Jahnava Nitai Das

Dear Sri ..., Thank you for writing. It is very nice to hear that you have taken up a serious sadhana of mantra japam under the guidance of Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's teachings. There are two categories of mantras delineated in the shastras. One is the vaidika-mantra, or mantras of the Vedas (such as Gayatri, etc.), and the other is the nama-mantra, or mantras composed of the Lord's names. By definition a vaidika-mantra will possess three aspects, namely a seed letter (such as 'om', 'srim', 'hrim', etc.) which invokes the divinity, a deity to whom the mantra is directed, and a function or offering to the deity (such as 'namah', 'svaha', etc.). Such vaidika-mantras must be received directly from the guru through the process of upadesha, or initiation. This category of mantra has many rules and regulations associated with the chanting of the mantra. It is not that one may chant the mantra at any time or at any place. Prior to the chanting of the mantra one must undergo purification both externally and internally. This involves bathing (and other procedures from the 'yama' and 'niyama'), meditational postures (asana), breath control to make the mind peaceful (pranayama), withdrawal of the senses from the sense objects (pratyahara), and absorption on the deity (dharana). These six steps of yoga help one to purify oneself, first externally, and then internally. Once situated in purity one may then begin one's mantra sadhana, provided one finds a suitably pure and peaceful location. Such mantras require one to be completely dedicated to their sadhana under the guidance of a qualified guru. These mantras should not be chanted whimsically, as there is all chance of committing mistakes in our sadhana, resulting in us incuring negative reactions. Nama-mantras are quite different from the vaidika-mantras, as they are composed only of the Lord's name. Such mantras carry the exact same potency as the vaidika mantras, but in a manner accessable to all. When we analyse the power source of all mantras, we will come to understand it is the name alone which empowers the mantra. For example, one may take a mantra such as 'om namo bhagavate vasudevaya'. If one were to just chant 'om namo, om namo, om namo', one will not receive the effect of the mantra. On the other hand, if one were to just chant 'vasudeva, vasudeva, vasudeva', one would receive the benefit of the mantra, for it is Vasudeva's name which empowers the mantra. We find countless examples in the Puranas of people calling out the name of the Lord and receiving His full anugraha, His merciful glance, despite not being trained in Vedic mantras. Draupadi was saved by Lord Krishna in the assembly of the Kurus simply by invoking His divine name. Similarly, Ajamila was saved from the messengers of Yama simply by calling Narayana at the time of death. The great rishi, Valmiki, was previously a sinful hunter, but by chanting the name of Rama he was transformed into a great saint. The power of the Lord's name has been demonstrated through countless histories as recorded in the ancient Puranas. The full potency of the Lord is present within His holy name: namnam akari bahudha nija sarva shaktih "In the names of the Lord exist all of the Lord's energies." The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is a nama-mantra, a mantra composed only of the Lord's names. Hari, Krishna, and Rama, along with their eternal consorts, are invoked with this divine chant. Being a nama-mantra, there are no hard and fast rules for chanting this maha-mantra, nor does one need to receive the mantra from a guru through upadesha: tatrarpita niyamita smarane na kalah "There are no restrictions (niyamas) for chanting the Lord's name; neither must one take consideration of the time or circumstances." The nama-mantras are the Lord's special mercy to the fallen souls of the Kali-yuga. Those of us with no proper spiritual qualification can still attain the Lord and associate with Him through His divine name. In this present age of Kali-yuga, it is especially recommended that one chant this Hare Krishna maha-mantra. It is described in the shastras that this hari-nama-sankirtana is the yuga-dharma (religious process) for this age: krite yad dhyayato vishnum tretayam yajato makhaih dvapare paricaryayam kalau tad dhari-kirtanat "Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Vishnu, in Treta-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvapara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the names of Sri Hari." Kalau tad dhari-kirtanat - in the age of Kali, it is Hari-kirtana, the chanting of the Lord's names, that delivers us. In fact, due to our own disqualifications, no other process of self-realization will be effective in this age of Kali, other than the chanting of the Lord's names: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha "In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting of the holy name of Sri Hari. There is no other way, no other way, no other way." Seeing our very fallen condition in the age of Kali, the Lord blesses us with the simplest and most powerful of religious processes, nama-sankirtana. It is for this reason that Sukadeva Goswami describes the Kali-yuga as follows: kaler dosha-nidhe rajan asti hy eko mahan gunah kirtanad eva krishnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet "My dear king, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one great quality about this age: simply by chanting the names of Krishna, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom." In the Srimad Bhagavatam we even find that the age of Kali is actually considered the best of all ages. Though the age is full of sins and faults, it remains the best of all ages by virtue of the yuga-dharma being so powerful: kalim sabhajayanty arya guna jnah sara-bhaginah yatra sankirtanenaiva sarva-svartho 'bhilabhyate "Those who are actually advanced in knowledge are able to appreciate the essential value of this age of Kali. Such enlightened persons worship Kali-yuga because in this fallen age all perfection of life can easily be achieved by the performance of sankirtana (chanting of the Lord's names)." According to the Kali-santarana Upanishad, the Hare Krishna mahamantra is the taraka-mantra for this age. It is the great mantra of deliverence for all, and anyone may take to its chanting regardless of birth, caste, religion or qualification. The Upanishad instructs us as follows: hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare ity shodashakam namnam kali-kalmasha-nashanam natah parataropayah sarva-vedeshu drishyate "The Hare Krishna maha-mantra, composed of 16 names and 32 syllables, is the only means to countract the evil-effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the Lord's holy names." I hope this has answered your questions. Please continue chanting the maha-mantra sincerely and your spiritual life will become perfect. Yours in service, Jahnava Nitai Das, Bhaktivedanta Ashram [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 10-02-2001).]

