans i need, being vegan would certainly be even more difficult and health might suffer. I don't think it makes sense to be vegan in this regard.

I am not a greek linguist, but every definition I have seen of 'gnosis' is that it deals with transcendental or esoteric knowledge.

you're right on every point, i was just pointing out that the word does not refer to esoteric knowledge - that rference came afterwards.

Gnostic means they deal with esoteric knowledge

not esoteric knowledge, just knowledge - it's derived from a greek word. Gnostics were originally named so due to their "knowing" (i.e. the teachings of Christ). Later Gnostism became heresy and they were forced to convert or die, so the word has lost its meaning in the Church.

Also an interestng point - simlilarity gnosta and g(j)nana (sanskrit for knowledge or wisdom)

seems so.

<removed by myself>

i think Govinda_das got the translation from http://www.krishna.com/gitaframeset/gita_frameset.html as:

BG 17.10: Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness.

However the fact remains that when you pluck fruit/veg from a plant or tree decomposition is not immediate. In fact fruit has the wonderful quality of maturing even when it is not attached to the tree (by production of ethene). It's only afterwards they become stale. The operative words here "food prepared" - i.e. food that has been cooked in some way. Shvu is right in that there is no mention of meat.

Then again, it depends on what your definition of "putrid" or "untouchable" food is.

A ghost is a physical impossibility.

 

whoa, stay away from the word "impossible". Most scientists believed quantum singularities were a physical impossibility but then along came Hawkins. I love it how you have totally disregarded the possibility - even if you have conducted an investigation you can never say for sure "what is not". Do you see what i mean? it is most unscientific.

Oct. 25, 2005

 

"We cannot in truthfulness call upon God who is the Father of all if we refuse to act in a brotherly way toward certain men, created though they be to God's image. A man's relationship with God the Father and his relationship with his brother men are so linked together that Scripture says: 'He who does not love does not know God' (1 John 4:8)" (NA 5).

Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald, President

This is very nice. However much Christian-Hindu-bashing we see, we can't deny that there are both good and bad people "practicing" every religion and so we can't demonise an entire race of people who dedictated to a religion we don't specifically lilke - gets us nowhere.

I for one don't want to bash any Christian/Muslim/Jew etc any more just because of my faith in Sanatana Dharma. I think what Prabhupada saw ( or what i think he saw) is what we should strive for - brotherhood of man, Fatherhood of God.

according to their capacity! You can never teach anything true if you reject the Lord of Truth! You can never teach the path of Light and Life if you reject the Living God in whom is no darkness. Everything begins and ends with the eternal Lord and all knowledge that rejects Him is FALSE!

Yama is not satan indeed. never said that. God showed this to this monk so he could save many other buddhists. Christ is in your scriptures and by showing the monk Yama, whom they know, God lets them know what is the true path.

If Christ is in our scriptures, then our scriptures are blessed by Christ himself. So why worry about where we're going?

The Eternal God is clearly written about in your beloved veda and other scriptures. Scripture which buddha denied claiming there was no God.

Out of his infinite mercy Lord Buddha taught those people according to their capacity, as did Christ.

i heard PRabhupada also wrote many letters to Nixon. Hopefully George Bush is more receptive! Good luck!

Jai Sri Krishna

 

I dont know what the benefits are for doing japa on sphatika mala...but as with all malas there are reasons and beneift behind them. Aa pointed out by others here for Vaishnavas Tulasiwood is the best. The significance of the Tulasi plant which this wood is obtained from is realy big in Vaishnavism. Tulasidevi is the embodiment of Vishnu-bhakthi, infact in puja its is recogmended that Tulasi ia placed on all offerings/items as this this is realy pleasing to Krishna. By touching Tulasi wood whilst you chant you are recieving the grace of Tulasidevi who gives us Bhakthi and helps us in our japa. So stick to Tulasi beads...you cant go wrong (even if you perform a accidental sin in chanting simply by touching tulasi wood we will be purified!!)

how? is bhakti like a spiritual substance passed from Tulsi wood to your heart? surely the chanting itself wipes away accidental sin?

what is the meaning of different japa materials being used for different mantras or traditions - how do we know what to use? i've always believed it is the mind and heart that makes the difference, not what the japa is made of?

But, what if the devotee who left did it out of ignorance or innocence and not out of disrespect??

anand

i've done that many times. I hope never to again regardless of what happens. If even God can't save you, what's the point of anything?!

My question to the devoties is , if we chant the holy mantra, are our sins washed away right away, or do we have to chant a certain amount?

 

No - its not a piece of magic that you say and your karma is dissolved - not that easy . Although if you say the Lords name with a heart full of love and devotoin the results of your actions whither away instantly because you have reached perfection. Senior devtees here can direct you to the appropriate scriptural refs.

how many times can we do this? what if we keep sinning, but also keep chantting?

 

Chant as many times as you want - it's supposed to be for bhakti, although you can pray for material benefit - i suppose this is how most people come into it. But don't use it as an excuse to commit action (good OR bad). Just make sure you dedicate all your actions and their results to God - that's the best way to absolve your karma.

Do we sin so we feel guilty and then chant? is this the lords work?

 

pass

has there been any other proof of krishna being on earth besides the vedas, where there any reports of him in the wester nations ?

