Gaea

yep, wasn't sure if u guys used that too.

i'm no sanskrit scholar but... how about something from the jnana yoga part of the Gita?

yes i agree the teaching is spiritually different, but not dangerous. It may well be dangerous for personalists because they are at a different stage of spiritual development. One man's medicine may well be another man's poison. The fact is that today there is a very diverse range of people with an equally diverse range of spiritual development. Sweet sweet and compassionate Lord has created many paths to enable His children, step-by-step, to come back to Him according to their own capacities.

coudn;t put it better myself

Being in the exalted position of the greatest Vaishnava (i.e. Siva) He did what He has to as per Krsna's instruction. Can we really... are we in any poisition to comment on how he deviated from Guru's teaching?

yes, i don't deny that - it's just that i always get a negative vibe from many Krsna devotees when it comes to Shakaracarya and Buddha - my point is that we shouldnt look down on these things since they have come from God. It's like looking down on nursary mathematics and laughing at kids because they're trying to figure out 1+1. Buddha (Krsna) had His reasons as did other Avataras to preach the way they did. If that teaching does not appeal or apply to us, then we simply shouldn't comment - we certainly should not throw derogatory statements around. That's my 2 cents anyway.

If it disturbs you, don't read about it. Stick to what makes you happy. i don't think anyone here can tell you for sure Lord Siva's intentions when He incarnated as Shankara. Maybe people needed an alternative following. I do think it is wrong that you should call the predominant belief at the time "Buddhist lies" though - it's kinda hypocritical (no offense) since Buddha is accepted as a bona fide incarnation, thus His teaching served a purpose which is BOUND to have been successful (God does not know failure!!). There is a grand plan on this planet and God is the director - i think it is presumptious of us to deny or judge other's teachings including Buddhism and "Mayavada". They have their place in this world otherwise Buddha and Lord Siva would not have started them in the first place. Re Padma Purana - not a clue, sorry... i though all Puranas had their root in Vyas?

is it?? i recall when reading the Mahabharata that Duryodhana recruited many thousands of tribesman that were non-Vedic.

the spiritual heart is not the same as the physical heart.

why blame the mind? from this we can understand the mind is not an entity...ahem...with a mind of it's own! the feelings in your heart direct the mind. At least that is the way i understand it. So if you do something or think something you didn't want to, i don't think its right to blame the mind though it is so easy to do this - i do it all the time to vindicate myself. But the fact is that we ourselves are to blame for our own actions, which emanate from the mind, which emanates from the heart. Keep the heart clean, full of love, and the mind problem is eliminated immediately. That's why (part of reason) chanting and devotional service is advised - because we clean our hearts and the mind is immediately purified. Easier said than done tho

yep, he meant THAT ego

recently one of the more senior devotees on this forum - can't remmeber who and which thread now - said something very nice on the point of anger and humility. The gist of it was that Bhakti, true love and devotion, automatically seeds all good qualities. You don't have to look for sepcific methods for anything because love is the seed.

ok maybe this one only brits will get because of the lingo.... Q: Why are Hindus so peaceful? A: Coz they don't have no beef with anyone

they may well be unfertilised but an egg contains the progenitor cells that have the ability to start the life process. Milk has no such capability.

it's confusing when these things happen... but we must keep faith. whether it's devotees in the temple, kids on the street or innocents on a border village - let's pray for Krsna's compassion and mercy to shower on us.

lol

that;s cool if you can do it.... if i tried that, i think i would spend most of my time thinking of when to finish ... so more chanting for me i think would actually be detrimental... i def need to work on the quality part.

You are the One, Neo Nah, only kidding could be anything... is it symmetrical? Does it look like it's been impressed on your hand? Ok i know this is gonna sound wierd but... does it smell floral??

Because if you don't you might do more harm than good. Tolerance is a very difficult lesson

another explanation i heard is that (depending on context i guess) the 3 worlds refer to time rather than physical places - past, present and future.

it's only unusual if you are a Krsna devotee. If you asked Hanuman to take an oath on a book, which one would you reckon He'd choose?

when my folks talk about going to a Katha they mean a gathering where somone is telling Krsna stories, etc.

hi, welcome most people here are Vaishnavas - a "sect", i guess, that primarily emphasise bhakti yoga (devotion, love, service, to God). So most here would direct you to a Vaishnava Guru. Take things slowly, let your spritiual plant grow and decide what is best - God has given you a fraction of His intellgence to decide such things This is great! Of course you can say it, chant it, sing it - most of all, LOVE it Good luck to you!!

one is fun, the other isn't nahh, my knowledge of these things are sooo poor... but we know what BG has to say about it, as Avinash has pointed out (we know it, but understanding it is different matter!!) -- so let's look at mahabharata and take, for instance, Vidura ji. CONSTANTLY he was watching his words, actions, thoughts - he was the living embodiment of Dharma. Therefore he was performing his duty as prime minister, husband and friend absolutely perfectly. And who came to his home to eat his fruit? Krsna Himself! And then we can see in MB that Vidura is not only the perfect Karma Yogist but suddenly he becomes a true devotee. The same with Bhishma. Even more so with Kunti Maa. So my take-home message from this is that we go through stages in our lives - we mess around, then strict discpline comes (e..g via religion), we try to perform our duties structly but ultimately we become devotees - in the end it is love that pervades, not action.

Just as Sanjaya had divine vision, and was narrting BG and the happenings of the battlefield to Dhritharastra, though they were in Hastinapura, in the same way Vyaas knew everything. In fact Vyaas is none other than an Amsha Avatara of Visnu Himself!! The way i heard it (have not read facts specifically) is that Vyaas narrated MB to Sri Ganesha before the events happened. BG is not separate from MB - it is part of the stiory, in the Bhishma Parva (chapter). But its contents are so different from the context of the rest of MB in spiritual nature that it was treeated as a separate text ubto its own right. Also, Krsna confirms he spoke BG to the Sun God many aeons ago so it is indeed like a diamond set into a golden crown - i piece of jewellery in its own right.