The Amarkhosha defines Purana as containing five lakshanas, not ten: sargash ca pratisargash ca vamsha manvantarani ca vamshanu caritam capi puranam panca lakshanam 1) sarga (creation) 2) pratisarga (recreation) 3) vamsha (history of the sages) 4) manvantara (periods of Manu) 5) vamshanucarita (geneology of kings) It is the Srimad Bhagavatam that contains 10 unique subject matters that differentiate it form other Puranas. You can refer our newsletter article, "The ten subjects of Srimad Bhagavatam" for more information on this topic. Please note my use of the english word "primarily". I said: Puranas generally deal with "history", what has already occured. It is only the Bhavishya Purana which is primarily devoted to describing the history of the future. Itihasa is the special glorification of a particular dynasty or individual. Both Purana and Itihasa cover histories that have already occured. The literal meaning of the word "Purana" is ancient, and we find countless variations of the same root used in common puranic texts to refer to "the ancient times". Even in the Gita it is used, yoga prokta puratanah - "this science of yoga was instructed in the ancient times..." Purana does mean "history", in addition to meaning complete. Weren't you the person who a few months ago didn't know Bhavishya Purana was a maha-purana? Suddenly you've become an expert on it. Really strange. Only in Brazil these things happen. If you've forgotten, that was in the thread: http://www.indiadivine.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000461.html That was when you first flipped out and started on your tantra tip. That lasted all of two or three weeks before you gave that up and started the Vallabha trip. That lasted a month or so, and then you gave that up and started your shruti trip. On that thread you said: But it was shown that it is in fact included not only in the list of Puranas given in Bhagavata, but also in all other major lists such as Vishnu Purana, etc.