 

The greeks acknowledged Vaisnavism and there is some evidence egyptians knew of it too. As for direct physical evidence, no, as far sa i know.

Do we ever meet our loved ones in this life in our other lifes?

 

Sure we do. The actions you perform have consequences. The web of karma is very complex but the people you interact with the most are bound to perform actions unto you and vice versa and hence you must meet again.

Are we always connect to the same people throught out our lifes, do we keep making the same friends , have the same parents?

 

Not neccessarily the same parents etc. but its plausible.

If one of us, under the mercy of the lord, is freeded from death and reborn, what happens to the people he loves, what about his parents and his kids and his friends, will krishna lift them out of the misery too ?

 

Your relationship with Krsna is between you and Him.

can we be freed from living inthe material live by just chanting or do we have to become a expert devotie and a master of the senses ?

 

As far as my understanding goes - love God, serve God and that's the royal road. That doesnt necessarily mean you HAVE to do 16 rounds of chanting everyday. Krsna's looking to your heart, not your rosary. Bhakti is the key.

if we have to gain the mercy of radhe , so we can do devotional service or even chant right, is radhe in a higher postion then krishna?

 

Haha, good question. I'll leave this to the seniors.

Does krishna assume the human form all over the universe? Or is he only looking as a human on this planet?

 

The belief is that Krsna's form is eternal. i.e. supreme PERSONALITY of Godhead.

how easy is it to gain krishnas mercy, how much difficult is it to gain his love?

 

Do you want someone to quantify relative ease?! I reckon you already have KRsna's love. Now your love needs to connect.

please forgive my dumb questions but please answere them.

 

Absolutely amazing and fundamental questions that every seeker should ask! Please forgive my semi-complete answers!

at Bhaktivedanta Manor it's mostly men, but on many occassions i have seen women (youth) doing wonderful kirtans on sunday.

I don't know about book translations but i have found university language centres a great resource. Their translations are non-religious and purely academic. Cambridge Uni has online resources - check it out (now that i'm looking for it i can't find it! If i come accross it, will post here).

inetersting quote from Vayu Purana (from http://mangalpur.tripod.com/id15.html):

suddho gaurah-su-dirghango

ganga-tira-samudbhavah

dayaluh-kirtana-grahi

bhavisyami kalau yuge In the age of Kali-Yuga, I shall come [bhavisyami kalau yuge] in a place on the bank of the Ganges [ganga-tira-samudbhavah]. I will be very pure [suddhah], have a golden complexion [gaurah], and be very tall [su-dirghangah] and chant the holy names of Krishna.

Sound familiar?

something to do with a gem in his forehead, which Arjuna removed after the war. BEcause of his sins, he is in atonement. Apparently he will be one of sapta-rishis taht will carry forward the Vedas after the next pralaya. Apparently.

the fact that he's working in a job that will affect pretty much the entire population of the planet is pretty noble i think. And i agree with the guest - you don't have to live in a temple to be angaged in bhakti. In truth, how much do you know of what is really going on in his heart and how much he loves Krsna? On Krsna and Krsna alone knows that. That is a private relationship and nobody else's business. (no offense intended!)

Mass extinctions? That's interesting. I always thought of mass extintions to be coincidental to the end of mini yuga cycles. So we're in the 7th Kaliyuga at the moment (hence 6 major extenctions in the past). Anyway, i'm trailing off.

Hi all

I was wondering if anyone knows of any good resources where i can find the chronology of events in the Mahabharata in detail? (short of going back to the Sanskrit, that is)

Thanks!

I am just curious. If Vyasadeva wrote all the vedic scriptures down at around 5000 years ago, how can 95% of these scriptures get lost so relatively quickly???

only takes a few minutes to burn a book! I don't know about the 95% figure, but India has had at least two major anti-vedic invasions (the Arabs and British) - we know that at least one of these invaders made it their business to destroy temples and literature. While much of this literature was destroyed, i'm sure there are some remnants waiting to be found. And hey, the big man is still alive I hear so we could always ask him (a devotee at my local temple was talking about how Vyaas is still in the himalayas and his direct disciple comes down often from the hills to an ashram in Himachal Pradesh)

the mridangas at the Watford Temple are all made of some aritifcial stuff - the sound is not as good as skin but only marginally so. Maybe we should look to that alternative.

I asked a devotee a question he gave me a wonderful reply which I shall post here:

One question for them. If the electron is moving around nucleaus of Atom, where it is getting it's energy. Is something being consumed. If so is it's radious of rotation is decreasing? If so all atoms are being compressed?

-Name of devotee withheld for privacy.

The energy comes from opposing charges. The rotation is only half the story - electrons can also be descibed as energy clouds around the nucleus. Because you can't tell velocity and position exactly at the same time (thanks, Heisenberg) the electron is seemingly a "wave" as well as matter at the same time. Google Wave/Particle Duality for more. There is nothing metaphysical about it.

I think that is something you may have to read on your own (Bhagavatam 10th Canto, and other writings of the six goswamis). Not many people are inclined to discuss Krishna's intimate pastimes in public.

yes i know, i just gave that as an example but didn't really expect anyone to talk about that specifically - any other pastimes just as much appreciated...