Grand Opening of the Glory of India Experience, New Delhi by Sri Balarama das Tomorrow, October 2nd, 2001, we will have the grand opening of a Museum at our ISKCON Glory of India Vedic Cultural Centre, First floor. The museum will present the glorious ancient Vedic culture and will have exhibits of Mahabharata, Ramayana, Srimad Bhagavatam and Caitanya Caritamrita. Equipped with the latest equipment, this hi-tech light & sound show will have a virtual guide explaining the meaning of various exhibits in Mahabharata as well as Srimad Bhagavatam sections. It will also include the Ramayana Art Gallery, and a special feature called Quadroscope, which will take people into the world of virtual video presentation, and establish the conclusion of the whole Srimad Bhagavatam. The Vedic Cosmology section will explain the Vedic concept of cosmology, austronomy, aeronautics.., and will show the links to the modern science. The Kalki section will show the accuracy of Srimad Bhagavatam's predictions about the development of Kali-yuga, and Forbidden Archeology will take us billions of years deep into the roots of our ancient civilization. While establishing Srimad Bhagavatam as the most ancient knowledge, Forbidden Archeology will prove the existance of intellegent civilization billions of years ago, thus putting an end to the Evolution Theory of Darwin. Located in East of Kailash, the Glory of India Experience Museum will become one of the biggest attractions for tourists, students, children, religious people and public in general. You are all most welcome to come and visit the museum whenever you will have a chance. Hare Krishna. Your servant, Sri Balarama das Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah ISKCON Governing Body Commisioner Gopal Krishna Goswami and the devotees of ISKCON New Delhi cordially invite you and your family to attend the Grand Opening of ISKCON Glory of India Vedic Cultural Centre, First Floor. comprising: Mahabharata Ramayana Srimad Bhagavatam Caitanya Caritamrita Vedic Cosmology-Forbidden Archeology The inauguration will be graced with the presence of Chief Guest Smt. Sheila Dixit, Honourable Chief Minister of Delhi, Guest of Honour His Excellency Alexander Kadakin, Ambassador of Russia. International Society for Krishna Conciousness Founder Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Hare Krishna Hill, Sant Nagar Main Road, East of Kailash New Delhi - 110065 Tel: 6235133/34/35 Programme: Tuesday, October 2nd, 2001 11:30 A.M. Welcoming of the guests 11:35 A.M. Invocation 11:45 A.M. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 11:50 A.M. Introduction of the Glory of India Vedic Cultural Centre by His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami 11:55 A.M. Message from the Chief Minister, Smt. Sheila Dixit, and His Excellency Alexander Kadakin 12:05 P.M. Tour of the Museum for Guests of Honour 12:30 P.M. Special Reception and Tour for Pandava Members Prasadam for Everyone

Read the two chapters of Bhavishya Purana referenced above. These questions are answered therein. These two chapters describe Sri Chaitanya's meeting the acharyas of the four sampradayas in his aprakata-lila (unmanifested pastimes) and his instructing them. Purana's generally deal with "history", what has already occured. It is only the Bhavishya Purana which is primarily devoted to describing the history of the future. For this reason many personalities such as Chaitanya, Madhva, Ramanuja, etc., are described in this text. Sri Chaitanya is hidden because He comes in the guise of a devotee.

Some people have blindly claimed Sri Chaitanya is only mentioned in Puranas from Bengal. I have replied that we have in our library many South Indian manuscripts that contain these predictive verses of Sri Chaitanya, texts that could not have been interpolated by Bengali followers of Chaitanya. Now it appears that even the Nag publishers edition of Bhavishya Purana also contains these chapters predicting Sri Chaitanya. Nag publishers only prints "critical editions" of the Puranas. This means they take many manuscripts of a Purana from different parts of India, and they keep only those portions which are present in all the manuscripts. In this way the local variations are removed and only the universally accepted main body of the text is published. The following message was sent by H.K. Susarla: [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 10-02-2001).]

Just saw this thread. I'm looking into it. How many chances should one person get?

Here is what you had said. Again, let me point out that you brought up the caste consideration in regards to studying the shruti. To which I replied by asking what caste you belong to. The answer to the question was that you had no caste nor gotra. Now can't anyone here see the irony in this discussion. You say, "The shruti says that a shudra can't study the Vedas" Someone who has no caste, nor gotra, is telling us what the shruti says... and what it says is that the person speaking isn't allowed to study it! That is why the natural question came up as to what justifies your study of shruti. You demand for shruti evidence to be given to you on a plate with a spoon and fork, but according to shruti no one should speak Veda to you. How can the shruti evidence be delivered to you? My question still remains: Are you still following Vallabha, or have you flopped from that stance as well? [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 09-28-2001).]

. . <center> Sri Sri Jagannatha Baladeva Subhadra Devi </center>

Some cultures lack the very basic concepts of cleanliness and purity. They will eat and wipe their hands on a cloth, thinking it is now clean and pure; or they think that by using toilet paper after passing they are clean; or they think that taking bath can be done once a week (just visit France!). Then some of these people will point fingers at India and say, "Ewww! They are eating with their hands like monkeys! They are eating off of leaves! These people are barbarians." Sometimes such people even want to study the shruti. They lack knowledge of cleanliness, but they think they possess some high knowledge of the self. This is why study of the shruti is barred for Shudras and those below the Vedic culture.

It is merely your opinion that these texts were edited after Chaitanya. I have pointed out that we possess multiple manuscripts of texts originating in South Indian royal libraries that could not have been interpolated by Gaudiya follows. Your answer is that, "Hey I know they were written after Chaitanya, after all I am in Brazil and I've read Amar Chitra Katha comic books." Don't mind if I don't take you seriously. This from someone whose knowledge of sanskrit extends to "Namas te, welcome to air India." What do you know about interpolations and methods to determine them?

This discussion seems to be pointless, as you just flip and flop from one stance to the next before I can blink. You are the one who brought up caste considerations in regards to studying the shruti. Now that it has been pointed out that you have no varna (caste), and that you have no gotra, you suddenly object to mentioning caste. Shruti must be studied under a guru, and that study requires initiation into mantras. You have no guru, no caste, no initiation, and you even lack respect for the Vedic culture. What shruti have you studied? The answer is, "the shruti available for $3.95 in Barnes and Nobles." Keep going to the book store and buying your shruti books. You think you are beyond the regulations of scripture, but in reality you have yet to rise up to them. Transcending the modes is not done by going below them. It is through sadhana that one will transcend. By the way, are you still following Vallabha, or have you flopped from that stance as well?

Actually this is just a cheap attempt at disinformation. Shvu himself has never tried to verify whether the verses are authentic or fake, so it is quite a meaninless discussion. He just takes the words of others like Srisha Rao, who has a personal dislike of Gaudiya vaishnavism. I have verified the authenticity of the majority of the verses provided, and we have the texts here in our library if anyone wants to confirm it. There are multiple editions of Puranas, and not every Purana will contain the same verses, but the texts we have are not from Bengal, they are all from South India - mostly from Tanjavur, Chennai, and Mysore. It would have been quite a feat for Gaudiya's to interpolate texts in South Indian royal libraries, and then to have companies like Motilal Banarsidas take those manuscripts for their printing and publishing work. It would have required intensive work spanning hundreds of years in a place where Gaudiya vaishnavism is nonexistent.

I have to agree with this. From now on, if you see a new person posting, please keep the guns in the holsters. I will take special care on threads by new participants and will delete any thing that is not a fair, honest and gentle reply to the person's questions.

Perhaps there is a problem in the english I used. I had asked you: That's a simple question. Which caste do you identify with, and how do you justify your studying shruti? It has nothing to do with my faith or not. It is a question directed towards yourself and your faith. You have rejected the process of sadhana and initiation given by your gaudiya guru. Keeping that in mind, how do you justify your study of shruti? If your gayatri-diksha is invalid and bogus, then you are an equally bogus brahmana, making you an outcaste to the varnas. How do you justify yourself studying the shruti, which you say may not be studied by shudras? Simple question I think. [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 09-27-2001).]

Life-style of Amish people (from the Mysore Star, a local newspaper) By R.Gururaja First Monday in September each year is observed as Labour Day in United States of America; with the weekend preceding it, gives the Americans the three-day holiday. Hari telephoned from office that I should be ready to visit the State of Pennsylvania to see three most important places, the Amish Country in Lancaster, The Hershey Chocolate World and Old-age Homes of Moravian Manor in Lititz. It is a three-and-half-hour drive from New York to the State of Pennsylvania, passing through the States of New York and New Jersey covering about 175 miles. The Varrazona Narrows Bridge, an Engineering marvel, perhaps the largest in its genre in the world is an important landmark on the route. We reached the information centre in Lancaster city to collect the details and modes of touring the Amish stronghold. At the information centre a 15-minute free guide film is shown to learn about the culture, customs and life styles of the Amish people who live today in the heart of Lancaster County, just as they did in the 17th century. There are various modes of covering the tour, the bicycle tour, the horse-drawn buggy tour, bus tour with a guide but we took the auto-tape tour, an easy-to-use 90 minute cassette tape with music and sound effects that lets you set your own pace — in your own car, while a knowledgeable guide describes the highlights mile-by-mile. The cassette costs 12.75 dollars. The tour in our own car takes us past near Amish Homes-teads, one-room school houses, see Amish people walking along the roads, driving carts and buggies and working their farms with plough mules and their own hands. The cavalcade, kitchen kettle, chair shop, bookstore, handcrafted quilts and crafts, bakery, Amish theatre, farmers markets, candle outlets, covered bridges etc., making up the Amish package. There are about 20,000 Amish people in the Lancaster County. The Amish, the Mennonites and the Brethren are the different groups. All are Christians. There are eight Amish, 21 Mennonite and nine Brethren groups. They share the common features of adult baptism by choice, non-violence, non-resistance, but differ in dress and use of technology. The Brethren and Mennonites use cars and electricity and are not averse to technology. But the Amish are conservative. Their dress is plain and simple. Men wear dark-coloured suits, black hats, solid coloured shirts, black socks and shoes. Women's dresses are made with long sleeves and a full skirt. Their hair is never cut. It is worn in a bun. They are not permitted to wear jewellery or printed fabric. Men do not grow moustaches and wait to grow beards until after they are wed. Single women wear a black prayer covering and after marriage they change to a white one. The Amish are basically farmers. They practice a life of hard work, thrift and self -sufficiency. The Amish are averse to modern technology. Electricity, telephones, television and tractors are considered tempting forces that would lead to break-up of their close-knit community. The Amish do not take photos of themselves but would allow any visitors or outsiders to take their photos. It is tantamount to developing egoism and anti-god attitude. Thou shall not make to thyself a graven image, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven or in the earth beneath. The Amish children attend school up to 8th grade only. They study reading, writing, English, Mathematics, Geography, History, German, Music and The Bible in one-room School hou-ses. Farming and home-making are more important than book-learning. The Amish speak three languages — German, Dialect English and High German. Large families with seven to eight children are common. The Amish are Christians but they worship in their own homes. Groups of 150-200 gather in homes in turn to worship. The elderly are not sent to nursing homes but are cared for at home. Each house is so constructed that there are independent but interdependent portions. The children knock at the doors of the grandparents when they do want fun. The young couples do enjoy themselves in another portion. The Amish pay taxes but do not depend upon social security schemes. They work upon their own unique self-dependent measures, which generate savings after caring for a simple but healthy and comfortable type of living.

You flip flopped yet again. Not very interesting. First decide what philosophy it is you follow, then try to convince others about it. And out of curiosity, which caste is it that you identify with? By what sanction would people from Brazil study the shruti? [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 09-27-2001).]

There is a new URL for the DragonSearch. It is now: www.dragon-search.com

For faith to be strong, one must remove the doubts within. This is not done by ignoring them or blindly believing in a doctrine of philosophy. In the Bhagavad-gita we find that Arjuna also had many doubts that came up while hearing Bhagavad-gita. He did not put them aside and follow blindly. He raised his questions to Lord Krishna and had his doubts removed. The state of "asamshaya" or freedom from doubt is not one of blind belief, but one of complete knowledge. People such as Shvu are unable to see the distinction between freedom from doubt through knowledge, and freedom from doubt through blind belief. The Gita teaches us that we need to cultivate spiritual knowledge of the absolute truth. That knowledge will manifest through devotional enquiry and submissive service to sadhus. There is no other way to acquire spiritual knowledge. It is not something external to us that we can learn. It is present within us, covered by the darkness of avidya. We need to cleanse our heart through sadhu-seva, serving the saintly souls, and by enquiring from them about our true self nature. Some want us to believe that religion means blind following without question. They make such claims without having read the Gita, for the Gita is nothing but questions and answers between Arjuna and Lord Krishna. In reality one will find more blind belief in other fields of worldly knowledge, where one must simply memorize and repeat facts and figures without any opportunity to question them. I am sure you have sufficient experience of such blind belief in your school studies. Krishna's teachings are based on factual perception of the results through experience, not on blind belief. In the Gita He tells to Arjuna: pratyakshavagamam dharmyam su-sukham kartum avyayam "One who engages in devotional service will directly perceive the results with his senses. He will experience an unending spiritual bliss." Perhaps you can raise your doubts here in regards to the philosophy of the Gita and everyone will discuss these topics. Otherwise if you would prefer, you can send me an email and we can continue the discussion in that manner.

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Ask yourself why it would be okay to silence 5,000 people with a plane crash? I think the answer is the same. This is a sign of not advancing on the spiritual path. Those who are "unmoved" by others pains, thinking they are beyond the dualities of happiness and distress, are mostly just pretenders. The true quality of advancement is when you are unmoved by your own happiness and distress. To be unconcerned with others sufferings while very much concerned with your own is just the sign of a typical conditioned soul. I would hope that those who practiced some sort of spiritual sadhana would rise above such levels of self-centeredness. When it is others sufferings we will quote how everything is illusion, it is all maya, we should be situated beyond dualities, etc. Let us see how we will react when a plane crashes into an ISKCON temple in New York. Will you have the same equanimity? Our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, felt compassion when he saw children going without food in Mayapur. He subsequently instructed his disciples that for a 10 mile radius of his temples no one should go hungry. He didn't say that we should laugh at those suffering knowing that it is their karma. He didn't tell us what sinful activities those children did in their previous lives that resulted in their sufferings. He simply told us that we must help them. A vaishnava suffers when he sees others suffering. This is one of the symptoms of a saint. Though he himself is beyond the dualities of happiness and distress, when he sees other souls subjected to the sufferings of karma he feels great compassion for them. It is out of compassion that the self-realized souls accept the reactions of their prarabdha karmas and continue existing within matter, despite being liberated. If they wish they could immediately attain Vaikuntha upon realization of the Lord, but they accept the Lord's desire that they should continue living till the end of their body simply to benefit the conditioned living entities.

Every cell has life, not only the primary life force in the body.

Here is what another devotee has pointed out about this verse. It appears the first half is authentic, whereas the second half is manufactured. I have no personal comment on this topic, but just thought I would pass on what I read. [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 09-14-2001).]

Dear Sri ..., Hare Krishna. Thank you for writing with your questions. The shastras explain that all life subsists by the consumption of other living entities. It is impossible to be nonviolent in this world, as simply to exist we need to take the lives of other living entities. Even without eating, so many ants, insects and bacteria are killed every time we walk or breath. This material world is therefore known as duhkhalayam, the place of suffering. Our very existence is suffering for others; and by the law of karma, those sufferings are later returned to us in full. Thus this world is described as being like a net of illusion. When the fish is caught in a net, the more it struggles to be free, the tighter it is bound in the net. The material world is known by the name 'durga', which literally means 'very difficult to move'. This net of maya has entrapped us, and the more we struggle against it, the more our freedom of movement is restricted. The Bhagavad Gita says: yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah tad-artham karma kaunteya mukta-sangah samacara "Activities must be performed as a sacrifice to Vishnu, otherwise all work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage." Every action we perform has a binding consequence which increases our entanglement in matter. This is the stringent law of karma which keeps us bound in this world. Every step we walk, every breath we take, it is increasing our bondage. Countless living entities are being killed by us without our knowledge. All of this will lead to our own suffering. The only way to become free from this bondage is by performing every action as an offering to God. This is known technically as 'yajna' or 'yaagam'. Those who eat food, even if it is vegetarian, without first offering it as a sacrifice to God, are eating only sin, for so many living entities have been killed in the process. In this connection, Lord Krishna states in the Gita: yajna-shishtashinah santo mucyante sarva-kilbishaih bhunjate te tv agham papa ye pacanty atma-karanat "The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin." Whatever one eats that is not prepared as an offering to God is sinful, and it will increase one's bondage and suffering through the laws of Karma. Those who are devotees of the Lord, first offer everything to Krishna, and then partake of his remnants. Such an offering of sacrifice frees one from reactions and situates one on the transcendental platform of akarma. karmany akarma yah pashyed akarmani ca karma yah sa buddhiman manushyeshu sa yuktah kritsna-karma-krit "One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in all sorts of activities." By performing every action as a sacrifice to Krishna one becomes free from all reactions. Though such a devotee is factually engaged in all sorts of activities, he is transcendentally situated and is therefore situated in inaction. One may then question the need for offering only vegetarian foods to Krishna in sacrifice. The scriptures establish which foodstuffs may be offered to God in sacrifice, and Lord Krishna reafirms this in the Bhagavad Gita: patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati tad aham bhakty-upahritam ashnami prayatatmanah "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it." These are the foodstuffs that Lord Krishna will accept in offering, and even to this day in thousands of temples throughout India these offerings are made everyday to the Lord. Such offerings are factually sacrifice, or yajna, and the devotees are freed from all kinds of bondage by partaking of the remnants, or prasadam. Those who wish to become free from karmic reactions should arrange in their house to offer all of their foodstuffs to Lord Krishna before eating. This will protect you from the sinful reactions involved. The Vedic injunction is mahimsat sarva bhutani, "Do not perform violence to any living entity." In the material world it is impossible to follow this instruction perfectly. We should strive to follow it to the best of our ability, offering all results to the Lord for purification of our imperfections. We should endeavour to cause the least amount of violence to other living entities as we can. Our very existence is violence, so we will not be able to stop violence, but we can consciously act in such a way as to minimize the disturbance we cause to other living entities. Comparitively, more violence is involved in the killing of an animal compared to the killing of a plant. Therefore the scriptures have stipulated that the proper diet for humans is only vegetarian food. Humans are meant to move from the mundane to the spiritual, and as such certain qualities must be developed, such as purity, mercy, compassion, etc. It is impossible to develop these essential qualities while engaging in the merciless slaughter of innocent animals to satisfy our tongues. The scriptures state that only the killer of animals is unable to understand the transcendental message of Lord Krishna. The killer of the animal is not only the hunter or butcher. It includes everyone involved in the process, from the butcher to the one who eats the meat. Such people will not be able to understand the message of Lord Krishna. For them it will not be possible to take to spiritual life, which is everyone's ultimate goal and self-interest: na te viduh svartha gatim hi vishnum. There is no reference to Jesus in the Vedas. There is a single reference to him found in the Bhavishya Purana, which states his mission was to establish dharma. The Vedas never say there is only one prophet. On the contrary the Vedas establish that there are unlimited saints, rishis, yogis, drashtas, and avataras, who all come to reestablish the principles of religion: ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti "There is one Absolute Truth, but the learned speak of Him in various ways." This is the conclusion of the Vedas. Whether there is proof of the existence of Christ or not is a subject of debate. In America there are many scholars who have shown evidence that this assertation is false. I am not saying there never was such a personality, but that belief in him depends on one's faith. Christ existed only 2,000 years ago, whereas Lord Krishna existed 5,000 years ago. We have countless saints whose existence has been established by history and archeology. Saints such as Adi Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Nimbarka, Vishnuswami, etc. In addition to this there is proof of many divine incarnations such as Lord Krishna (5,000 years ago), Lord Buddha (2,500 years ago), and Sri Krishna Chaitanya (500 years ago). There is no lack of evidence. Let us keep in mind the antiquity of Lord Krishna. He was present on earth 5,000 years ago. In the Christian tradition this would compare to the dates of Adam and Eve. Where is the proof that such personalities existed? There is absolutely none. But for Lord Krishna there is ample proof. His city of Dwaraka, beneath the sea, is being studied by archeologists even today. Hastinapura is still existing as an active and living city. The inscriptions and engravings of countless kings establish the existence of Lord Krishna. In other cultures of the world, where is the proof for individual people existing prior to 5,000 years ago? Where is the proof for Adam and Eve? It does not exist. Hinduism is a dynamic religion that continues to reestablish itself through divine descent (avatara). We need not look for proof beyond the incarnation of the Lord. Sri Krishna Chaitanya has appeared 500 years ago, and his life and teachings have been thoroughly documented by the saints of his time. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. Yours in service, Jahnava Nitai Das, Bhaktivedanta Ashram [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 09-14-2001).]

And in Texas the culture is based on killing cows and having barbeques. If we tell people that killing cows is sinful, it will stop people from taking to Lord Chaitanya's movement. Maybe some would suggest changing Srila Prabhupada's teachings to allow for cow slaughter and barbques at the Sunday love feast. We do not need to change our acharya's principles to suit the degrardation of Kali yuga. If we simply follow and do not change, this Krishna consciousness movement will be successful and will expand more and more. That was what Srila Prabhupada said on several occassions. Srila Prabhupada was always against divorce. When "disciples" would not obey him, he simply told them, "do as you wish". And the first step is given as: adau gurvashraya "In the very beginning take shelter of a guru." We should take shelter of Srila Prabhupada's instructions, and not alter them to suit our preferences. That was never Srila Prabhupada's method. He introduced something that was completely against the culture of America in the 1960's and 1970's. He told the hippies to stop taking drugs, stop illicit sex, to stop meat eating! He did not adjust it to suit the culture of the degraded west. He introduced the chanting of Lord Krishna's name in the streets, something which certainly didn't fit in with the western society - so much so that the police would often arrest the devotees.

And the empowered acharya, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has directly instructed his disciples, "Do not change anything.", "If you change, you lose your authority," etc. This is Srila Prabhupada's direct instructions on this matter. Those claiming to follow him should simply follow him: sarvam etad ritam manye, "I accept everything you have said as truth." Those who deviate and change, such as Kirtananda, were bogus, as they were not empowered by Lord Krishna to change things. They fell down, and their disciples suffered the reactions of following an imposter. At the time such deviations were justified on the grounds that he was an "acharya", "empowered by Krishna", "pure devotee", etc., and even some "senior gaudiya acharyas" certified them as such. Today we all know what was his actual position, he was a child-molester, a homosexual, a murderer, etc. Srila Prabhupada said "do not change anything". We should simply adhere to his direct orders to us. If Srila Prabhupada thought homosexual marriages would help people take to Krishna consciousness, he could have told us. But on the contrary he said, "Stop this immediately, you will not be able to advance in such a situation." The acharya has told us that homosexual marriages do not bring people to the feet of Mahaprabhu, they cause such people to fall away from him.